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Kakishibu
What color is the house going to be? Since our Facebook group exercise in exterior colorways in March of 2022, I have visualised the exterior walls of the house as a medium-dark brown to contrast with the silver roof. The tonal change creates a visual bridge between the roof and the black window frames and…
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Rant on Vague Encouragements
I have to get this off my chest, and it’s a departure from my usual fare of cats, house building, and other projects. I won’t be offended if you don’t read or listen this one. I have had enough of vague encouragement on social media. I beg you, if you are going to share, please…
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Windows on my world
The past few days completed the installation of the window that arrived last week. OMG. What a house this is going to be. They unlock yet another flurry of realisations as I walk through the house. I am starting to see the furniture placements and how we will circulate through the space. I decided on…
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City Getaway
Tod works one week a month in the Tokyo office, but this month he is doing a two-week trip so that he can cat-sit Honey while his colleague, Will, is on a business trip. I decided to go see him on the in-between weekend and hang out in the city. It was a pleasant change…
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Hatake (kitchen garden)
On the slope above the house at 555, just below the beautiful tree we call the Ent, is the old kitchen garden. The Kawasakis haven’t used it in a while and they gave me permission to take it over. So I’ve spent the past week tromping around taking measure of the space. I cut back…
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80% great
I was talking with my friend and neighbor, Hitomi, at 555. I’d given her and Kengo a tour of the house thus far and we were talking about how amazing it is. I also mentioned how I sometimes feel fraught with anxiety over decisions. 555 should outlast me and I don’t plan to move (though…
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Windows on site
The windows arrived today. It was a real thrill to see them all arranged on the truck. The three guys delivering them came 90 minutes earlier than expected and I was the only person at 555, so I oversaw the unloading and signed for the goods. Shortly after they left, Sasaki-san and our “sash man”…
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Lighting is hard
In the past couple of weeks, I have been giving thought to lighting the house. Our quote was the most basic of basic setups and didn’t make a lot of sense to me. So I made a new plot. It wasn’t easy and it’s not done. Some lighting choices are easier than others. The bedroom…
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In the Attic
Sasaki-san’s off today so that means I can poke around the construction site without troubling anyone. So my first priority today was to climb the ladder to walk freely (and carefully) around the freshly laid attic floor. I love this space. Absolutely exceeds expectations. There is more room than I imagined. It is cosy. The…
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Ceiling-ish
Up in the attic this week, Sasaki-san’s putting down the plywood sheets for the floor which also give us the effect of ceilings downstairs. Now it feels like we have rooms, even if they lack walls for now. It’s slow work; each column is slotted along the bottom to accommodate the plywood board before it…
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