As I mentioned in my last post, we planned to pour the kitchen floor on the next Tuesday. On Monday, I spent the day finishing prepping for the pour. I tied the floor matting together, placed some rebar in critical areas, and raised the matting onto several hundred wooden blocks. I also placed planks to run the wheelbarrows on:
We poured on Tuesday as planned, and after the floor had cured for a day or two, Aramis and I started framing the kitchen cabinets. We are using 1.5″x1.5″x1/16th” steel tubing for the framework, just as we did for the cabinet vertical corners that we embedded in the concrete floor.
There are three islands in the kitchen. The first one, on the left as you enter the kitchen door from the dining room, has two parts. The backside in the next photo, the part closest to the big window, will be an eating counter set at 42-inches off the floor. We will have high stools at this counter. The other side of the island will have the dishwasher on the left and the sink in the middle of the counter:

You can also see that I have sprayed a first coat of paint on the walls. I used a 15-minute drying oil-based polyurethane paint, Lanco brand. This paint dries as slick as glass.
When we have the frames all welded and the welds ground flat, I will spray on a couple coats of black polyurethane paint. I will apply aluminum diamond plate to the framework sides, cabinet doors, and drawer fronts. More on this in a future post.
The other two islands are shown in the next photo. The island on the left will have the stove on the left, and on the backside of this island will be work space for food preparation such as bread. The third island at the right side of the next photo is two-inches lower for easier rolling of pizza dough and kneading bread:
Here is a view of all three islands:
Aramis and I did the cabinet work above in three days. I would measure and cut, and he would weld and grind. In order to keep out of his way while he was welding, I prepped a piece on one cabinet and then moved to another cabinet, then to another, keeping the 3-D framework of each island in my mind while building each cabinet carcass one piece at a time. We still need another day to work on supports for the aluminum panels and supports for the floors in the cabinets.
Here is a panoramic photo of the kitchen:

I took this photo from the kitchen doorway. You can see that a window lines up with the doorway, and there is a window between each pair of islands. When you have a hallway, it is always nice to have a window to lead you down the hall. If you can’t have a window, a mirror or picture works well, too.
Aramis and I also fabricated a short wall at the door end of container #1. I will put glass blocks in the space above to bring lots of light into the kitchen. On the inside of the block wall will be a window seat, a nice place to read a cookbook or take a cat nap. Oh, you can also see that we have installed a lot of the large window glass:

We used scrap container siding to make the door end short wall. Also, you can see that we are using the roof deck; what a splendid place for Sunday morning pancakes!
I had to work on a few projects by myself. I installed a new, larger sand filter and water pressure tank for the well.
I also installed a couple motion sensor lights at the back of the house. Our neighborhood has another pesky petty thief roaming around at night. One night at 8:45 Cynthia, Jabo, and I were watching TV. Jabo was sound asleep on a blanket on the floor. All of a sudden he woke up and his nose started going wild. He ran to a window and started barking ferociously. I let him out and he chased the ladron (robber). Jabo almost had him, but the guy cleared the fence in the nick of time and took off running. In the past few weeks he has cut holes in several fences (including ours), broken gates, and stolen cash and cell phones. He is a real opportunist, but he doesn’t stand a chance against our bars and locks. I guess there is petty crime everywhere. I’m just happy that Cynthia and I have embraced the idea that these days we have to protect ourselves and our stuff and are taking it in stride.
While I was accomplishing things on my own, Aramis was stuck doing what I think is his least favorite job — installing angle iron in the windows in the dining and living rooms. He takes his time and makes sure that the spacing is all just right:

We pop rivet the angle iron in place. After the glass is installed, we will put another perimeter of angle iron on the inside of the windows.
While Aramis and I have been doing metalwork, Armando has been applying the two coats of repello (stucco) to the kitchen pantry, the half-bath off the kitchen, and in the under-stair closet. This was tough going what with all the tight spaces, low clearances, and lots of stairs to stucco around. I’ve always found that it is more difficult to finish out a closet than a large room:
That’s all for now, thanks for stopping by.