The Utility Room

Here is the utility room. To the left of the washer (out of the photo frame) is the open area where the dryer was to go but didn't fit. We had decided we'd put recycling there, but Don has decided he'd like to order a matching lower cupboard to fit in that space as the area looked too "unfinished" without it. That will be a good spot for my laundry products. We can put the recycling elsewhere. The open space on the right (the box has now been moved by the joiners) will be my desk. I'll get a nice stool with a back on and a cushy seat if poss. Across from the two cupboards in the foreground is the pantry area. We met with Barclay yesterday afternoon. His plan is to fabricate the pantry in the shop and then just slide it into place. The expanse is such that there will need to be a centre support for the shelves but the shelves will be movable so we can make them whatever height we wish. We won't have fancy shelving doors, unfortunately, but with such a nice wide space, we should be able to accommodate all the items we need without having to put any on the doors.

Separating the kitchen and utility rooms will be a pocket door (or a "hidden door" as they call them here). It will have opaque panes in the top half to let light through. The flooring for both the kitchen and utility room is Armstrong cushion tiles in a rustic natural slate look. The colours are rust, beige, and a bluey-green. We haven't decided what to do about window treatment yet. It's possible we won't need any. We'll just live with it for a while and then decide. The room gets the late afternoon sun through the back door (which is glass in the upper half) so it's not likely that we'll need anything to shade us from the sun. We'll be painting the walls a colour called "rose white" which is actually a pale peachy cream.

Today started out really gorgeous with lots of sun and blue skies. At around noon, however, it clouded up and a cool breeze came along bringing the occasional rain shower. By 9 a.m. Gordon, the sparky, was here. It's now almost 3 and he's still hard at it, putting in the sitting and dining room downlights, having done lots of other smaller jobs in the interim.

Hard on his heels came the brickies. They had come yesterday afternoon to lay the foundation for the front porch/stoop. Today they actually poured the cement. Unfortunately, when it began to rain, they had to erect a lean-to with a plastic tarp so the cement wouldn't get pitted. Yesterday they also shifted a lot of lumber and other joiner supplies out of the small parking area at the front so that they can take delivery of the stones which will become our decorative outer chimney wall. Now they're working on closing up drains outside the kitchen.

Shortly after the brickies arrived, Bill, our contractor, came by to say that two of the doors he's ordered for us should arrive sometime today. We also gave him details of the ironmongery we need him to order for our interior doors (door handles to you and me). We were going to get new interior doors but now we've decided just to "prettify" the ones we have.

No sooner had Bill left than Barclay and Ally came by to measure the pantry area so they can fabricate the pantry inset. They were still here when the doors got delivered. One is in our hallway and the other was put in the garage. After the door delivery, another lorry pulled up with the fridge/freezer. There is now a box in our sitting room which is 6 feet tall and over 30 inches square. Barclay said his crew of 3 joiners will unpack it and move it into the space they've built for it in the kitchen extension. (They'll turn the old fridge space into a broom closet for us.)

Just a few minutes ago, Davy, the plumber, dropped by to see what kind of progress was being made here. He is now putting a cap on a drain in the utility room. There isn't much else he can do until the joiners finish their work in the shower room, i.e., build the bulkhead for the w.c. and basin (sink) and put up the wet wall in the shower enclosure, and the painting gets done.

We're waiting for the painters' estimate. Most likely we'll go with the Crambs who have done the outside painting as well as prepared the inside for paint or paper. We are quite anxious to get the job finished as there is much that can't be done until that happens.

So as you can see, the place is abuzz with activity--which is just what we wanted. Barclay says he will try to get the 3 joiners over here for Thursday and Friday and that they'll be dedicated to finishing up all work. If that happens, we will be over-the-moon happy.

Meanwhile, we are thoroughly enjoying our new space. Sitting at the dining table and being able to move freely around the table without having to squeeze sideways between a dining chair and an easy chair seems like sheer luxury. We also now have lovely views of the hills which we couldn't see from where the table used to have to be located.

Don is out playing golf with Gordon Rae and John Southorn. I had coffee this morning with two of the "chorus girls." Now I'm resuming the work I began this morning of moving my clothes back into the studio (including switching from my winter to my summer wardrobe) and dealing with the old curtains. Some will go to the charity shop; some will get cleaned and rehung until we can deal with decisions about window treatments. We are fortunate that our house is private enough because of plants and trees that we can get by for a wee while without curtains in the front of the house.

Soon I must go to Robbie and Peter's house to "visit" my quilting supplies as the So and Sews' retreat begins next Monday and I must gather the materials I'll pack to take with me. Tomorrow we're off to Stirling to pick up my sewing machine which was serviced while we were in the States, and to return the wallpaper sample books to the Dulux Paint Store.