The Road Ahead: Our House

Our house is coming along! No longer is it a cinder block, dark, dingy, sad little room. It finally is starting to look like a home. Our living space is about 425 sq. feet not counting our tiny bedroom and bathroom. Overall I would say our entire house does not exceed 625 sq. feet. However, it is our home and I am looking forward to making it as beautiful and “homey” as possible. I plan on dedicating this post to the development of our house. Also, it looks like my china has made it in one piece! Yay!

A mission team came in and spent 2 full days and 3 half days converting our place. They started by building an entrance for our home. We now have a small covered patio and a window was built into the new L shaped wall. In addition, a hole was knocked out so an additional window could be added to the front wall, giving me three windows in the main space. (I am all about the natural light and cross-breeze!) The crew also knocked out a doorway between our living area and our bedroom so they are now connected. (The bedroom and bathroom each have a small window already so I am a happy camper with so many windows!) The 2 doorways into Jonathan’s parent’s home were cinder blocked closed so that our house is now completely separate, but share an interior wall….much like a duplex.

Funny story #1: In our team of 6 there are two girls counting myself. One day it was necessary for all the guys to go do something so they left us two girls to start knocking a hole in the wall for a window. We worked and worked on it, chiseling a basic outline connecting drilled holes. We drew a crowd of interested onlookers. However, when they guys got back and started swinging the sledge hammer, 3 other guys (2 were complete strangers) came over and took turns swinging. The other girl and I just looked at each other….guys never give up a chance to compete with each other/show off I guess!

The first thing I chose for my new house was the kitchen cabinets (This was advised by the team leader working on my house). The one place I did not wish to purchase anything was Ikea. However, due to the time of day and the time crunch we thought we had, it was the only place that sold the readymade cabinets we needed. I ended up picking something completely different then I thought I would. I have always been drawn to darker wood/cherry cabinets, however, I walk into Ikea and fall in love with grayish, beechwood, textured, cabinets. I looked at all my options but I just loved those so those were the ones that we purchased.

The next thing I had to pick was a paint color. The walls where the cabinets would be hung had to be painted before they were mounted. My original plan was for a lavender color to be used but after picking my cabinets I did not think that would work. However, Jonathan and I each took a mental picture of the cabinets and went to look at color swatches. Even though the cabinets have a gray tone, it is slightly purplish. So, we chose a very light purple and hoped it would work. After painting the walls and holding a cabinet door up next to it, we are both very pleased with the color. It is perfect! The purple is almost white looking in the light but as the day ends the purple darkens up and it is absolutely stunning! I could not be happier!

Funny story #2: while I was waiting for the primer on the walls to dry, one of Jonathan’s close friends was there. He asked me what the real color would be and I told him purple. He was very surprised and informed me (not bad or judgmental or anything) that “here in the Dominican, purple is never done. It’s always pink, green, blue…” (imagine a thick accent and a robotic listing off of colors). I was slightly concerned but Jonathan said that it is just not very common but it is done here some. Regardless though, I love my purple walls!

The next thing to pick out and purchase was the front door. Obviously a very important purchase! Almost everything is custom made to the opening rather than there being a standard size you can go to the store and get. After striking out with one such attempt at a door purchase, we finally found an unfinished wood door with the correct dimensions the next day. It was a “standard” size (duh) but by no means was it the only size. But we purchased the door and frame (treated wood to prevent termites) for 4,000 pesos or about $80-$85. It now needs a custom paint job…yay! I am still working on that design but I have several ideas.

However, during our fruitless search for a door we went into a store selling some electronics and appliances. We found a cute little stove on sale for 10% off and I totally loved it! Free delivery sealed the deal and for less than 15,000 pesos (Approx. $300) I became the proud owner of the cute little stove/oven. I am so excited! I can’t wait for it to be hooked up and working!

Our projects this week include leveling our floor and installing the electrical. We still have a lot to do, but thanks to the team a lot was done and done pretty quickly. At least it looks like a house instead of a garage! Thank you so much team!

Fun fact: Jonathan turned 31 on Monday and for his gift he got a Calico kitten. The Church Jonathan and I attended (and got married at) in Cincinnati is located on Kemper Rd. So, the kitty is named “Kempurr” in honor of the street and to be a little funny!