We finally have a functionally bathroom if not finished after seven weeks, should have taken four but our builder dropped the ball and fell in love with a motorcycle.
The builder oversold what he could do, outsourced most of it and kept adding costs. We even just chose a toilet that was white and functioning in desperation, stuff the design factor! We sacked him only allowing him to do the kitchen as he had already hired a company. We are lighting candles and praying to any divinity and belief system the kitchen is done properly and then he is gone.
Synchronicity is Everything or for the Religious, There is a God
The bathroom is in the Bagua Self Knowledge sector and I am still thinking has this been a lesson in patience. Tiles came off to reveal no real rendering and no waterproofing. The bath came out to reveal that it was resting on bricks and was leaking. The builder demolished the bathroom, got other people to render, waterproof, tile and manage plumbing and then left us with cornices to be fixed and a ceiling to be painted. He said he was finished and we told him we were finished with him.
The next morning we went out for coffee early before I was going off to work feeling demoralised and disappointed. We have been sleeping on a mattress surrounded by suitcases and bags of stuff like hoarders. Then a gentle Dutch giant of neighbour stepped out of the lift with us. We asked what he did, he said wood and floors. We hired him on the spot and as I am writing he is putting down floorboards. Serendipity and light at the end of the tunnel and any other analogy you can throw at the situation.
Now to Feng Shui
We finally have a calm white, beige and celadon green bathroom, sans cornices and laundry doors but it is nearly there. Being in the Self Knowledge sector it is about belief systems and inner reflection and perhaps that is what this has all been about as we washed dishes and ourselves in a $2 black plastic bucket. Now we have a chic and serene space. This area has the Wood element with green as the colour to use. An oak vanity and the lovely green ceramics and towels balance out the white tiles following the Earth, Metal and Water cycle. A lovely Chinese ginger pot adds a sense of balance and an original print of green leaves is on its way to us in our shipment. Our gentle giant carpenter will fix the cornices, build us some shelves in the laundry and we will replace the laundry doors with a roller blind to allow ventilation.
Final Thoughts
It has been frustrating and stressful but has taught us that we are resilient and we have had so much emotional support. Our neighbour down the hall has lent her apartment when she has been away and offered us her bathroom and toilet and a gentle space to relax in. We are going out to dinner tomorrow night to our gentle giant’s apartment upstairs, with his tiny Irish pixie girlfriend and they don’t care that we are twice their age and a bit worn out. Other neighbours have come out in support and the local cafe is run by Indonesian gay guys who were so horrified that they offered us coffee and their toilet. Perhaps that this is the result, a community of new friends who rally around us. On that note, go out for us and light a candle, incense stick or whatever for the kitchen installation this coming week!
