project DOMO [15]
february 25, 2007
^ it's not always pretty
yeah, i agree with you completely. it's about damn time i had another DOMO update or any update for that matter. sorry, there was a slight lull in DOMOland but we are definitely back on track for these last few phases of it. unfortunately, i missed a whole section of photos that i will never get back again but it will have to do as is really. i was so sensitive to all the dust and insulation that i wasn't able to get photos of the cotton candy stuffing in DOMO's walls. but i sacrificed my heatlh to get this next set of photos and this is where DOMO really starts getting down and dirty.
as i mentioned, DOMO had to go through a pretty thorough insulation process where the crew came to work on it for a couple days before the inspector came to give us the green light to move onto this section: drywalling. we are sooooo lucky to have a great, and i mean GREAT inspector who wants to make sure the job is done correctly but isn't going to nitpick about every goddamn detail or slight oddity here and there. in the end though, i think it's because we got really good crews that didn't skimp or screw up the place. much. and yes, you do get what you pay for in a sense.
as you can see in these photos already, DOMO has drywall up!! and it really is looking like a house now. with the actual 3D walls in place, you can really get a better sense of space, size and layout. there were corners and edges and other things i didn't know would even be there. but it's all part of the surprise in homebuilding. it's times like this where i wished i was more knowledgable about carpentry, wielding of power tools and i wished i wasn't so freakin allergic to dust.
these initial photos were taken at the end of i believe day 2 or 3 of drywalling. they came back an additional day to clean up the mess and will be back for another 2-3 visits to finish up some of the drywall work. you can't see in the photos but all corners are rounded. yay! they look soooooo gorgeous that way! but doesn't it look like a house now?! the view above is of the living room/couch area. the couch will sit in that L shaped 90 degree area. the main doorway and front window is off to the right there. and those are not my front doors.
this view is of the front door, the steps leading to the staircase and to the right there is the area for the tv/entertainment system. i had the fun job a few days ago of going into each and every room and accounting for all the outlets we have. i had to make a map of it prior to them putting up the drywall because god forbid they fuck it up and cover up any important outlets! so i walked around with my map of outlets that i did weeks ago and with a camera of old pics i took to make sure i didn't miss anything. turns out, the crew forgot 2 outlets in the upstairs bathroom. so they better cut them out and make room for them. because there's no way TGILW is coming to my side of the sink and plugging in his shit. :x
this is from one corner of the master bedroom looking at the balcony sliding doors and the mini walk in closet. i'm seriously having to consider a lot of other closet/storage options as i have such limited storage space in this place! you can get a sense of the vaulted ceilings here.
this is another angle of the master bedroom looking from the master bedroom doorway. the corner i'm looking at will hopefully eventually have a reading nook area with a comfy chair to surf the net wirelessly from, read or knit!!
this angle is looking from the balcony sliding doors into the bedroom. on the left side is the door that leads to the hallway and second floor landing. beyond that is the doorway into the office area. the doorway on the right goes into the master bath which has another door that leads into the office. yes, lots of matching doors there.
this angle is looking from the mini walk in closet. i'll most likely be putting the bed against that wall with bedside tables flanking the beds. you can see the outlet in the ceiling for the hanging light on this side of the room as well. there's another one on the opposite corner above the reading nook.
this is the office, looking in from the office doorway. that corner has already been claimed by TGILW. it's a nice corner and that means i'll end up in one that is near the door or in alignment with the door. bad feng shui...but only if you believe in that stuff. i'm really digging those little windows we have in these rooms. they add a nice character to it without devoting a huge amount of wallspace.
ok, the next day, the crew came back to sweep up. i *could* have just shown you these instead of the debris strewn DOMO in the preceeding pics but you HAD to get a grasp on how messy and dusty it all was! DOMO looks so much better in this pic but it's still super dusty and dirty. here, you are looking at DOMO from the backdoor near the kitchen. you get a good sense of the space leading up to the front door there.
here's a view of the kitchen area to the right and the backdoor on the left. the sink will be right beneath that window and the major appliances will be against that back wall. you can see all the holes in the ceiling for the recessed lights and the pendant lights. and look at how many outlets i have! :O yes, one of the perks to building your own space is to call all the outlet shots!
this angle is if i was standing at the sink looking towards the east side of the house. the door to the right is the one that connects DOMO to the main house. the room in there isn't completed yet so we cannot take off that board from the connecting room in our current house. does that make sense? the door on the left there is the downstairs half bath. i was surprised at how spacious it was in there with a sink, toilet and shower stall for overnight visitors.
speaking of the bathroom, here it is! this is right when you walk in and you will see in that corner the toilet. the sink will be to the immediate right of this photo and the shower is directly across from the toilet.
and sorry...no room for a bidet. :p hop in the shower if it makes you feel fresher. :p
coming out from the bathroom, you see the sliding doors and right in front of that will be the dining table. you see...bathroom...dining table...all close together...good for when you are too full and need to make erhm...space. :D
and here's the same area that we will be putting the couches. it will be an L shaped seating area with possibly a solitary chair on the side or something. everything is only an idea at the moment since you never really know until you start putting things in their place. a hanging lamp will be suspended from the corner ceiling however. and overhead fans in two areas of the great room. perfect for those godforsaken hot summer nights in LA.
hypothetically, if i was seated on a couch facing the east wall, i can look straight up the beginning of the staircase. i originally had thought that the staircase was an open staircase viewing down to the first level but in the end, i think this works out better and really keeps the two levels separate. plus, there's a lot more wall space to decorate along the staircase as you can see below in the following 2 photos.
i'm still so undecided on what to do with my staircase. wait, undecided is the wrong choice of words...i actually know but haven't been able to source out the retailer yet. plus, not quite sure how much they would be. i'll share more details when it's time really do them.
and the obligatory view looking down. i personally like the staircase without railing but i guess it won't be too safe really, especially for the little nieces. the ceiling above the staircase is extremely high and i wonder how the hell am i going to dust the cobwebs there?! also it's going to be quite bare as well. there is one amazing place to put artwork but i don't think anyone can hang things up without breaking their neck. :x
some of the white spots in the photo are actually smudges on the wall but some of them are dust floating all over the place. just so you know, i risked my life and the possibility of anaphylaxis so i could do a DOMO entry with photos! here is the view of the office taken from the inner corner of the room where TGILW's desk will eventually be. the so-called closet is so shallow now that the drywall is put in that i have no idea what i can fit there. :\ bummer. i had big big plans and hopes for this closet and the area above it but now they seem to quickly be dashing away. OR i just have to be really creative when i hit up container store!
this is the corner that i just took the previous picture from. lotsa outlets for computer stuff, electronic equipment and a ceiling light as well. i haven't really begun thinking of lighting yet. *gulp* it's a HUGE task as there are tons of lights to outfit p-DOMO. you don't realize it until you start on a crazy quest such as this one.
here's the master bedroom taken from the corner near the master bathroom. i haven't thought much about closet options either. maybe i'm in denial but there's just SO much to digest that it's too overwhelming.
this is taken from the corner of the master bedroom that will be the future reading nook. it's looking out to the master bedroom door. along that entire wall to the left there will be dressers, a tall wardrobe perhaps etc. i really need a lot of storage now that the office closet is the size of my shoebox. hmph.
similar to one of the photos at the beginning of the entry is the view of the master bedroom from the closet area. you can see the slope of the ceiling pretty well in this pic.
this is taken from the doorway looking at the reading nook/knitting/wlan area. :p i'm glad that i have quite good lighting from the window sources in the room considering there are a great deal of walls without windows in this house.
and one last reminder of how messy it was. there should be a couple more entries regarding drywall as they continue to tweak things here and there. but they may not be as long (thank god) as this one. the road has been a long one thus far and i seriously thought that by this time, i would have already moved into this place but nope...still under construction.
the first question on everyone's mind is: when are you gonna move in?! it's hard to say right now...but i'm hoping it will be in april sometime or even as late as may/june. i really need to get serious about clearing out stuff and donating things or dumping things. plus, i need to finalize flooring and wall treatments and window treatments. and of course i still have to buy shitloads of furniture and gotta deal with the closet issue too. *sigh* so much to dooooo!
after the drywall is complete, the house will probably undergo ONE more final inspection before it's official that we can move in - which means it will be time to put in the kitchen, install appliances etc. gah....i'm growing white hairs as i type.
currently listening to: larissa lam, i'm not
