Tricky Near the Finish Line

Today was a day of plumbing woes (not to mention taho woes but that's for another blog that's not at all bloggable) but solvable woes that are part and parcel of the construction fun.  The Quezon City project, the one that just started, has water lines we need to either connect to the tenant's line or the building owner's line, each with different cost implications, pros and cons that would simply need the client's decision.  The Makati project, the one that's just a few days away from being finished had a plumbing conundrum that had me stumped for a while but it was happily resolved before going home.  

The plumber and I may have had a misundertanding in the beginning on what method to use for heating the water and we ended up with something that was unacceptable because the future occupant of the master's bedroom will have to go to the other bathroom just to turn on the hot water.  I wrongly thought that there would be hot water at all times.  Anyway, the other problem was the water pressure on the top floor was weaker and we had to get a multi-point water heater with built-in pump to compensate for this.  The water is still not as strong as I want it to be but the more pressing puzzle was turning the heater on and off conveniently since it was situated below the sink.  The solution?  Use a three-way switch in both bathrooms that would allow either users to conveniently turn on the heat.  The drawback?  The electrician will have to chip into the wall and will take three additional days of work.  Still, it was the best and most economical alternative out of all the others we discussed. 

To make myself feel better, I took pictures of my favorite parts of the bathroom that turned out the way I wanted.

Truly, it gets tricker near the finish line.   More challenges crop up than in the beginning since there are different layers of work and more suppliers involved as the project progresses.  Another lesson I learned today is I have to persistently call (or assign somebody to do this) the suppliers to deliver on their promises or else there will just be one delay after another.  People give dates to make you think that they can deliver quickly but it doesn't happen that way.  You have to follow up, follow up, follow up.  For instance, this aluminum sliding glass door installer, I will just hide under a blanket my disappointment and sleep it off.

Expanded Scope of Work (Yes!)

The original scope of work was for this room only with an attached bathroom and second sink area.  That's zee hubby in the center, always supportive.  

We've figured out a way however to connect this second floor to the ground floor which is ideal since the people using this new pantry won't have to pass outside.

This is the additional area.  It's just where the green rectangle is.  A short corridor will be built to house a spiral staircase leading down.

Demolition work happens in a blink of an eye.  The project officially started Wednesday and by Thursday, everything that needs to be torn down including the ceiling has been brought down.

The spiral staircase makers are measuring the area.

 Looking down and up where the spiral staircase will go. . . .

This is the type of spiral staircase I want in that space -- basic, simple, sturdy -- but not for hanging clothes.

Happy and Yummy

We were supposed to meet friends in another coffee shop in Serendra but taking my son around while waiting led us to discover Marta's Cakes, the perfect place for a little boy who loves playing with his food.  Here, as much as his heart desires, he gets to squeeze and squeeze bottles of different colored icing on cupcakes and cookies. 

 The shop design is happy-yummy Willy Wonka meets Joshua Willie in Wonderland.

Public spaces like this in Serendra are a joy to use, take the family around and chase the little children running wild.

Fun and Bold

In a gathering of family and friends honoring our Tita Gloria and Tito Tor, my cousin started talking with an aunt all the while amiring the jewelry she wore.  When asked who the designer was, the aunt launched into the promotion of Bianca, her friend's daughter whose creations fit those who were into fun, bold, unique and statement pieces of female adornment.

So my cousin, Ate Bigi and I hopped over to Bianca's shop called Linya Disenyo in the Rockwell area. The shop facade and gate offered clues as to the burst of artistic energy awaiting inside.

 Even the clever air-con cover-up was a continuation of this expressive spirit.

 The composition of doors and windows hint at abstraction.

Here's Bianca herself passionately explaining her line to my cousin, an instant avid fan who took home a trove back to New York.

Linya Disenyo's on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Linya-Disenyo-Limited-Inc/274377546483

Friday and Saturday Night

Deconstructed sisig and calamares with three sauces at Cerchio, Tomas Morato

My brother's girlfriend's home sweet home

 Saturday night out - wine tasting all the way from Reno

Woohoo Next Project!

My bubbling excitement for the next project is dampened by some mistakes on the current project.  We have about a little over a week left to finish the renovation work and at the same time, we hope to start on the next project which is a pantry.  However, there are some bugs and baggage lodged in my head in the shape of ill-proportioned, preventable mistakes in the current project.  So a cleaner must sweep away these distracting garbage so I can move on.  

A couple of months ago, an architect friend showed me a house he designed and more than anything else he ranted about the errors in the actual construction and his hesitation to show his other works because of the imperfections.  I told myself that I wouldn't be like that -- that I'd be proud and happy with what work I finish, warts and all, not focus on the mistakes, not hone in on the dot on the paper but the paper itself.  But boy, was that a mistake in itself!  I was wrong to think that I wouldn't feel tugging pain or else I could control and erase the sharp pangs of frustration over things that I could have rectified but I didn't (lost opportunities), or things that I could not alter but wished I could (legitimate booboos). Maybe when the project is done, I can make a therapeutic two-column list of the two types of mistakes with a third column on how to prevent them from happening next time.

Anyway, moving on. . . . these are pictures of the next project site: 

 This is not the site itself but the space before entering the room to be renovated which is . . . . 

 tadah . . . . this one.  Just walk into that door and that's the space we'd be transforming into a pantry.

I have to meet with the building administration engineer to work out the electrical and other requirements so hopefully we'll be able to start next week.  Meanwhile, I'll try sweeping away those bugs.

Mirror Mess

The mirror was installed today and the quality was quite disappointing.  I reached a point in this project where I don't even want to show this to my Mom because of the mistakes I made.  What a difference from a week ago when I couldn't wait for it to finish so I could show the unit to family and friends.  Now, I'm a bit hesitant and embarassed.

The corners are a mess.  One went out of the thickness of the tiles when it should have stayed within and the application of the sealant on the edges were not pretty at all.  I don't know how to resolve this except swallow my pride.

 Finishing work has slowed down the process but it's to be expected because the work entails more care.

I started canvassing materials for the next project and discovered something that I could've used to bring the cost of the kitchen counter down -- granite tiles.  I only considered natural granite, synthetic granite, MDF boards and stainless steel and settled on natural granite only to find this neat and cheaper alternative.  Ah well, at least I get to use it on the next job. 

And just to put things into perspective, this was emailed to me just now:

                                                 Some of what you think  

                                                 are very important today 

                                                 are actually totally and

                                                 utterly worthless 

                                                 in the larger picture.

In fairness, the mirror guys came back the next day and re-installed the mirror.  It's still not as perfect as I want it to be but it's better.