The door of stove was too high and sometimes leaked smoke. I ended up having to redesign and rebuild the stove. The door isn't as tight as it should be, but it doesn't leak. Also, installed a range hood with fan. The stone retaining wall on the right-hand side is being waterproofed using paraffin wax. It's still in the R&D stage, but hopefully humidity will be further reduced.


After the long process of procuring tatami mats (rice straw mats about 5cm thick), cutting them to size to fit between the studs, wrapping in plastic, installing, facing with chicken wire and split bamboo, and applying mortar... the upstairs is almost finished. Still considering whether to use a mortar of white cement and fine sand or stucco to finish the surface. Next up, pictures of the garden.