If you're new here, check out the previous weeks of this One Room Challenge turned 6 months challenge below
And if you're still here... welcome back!
It's late January and this project began at the end of September. Funny how time flies. Anyways, where am I at? What's that weird title for?
Let's get into it. Scope creep. We used this term A LOT when we were in Japan. (My former role being an engineer for Super Nintendo World, another story for another time) Anyways. There were always tasks that were supposed to be relatively simple, but that gradually each item (or scope) became more and more, hence the term scope creep.
So how does that relate to this closet build? Well the long story short is I went to replace the light fixture in my closet today, and determined there was no junction box above it. Talk about builders taking the cheap route. Normally this would not fly, but because the wires were in a 4' LED fixture, apparently it was okay. So, anyone who replaces the fixture needs to add a Jbox, and since there's no joist where the lights were mounted before, and there's about 2' of blown insulation above the closet... I'm hiring a professional.
Repeat after me, I may be an electrical engineer, but I am no electrician. This job has to be done right. I could have managed had a box already been there, but NOPE! So my quick one hour job turned into days talking with different electricians, and my warranty department. Luckily I found a guy who I believe is a good match, and while I'm at it, I'm just going to replace the light in the laundry room at the same time. Except now I need to find a light for that and I hadn't flushed out the design for that DIY project that will be coming up...eventually.
Of course I didn't find all this out until I had already taking the existing light down, and I wasn't putting it back up. So I taped up the wires and worked via lantern. All those snowstorms without power as a kid taught me to have a working lantern around... AKA mom bought me one and I finally found it after the last hurricane... thanks mom.
The show must go on! I cut off the legs of the dresser to mount it on a 2x4 base to better
match the rest of the closet. Of course I built the base too big, so took it apart again,
trimmed, and second try everything worked. I plan on replacing the top, making it go all the way across the gaps and I'll trim it all out.
Currently there's 2 sets of knobs, I was testing the acrylic ones out to see if I liked them. I only have 6 so I need to find 4 more matching ones. In time...
I think I have an idea how I want to build the overhead storage to go to the ceiling, but one step at a time. The first one bringing in an electrician to get the light in correctly, installing new supports and a jbox. Second, getting a new top for the dresser.
Slow and steady wins this race, right? I hope so. Mom keeps saying it's going to look amazing when I'm done, and it better. I've learned a lot, blown my non existent budget, but I've had fun and learned more about building in the last 6 months than most people I know.
Also the latest way I'm leaning towards colors is the dresser/ikea units all SW Sky High and the walls SW Pure white... we'll see if that sticks.
New goal is to finish this before my mom's birthday since she may be back in town around then. So, cheers to finishing by March 8!
Where's my fairy godmother with her magic wand to finish this Cinderella style closet?
-K
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