tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85660399044334447752025-08-05T17:00:00.807+09:00Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-5692179243787390542011-11-19T16:13:00.001+09:002011-11-19T16:14:16.437+09:00

In the old place we rented the entry was typically a mountain of shoes, schools bags, coats, outdoor toys. Although, we still have the occasional shoe pile up, it’s definitely more manageable and we have plenty of storage for coats, miscellaneous items. Actually we have so much storage now that we’ve gotten away with not being the most organized. As you can see, we typically leave out our daily

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-15187867180202593902011-11-14T00:02:00.001+09:002011-11-14T00:02:54.061+09:00

I wish I had a handy excuse such as being pregnant for being disconnected for the last few months, but I’ll just fess up and confess that I got a little lazy after reaching the major milestone of moving in. Today Lara and I met a lovely couple and their kids who are off on their own adventure of building a home in the Tokyo area.  It’s great to see that my documented control-freak habits

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-25209966411407003182011-04-19T21:29:00.001+09:002011-04-19T21:29:46.478+09:00

April in Japan marks the beginning of new school and fiscal year. Despite all the tumult, we are getting on with it and continuing on our little projects around the house. For the past 6 weeks we had been treading on a muddy walk-through as we waited for the weather to warm up so we could start putting down a lawn. Not the picture perfect way to move in, but we wanted to save on landscaping fees

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-23672374748105458502011-03-21T23:28:00.001+09:002011-03-21T23:28:00.904+09:00

The house is still standing. We are safe and healthy though a bit stressed. These past 10 days have been a mixture of fear, grief, worry and hope. I’m not going to rehash what’s already been written in the media (nor comment on it). What I will write is that according to what I’ve experienced these past few days in Kichijoji, is that things are going back to normal. There is bread, bottled water

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-76625260607000508352011-02-18T22:33:00.001+09:002011-02-18T22:33:10.493+09:00

Cade and ruby, our two cats are finely settling into their new digs. I think last night was the first time we managed to sleep without cursing their meowing. To be fair to Cade, it's really Ruby who is most vocal. As you can see Cade has found his favorite spot. Some other views of the semi formal living area.Below is the family living where all five of us can pile in. A more casual area. Some of

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-9384027728845859802011-02-18T02:09:00.001+09:002011-02-18T02:15:03.339+09:00

First post since we've moved in. Not sure if I can handle the pressure. About 80% unpacked. Not bad for first week. So far the house is great and overall every thing we'd wished for. The most impressive thing from a functional point of view has been the insulation. It's fantastic! Our Ac units start at 6am and are on till 8. The heat rises to the second floor where it is very sunny in the

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-74774525267508444432011-02-11T08:24:00.001+09:002011-02-11T08:24:18.747+09:00

We got the keys to the house! The video will play in a separate window via youtube.

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-70749487241890925862011-02-08T23:26:00.002+09:002011-02-08T23:28:35.721+09:00

Here’s what my to do list has been like this week thus far: Monday: Load car with bed to give away. Go to City to pick up certificates of residency, certificates for Seal stamp. Go to Bank at lunch time, fill out more paper work for 1 hour, convert USD to yen from overseas accounts, Call Internet Provider to give notice of move. Call Landlord to see if he wants to keep anything of ours. Drop off

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-42365871013100322722011-02-03T23:55:00.002+09:002011-02-04T00:10:15.662+09:00

With all of the changes happening inside it’s a bit easy to forget the guys outside toiling away to make sure we have parking for the car and bikes. Probably the darkest area of the home is our long hallway next to the entrance. So we decided to make it a little wider and put in niches to create a little art gallery. We chose LED lights here so we can leave the lights on most of the time

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-7999969687315871652011-01-31T23:28:00.002+09:002011-01-31T23:29:00.636+09:00

Keep it real. Be ready for changes and additions. Extra lights, extra plugs, privacy screen, better windowa, etc. It means more money but if you planned it right, you’ve already earmarked a certain percentage above your home build contract to make the matter that much less stressful. Still, no reason for your contractor not to give you all the details. (We got our 12 page estimate today) And

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-90711691810057058432011-01-27T23:51:00.002+09:002011-01-28T08:05:07.985+09:00

Just as a follow-up to our unsettling moments where things don’t always appear as you envision. Sometimes it just takes a little faith and trust. In the first photo we thought the beams and ledges would have too much contrast with the staircase if we kept to our plan of clear varnish. Sakamoto-san assured us (though I could tell he could see our unease) that the varnish would bring more harmony

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-51223406176544714362011-01-24T22:37:00.002+09:002011-01-24T22:37:42.797+09:00

One of the draw backs of monitoring the daily progress, I find is that there are areas when taken outside of context (because other surroundings are not yet completed) cause you to doubt your initial choices. It can be an unsettling feeling. For example, we are quite happy with our son’s room which has a vivid blue. But in some ways, we think could have gone with more vivid tones in the

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-28831239725714517502011-01-24T21:18:00.002+09:002011-01-29T08:43:24.022+09:00

Corona Kerosene Heater for 6-mat room: Asking 5000yen each. Available for pick up from 2/9. Kerosene Heaters 8~10 mat (Left) and 10~12 mat (Right). They are 6000 and 7000 yen respectively. Final Kerosene heaters is rated 15~20mat. It is 8000 yen. Ikea cabinet with shelves. 3000 yen (Down from 8000). Ikea Desk = 2500yen (Down from 5000). Filing cabinet not included.

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-32013609182587750442011-01-18T21:57:00.000+09:002011-01-24T22:38:05.111+09:00

Amazing to believe that in less than one month, we will be in our new home. For me the one piece of furniture for which I’ve been waiting for so many years is a proper sofa. After visiting a few furniture stores, Lara and I were really drawn by the quality of NoYES (http://www.ny-k.co.jp), a sofa boutique with a showroom in omotesando. For the same price of a drab and boring IDC sofa, at noYES

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-42240319783048495902011-01-14T00:58:00.003+09:002011-01-18T00:32:40.725+09:00

Painting is done on the 2nd floor and we’re ecstatic with the results! The study is just as I’d imagined, warm and cozy in the afternoon light. I’m going to have to start looking for a shop that make the cushions for our built-in couch. This desk area easily sits 2 and I already have plans for a dual Dell 24-inch monitors. Also very happy with the living room. Kudos to Lara’s decision to paint

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-63516353261652696552011-01-05T23:36:00.002+09:002011-01-05T23:40:06.123+09:00

A full year into this building a home project and I’ve heard so many horror stories about poor quality materials, workmanship or lack of experience. Painted walls is one of those things I’m a little bit concerned since most Japanese homes have wall paper and it’s a lot easier to hide dry wall imperfections. But it puts me at ease that the job is currently being done by just one person with many

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-60010825035722742702010-12-13T20:30:00.002+09:002010-12-13T20:37:55.642+09:00

So our builders got a call from one of our neighbors to the north of us and requested we install a privacy screen on the exterior of our family room window. For our own privacy reasons the window is already frosted glass but I guess they want something more permanent and want avoid us peering into their backyard. So what are our rights? A bit of research on the Japan Civil code and Article 235

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-83172116924911570952010-12-12T09:19:00.002+09:002010-12-12T09:20:49.160+09:00

We’re still on schedule for a mid-February move-in date but things seems to be moving a little slower these days, or at least uneventfully, which is good news by the way. So the posts have been a little spaced out since I figure people don’t want weekly posts of “we got the doors”, “the closet is built”, etc. But here’s a quick recap of the past 3 weeks: November 23rd: Walls. They’ve

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-67062707342744556242010-11-20T23:35:00.002+09:002010-11-20T23:41:37.555+09:00

Besides the fact the land prices were coming down this year, another great incentive was the “special tax deduction on purchase of a new dwelling or house”. Essentially, if you bought a new house from 2009 to 2010 and lived in it for more than 6 months you are eligible up to a maximum of 500,000 in tax credits FOR TEN YEARS. That’s up to 5 Million yen! Now this is an awfully simplistic

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-46023183355469455322010-11-07T20:56:00.002+09:002010-11-07T20:57:40.171+09:00

Lately Sakamoto-san and us have been exchanging emails almost daily on all sorts of details. Exterior colors, AC piping, etc. When we signed the building contract we had a general idea on colors and the estimate was based on the grade or quality of the materials. This allowed us to start construction without having to wait and decide every fine point. This is a major money saver considering how

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-73096543876126553932010-11-03T23:18:00.003+09:002010-11-03T23:21:46.464+09:00

Here’s a quick update on the home building. Delays: New move-in date has been pushed back about 10 days due to interior cabinetry production delays. So we are now scheduled for Mid-February. Windows: A bit of a surprise here. We live within 10 minutes from a busy train station which means stricter fire regulations, hence more fire-proof windows. All this makes sense until we got the

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-43322020498969687602010-10-21T00:39:00.002+09:002010-10-21T00:41:12.235+09:00

Although we mostly agreed on the grade of the materials, one thing to note is that if you want a better selection of built-in furniture colors then you will need to add 15~20% to the original estimated cost. Call me us picky but we felt we wanted an upgrade on the entrance cabinets and the master bedroom. Below are some of the sample boards provided to us by Sakamoto-san. The one on the far left

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-68672083897936297772010-10-17T23:58:00.001+09:002010-10-21T00:40:52.111+09:00

So we’ve got walls now. Well at least plywood, so we have a better sense of the amount of natural light we are going to get. Below is a shot at around 4pm which is when it begins to get darker in the autumn. As the sun sets there is a gorgeous warm orange glow that fills the room. Near where my daughter is standing are the windows. Unfortunately, TOSTEM (home materials manufacturer) sent the

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-68285929356108987962010-10-10T00:41:00.000+09:002010-10-13T00:42:13.726+09:00

This is probably annoying to the site workers, but we’re basically on site checking things out every other day. This is not so much to supervise but to get a sense of the space as we will need to get newer furniture and so it’s good to just stay in a space and see how light enters a room. Then there’s the factor that it’s just fun to see your creation built before your eyes. Anyhow, in our

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566039904433444775.post-29032695340106565772010-10-05T00:22:00.001+09:002010-10-13T00:24:58.998+09:00

They say that lighting is one of the most cost effective ways to create ambience in a room. When doing the major design work we had generally agreed on the location and type of lighting to about a 90% degree of confidence. We figured we would be fine spending 500~1000$ if needed. So here were are below with our saintly Sakamoto-san who had pre-booked a lightning consultant at the Odelic showroom

Kichijoji Dudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471747484832762718noreply@blogger.com2