You know what they say about idle hands?

Well you won't find any of them at my house.

Our next appointment with the DOB is on January 27th. It was critical to meet with them in person to give them the notarized document that states I have a tree in the parkway. The same document that is already on file for the permit we already have. But of course the DOB doesn't file things according to address, they file them according to project. Go figure.

Meanwhile, we have been keeping ourselves busy finishing up the Garden Apartment.

First we focused on creating a soundproof and fire barrier between the two floors - so that nobody is disturbed upstairs or downstairs when music or surround sound is being played.

Then there was the framing and the drywall.

We tiled the entire floor in a porcelain tile that looks like grey driftwood. It runs throughout the apartment and makes the space feel much lighter and bigger and it will be so easy to keep clean and will last forever.

The porcelain tile that runs throughout.

The porcelain tile that runs throughout.

The space is feeling quite bright and light, even though we haven't added the living room and wall of glass, to the far end of the property.

As you stand at the front door and you look down the hall which is 4' wide, the living room will be at the end as we add an additional 10' and then the glass.  The bedroom is just beyond the front door, here it is the opening on the right which will have a sliding barn door made out of pickled oak.

Beyond the bedroom, is a side hallway with the laundry on one side and coat closet on the other. The bathroom is at the end of that short hallway with tub & rain shower, a large pedestal sink, medicine cabinet and a floor to ceiling storage cabinet to the left of the door.  

The kitchen is at the end of the hall  and what you are seeing now is the dining room. This space can be used for dining or as part of the living room, as there will be room for 4 stools at the kitchen island for everyday eating.

The kitchen cabinets are in, as are most of the appliances. Our grey quartz goes in this week, along with the backsplash and cabinet hardware. The appliances and finishes are all high end - with the nagging thought that if I ever need to move downstairs when I am old, it would be a place that I would like to live in.

And finally, I couldn't resist adding a master plan to the bedroom closet (which is 107" wide and over 84" tall) and installing an Elfa system complete with drawers and handing space.

We will have four sliding doors on two tracks for the closet, so that getting to your stuff is really easy and you don't have to try to move a massive door or those tacky mirrored doors.

 

All in all, a good couple of weeks. Radiators are in - both temporary and permanent so it is nice and warm downstairs.

The next project is crown molding and baseboards everywhere, closet and bedroom doors, a new front window where the door used to be, and we will finish up the bathroom. Hopefully by then, Spring will be right around the corner.

—Laurie