At this point, the renovation feels more than halfway done. This round was mainly about the cabinets, which are a big deal for me. They will directly affect how tidy the whole home feels once we move in.
When I went over to take photos, the installation still wasn’t fully finished. The workers stayed until after 9 p.m. that night, which honestly was not easy for them either. I still haven’t gone back to check the final result after completion, but I should be able to make another trip this weekend.
There was also an annoying delay in the middle. The bathroom fixtures were delivered wrong. I originally chose a set from Arrow, but what arrived was a Jomoo set instead. So the manufacturer had to send the correct one again, and the installers had to come back to redo it. That alone delayed things by another three or four days.
So far, the parts that are basically completed include: plumbing and electrical work, kitchen and bathroom ceilings, latex paint, tiles, flooring, lights, switch panels, skirting boards, doors, and now the cabinets.
The whole process has really been full of twists and turns. Almost every week I have had to go over once or twice. One thing I have to complain about is that when problems come up during installation, nobody takes the initiative to tell the owner. I usually discover the issue myself when I visit the site, and only then do I ask what happened.
For example, when the bathroom fixtures were being installed last time, they said the original toilet inlet hose was too short and could not be fitted. But they just left it there like that. I only found out when I went to check the place. After they told me the hose was too short, I had to go buy another one before they could install it. There have been too many little things like this. Relying completely on the renovation company is just not realistic. In the end, you still have to keep an eye on everything yourself.
The apartment is not large, but I have quite a lot of belongings, so storage was one of my main concerns from the beginning. My basic principle was simple: as long as it does not ruin the look of the space, build cabinets wherever cabinets can be built. Otherwise, once there are too many things and they end up scattered everywhere, the home will become messy very quickly.
Here is how the installation looked when I went to see it.
From the entrance looking toward the living room, the space still feels a little small. Fortunately, enough room was kept for storage cabinets. There are always trade-offs.
The cabinet layout in the living room also took quite a long time to decide. In the end, I chose this arrangement: it keeps the TV area, while still leaving space for other items.
This is the front view of the living room cabinet. I chose a floor-standing design instead of a floating one, mainly because I was worried a suspended cabinet might not be sturdy enough.
From the entrance looking toward the dining area, there is not much to explain. It is basically a shoe cabinet, with some open space in the middle for small everyday items.
The secondary bedroom will be the child’s room. The bay window was removed, and space was reserved for a desk. Out of all the rooms, this one might be the one I am most satisfied with.
In the master bedroom, the bay window was kept. I still want to place a 1.8-meter bed in this room, and the bed will sit directly against the bay window. Even if the bay window had been removed, there would not really have been space for a desk, so I gave up on that idea.
The smallest bedroom is the other secondary room. I am planning to put in a bunk bed, probably around 1.5 meters. Even so, the cabinet storage should be more than enough. It feels like a small room full of warmth.
As for the bathroom, it had originally already been installed, but because the brand was wrong, everything had to be replaced. The new fixture set has not been installed yet. However, the bathroom accessory set I bought myself has already been put up, including the towel rack, tissue box, and the rest of the seven-piece set.
After getting this far, the home is finally starting to take shape. Watching it slowly change from a bare concrete shell into something livable really does feel rewarding. It has been a lot to worry about, but it still feels worth it.