Currently the bar looks like this:
Six drawers in place and the waste bin under the sink is new.
The one you see on the right will not stay there; that will get the final three drawers, which are wider and intended for heavier loads.
I ran out of drawer sliders, so the last three will take a few days longer.
One thing my brother Karel and myself have in common is our love for gadgets,
and our ability to create our own. Karel brought a smart mirror he made himself which is now
above the bar. Apart from obviously reflecting, when someone is in front of it,
it shows the weather forecast, the latest news in white and can be further customised.
(The picture doesn’t do it justice, but it’s not easy taking a picture of it; I will try later with a tripod)
In the future I think I will add a personalized welcome message on it, and maybe some tips on how to use Siri;
the home pod can control lights, give information and play music by voice control.
Besides the home pod, I’m using Trädfri, Ikea’s wireless lighting system, so all lights can be controlled with an App,
or by voice commands. Shouting “Hey Siri, turn off all lights” works from every room and reminds me of the TV series “Little house on the prairie”,
back in the 70’s where the family would say good night to each other through the walls after turning of the light.
This is a 21st century version of that 😉
Near Wimberley, is a small Pioneer town, that shows how the first settlers also built chinked log cabins:
Silicone based Chink (PermaChink) wasn’t invented then, so they used clay, which dries up, shrinks and leaves cracks.
The Cabin is in a street that could have been taken straight out of western;
Here are some shots of individual buildings and from the center of the town:
In the summer and in the weekend, this place has a lot of tourists. Now, it was just us.
Besides a plumber, electrician, painter, carpenter and coder, I’m as you know a runner.
Finding a good place to run around here is not so easy; plenty of nature but either inaccessible or private property.
So I went to Canyon Lake, or to be more precise, Overlook Park at Canyon Lake. Here’s a 180 degree view from the waterline:
On the right you see the dam. It’s rocky here, but on some spots around the lake are some small sandy beaches.
Just below the dam is Dam Red Bar: it doesn’t look like much from the outside, but serves decent burgers and beer.
Just down the road is a gorge that I passed while running:
When I started planning the kitchen, I thought I would just buy Ikea cabinets and easily be done wit it. But then I thought;
I’d like a bar with barstools and proper bar height, so Ikea become a non option, as Ikea kitchen look like crap from the back.
Besides, they are made of particle wood which does not fit the log home.
So, instead of having a few boards to slap together, I had to design and make everything from scratch.
This also includes drawers, the first three of which are now in;
Above, the first three drawers are in, in closed position.
Below shows them opened up.
Obviously, they need to be stained still. Oh and notice the running faucet?
The faucet is connected and the sink drain is going through the floor (I still need to
connect it so the septic pipes below the home, but at least the kitchen can now be used to do dishes.
Downstairs already had all 4 doors, but today, I added 2 doors upstairs;
This is the door to the master bedroom upstairs, seen from the bathroom.
This is the two doors, on the left towards the bathroom, on the right to the stairs.
Never mind the mess there: it’s doubling as storage space, work area and bedroom.
As you may know, my brother is like my self a fully qualified electrical engineer. Although I don’t have any pictures of the details,
I would like to mention that he did a very good job of hooking up power to several places in the home,
like light in the guest bedroom, power upstairs, a better spot for the wifi, increasing the speed.
The bar is starting to look nice too:
Thanks to Lina’s staining and suggestion to move the fridge to the corner,
which makes the kitchen look bigger too.
The countertop is in, But the faucet and sink are not yet hooked up, nor are there any drawers.
The final wall frames were put in today, creating the Master Bedroom upstairs with en-suite Bathroom.
This was taken from what will be the bathroom, which has a door only to the bedroom.
It’s just wide enough to enter the bed from the side. The bedframe I will make myself,
from the cedar that is still left. It’s been extremely cold for Texas standards;
tonight we will have frost (23 Fahrenheit or -5 Celsius). The gaps still open in the ceiling,
make for a fresh breeze on top of the already low temperature. Luckily the Ikea comforter keeps me warm.
The guest bedroom downstairs is much warmer, thanks to insulation and heating/airco.
Just a week ago it was 82F (28C) during the day. Like they say; If you don’t like Texas weather,
wait an hour.
I managed to find a solution for the ceiling also; the lap sided boards will go across on the 2×4’s
The originally 2×6 originally keeping the roof edge in place has been cut to 2×4 at the end,
so the roof can continue from the log wall all the way up and over. The top of the Rafter will become storage space.
Only in Texas they would name spices for meat ButtRub 🙂
But I have to admit, I never thought Butt Rub would taste so good.
