Chapter 49

Because of the extensive experience gained from previous similar house constructions, Aunt Li Fen's house is progressing rapidly and construction has already begun.

Standing at the door, Li Fen looked at the nearly finished house and happily said to Yoda, "Oh dear, I really needed to hire a designer. I had been in the renovation industry for so many years and was originally thinking of doing it myself. But after seeing the results next door, I really didn't dare to do it. Luckily, I didn't do it myself, otherwise, if I messed it up, there would be no way to fix it."

The neighbor who had previously skipped out on his order was still watching from the side. Hearing this, he felt a little uncomfortable. He casually asked about the price, and when he found it was cheaper than his, his expression turned slightly unpleasant.

Li Fen deliberately said, "Oh my, this designer is really great. He considered everything for me. The designer noticed that my knees weren't very comfortable. I used to run the tile business and often had to unload goods. Considering the convenience of life, he suggested that I use a smart toilet. I used to think that was useless, that it was too dirty to sit on, but after trying it, I realized I should have used it a long time ago."

"Our house also has assistive designs to make it easier for the elderly to use. I can live in this house until I'm old."

"Finding the right designer is so important; you can't skimp on money if you want peace of mind." She glanced at her neighbor, her eyes conveying a clear, undisguised message: Living in such an expensive place and still running away with payments? Saving a little money lowers the neighborhood's prestige. Hmph.

The neighbor next door grumbled angrily, muttering, "I've spent far more money than you."

Li Fen retorted with her eyes: Oh, you skipped out on the bill.

The neighbor next door huffed, "I upgraded my renovation materials package."

Li Fen glared back: Oh, you skipped out on the bill.

Yoda stood in the corner, watching the two bickering back and forth. On the neighbor's newly installed door, there was a notice from the property management company about renovations, requiring the removal of the outward-opening door that did not meet the requirements within a specified period.

Aunt Li Fen insisted on standing at the door waiting for the other person to appear, and kept nagging because she was uncomfortable with the other person's door being so much taller than hers. Although Yoda explained to her that even renovations must comply with basic residential regulations, she still secretly wanted to compete.

Yoda looked at the two of them, and as he looked, he suddenly had an idea.

Li Fen had other things to do, so she left first. The neighbor stood there, his headache still unresolved. Because the front door had been changed to an outward-opening door, it didn't comply with regulations, and he had been ordered to rectify the situation. But the original designer was too busy with his own problems to care about his, and wouldn't even refund his money.

It's frustrating to think about; I spent more money and still have to deal with a bunch of problems.

"Hello," Yoda knocked on the door and said to the neighbor next door, "I have an idea."

A few days later, all the renovations at Aunt Li Fen's house were completed, and the project was officially handed over.

Li Fen looked at the gate and asked in surprise, "What's going on?"

Yoda smiled, and the neighbor next door opened the door and came out, saying somewhat embarrassedly, "I didn't know about these things before. The designer said that opening the door outwards would make the house more spacious, so I just changed the door."

Now his outward-opening door has been changed to an inward-opening door, and the doorway that was originally deliberately made taller and wider has been restored to its original state. In addition, both houses have installed the same decorative door frames, and the previously different doors now look much more harmonious. Most importantly, they are the same width and height.

"And this outdoor cabinet. It was specially made to match the ones next door, with money from them."

Yoda stepped forward and opened the cabinet closest to Li Fen's house. The two houses were originally designed as two units per floor, and there was still a little bit of usable space in the common area.

Yoda consulted the housing construction regulations and found that a 1.1-meter-wide walkway was left, just enough for one family to build a cabinet outside. This would also ensure that it wouldn't affect safety or the daily use of both households.

Other residents in this community use it the same way; it's considered a bonus area intentionally left out by the developer during the design phase. However, since everyone places their own cabinets and miscellaneous items, it's certainly not as uniform and tidy as it should be.

Yoda proactively came to the neighbor's house, willing to help resolve issues left over from the previous designer. This made the neighbor, who had initially thought he was just trying to save money and had no qualms about backing out, feel somewhat guilty. He had felt perfectly justified in canceling the appointment, but Yoda hadn't seemed to mind at all and had even come to help him. So, he offered to pay for a set of cabinets to be built in the common area, to be shared equally between the two families.

"This, this, how could I possibly accept this?" Li Fen had initially looked down on the other person for being easily swayed. But now, looking at the two level doors and the brand-new outdoor storage cabinets, she increasingly felt that being easily swayed was actually a sign of being open to advice.

Seeing the two families happily visiting each other, Yoda was very satisfied.

Design should not only make homeowners feel comfortable at home, but also avoid affecting their relationships with neighbors. A close neighbor is better than a distant relative; if renovations cause unhappiness for everyone, the homeowner's happiness after moving in will definitely be greatly diminished.

After finishing the Li Fenye project, Yoda finally had time to start working on the Moko project.

She originally wanted to do it simultaneously, but finding a construction team was really difficult. Because the effect Yoda wanted required high-quality construction, there were only a handful of construction teams available to work with. However, good construction teams were highly sought after by every design firm; it's no exaggeration to say their schedules were fuller than the designers'.

Fortunately, Moko wasn't in a rush regarding the renovation schedule, which allowed them to stagger their schedules. However, as Moko's project progressed smoothly, Yoda was finally able to relax a little.

Standing in Moko's house, Yoda looked at the house with its newly renovated water and electricity systems. The living room's floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the community's courtyard, and he could already imagine the view from the living room after moving in.

The biggest selling point of this community is that the central courtyard landscape is large and aesthetically pleasing, and the building next to the central courtyard has floor-to-ceiling windows, so you can see the whole view from home.

Yoda stood by the window, with a panoramic view of the entire community. The cobblestone path in the central courtyard directly connected to the community's recreational areas, allowing residents to socialize and relax.

Seeing this, Yoda felt a little conflicted; she suddenly felt like doing something unnecessary.

Initially, because there wasn't enough space for a regular shoe cabinet near the door, Moke was asked to choose a different style to solve the problem. However, Moke said she didn't need a shoe cabinet, and Yoda, assuming she was introverted, didn't include one during the subsequent design phase. The entire wall near the entrance was converted into display cabinets.

Although Moke had already agreed to the plan, Yoda suddenly realized that she seemed to have a preconceived notion that introverted people didn't need to socialize or go out. So she assumed that Moke didn't need a shoe cabinet.

But as Yoda stood by the window, she suddenly realized that introverted people are also normal people living normal lives in this society. They are just like everyone else. Even if they go out less often, they are still normal people.

If Mo Ke's true inner need was to isolate herself, she wouldn't have chosen this community with a leisure area that would allow residents to increase their opportunities to interact, and she wouldn't have chosen this building, the only one with large floor-to-ceiling windows, among the several buildings that were launched at the same time.

After all, for the same apartment type and size, this building has the highest price per unit.

Yoda pulled out a measuring tape and immediately measured the length of the wall opposite the display cabinet after entering the room. It was less than two meters long. There was a kitchen doorway, water pipes, and the space for the refrigerator.

"If I were to build a shoe cabinet here," Yoda thought, looking at the kitchen doorway. She crouched down, took out paper and pen, and drew a detailed sketch of the location she wanted for the new shoe cabinet. It seemed that if she pushed the wall opposite the display cabinet inwards by 35 centimeters towards the kitchen, she could carve out enough space for a shoe cabinet.

A shoe cabinet was installed near the door; the two-tiered cabinet is sufficient for a single person's shoes, and the upper wall is used as a coat hanging area. The original kitchen doorway was repositioned to face the living room. The newly added small shoe cabinet only occupies part of the wall; the remaining part is allocated to the kitchen for the refrigerator.

The whole structure is a wall with uneven surfaces, and Yoda was drawing and calculating at the same time.

The refrigerator on the kitchen side is 65 cm wide. The shoe cabinet on the aisle side is 35 cm wide. Subtracting the wall width, a 30 cm full-length cabinet can be built on the wall opposite the shoe cabinet on the kitchen side. This cabinet, flush with the refrigerator, can also hold various spice jars or frequently used items like cling film.

"I'm a genius!" Yoda calculated, and everything fit perfectly.

Hearing Yoda's cheerful voice from across the room, Mo Ke, who had initially thought a shoe cabinet was optional, was also infected by the joy. However, she still hesitated: "Wouldn't that be too much trouble? Maybe I should just forget about it. I don't have many shoes, so it doesn't matter if I don't have a shoe cabinet."

Yoda held the phone in one hand, talking to Moko while noting down the areas that needed redesigning. The changes weren't major, but they included demolishing and rebuilding walls, resizing the original kitchen cabinets and wall cabinets, and modifying the plumbing and electrical points.

"How could it be troublesome? This is your home, so of course everything must meet your needs."

Mo Ke swiped her finger across her phone a few times, listening to Yoda on the other end of the line excitedly describing how they could add a sliding pegboard dressing mirror.

"You can open it when you're out to look in the mirror, and close it when you're done. Pegboards can not only be used for decoration, but also be paired with different accessories to store all sorts of small items."

Just from the description, Mo Ke could already imagine what it would be like to move in. Nodding, she realized the person on the other end of the phone couldn't see her, and said, "Mm!"

Once Moke agreed, Yoda didn't waste a moment and quickly contacted the construction workers.

Since the plumbing and electrical work at Moke's house was finished, the tile setters had already started laying tiles. Yoda first notified the tile setters to pause. Then she contacted the mason responsible for demolishing and building the walls, and asked her to redesign the kitchen walls according to her plan.

"This wall is so small, and it's not even that wide to begin with. Why bother tearing it down and rebuilding it?" The bricklayer frowned as soon as he saw Yoda's design. Usually, they charge by area, but this is such a small area, not only is it a lot of work, but it's also not much in total.

Yoda immediately agreed to pay more! Instead of by area, he'd pay by the hour, barely managing to appease the plumber so he could finally start work. Amidst the hammering, Yoda walked to the outside and contacted the electrician. "Sir, the electrical wiring for that previous job needs reconnecting. Thanks for your help."

The knocking sound was accompanied by the sound of bricks falling. Yoda vaguely heard the other person's questioning voice: "Huh? I've finished everything. I checked it and it was all okay."

Yoda raised his voice: "Yes, yes, it's all done. Now it needs some modifications. I'm sorry to trouble you to come and do it."

"I've used up all the water pipes and electrical wires, and I don't have any materials left."

Knowing that even these small, scattered tasks would be difficult for the master craftsman, Yoda had already prepared: "I have all the materials; I've kept them in the house. You can come over when you have some free time and it will be done quickly."

Having no reason to refuse, the other party could only agree: "Okay, okay."

Even such a small change exhausted Yoda, who lay down at home groaning.

Once the design is finalized, the workers are simply assigned to the site in sequence. If changes are made midway, not only does the design need to be revised, but communication with workers in different work processes also requires coordination. Although Yoda firmly believes that any improvement in comfort is worthwhile, it's still exhausting!

Oh right, Yoda flipped over and opened his old account. Hehe, I haven't looked at the trending chat box yet, perfect for a break.

Da da da, da da da.

Yoda kept flipping upwards, furious: "What are all these things?!"