Kitchen work is beginning at Stephen's Home

Over the past couple weeks the framework for the central area 

of the main kitchen was started. The needed preparation for the massive

ventilation system that will go in, as required by local authorities, 

you can see in these photo below. We are required to have

restaurant regulation sized piping to make sure gas from the stove

exits through the proper systems, 12 inch piping. 

Once the wood framework was up, I got to work on the artwork.

I've wanted to kitchen to be a special place of learning for these young men and we've tried to make it both easy to get around in, but also an enjoyable place with the anticipation that much time and sharing will happen here in this part of the home.

Valic and his worker who did all this set up,

now putting in a dividing wall between what will be the stove/oven area and the

work space for the guys on this of the dividing wall.

minor problem, took a few times to get it perfect

Not Michelangelo or Da Vinci

I prefer Monte or Renoir

my vantage point

the first couple days I was a bit frightened to even move

the structure sways very easily, though it won't fall, I'm told

I've watched so many of the workers up on the scaffolding much higher than

I am here, I just pray no one gets hurt in the process

took a few times to get the spacing correct for this large timepiece

Maxim is working diligently to get a number of the other details

in the home completed. Along with Valic's help we have a

small bathroom for the teams, as they come, there's now facilities

available on their floor. 

Maxim specializes in electricity and technical aspects

that I know nothing about, these sconces on the columns are some of his handy work.

In trying to make sure all the little details get accomplished, as other big projects are getting completed we seem to have and endless flow of items moving from one part of the home to another, moving stuff out of the way, so projects can get completed. That challenges things as one day work is being done in one spot and I return to it the next day and all my materials have been moved so they have to hunted down and rearrange and then begin again. Time often disappears trying to get things together and cleaned up so work can begin again. Here's some completed projects and some that are just getting started. 

work on the fireplace getting completed

extension getting started on the boys bedroom, the one large room for 4 guys

main bathroom, everything in place and hung

design for the guest bathroom tiling

getting started on the main kitchen, the island

our little helper, Johnny Boy, he likes to be in on the action