a renovation, a wedding, and a cold!

So its now the 14th of January. My mum is arriving in KL in 2 days, and my sister on Monday. She is having a wedding celebration / anniversary party at Carcosa next Tuesday - so my entire life is going to be taken up with focusing on family for the next few weeks. And I just cant seem to finish the renovation, no matter how hard I try! I think one of the biggest stalling points is the wooden window frame. Until the Council meets and decides if I can keep it (but just paint it), we cant totally finish up with Mr. Eng Hoes work. He doesnt have a huge amount to do - fix the kitchen, outside and laundry room doors (basic cheap white wood doors - cant afford anything else at this point!), and repaint outside (where I used a gorgeous dark blue for contrast, but have found out that I need to keep to the Condo's colour schemes). He also needs to touch up a few bits and pieces here and there - with paint - so its about a day's work. If we need to replace the wooden window frame, another day's work.

Mr. Soo on the other hand has just NOT finished -- the fan still blows at hurricane speeds, the kitchen cabinet doors and drawers have not all been installed, the kitchen stove and gas cooker have not been installed, one entire cabinet has not come in, the lattice work on the swing doors to bed and bathroom is still missing. And he has not done what Ive asked him in the little details. He is amazing, and his work is amazing but theres a certain laziness about him that infuriates me. He is an artist definitely, but he also doesnt really think through the person's needs or requests. Its an odd mix. Im delighted with the stuff he has brought to the table -- but I am not sure I could work with him again.

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Its now Friday. My cold, which has been deviling me for the last couple of days is still here, but its slowly going, thank good goddess. Mum has arrived (I woke at 530 this morning, and fetched her from Sentral). Kai has completely charmed her - he is now sleeping on her bed with her, and giving her lots of love and attention. Thank goddess for Kai!

Yesterday I went to the flat. The council has met and decided that I could NOT keep my wooden windows. I am really pissed about that. I have to put in aluminium windows instead. I am going to do white powder coated sliding glass windows (tinted), and have mosquito netting on the inside as well. Hopefully, it will work with the wall painted white. Its a waste of money, and I HATE that.

Anyway, Mr. Eng Hoe will do that change, and will hopefully sort it out in the near future. I move in the day after Chinese New Year, so one way or the other, I have to have a liveable home! Mr. Soo is not getting paid until all the issues are sorted, and he knows this, so hopefully that will put a firecracker under his arse.

The cool thing about yesterday was that they installed all the locks and handles on the doors. They also installed all the bathroom fixtures (the towel rack, the grab rail, the mirrors, etc). Everything was done bespoke - so it matches ME - my height! I dont have to stand on tip toe to see through the peep hole in the front door, and the mirror and toilet paper holder all match my body and comfort levels. Its so great! Thats one of the pleasures of a renovation -- you get to do it to suit exactly your needs. I think thats what bugs me about Mr. Soo - he does good work, but he doesnt think about me in the end result - and the renovation is all about me, and my needs and desires ;)

Anyway... getting ready for the big wedding celebration do. The apartment I am in now is shiny clean for the family to visit, and the schedule is planned, and sorted. I will try and take some more photos soonish, but its all a bit hectic at the moment.

I had a really lovely dinner with friends last night. I have been stressed out beyond belief. The mater figure does that to me ... and her visit filled me with trepidation. I was glad to be amongst people who I could really talk to - and who would really hear me. I think thats the power of words, and communication with each other. We share ourselves, we show our true backstories - and we entrust our friends to hold us to them, and comfort us with the power of just hearing us - seeing us - accepting us. So thank you C, U and JJ - I needed that yesterday, and it gave me strength.

renovation - closer and closer - but not done!

So these photos were taken this last Friday. I think Mr. Soo AND Mr. Eng Hoe finally accepted that we had no more time left. Or may be they were playing a strange contractor-esque game of chicken, and someone blinked. Whatever, things are now moving regularly.

This is what used to be my storage room. I used the Light and Space paint in here - and its really brightened the space. I also put in a ceiling, so that all the pipes and ugly bits are covered up. This is now my washing room. Hooray! All ready, and connected. :)

In this view of the living room, you can see the AMAZING ceiling fan, the light fixtures, and the booksehelves. They were also the same jaundice yellow colour, but Mr. Soo had successfully resprayed them.

Here is a typical example of a Mr. Soo-ism. The two bookselves were supposed to be: 1 short and wide, 1 tall and thin. Anyway, he asked me the positioning of the bookshelves, and asked me if the shorter one was inside or outside. I of course was thinking, shorter one ='s wider one, but that is in another world from Mr. Soo. So I said short inside, tall outside. But when I looked at this picture, I realised they were both the same height, and he was talking about WIDTH! Heh. Soooooooooo I had to call him and ask him to move them around again, which he was happy to do. In his typical Mr. Soo way, when I told him that the wide one was supposed to be much shorter, he said, "But I thought you had so many books, you needed taller shelves!" Heh. So I have 2 floor to ceiling bookshelves, which is not what I wanted in the first place, but which I can certainly live with!

So this is the ceiling fan. Its beyond incredible. Its an original GEC fan from 1930's, all original parts, completely refurbished and fixed. Mr. Eng Hoe was so enamoured with the fan, he called me in to see it as soon as I arrived. I have to say, it makes a HUGE statement. Its gorgeous. When I asked Mr. Soo if he had anything like it, he hemmed and hawwwed for agesssss. He kept saying he would look, he would look. He finally found it, but it took another month or so to send it to be fixed. Even then, he didnt bring it. It was because his artists mind was still working it through, and I should have trusted that. Finally, he called me up and told me he had realised that the fan was steel - and he thought it would look best stripped of paint and down to its metal work. Did I agree? Does one disagree with an artist? He knows best how something he loves should look, so I said, I trust you, whatever you think is best. And the results are PHENOMENAL. I LOVE this fan. Total lusty adoration.

Close up of the original tags on the fan. The body is steel, the blades are aluminium. Of course, the bit that attaches to the wall takes special screws, and Mr. Soo forgot them (!!!) so that will be done on Monday. Meanwhile, the fan is fantastic (couldnt resist!). The one thing is that it only goes one speed - so its either off or VERY fast. Might ask Mr. Soo if his guys can adjust that to something a tad more gentle.

Incredibly elegant antique wall lights (one of a pair) in the livingroom, also from Mr. Soo. I was visiting his warehouse one day and saw them squirreled away in his office. I asked him if I could have them for my living room and he said no! He loved them, had just acquired them, and didnt want to part with them (yet). He is like that... Anyway, I kept pestering him for them, and finally he agreed. The metalwork was originally painted black, and he stripped them down to steel. I think thats what inspired him to re-look at the ceiling fan as well. They are really lovely - a beautiful delicate elegant but non intrustive glass and metal light - exactly what I wanted here!

A view of the bookshelves and the filing cabinet. Nice, but they will be switched around in the final take.

The swing door to the bedroom. I decided on swing doors to the bedroom and bath. I live alone, and though my friends arent happy (how are they going to poo in my house!) its what I really wanted. It divides the spaces but also keeps the air flowing and lightens the feeling of the space. Its so pretty! The bathroom door is the same (see below). These were made for me by Mr. Soo from some old kampung house doors he had. He is currently making the centre piece for the doors - it will be a delicate latice work. I look forward to seeing them finished! Hope it wont take another month! Heh ;)

Oh, and you can see a glimpse of the bed through the door!

My bed! Solid teakwood, mirror grains, absolutely phenomenal. As you can see, the four posts can also take a four poster frame, but I decided against this as the space is too small. Its higher than my old bedframe, and so much more beautiful. I described to Mr. Soo what I was looking for, and he said that he had something like that in his wife's mothers house in Ipoh (I think). Again, it took yonks for him to actually go and get the damn thing, but I think you will agree - its worth the wait. SO beautiful!!!

A close up of the bed frame. Isnt it stunning? I do love my Mr. Soo! ;)


Bathroom swing door, also awaiting its centre piece.

And Mr. Eng Hoe has been at work too! His wireman was in to do all the lights and fixtures, and the bathroom is finally coming together! This is the rain shower, hand shower and tap. Very minimalist, but its what I needed for the small space. They also installed the air extractor fan.

My toilet and sink are finally in! Hooray! Now the workers can have a wee when they need one ;) The toilet is dual flushing to conserve water. I chose rounded shapes because I wanted a feminine feel to the fixtures because the bathroom itself is quite masculine in feel. Unfortunately, the ceramic pipe cover for under the sink did not fit, and the store did not have anything that would. Mr. Soo took one look, and agreed to do a wood cover from chengal wood. Mr. Eng Hoe asked him if he could really do that, and Mr. Soo replied, if I want to do something, anything can! Its quite a good philosophy of life!

I am back at the flat on Monday, and will take more photos to post then.

Tell me what you think!


PS - Mar, I agree, I could EAT the floor too! Tell my nephew I love him.

renovation - bringing it all together ... SLOWLY

So here is another lesson I have learned since starting this renovation. Try very hard not to schedule it around major public holidays. The last post I made was on the 28th of December (just after Christmas). Not much got done until about the 7th of January when these photos were taken. We had Awal Muharam and New Years, and things just DID NOT MOVE. Frustrating beyond frustrating. Again, breathe, again, think of patience. I just want to go home!

It looks like I wont be able to move in until after Chinese New Year (Jan 26/27) in part because there are little bits and pieces still to be done (more on that later) and in part because my family is coming to celebrate M+B's wedding -- and so I wont be able to concentrate on a move until after they leave. And of course, they leave a few days before CNY, and so I will have to wait until the movers are allowed to move (no moving during public holidays if you live in a condo!). Heh.

Dont get me wrong though, I am so very excited that things are starting to take shape. Some better than others, and I still have the pesky issue of the wooden window frame to deal with. But its starting to look real. As I was preparing the photos for these posts (another one is coming up right after this one!) I scrolled back to what it looked like before... and its MUCH better now! Its a good thing to keep reminding oneself.

Here is another lesson I learned: remember to keep your "look book" with you. I decided on teak wood skirting board to match the floors. Silly choice really. An added expense I didnt need... And when I finally found my "look book" I realised that I had made a note to say that my skirting boards should be plain white (to match the walls) and cheap. Unfortunately, I forgot this, and in my total lust frenzy over the floor (which is still the sexiest thing I have seen in a while!) I decided on teak to match, when I could have just matched the walls for much much less. I love the skirting boards, but really, I didnt need them to be teakwood. Oh well, you live and learn.

So the skirting boards are in (FINALLY) -- even though even that had issues. I came to check them out just before they were installed, and realised that they were like 5 inches high! Waaaaay too much, so I insisted on as small as possible, which turned out to be like 3 inches. Still too high for my liking but if I had wanted anything smaller, it would have had to have been made for me... and I just didnt want to wait.

The skirting boards seemed to be the cue for Mr. Soo and his guys to start beavering away with the various wood pieces. Here are some photos from the 7th of January:

Mr. Soo's main man putting in the front door, which is antique teak wood. Its lush. It still needs its peephole, and handles and locks, but its perfect. He sold its twin for double what he sold it to me for. You cant see the details, but each row of squares is actually a mirror image of each other. Does that make sense? I might try and see if I can put the Tibetan door knocker on this door.

Small lantern, in front of the front door. I got it at KDK in Puchong - cheap and simple. My kind of style. What I like about this house is it mixes some expensive pieces with some simple inexpensive stuff. Its a good synergy.

This is the living room. I still get shivers of delight looking at that floor. On the right, the bookselves, on the left, the tv cabinet, and the couch. I am sooooooo unbelievably excited to see them unwrapped, but I know I have to be patient (again!) until everything is sorted properly. Otherwise, dust and dirt, and we dont want that!

The light switches. Obviously, still some clean up work to be done here. These were the most innofensive I could find. Interestingly enough, I found some fab switches that I loved about six months ago. I decided not to purchase them at that point, but go back to get them. When I went back, of course, they no longer stocked them! This is a lesson about renovation in Malaysia - if you see it, and like it, BUY IT! We have a real paucity of choice in everything - from upholstry to paint to lighting switches. When theres something out there thats good, if you dont get it immediately, it will never be available again. Heh.

What I like about these lighting switches is that they have been lowered just a tad for my height. Its one of the benefits of renovations - you can choose where you want stuff.

The absolutely gorgeous 100 year old oak filing cabinet. I asked Mr. Soo if he had anything wooden for a filing cabinet (I had a basic metal one) and he said yes... and took a couple of months to find it! I adore it though. What is so cool about this cabinet is that each box/drawer detaches and is moveable. Its perfect! Worth the wait, and if you look closer, you will realise I have a bit more waiting to go ... the top box of the filing cabinet is still missing, presumed somewhere in the labyrinth that is Mr. Soo's warehouse. I know I will get it eventually, just have to do a bit of chanting for it to come to me ;) In this photo, you can also see the skirting board. It fits perfectly with the floor, but it could have just as well been white.

A tantilising view of the upholstered arm chair. If youve been reading this blog, you know that the arm chair and couch were upholstered in Ahimsa Peace Silk. It looks fantastic from what I can see under the plastic wrapping. I want it unwrapped NOW! (Its like Christmas or my birthday -- I just have to learn to wait!)

The darned wooden windows. Still waiting a response from the Condominium's Council and Management ... I was supposed to hear on Friday, but the Building Manager had a motorcycle accident. He is fine, but was so flustered, he couldnt deal with it. Patience, patience.

Mr. Soo cant quite believe me. He installed the bedroom built ins and as soon as I saw them, I said that they were YELLOW. He used solid Ash wood (from a factory that had gone out of business) and lacquered to my specs. The actual cabinets and the bookselves are gorgeous. I tell you, these pieces are SOLID. Mr. Eng Hoe (the other contractor) was impressed by them ... All handworked, hand sanded, wooden pegs instead of nails... but Mr. Soo had asked me if I wanted them the same colour as my kitchen. Under the kitchen light, those cabinets look darkish, but not too red, so I said yes, but in the bright sunlight of my bedroom, the same colouring looked jaundice yellow. No way no how could I live with that. Because Mr. Soo loves me .... he agreed to respray the built ins there and then. But you can tell from this pic that he wasnt that pleased with me. Heh.

Mr. Soo figuring out how to deal with the built in cabinet's colours. What we eventually agreed upon was that he would spray the outside, and leave the inside as is. Not a bad compromise. Again, Mr. Soo is one of the kindest, most patient of men. A real mensch. But he works slow, because each piece is personal to him. He also loses the notes and measurements, and so sometimes you find that things get switched around... but I always love the finished product. Especially since he will do everything in his power to make it right!

My bed under cover in the bedroom!


Aircons have been installed, thank goodness.

This is where the sink should be! Heh.