Floor Protection & Underfoor Storage

      Now that Flooring has been installed on all floors, it is time to protect it from scratches as the work continues.

      Flooring on the first floor differs from that of the 2F and Loft on account of the fact that we have underfloor heating and needed a special kind of engineered floor. We are very pleased with the wood we selected and can't wait to see it when it's all polished and varnished.
 

      To protect the flooring, our carpenters installed fairly thick sheets of what looks like pressed cardboard.  Just protecting the floors took a couple of days, but things moved along faster once their assistant arrived!  Here's how this works:

     With all the tools around the site, it's easy to see why protecting the floors is imperative. Accidents can and do happen during construction, even by conscientious professionals, and protecting the house throughout the project is really a wise idea, as emphasized in this Article by Gary Gilbert and featured in Fine Homebuilding.

         Now onto a different area.  We happened to be there when Fukuzumi-san was installing our underfloor Storage Unit in the kitchen.  This was a good thing because he needed to know what side we wanted the unit to open from.  The lid is not heavy and can be removed entirely for easy storage.

      We changed our minds about the flooring in the kitchen and decided to use flooring instead of tiles; that was a wise choice because otherwise the lid might have been a bit heavy to lift with tiles.  The frame of the unit is thin and discrete and the top is covered with the same wood as the flooring.  Since the unit is not in a visible area of the house, it will hardly be noticeable, which is what we wanted.

      I could just anticipate Yani's excitement about this new 'hide-and-seek' spot so I showed him the manufacturer's warning: no kids inside!!