One piece at a time, the ceiling panels are going on and the room is slowly being transformed into something that resembles a room in a house, not a room for torture in a dungeon. It is pretty easy to put these MDF panels on, but it requires a compressor and stapler, as well as a lot of measuring and positioning of holes for the lights.
We have spotlights and pendant lights planned, which is going to be interesting as we are unsure how the pendants will look, as the ceiling isn't very high. But, with the size of the kitchen, we need something to break up the space. And, despite the size, someone thought it would be awesome to have that single window on the side of the house that sits predominantly in shadow the year round.
It is a bit dark in here.
Which is why we revised our plans and went for the boring option of a white kitchen, with white countertops too, as we want to maximize the effect of minimal natural light, so that at least sometimes, we can feel like it is naturally warm. The plan is not to use the spotlights too much and instead use the strip lighting that will be under the wall cabinets, atop the high cabinets and the pendants, which will all be Philips Hue, so we can adjust them to suit the occasion.
Most of the time, we don't have too much light as it is, and instead do with the more moody atmosphere - which for some people would be too dark. However, it is also important to have proper lights available too, as in the winter, it is necessary if you want to clean properly, since day and night, it is dark.
It is nice helping the builder, because he doesn't speak English that much, but talks constantly, knowing that all I am pretty much going to say is "yeah", whether I understand it all or not. It is nice because there is no pressure to talk and hold the conversation with him, as even when no one is around, he is talking still. It is the way he works and it is a relief, because it gives me respite from my general days, which are filled with me having to listen, talk and often, add something relatively intelligent and valuable to the conversation.
It is a strain on my brain.
Participating in the building and doing the menial jobs to lessen the burden and up the speed, is like a therapy of a sort, as while I am far too out of shape and weak to keep up, I get that space to just be a little mindless, and still help. And of course, doing pieces of it myself does make it far more mine, than paying someone for the labor alone.
A few more weeks....
I am getting a little frustrated too though - not because it is taking too long or because our house is a mess and we only have a microwave, it is that we are also coming to the end of the quarter and things are going to get hectic on top of all of this. The plan was to have most of it done by now, but that depended on me being able to take the first two weeks of August off, which I couldn't so everything got pushed back and when that happens, it disrupts the entire supply chain and we lost people for weeks to other jobs.
We are getting there though, and once the cupboards are in, it will look very different again, even though the countertops are still going to be up to a month away, which also means, no stove until then. At least we will have an oven though, which means we can cook some decent vegetables and fish, or even throw the elk meat we have waiting in the freezer that we got as a gift. Though, not sure what to do for a sauce!
Right - it is the end of about a 14 hour day - 9 hours on my ass in front of a screen for work and then another 5 lifting and holding things for the kitchen. And, tomorrow it continues again, but at least I will be sitting on my ass from the company office tomorrow, so the change of view and the lack of dust will be welcome.
The need to talk to people and hold an intelligent conversation, will not be.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]