Projekt Perfekt Update

“Projekt Perfekt” – with apologies to both English and Slovak speakers – is the name JoEllen dubbed the work to improve our home here in Slovakia.

We were about two months into our full-time residency when Jo had a mini-meltdown because of all the things she felt were wrong about our beloved Boar Lodge.

You know: things like running out of hot water, running out of any water; having doors you can see through (they have no windows; you can see outside between the slats of wood!), a creaky spiral staircase just itching to kill someone (we’ve both had near misses); an ugly kitchen full of spiders and no dishwasher, an uglier bathroom that comes straight out of a prison or insane aslym. . . you get the picture.

To help bring her back from the brink, Scott suggested she write it all down – what’s wrong and what will make it right.

Jojo wrote six pages of single-spaced prose on what precisely was wrong, what would make the perfect chata and what she is willing to settle for.  Then we went to work on making it happen, at least what we could afford.

We fixed the water issues last year.

It is now eighteen months after Jo’s meltdown, not quite the middle of May but close enough to take stock of the major construction work at the Chata begun April 7 and scheduled to complete May 31.

Here is the architect’s vision of what the new kitchen will look like from the outside:

Last week we posted what the construction site looked like then:

Yesterday – eight days after our come-to-Jesus meeting (see previous post), it looks like this:

Last Monday our tile, toilets, shower and sinks were delivered.

(This is for the kitchen floor and up the wall behind the stoves and ovens)

If Jo had gotten everything she wanted, the cost of the project would have exceeded by a good chunk the purchase price of the entire property in 2006. Rather than give up a happy husband, she has opted to give up the doggy shower for Sisi’s muddy paws and the bathroom englargement.

Our intrepid architect, Andrej has given us a creative solution:

The institutional brown tile is replaced with bright, shiny white; the faulty toilet and precariously sitting sink are on the junk pile. We're adding lots of mirrors to reflect the light, and adding an electric towel rack.

Last Saturday the stair men came to measure (yes, on a Saturday!)

Andrej also tells us the window man is hard at work on our windows and doors, calling Andrej frequently to ask questions (yes we take that as a positive sign).

Early next week we will travel again to Levice to buy all the lighting fixtures, including the copper hanging lamp for the kitchen.

One thing Jo will not compromise on: the custom copper tiles (only three) for the kitchen wall above the wood burning stove (it’s moving upstairs to the new kitchen, of course). The tiles will match the copper lamp and all our copper pots and pans we will hang from the ceiling above the wood burner.

These things excite us.

On top of that, our spinach is thriving!

Without wanting to jinx the whole operation, we are hopeful that we can move back into our home on the first of June.

We cross our fingers that the kitchen will be completed by the time my brother Jim and his wife visit two weeks later!

 

Comments

[Kalona Mincey]

It's a big improvement, even though it's still eight days after the initial planning. Maybe it's the bright wood framing that's brought the change. I hope you post pictures of what it looks like after all the renovations are done.

[Chase Conely]

The bathroom and kitchen are the most flexible rooms in a house. Change the orientation and position of the items inside and you could have a different room altogether.

[גדרות אלומיניום]

Amazing design of house. I like it. I like your plan to build your own home. You manage the bathroom space very well. Great job done by you. Thanks for sharing this one.

[Tyrone Swopes]

I agree with Chase. Within a small space, they are very possible to rearrange. It's just your imagination that's needed to make it happen. It is a challenge to work on a cottage-type home. Good luck!