progress report: week 15

Week 15…Week 15?!?

Well, it certainly feels like it.

We’ve had a few set-backs in the last week and are still (almost) knee-deep in electrical work. The power part has been pretty straight forward, but the low-voltage, cat 5, cable, etc. is a different story. And even though we put together an electrical plan, we’ve found that this is very much a design-build process for us. The advantage to having free reign over our open walls is that we can do whatever we want. The disadvantage is that we can do whatever we want. For instance, in order to determine the location for the speaker outlets in the living room, we had to revisit and finalize the layout for that space. This meant that we had to commit to a furniture layout which meant we had to decide on a couch. So what could have been a 2 minute decision turned into an evening (or two) of messing with the SketchUp model, looking at various couch options and dimensions and analyzing the audio and visual impact of different speaker sizes and locations.

We’re tired. It’s week 16 now.

I also haven’t taken any photos because there just isn’t a lot of physical evidence of our progress.

But we’re determined to stay strong and see this thing through! And we’ve also come to terms that “finished” will be a very loose term when it comes to our September 18th deadline.

A few other items to note from the last week:

1. We were in the South Lake Union ‘hood on Sunday so we stopped by Velocity Art and Design. They had an Eames rocker on display (something I’ve been coveting for a long time) and it was one of the newer, muted colors. So I sat down, gave it a rock, and decided…I didn’t really like it. I’m sure the shell is the same size and shape as the old fiberglass models but it just didn’t feel the same. And the plastic just looked…different. So I’m still holding on to the fantasy that I’ll find an old one on the side of the road one day, with a free sign on it. The good news about this unfortunate discovery is that we’re now thinking more seriously about doing Eames side chairs for our dining room table (we were a little hesitant before, not wanting to go over our Eames quota y’know).

Even though we had found a nice sectional from BoConcept, we both were eyeing the Modernica Case Study daybed that was on display. In our old layout, a daybed in the living room would have been the perfect thing, but now that we’ll have lots of sleeping area options it isn’t real likely that someone would need to sleep in the living room. But it still looks cool and is actually pretty comfortable. Decisions.

2. We’re starting to get numbers for drywall…which is making us realize just how much we have to do before that can happen. Not only do we need to finish the electrical and insulation and vaulted bead board ceiling, but we also have to do all of the door and window trim and install the reglets where the bead board meets the drywall.

3. We figured out the audio system! We found a simple solution that will meet our needs – a pair of tower speakers for the living area and a 2-channel all-in-one player that gets the job done. We’ll also run speaker wire for a pair of future outdoor speakers. Phew.

4. We extended our electrical permit. It was inevitable.

And so we continue. Eye on the prize, eye on the prize. And by the way, thanks for all of the encouraging comments. It truly keeps us motivated.