Christmas is Here to Stay

With obvious reasons, we love celebrating Christmas. And Christmas decorations are well-suited somehow to our decor. Thus we think this house may be blessed from St. Nic. Or did many little elves used to live here? Who knows?

Bedroom 2 - update

BEFORE

AFTER



The room is finally done, –ish, sort of… The wooden floors were placed, builders put a new wallpaper and I painted the ceiling Lilac as described on the tin. It’s looking good!

Bedroom 2

nemo had a productive weekend. Thanks to s’s family, he was able to do the floor of the upstairs' bedroom which will be in fact the new location of the English salon aka Portobello English. Yes!

FOCUS – Bathroom

Not quite the finish product yet but we’re getting there. Bathrooms are slightly different here in J-land. And I know I kept describing this room as the bathroom. But in fact, it’s more like the powder room. The sink and washing machine are placed here. The actually room with the bathtub and shower is adjoining.

Anyway, I did all I can here without messing around with the plumbing. So we’ve ordered a new bathtub and some flooring for the shower. Both would be in ivory to compliment the sky blue looking tiles.

FOCUS - Kitchen

This is it! The new s’s kitchen.

We tried to get away from being too modern here coz it simply wouldn’t work. As well as having Lj around the house, it’ll be a bit of a hassle to tidy it up all the time and make the place look minimal. So the concept is fused with the pureness of nature with a twist of ingenuity. Kinda like Jiyugaoka meets country living. With hints of city life and culture, from our travels, and individuality are embraced with handmade crafts and other bits and bobs from J-land.

As a result, it’s really cosy, fresh and somewhat, cleansing. Plus s’s loves trying new ways of cooking from French frying to pressure-cooking. Lovely!

And they were all 'yellow'

We were concerned about the amount of light in the loo. As a result, after much deliberation, we decided on this. Bright and fun so that it livens up the littlest room. I believe we struck a balance here with the white windowsill and skirting.

Not bad…

I do surprise myself sometimes of what I can do. In fact, the paint is describe as 'milky white' but it's pretty pinky looking to me. As a result, the bathroom turned out to be pretty Frenchy, I think. s’s loves the colour so much that both doors that access the bathroom were painted milky white, too. Tiling, plastering and skirting were done by me. s’s helped out with the painting. That’s what she loves doing the most.

Beginner’s luck?

Or am I a natural DIY’er? A builder came to see our bathroom. As he entered our house, he noticed the passage and complimented how good the plastering was. s’s said who had done it, then he was stunned! He quoted, “Sometimes beginners are better than us.” When s’s told nemo the story that evening, he was over the moon. I think he’s still up there. Nice walls baby. Oh, yes!

Living Room - Update

It's looking good! But nemo is absolutely knackered and he feels it's just the beginning of a very long journey. JFET predicted a year till it gets completed. Let's just say the home stretch is still far beyond reach. Although it's taking a bit of time to redo the entire house, I must admit that we are gaining grounds and the living room is looking particularly fresh, don't you think? However, I'm not too fond of the lamp. It's tacky but it'll have to do for now.

Moving in

I started moving in some of our stuff this morning and put it in the upstairs bedroom for now. And Nikka Home finished sealing off the kitchen exterior.

The ever so handy Vitz

Or commonly sold as Toyota Yaris in the UK. It's compact and so easy to use. We used it to go to and fro Okazaki City Central Clean Centre. We've made a record fourth trip today and it's been exhausting. To make matter worse, nemo's big right toe was injured coz one of the stupid logs fell on it whilst he was chucking them away. Anyway, it's been a productive day - the electrician finished off the sockets, the plumber fitted the Washlet (ウォシュレット = Woshuretto) and the builders fitted the cupboards by the passage and bedroom.

Knackered?

Physically tired but mentally not. nemo is eager to get the job done. He's got only 3 weeks left. Also today, the builders put up the wallpaper in the kitchen. And tomorrow, they'll fix part of the exterior. Plus, the electrician will fit the sockets in the kitchen. がんばります！

Our new "System Kitchen" is here!

Abracadabra! Your wish is my command as the genie would say it. And just like magic, there it is. But we must extend our gratitude and say a big big thank you to Toto Kitchen. They've done a really good job. They're so professional. No wonder, J-peeps use this company often. Anyway, also today, we added more coats on the bathroom doors and skirting boards. And tomorrow, the gasman is gonna check the stove heater and the replacement loo is coming. Yippee! It's all becoming clear.

Wax on, wax off...

Actually, we haven't put the wax yet but it looks immaculate already thanks to s's hard work. We painted the kitchen door and touched up the ceiling and walls. The builders delivered some cardboard and tape coz our new "System Kitchen" is coming tomorrow. Hurrah!

Brainstorming

It's always nice to have more than one idea. Coz you simply never know what you'll encounter once you start doing something. So that is why s's took a few books out from Toyota City Library to have a more creative input to the house. I must say, it's stimulating our brain cells. And nemo bought a new saw blade.

Exterior update - The front

I lost count how many trees I've chopped off today. And because of my sheer determination, I also managed to snap off the saw blade from its handle. Well, at least we can finally see the house from street level. Other things were the builders finished putting up the kitchen panels, s's and Lj painted the skirting boards and window panes, and nemo karate chopped about eleven more trees with his bare hands. Just kidding!

The Pros

Well, actually only one bloke did this job. And it's pretty good! I just wish I had the tools to make such things too. Anyway, he'll finish it off tomorrow plus he'll put up the remaining wall panels and skirting boards in the kitchen. Also, nemo and s's made several trips today to Okazaki City Central Clean Centre to dispose lots of junk.

Kitchen update

The builders delivered some bits today for panelling the living room and kitchen area. They'll fit it in tomorrow. It may take a couple of days as it is a very intricate job. As for nemo, he went solo on a mission and finally finished off the kitchen walls and ceiling. Next on the menu is the bathroom and toilet, and perhaps a spot of gardening.

Finishing touches

We tried to finish painting today but only to find out that we needed more Silky White and when we phoned the store, they said they were out of stock. So we'll take a chance and s's will get some in from another branch tomorrow. On a similar note, thanks to Colourworks for a speedy delivery today. Now the kitchen ceiling is done although we might need to do some touch ups again coz it got darker a lil sooner today than normal. I might have missed a spot. Anyway other major issues were resolved as the seller agreed to get it fix. Thank God for that!

P-Day

We finally have a better idea of how the kitchen will look like. Although there were a few hiccoughs, we were quite happy with today's end result.

Kitchen ceiling

I should have painted the kitchen ceiling today but cleaning it and making it smooth took longer than we expected. Also, the window was totally filthy. I couldn't believe the folks that used to live here. I don't think they know the meaning of the word "clean". Anyway, I set it all up and it's ready for a coat or two tomorrow. I don't know why but I 'm itching for it. がんばります。

Day off

That's what the missus said. Besides nemo's got training in the afternoon.

Builders are here and more

What a hectic day! They all came at the same time today. The builders, fitters, roof experts, sales-peeps, estate agents, architect, plumber, gasman, nosy-neighbours, a big black dog named ichi and a four-year old boy shouting "I'm a ninja!". Phew! As for me, I took off the rug and carpet from the biggish bedroom upstairs and chopped more wood. At the end of the day, it's still cluttered but we're getting there.

C-Day

Surprisingly, we were able to scrub off the dirt from the wallpaper in the living room and now it looks very fresh and almost new. nemo concentrated more on removing adhesives from the staircase. But I think a strong thinner would do the trick. It's like chewing gum. But we've made good progressed today. The main bedroom downstairs is intact, the living area is washed and the big tree which blocks the main entrance is now gone.

We got the keys

It was a long wait and more paperwork was done in the bank. But eventually we got the keys today. We felt a sense of 'rejoice', in a way or was it 'relieve'. Anyway, we then went to the house and only to find out a few hidden surprises which the seller was too busy and obviously had forgotten to mention. Put it this way, there was a lot more damage than we anticipated. We gotta check the contract carefully tonight for any hidden clauses. Well, tomorrow I dubbed as Cleaning Day and I promised s's to make it sparkle. And I will.

Electricity and water started running today. And the builders checked out the kitchen for refurbishment. がんばります。

Sitting waiting patiently - what else can one do?

Well, tomorrow is the big day! We'll get the keys, meet the neighbours and find out exactly how much is the damage. Shouldn't I get a good night sleep and worry about it tomorrow?

It’s so hot!

It’s just the second day of nemo’s summer break and his already whinging. Not about the days off, but to a higher force like Mother Nature. Frankly, it feels like his being roasted. And we’re indoors... And the air con is on full blast... Forget Cool Biz, he’s stripped off to the ground. No wonder the neighbours are complaining and asking us to draw up our curtains. Aichi is definitely hotter than Tokyo. And more humid. That’s a fact! Anyway, we’re still preparing for the move, and we've made and remade our checklists of things to bring so many times.

The next thing on the list is...

Actually, the list goes on and on. Let’s start with a refrigerator, a telephone/fax and a washing machine.

It’s fun to say “D-I-whoaY!”

Luckily, nemo's got some time off which doesn’t imply days off exactly but signifies an on the go nonstop tireless conquest of fun DIY. But to put it plainly, he’s very excited and rather all charged up for it. Bring it on!

Our Toyota Premio is at the Front

It's light silver, almost white actually, economical and takes us from A to B to C and beyond.

What a nice clean car!

Yep, I cleaned it today. At first glance, I thought the interior was fairly ghastly. But after a thorough wax and vacuum, it looks quite good. The inside definitely reminds me of a Toyota Crown. Apart from a few nicks here and there especially the exterior, it's not such a bad buy. The handling is like any mid-range sized sedan. And with Toyota's signature of reliability, I think we couldn't go wrong.

Got the car today

It should be up and running by this weekend.

The paints are here!

Wow! I must admit, I'm pretty impressed with the speed of delivery. But the 0.9L looks smaller than I expected. I hope the can isn't part of the weight.

The Official Signing or Was It?

This was a fine example of Japan's hierarchy system. Oh well! The more and more I get confused. Anyway, it supposed to be the 'it' word or thing and it looks like we gonna have to come back and do more paperwork. Our strange, but generally, well-informed overworked advisor said that everything is in order. And we'll see how things go. Next week my account will be open and we'll get the keys on the following Tuesday. Hurrah! がんばります。

Colours of Life

OK. So we ordered 0.9L x 1 of each - Sky Dive 8033M for the living area (one side), Spiney Green 7212W for the kitchen ceiling and Omate Yellow (Low Hide) 7235A for the bathroom/toilet walls.

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

Actually, there are lots to make. It's kinda giving me a headache.

Colours, colours, colours...

Mustard you said? How about Tuscan yellow, Mystic beige or Golden sunset?

TOTO quote

We got the quote today. It made me raise me eyebrows.

So, which room?

After checking the house a few times, it is evident that the kitchen, bathroom and toilet are not to our liking. And due to our budget, we really have to choose a room at a time to be redone.

So, which room?

It’s the kitchen! The current L-shaped tops really wouldn’t work for us as well as the layout so a refurbishment is being organised as we speak. It may involve knocking down part of the wall to extend the living area too.

Natural is our theme and colours of white, pale mustard and neutral blue we believe would enhance its appearance.

TOTO Kitchen

We've decided the colour for the kitchen and use TOTO worktops and fittings. Although the budget is a little over, there isn't one that we can find that can offer a more competitive price. STYLE F interests us the most. TOTO is known for their quality sanitary fittings such as bidets called Washlets ウォシュレット Woshuretto. So they know what they are doing.

Intro

nemo and s’s will record their experiences in buying a house in J-land.