Day 59: Kitchen Complete!

On Monday, 9th April (Day 59), the kitchen was finally completed. It had by accident been delivered one element too short, but the missing parts came during the previous week. Now Our House is ready as far as our contract with the factory is concerned – the fire place is a separate arrangement. The only obligation left from our side to fulfil the contract is to show the house to the public.

Kitchen Arrives and Cleaning Progresses

Our House is basically complete, except of the kitchen, which was accidentally delivered short by one element or 60 cm. The missing cupboard (foreground) and the work surface of correct length (background, to the left) were delivered on 3rd April, and they will be installed on Monday, 8th April.

Otherwise cleaning is progressing, with a general dusting of absolutely everything, which includes also a careful check of possible damaged bits. In a construction process it probably can't always be avoided that something goes wrong, but then it needs to be negotiated if this leads to compensation claims. Thus one of the tasks is finally to reveal the laminate floors by collecting the corrugated cardboard covering. The photo above shows the ready product, a design called "honey oak," the same as the one we chose for the work surface for the kitchen.

Also the windows got their first dusting, and they immediately become one step more transparent. It's surprising how much fine dust collects absolutely everywhere. Fortunately the large stickers weren't glued onto the glass, but stuck there simply by electrostatic adhesion, so easy to remove.

There won't be any more updates to this blog until next Monday, when the kitchen will be complete. After that, blog entries will be sparse, posted whenever something interesting happens. The next items on the agenda are the hand-over of Our House on 11th April, and the House Show on the same day.

Construction-wise, the chimney still needs to break through the roof and reach its final height, and access ladders for chimney sweepers must be installed. In May, we will dig the trenches for drainage pipes. After closing those trenches, another double-layer of FinnFoam around the outside of the foundations will provide the last bit of insulation against ground frost. On top of this, the soil originally taken from under Our House will be used for backfilling around the house.

Furthermore, the house needs to be painted from the outside, and a lot of gardening is going to happen. Thus there will be updates, but at irregular intervals.

House Show: Our House will be open to the public on Thursday, 11th April, from 1700h to 1900h, with sales staff present. Welcome if you are interested. For details follow the link.

Day 54c: Bathrooms and Kitchen

This is the last instalment of news from Day 54 (27th March). The toilets and bathroom taps have now been fitted, and thus the small bathroom (above) and the shower room are complete.

In the shower room, there's a sink, the shower and a toilet, which is just visible in the lower-right corner of the photo. Also lights are readily fitted here and also in the sauna.

One of the most important ingredients of a Finnish house is the sauna, and of course that needs a stove ("kiuas"). While we have seen the stove previously, now it's been filled with stones. Now everything is in place for the first proper "löyly," i.e. the throwing of water onto the hot stones and the subsequent filling of the room with steam vapour.

Finally the kitchen is almost complete. Unfortunately there was some communication issue somewhere down the line, and the kitchen has been delivered one cupboard shorter than ordered. This will be fixed in the near future as soon as a new work surface in the correct length has been delivered.

Nonetheless we are happy with how the white kitchen stands out against the dark-brown wall. Making some bold choices with colours always bears some risks, but here (and also with the green-and-white bathroom above) our ideas are spot on – at least for us, the rest is a matter of taste.

Day 51:Furniture Fronts and Bathroom

On Day 51 (21st March), the furniture got its fronts, meaning doors and drawers were installed, and even the kitchen appliances appeared. Above the small bathroom with sink, drawers, and mirror. The camera flash created an interesting pattern on the rear wall.

The utility room is pretty much finished now. The tall empty slot under the ventilation system is reserved for washing machine and tumble dryer. The tall closet contains two big and one small baskets for laundry, which is very handy right next to the washing machines.

The wardrobe in the entrance area now has doors and the final look became apparent. Lots of storage space here.

Finally a huge improvement on the kitchen, compared to the previous day. All doors installed, and cooker, hobs, sink, dishwasher and drawers installed. Also the tiles have now received their white grouting, the extractor fan is installed, and its "exhaust" pipe is hidden behind some neat white box.

Also the wooden strips in the corners between walls and ceiling is now finished in the much of the living room and half of the hallway. It's all coming together rapidly.

Day 50: Kitchen, Wardrobe, and Bathroom Furniture

Big things happened, on 20th March (Day 50), the kitchen furniture went in. The doors are still missing, and the tiles have not received their grouting, but it very much is taking shape. Also, the wooden strip between ceiling and wall is now in place on the left wall in the photo above.

The wardrobe for the entrance area also appeared, which will provide lots of storage for our clothes and coats etc.

Finally, the small bathroom now has its sink installed. The toilets are still missing, but they will probably be installed together with the taps and shower by a plumber, which will come at a later date.

In a month's time we will already live in Our House. Exciting!