Plastering and front steps

Before.

After.
Plastering the entire interior surface (walls and ceiling) is way more of a hassle than I had thought. Each bag of plaster covers about 16 sq.meters and takes 2 hours to apply. So far I've done 21 bags.

 The steps are finished at last, but not the walkway.

 I got out my stone carving hand tools from my university days, but quickly caved. This stone is no marble. I couldn't have flattened it out without my monster Makita hammer drill.

Dusty.

Stove Prep

Cut the hole in the ceiling and faced the wall with bricks in preparation for the wood stove installation. It's due to come on the 26th. Just in time!

Furniture

 Over the weekend we managed to finished the closet rod. We only have one closet, so it has to satisfy all of our needs. Above, is the futon shelf. It also just satisfies our needs. Having the pipe clamps that were used to make the doors was really handy. I imagine they'll get a lot more use.
All the shelves and storage that gets made over the next few months will be raised from the floor 10~15 cm, so it's easy to clean under.  

Month One

We've been moved in for about a month now. I haven't done as much as I would like to have, but the porch in the front is usable (though not screened in). Mosquito season seems to be at an end since the typoon rolled through a couple days ago.
The driveway was poured two weeks ago and went smoothly. We used 2x4s to make the form and ordered the concrete from a local company. The amount was 1.5 cubic meters and cost ￥25,000 ($250). I would say that's a fair price and I was certainly happy to pay it. Mixing that much concrete, even with a mixer, would be a nightmare. I assumed the guy would back-in and pour it, but we ended up using the wheel barrow. Our calculation was spot on as we didn't have any extra concrete. We put sod between the strips of concrete, but it seems narrow for some people. I imagine I'll carve out some of the sod and line the concrete with rock and mortar. It should look good visually and be easier to park on for those who are bad at parking.  

Almost finished... at least the contractor's part anyway

 This is called a doma. It's like a basement space, but on the ground floor. The wood stove will be around the right corner and the work bench/study area will be on the left side.

 This is the unit bath. The main sink will be opposite the bathroom door and the laundry machine will be next to it.

 Here's the classroom. Dark and light version.

 The view from the top of the stairs of the kitchen.
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 The view from the top of the stairs of the doma.

 The back balcony on the second floor.

 The larger white square is part of the 24-hour air circulation system. There are several of them around the house. Until now, I hadn't considered how they are supposed work.

 The air conditioner outlet. I believe it's 20A/125V, while the standard outlet is 100V and lacks the sideways "T" and earth.

 I made the cabinet for the upstairs washroom vanity. The sink that will be installed is a very small sink from IKEA.

 The system kitchen which includes a 3-burner gas stove with a small oven appropriate for fish or toast, a dishwasher and a double sink (just the sink is from IKEA). The frame is mortise and tenon cedar and counter is laminated wood (think "butcher block").

 The range hood fan.

The living room windows.

 The locks for the living room windows. You have to pull them out and twist them to unlock the windows. I admit I was slightly perplexed when I first encountered them.

 They are hinged at the top and hence open outward at the bottom using this fancy handle.

 The workshop: the wife and I made some doors last week and it was a trial. Not, the doors per se, but working together. On the bright side, usually I screw up at least one thing, but this I didn't, she did. So, in a way, I felt oddly satisfied having not made a mistake this one and only time. 

 A sliding door and the posts for the mailbox and intercom at the end of the driveway.

 The door frames.

 The hinged door stiles.

 The hinged door panels and rails.

 The rails. A medium-size router is a must.

 The door panels. Of course the router was used extensively.

 The exterior view from the park across the street.

The exterior view from down the street.

The door

I don't know how it'll stand up to the elements, but here's the door. The core is 15mm plywood and on either side there's 1X6 red cedar that's been ship-lapped. The frame around this cacophony is also red cedar. The door is the standard 44mm thick and just a little shorter than I would have liked coming in at an even 2m.

 The combination of utility knife (suggested by my father), trimmer/router and chisel makes a clean, easy job.

 The Forstner bit for the door handle (54mm wide) would only fit in the mini-drill press as the shaft was far too wide. At least I didn't have to worry about drill straight.

 Practiced installing the handle, so as not to screw up a week of working on the door. Did I mention that I cut the exterior door frame 3cm too short? Never rush a one-off
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Here's the housing/chimney for the stovepipe. Currently, there a rain cover, but when the stove gets installed there will be a collar. I'm a little concerned that the flashing at the bottom is made from a different material and appears to be staining the roof tiles after only two weeks. I'll look into it, but I predict I won't like the contractor's answer.

New stuff in July

 Here's some guy with a very sophisticated tool belt on the world's narrowest runway. The pneumatic stapler used to attach the sheet for the cellulose fiber insulation was super helpful.

 I spent my Sunday and Monday packing cellulose fiber insulation into this dinosaur (made in 1996). I was told that I would get a discount for assisting the insulation installer.

 Though I wore a dust mask, it's not enough. I wrapped a towel around my face later and it made a huge difference. You should have seen the other guy (the installer). He was covered in installation. My son described the whole process as "making dust".

 My view in the beast.

 A hose ran from the machine in the back of the truck to where ever in the house. Humidity was high at the time and the insulation didn't pump as smoothly as it could have.

 Here's the view from the back.

 The interior is mostly insulation and gyproc. It's anyone's guess when we'll plaster the walls.

 The ceiling promises to be a difficult plaster. It's looks nice anyway. The potlights/downlights will be next week.

 Here's the future classroom. The alcove on the right will be my office.

 The exterior concrete pad is slightly angled inward and rain has a tendency and seep in...

The insulation installer took me under his wing and allowed me pump insulation in this section of the wall. I can honestly say it is way harder than it I imagined.