The fun part starts
Spring is finally starting to make its way here. The weather has still been rather cold, but honestly, that has worked in our favor. Cold days are perfect for staying indoors and fully focusing on interior work.
We have now reached what is, without a doubt, my favorite stage of building a house. Interior finishes and details. Choices that slowly begin to turn a construction site into a home. This is where everything starts to come together and where decisions suddenly feel very real.
Floors, Tiles and That One Herringbone Pattern
Over the past few weeks, the underfloor heating on the second floor was switched on, bathroom floors were levelled, and most of the wood flooring was installed. The second-floor bathroom shower area got its walls tiled, and the floor received a proper waterproofing layer.
Downstairs, the first-floor guest room floor is also in place. All floors are still waiting for their final treatment with white oil-wax, but even now they already look promising.
In the first-floor WC, tiling continued as well. By now, I have formed a rather special bond with our tiler. The best way to describe it is with a sentence he said while working on the bathroom walls: “This is the first and last herringbone pattern I will ever tile!”
In reality, it is not that dramatic. No matter how complex the tiling task, he always delivers an excellent result, even when I challenge him with patterns that test both patience and sanity.
Paint, Panic and the Case of the Pink Wall
The painter returned after a short adventure in a warmer climate and painted all the second-floor walls. And this brings us to the topic that has caused me the most emotional turmoil so far. Wall colors.
I spent almost three months searching for the perfect color palette. I love clean, crisp, slightly cool tones, but used throughout an entire house, they can start to feel a bit too sterile. So I tried to aim for neutral shades and followed some basic color principles.
One important rule was choosing slightly warmer undertones for north-facing rooms and cooler ones for south-facing spaces. In theory, this sounds very logical. In practice, color perception depends on about a million tiny details. You only truly see the final result once the entire wall is painted. And that is also the problem. At that point, the wall is already painted.
(If you want to know more how to choose the perfect wall color, read this post).
Our bedroom was meant to have a slightly dramatic look. I was very close to going with charcoal-colored walls but lost my courage at the last moment. The Little Prince’s room, on the other hand, turned out beautifully. In photos it looks green, but in real life it is a lovely warm grey. I am planning to add small white stars to the feature wall using stencils.
Then there is the stair hall. I carefully chose a light grey shade from the color chart that looked perfect next to our bluish-grey sofas. The painter applied the first coat and I was delighted. The color was a little warmer than expected, but very pleasant. After the second coat, however, something strange happened. The wall turned pink.
It is not an ugly pink. But is it the right pink. And is pink really what I want greeting us in the stair hall. These are the thoughts currently living rent-free in my head. I am now considering repainting a few walls, but first I need to gather the courage to present my new ideas to the poor painter.
Small Wins and Solid Progress
Meanwhile, plenty of other work has been moving forward. The electricians installed several light fixtures and sockets. The stove builder finished plastering the stove. A white concrete slab was installed and treated by hand with white Osmo oil-wax. Small details, but each one brings us closer to the finish line.
When a Mudroom Becomes a Technical Room
Unfortunately, our mudroom has temporarily lost its identity as an entryway and turned into more of a technical room. The main reason is the installation of large ventilation silencers in the ceiling. They are so big that they almost reach the height of the doorway.
This means a suspended ceiling is no longer really an option, and the view from the kitchen is currently very shiny and very technical. Originally, the ventilation ducts were meant to run along the wall, but the plumber got there first, and the ceiling was the only space left.
As a result, recessed lights are also off the table, and a new lighting solution will have to be invented on the fly. Interior design keeps you humble.
A Short Plumbing Drama
We also experienced a bit of plumber-related drama. After the water pipes were connected, pressure testing was required, and it turned out there was a leak somewhere. The plumber refused to take responsibility for the mistake and declined to fix the problem. After some threats on his part, the situation escalated, and he ended up punching the construction site overseer.
After filing two police reports and reliving memories straight from the 1990s, we hired a new plumber. Thankfully, things are finally moving forward again, and the painter can soon continue work on the ground floor. Who would have thought that building a house could be this exciting?
Almost There
Moving day is no longer a distant dream. We are close enough now that it feels real. But more about that in the next post.
