It’s Monday and day 3 of the construction of Cloud Mechanix Global HQ. On Friday, the carpenters finished the steel roof and installed the wall studs for the cavity wall with insulation, as you can see in the photo.
One of the options we selected in the installation was to have a “plinth” and step installed. The price for this is always estimated on the site – the site effects the levelling and height of the foundation, and the height determines the amount of wood and labour required. The quote I was given was €350. The team is planning to finish the interior and additional wood work today. Next up will be the painters and electrical second fitting. We also added the options for paint and painting in the purchase. I can paint, but I suck at edges and I’m slow; I’d rather let a professional do it plus that means it’s time I can spend doing other things.
Thoughts are now turning to the interior, which will be painted white. Floorboards are being installed and also being painted white. But I am considering installing additional flooring to protect the structural wood. If I do, it’ll be something dark, or even grey, to contrast somewhat with the white walls and ceiling. I already have a white L-shaped Ikea “Bekant” desk. I think I will stick with the Ikea desks – I do like them. The plan is that the L-shaped desks will be placed behind the windows at the front, giving us a nice view up the garden while working. We’ll see where the budget is in a week or so, but I’m partial towards the version of the Bekant that includes powered legs that can raise/lower the desk at the push of a button.
I have an office chair already with a white frame and black cushions. But it was a bad purchase – the piston lasted only a few months and it makes a cracking noise when I adjust my position – that was why I replaced the previous seat! I can see myself buying some Secret Lab chairs so comments on that are welcome – from people who have owned one for more than 1 year.
I have a white 2×4 Ikea “Kallax” unit in the small office in the house at the moment. On the plus side, it’s great to display certain things. On the negative side, the close options are too small for the stuff you want to hide – I have 2 large plastic storage boxes hidden in the built-in wardrobe in the office at the moment, filled with things like spare peripherals, cables, battery packs, and so on. I think I want something that is closed storage at the bottom and open shelf storage at the top. I will keep looking.
My desk is quite full at the moment: 3 x USB drives (that I might replace with a NAS), a laptop, an Intel NUC, a KVM switch, a Surface dock, an Epson eco-tank printer, 2 x 27″ monitors, a mic, and so on. Some of the stuff is stuff that you need around but don’t need beside you all the time. Because we have a nearly 6 x 4m space, we have room to add more desk space. So I am thinking of putting in 1, or even 2, additional straight desks at a later time. Things like the printer and networking gear can be relocated to there.
Finally, there are times where you want to work, but want to relax. Maybe you need to read something in a more relaxed position, or just take a break from the screen. I’m thinking that we’ll put in a black leather couch in middle of the office – I’m not sure where yet because I might also move the 43″ TV from the house office into there – nice for watching conferences, etc. The second-hand market sometimes is great for that kind of thing – my mother-in-law is quite skilled at buying/selling on those kinds of websites so we might have to recruit her assistance. Depending on how that goes and how much space there is, we might add a small coffee table too.