Monday, May 15, 2006

Off to IKEA

I need a lot of furnishings for this remodel. Even though the exterior of the house is craftsman style, I want a more modern interior. Modern interiors at an affordable price pretty much only come from a few places, IKEA and Target being the two that come to mind immediately. And IKEA sells fixtures, which Target doesn't. I also like the fact that IKEA has an environmental policy with some real teeth, so they insure that their low-cost overseas suppliers are protecting the earth. The downside is that the nearest IKEA is a four hour drive away.



You've got to like the Swedes. In fact, thinking back to my old backpacking trip through South East Asia in 1992, no matter where I went, no matter what problems one cultural group had with another cultural group, everyone seemed to like the Swedish. They never really colonized or tyrannized anyone.

I also recall a small boy I saw in Indonesia. He was wearing a t-shirt with pictures of Saddam Hussein, a tank, and a anti-aircraft gun. I'd show you a picture, but I don't have one. That small child may have had no love of America or George H.W. Bush, but he did love capitalism. Taking a picture of his t-shirt cost 50 cents.


I bought a Honda Element and a trailer for this project. Buying an entire kitchen and 1400 sq ft of flooring and hauling it 250 miles requires a little more space than the old Integra.

This trip was about scoping out their kitchen options, picking out what I would like, slowly walking around the store taking pictures so I can get ideas, and leaving with bamboo flooring. Lots of bamboo flooring.

I wasn't able to get everything in one trip. On a subsequent trip, I really loaded down the trailer. Jed Clampett would have been proud.

Monday, May 01, 2006

Floor Joists

The floor joists and some of the wall framing are now up.



The electrical rough-in is now complete.



Master-carpenter-in-training Finn, with his tool belt, inspects the work and explains what we should do next. Actually, that's not a tool belt. It's a LEGO sword. But I'm sure he's explaining something.