I have three apartments at the moment: The one I live in with Mrs. DIY, my work apartment in another part of the city, and the evil condo we purchased. The key situation is a little confusing.
The timeline is like this: The lease in apartment one is over in March. By this time the condo has to be livable, well, livable enough for moi (my standards are low). Mrs. DIY, and the DIY baby she is carrying, will be moving to an apartment provided by her employer until the baby arrive. She believes, as do all Chinese people, that the harmful chemicals used in “decorating” must dissipate before she lives there. I’ve known couples that wait 6-12 months after decorating their condos to move in.
By March I must:
- Paint the walls and ceilings.
- Refinish the ash floor.
- Overhaul the kitchen
- Buy furnture.
- Buy appliances.
A short list, but incredibly complex. I am focusing on getting the painting done. With a fresh coat of paint I will feel far less depressed upon walking into said condo. Before I can paint I have to fix the holes in the plaster. Some of it is rotted at baseboard level, a common problem in Chinese apartments.
The Friendly Contractor (FC) will (next week) be fixing the air conditioner hole in wall in the baby’s bedroom, drilling a new hole for an air condition out-flow pipe in another room, and removing the tap set into the dining room wall (the old tenants had their washing machine in the dining room).
When Mr. FC finishes I can get the wall prep completed. It’s the wrong time of year to be doing plastering work. It’s damp and cold – the stuff takes forever to dry.
Then: Prime the whole place and go crazy with Dylux semi-gloss. Washable white in the living and dining rooms, pale yellow in the arriving-in-six months baby’s room, green in the master bedroom. I have yet to decide on a color for my study.
I’m still trying to come up with ideas for the kitchen. It’s a galley kitchen, long and narrow. The counter back splash was not properly sealed when it was installed. Water got behind the cupboards and rotted the pressboard. Idiots. I have to investigate the best thing to do. I can go with an Ikea kit and replace everything, or try to salvage some of what is usable. I’ll put on my thinking cap.
photo credit: alancleaver_2000
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Wow. Good thing you don’t have a lot to do otherwise there’s be no time for self-portraits.
Good luck Stevo…
R(etc… )
Ron in L.A.´s last blog ..From The Beginning