And Baby Makes FIVE - Part 2

The Youngs live in a two-bedroom apartment in East Trinidad. The layout is fairly common in Trinidad and the apartment is reasonably sized. However, with the exception of the kitchen, the apartment has NO storage. And with two (soon to be three) children - they have out-grown their space.

When we got to the home it was obvious that they needed our help. 

Both parents work  - Mr. Young runs a small business and Mrs. Young had a full-time gig in addition to assisting her husband in the business - and they have two young children. So between running a business, and running between school, baby-sitter, and the children's extra-curricular activities - housework is the last thing on anyone's mind. And then add to that mix the fact that you have no space to store your things.

The first time we saw the space all we saw was clothes, clothes and more clothes. The living room was over-flowing with bags of clean laundry. The place needed cleaning as well as decluttering and it REALLY needed to be reorganised. However, the main focus was to get the space clean for the School of Midwifery's inspection and that is what we set out to do.

Clean room right? But look at the foot of the bed

A close-up

So we cleaned and folded and packed and by the end of the week the house was absolutely clean. But as you can see in the pictures. Even though the place was clean - it was not very comfortable. They have stuff (not even a lot), but no place to put it. And we had to be innovative in creating storage space for their things. 

A home should be a sanctuary. It should be a space you enjoy. So AFTER the cleaning we asked the Youngs if we could tweak the space just a bit to make it even more enjoyable. And we assured them that, with their help, the changes we make could benefit their household until the new baby is about three years old.

So AFTER our Deep Cleaning we - AND the Youngs -  set to work. And THOSE before and after pictures can be seen in next week's third and final part of this series!

And Baby Makes FIVE - Part 1

The Youngs are expecting their third child. And they have decided to make a choice that you don't see too often in this day and age - they decided to deliver their newest addition at home. It is this decision that brought them....and their home... into our lives.

Mrs. Young did not enjoy her last experience at one of our local hospitals and when she found out that they were once more expecting - she decided to explore what were the other options available to her and her family. "I thought about delivering using a private facility - but the cost was more than we were willing to accommodate. I was at my health centre and chatting with the midwife about our dilemma when the subject of home delivery came up."

"The process is simple, the people are SO helpful and what's more there is no charge!" 

Firstly, the delivery can only be for between the mom's second to fifth child. If on your second child - the first birth must have been normal delivery with no complications. Secondly, mom must go through ante-natal care, either privately or via your nearest heath centre. However, at 36 weeks there is a hand-over by your doctor to the midwife at the health centre. This hand-over consists of a medical examination and a review of your medical records up to that point. The mom is not the only one subjected to a review - so too the dad and the home.

"My husband had already gone through the Lamaze training at Mt. Hope Maternity Hospital (another free service) so the midwife chatted through what he should expect, what could happen and just to make sure that he was up and ready for the challenge."

Next, the midwife then contacts the School of Midwifery who will assign a student midwife to the mom. It is this student midwife, along with their student supervisor, who will actually deliver the baby. The student midwife meets with the mom and basically becomes her best friend over the next few weeks.

"They also come to your home to make sure that it is fit for delivery. The place must be clean - and not just clean but spartan. It must be easily accessible and it must be able to accommodate an ambulance."

"We are purchasing a kiddie pool. And what we need is Heavenly Hands to come and thoroughly clean our home."

That's where we came in...

Why Lord? WHY?

I woke up today in an absolutely FOUL MOOD. 

Sometimes I wonder what have I got myself into? Or why am I doing this again?

We just finished a house and the client was not happy with the work done. Why should this get me angry? Okay well let's see shall we?

Firstly the house had been left abandoned for THREE YEARS. This is NOT an exaggeration. No one has lived in that house for three years. And before being abandoned the tenant living there (a relative of the client) had gone a little loopy and had started hoarding TONS of stuff, whilst NOT CLEANING the house.

Have you ever tried not cleaning your home for a week? Imagine not cleaning it for a year. 

Then add to that image your husband coming home each day with an item of garbage he found during the day. He does that for one year.

Now add to that image the "little" termite problem you've been trying to ignore.

Now leave that untouched for three years....

THAT'S what we walked into! 

At the Site Visit it took everything in me not to begin feverishly scratching my hair.

And we only had SIX DAYS to undo the damage of years!

But it gets better...

The client's relatives did not give us access for a full two days - which cut our time down to FOUR DAYS. Four days to undo six years worth of damage.

We spent the first two days just clearing rubbish from the front of the house...it was one of the worst jobs ever undertaken.

And yes it was worse than the time we did the house that had a fire. And worse than the time that we did the house that had a dead body for a week. And YES it was worse than the time we did the house that had a flea infestation. It was worse than ALL of those houses! 

Why? Because it had all the stains and difficult cleaning found in the fire damaged home COMBINED with the smells from the dead man's home COMBINED with the itchy-crawliness of the flea infested house.

But we finished it! Yep - ON TIME - by working until 10 every night.

But the client was not happy. He expected MORE.

Sometimes I think people forget we use dust cloths and toilet brushes not BULLDOZERS!!!

Kitchens 101: The G-Shaped Kitchen

See how the Peninsula is used as the "eat-in" function?
Can also be used as extra counter space.

THE G-SHAPED KITCHEN, also called a Peninsula Kitchen, is a U Kitchen with an island or peninsula added in at one of the ends. Usually the island acts as an eating area and therefore connects the kitchen to the dining room/space because of this common function (eating). It is also a great use of space for those who want an eat-in kitchen but cannot accommodate a full dining/breakfast set. Because the kitchen is almost completely enclosed traffic CAN build up – so not too many chefs in this layout.

SIDE NOTE: In case you were wondering what is the difference between an island and a peninsula? An island is stand-alone and unconnected to the other storage areas and counter tops, whilst a peninsula is connected to the other storage areas and counter tops.

Kitchens 101: The U-Shaped Kitchen

U Kitchen Layout and the Work Triangle in one image

THE U-SHAPED KITCHEN has all appliances and counter-tops laid out in the shape of the letter U, therefore the mom/chef is physically surrounded by the kitchen. Also, if space allows an island is often included in this kitchen.

In this layout the work triangle is easily executed, storage is at a premium and more than one person can be accommodated. The best deal for making a West Indian Sunday Lunch!

In my previous post I mentioned that the L shaped kitchen is the third most popular kitchen that I have seen in Trinidad, well the U is the most popular! Once space is tight most Trinis opt for the One Wall, but once space is not an issue the - U is the go-to layout.

Kitchen 101: The L-Shaped Kitchen

THE L-SHAPED KITCHEN has all appliances and counter-tops laid out in the shape of the letter L. This layout requires more space than the One Wall and the Galley but the design is really great, in that it allows for more than one person to work in the kitchen at the same time. There is TONS of counter space and the work triangle is easily executed – no disruptions because of foot traffic.

Like the One Wall this is popular in Trinidad. In fact it is the third most popular kitchen layout that I have seen in my exploits over the last four years. 

Kitchens 101: The Galley

THE GALLEY also known as the Corridor is the second simplest kitchen layout available and like the One Wall, is often used when space is limited.  It consists of two parallel work spaces – with a counter and sink on one side and the appliances on the other – with an aisle 

running between them (or some similar arrangement). This layout is named after the style of kitchens found aboard ships, trains and aircrafts.

In this layout counter space is very limited and you can usually have only one cook in the kitchen at a time. On another note, strange but true, although I have seen a host of One Wall designs in Trinidad – the Galley is not as popular, even in smaller spaces. Most builders simply opt for the One Wall. Maybe because as Trini we do not encourage a FLOW of traffic through our kitchens – we get in and we get out. Do any of you have galley kitchens? Please feel to send me your pics!