Mobile blog post: Itadakimasu!

Finally, the dining set arrived on Monday.

After a delivery fubar on Sunday, the store got their act together and made true on their second promised delivery date.

It's a pub/bar-height dining table, just perfect for the space I have in the dining area.

So nice to finally have a proper dining table to eat on. Though I was enjoying the low table I was using for a while (Japanese-style dining).

This completes the 'basic' setup downstairs. More updates to follow (non-mobile regular posts), including updates on the climate control and tv-stand projects.

In the meantime...Itadakimasu!! :-D

Mobile Blog Report: Sushi Carting

First time (well, actually 2nd time) to scout the food cart scene in
Sw Pdx and ended up in Sw 3rd and Stark at a food cart called PFE Sushi and Chinese.

Good food for cheap. They have sushi and bento and the usual Chinese fare too. The only thing is parking.

Otherwise highly recommend this.
Got a large alaskan roll sushi - freshly prepped ;-)

Still worth the drive! A lot more to cover on the next 'carting event'!

Cheers!

Curtain Panel Project: Finale and Epilogue

With the brackets and 3-rail system installed, we continue with the final phase of the project.

The next that was assembled was the actual panel curtains and the brackets that connect to the top and bottom of the curtains.


The top curtain panel 'brackets' that you clamp and screw on the upper part of the actual panel curtain. This is the one that 'slides'.
We had additional help to cut the curtain panel to size. After the cutting was done, we attached the top and bottom brackets.

With the curtain panels in place, the project was completed and you see the immediate change! It actually turned out a lot better than I expected and I really liked it. Very, very nice! :-D


Before the install....

...and after. Nice don't you think? I chose a heavier 'straw-mat' like curtain panel which I think suited the area better.
So there you have it, the Kvartal panel curtain system installed. We had to play around with the brackets that allow you to open and close the panels by just pulling on one of the panels (left or right).

Some minor adjustments need to be made (I think I need to get additional brackets for the center panel), but otherwise, a very good project completed.


Looks way better than an open section by the hallway. :-)
I still have some leftover items, like the panels and the rail and am thinking of setting up another one somewhere in the house. But that's for another day.

In the meantime, I'll enjoy the new 'door' for the washer/dryer area. Many thanks again to Tofu-san, his wife Takoyaki-san, and our friend Bek-san for all the help!

Cheers and 'til the next project... maybe I should get back to cleaning/unpacking up first right? And I don't have a dining set...still! Gah... we move on... *sigh*

Curtain Panel Project: Chapter 01

Starting with the 'change-the-bi-fold-doors-to-something-else' plan, I decided on using the Kvartal curtain panel system from Ikea.

With all the hardware required secured, and with the help of tofu-man, we move forward with the install.

First thing is to install the brackets. There were three brackets installed and these hold the suspension rail system.


Kvartal brackets (x3) installled. This is the wall-mounted option.
The actual rail system came in a 55" fixed length. I had to get two of these, and then we cut them to make a 63 1/4" lenght. Cutting the rail (made of aluminum) required the use of a hacksaw. We tried the dremel, but then the hacksaw was a better option. Since I didn't have one, to Home Depot we went, and also got other things (screws, etc...and stuff).

The hacksaw cuttinng was perfect and the measurents 'exact'. The rail and brackets lined up and installed without incident and looked like the real thing. The system was designed to be 'cut to size' and includes attachment brackets that allow you to connect the cut pieces together.


Kvartal suspension rail intalled. This is the 3-rail option, to hold three panel curtains.
Let's see how we do with the actual panel install in the next blog...stay tuned!

Cheers! :-)

House DIY - Curtain Panel Project: Prologue

I still don't have a dining set, but have already completed my very first house project, together with the help of some very good friends.

When I moved in, I noticed that the washer/dryer room will be a tight fit for the washer/dryer I got. And call it a touch of 'stubborness', but I really liked the washer/dryer and decided that this scenario requires some customization.

The room had bi-fold doors, and they were too thick when folded that it blocks the doors on the front loading washer and dryer. So we researched some possible options.

The options ranged from a simple curtain cover to more intricate projects which would involve extending the tracks and putting in new doors.

But for the interim, we found a unique option - the Kvartal curtain panel system from Ikea.

It's like sliding doors, but you have fabric instead. And there are tons of options for the system, specially the curtains.

I was skeptical at first and wanted to go to the 'easy' route of just slapping on curtains instead to cover the opening (something which I have done before when I created a makeshift cabinet).


Panel curtain - Project Kvartal...
So we went for an Ikea run, and evaluated the options. The panel curtain system got my two thumbs up the moment I saw it. I completely forgot about the curtain and rolling blinds options that I was leaning to earlier on.

Did more research on the system and then went for it. Got all the required hardware:

- 3 wall mounts/brackets
- 3 panel curtains (made of a straw mat-like material, heavier and thicker than the other options)
- 3 top/bottom panel curtain clamps/rails
- 2 suspension rails (55" each in length x 3 rails)
- 3 draw rods, and miscellaneous mounting hardware.

And with all the materials gathered, we forged ahead with the install! (to be continued...)

House :-)

No, it's not the TV show, though I watch 'House' regularly and like it a lot.

Finally was able to move and get my own place. The move in itself is, as always, stressful. But after getting all things out from the old place and into the new, there's this nice satisfying feeling. That 'homeowner' feeling.

Being my first actual house, the thought of being a firstime homeowner seems daunting. Because this time, you are the one responsible pretty much for everything - maintenance and the like.


This time, the house responsibility doesn't stop with the utilities - it's all or nothing.
But that's part of the deal of being a homeowner. The pros outweigh the cons. Specially the detached living conditions ;-)

It will take a while to settle in, after all, I have so much junk that I've accumulated. It's amazing once these things are all collected in boxes and bins and you see how much they really are. Specially the smaller things.

And unpacking isn't any fun as packing either.

I set some incentives for myself to make sure I get the things all unpacked - I will not be setting up my media centers until I have cleared out the garage. That includes a second wave of donating stuff and disposing of unneeded things.


Rin seems to like the new place too. :-)
I hope that's incentive enough. I myself can't stand clutter and disarray.

Well, let's see how this one goes. The unpacking/settling starts.....yesterday!!

Cheers!