Media Center Debut

Last month I blogged about some other projects we have in various stages of development, including a veggie garden, a possible pool, and a media center.

Well after weeks of hard work out in his shop, David had the media center completed. Before showing you what he created, let's take a short trip down memory lane. Here's what our entertainment area looked like before:

We used a table that came with the house for the TV, reciever, speakers, and miscellaneous stuff. Underneath, we put the DVD and CD player on a coffee table we brought with us. Under that, we stacked our DVDs, CDs, and large speaker. While it certainly was a workable solution, we wanted something a bit more in keeping with the open, airy look we wanted for the living area.

Here's what my man built as a solution:

David put together a design that had custom made slots for all our electronics, as well as all our DVDs and CDs (with some room to spare). He even made his own moulding (no easy task when working with rock hard mahogany) to give the piece a finished touch. Pretty cool, huh? Boy, I am one lucky girl to have a guy who knows how to do wood working stuff, not to mention stained glass, plumbing, you name it.

So with this project checked off the list, we can turn our attention back to getting the kitchen finished. We received word over the weekend that our cabinets and counters will be delivered on Friday, November 30. I am so excited and can't wait to have space to store and prep stuff.

I'll be documenting the steps we need to take prior to delivery. Namely, we need to rip out the existing sink cabinet, rework the plumbing, and fill in the tile voids with cement. But by this time next week, we should have everything -- cabinets, counters, island, plumbing -- all in place. YEA!!!!!!

Other Projects: "Media Center"

Because remodeling our kitchen isn’t enough fun, because being multi-taskers we can’t ever just sit still for any length of time, and because we’re essentially gluttons for punishment, here are a few other projects we have in various stages of development:

“Media Center”

On a recent episode of House Hunters, airing on HGTV, a couple with a teeny, tiny budget was featured who would not even consider a house for sale if it didn’t have a room dedicated as a media center. Hey, whatever floats your boat.

Of course, we could boast that we have a dedicated media center here in our Belize house:

It just happens that this area is also dedicated to our kitchen...

...and living room. 

It's all a matter of perspective.

Now that being said, we decided that as nice as the table is that our TV is currently sitting upon, and how lovely it is that one of our coffee tables can accommodate some of our other electronics, maybe we should consider something a bit more in keeping with the open look and feel we’re trying to achieve for the space. Perhaps something with some flair. David went to work (again) on his laptop designing a media cabinet that would fit all our needs, and here’s what he came up with:

Views from above, side, and straight on

Not only will all of our electronic pieces have their very own slots, we’ll also have room for storing our CDs and DVDs, along with space for a knick knack or two. 

David bought the wood for the project at the Cemento Mayo store here in town. What? You don't buy your lumber at a cement store? Anyway, the plywood sheets were too big to fit in our car, and the cement store didn't have any tools to cut the sheets. The solution? The guys at the store said they would load the sheets in the back of their panel truck and deliver them to our house...for free that very same afternoon.

So when not chipping tiles in the kitchen or fretting about the sink plumbing, David can spend quality time in his shop. The great thing is that there is no rush to get this project done. He can measure, cut, nail, stain, and varnish whenever the mood strikes. 

Next project: Our new backyard veggie/herb garden.