The Pillars of my Earth
After days, weeks, and months of dreaming, conceiving, consulting, explaining, tweaking, drafting, arguing, exploring, researching, waiting, exploding, giving up, rekindling, hoping, begging, procrastinating, meeting, cajoling, and mostly learning patience... it is finally happening.
Actual renovation work has officially started!
This Monday felt like a frantic speed-dating session. One after another, everyone showed up on site, and exactly on time: the general contractor, the HVAC crew, the mason, the ironworker, the carpenter, and the lighting specialist.
They talked, coordinated their schedules, aligned their expectations, pored over blueprints together, and walked from room to room agreeing on how to help each other out. And no, I wasn't dreaming. That’s genuinely how it went down. They were motivated, confident, enthusiastic, and genuinely happy to embark on this project together.
To top it all off, I found a lovely couple who agreed to help me with the gritty task of sorting through tons of miscellaneous stuff and moving heavy furniture to clear the space for the crew. Even an antiquarian stopped by unannounced today and bought a few pieces I had no idea what to do with!
After an exhausting couple of days, I finally sat down to look at the future main gallery room: empty at last, and ready for its makeover. AI is great at clearing out a room in a photo, but seeing it uncluttered in real life is an absolute thrill.
The main room
I’ve also reached a point where an ugly, dirty-looking hole in the courtyard floor can make me genuinely happy. Beneath that nondescript 70s tiling, the old stone pavement is intact and can easily be retrieved and restored.
A hole in the ground
I also thought I’d never see the end of the clutter accumulated in my parents’ kitchen. Just looking at it for months was enough to discourage me. Sadly, Dad became a hoarder in his later years. I found over 40 nasty-looking kitchen knives in a single drawer!
Dining corner in the kitchen
My vision of setting up a bright, welcoming coffee shop attached to the gallery is finally taking shape.
Meanwhile, in the darkest corner of the third-floor attic, an HVAC beast is beginning to extend its long tentacles, ready to snake through every room to distribute warmth or coolness.
Release the Kraken
