Installed top floor lights, electrified the portico and built battery boxes

Today I installed the lights in the top floor. The two ceiling lights are wired, the little shoji lamp in the irori room is wired, and there is a light in the bathroom. Unfortunately, I still haven't found the other battery connector, so I can't light it up yet. I also just realized that I forgot to put a light in the tokonoma, so maybe it's just as well I didn't hook everything up yet!

I finished the battery boxes today. These are now mounted on the back of the ryokan, one on each floor, so I can keep each floor independent from the others so I can move it more easily.

Here are two lights I made for the portico. The little sticks on the right one were straight. I guess the glue hadn't dried completely, and I must have moved them. I need to fix that tomorrow.

This is the back of the portico. In order to hide the holes where the wires to the lights went through, I glued on two jewelry findings. I was planning on putting the batteries at the bottom and making planters to hide the batteries in, but luckily before I did that, I remembered that the doors slide open, and I couldn't block the bottom with planters. Anyway, I made battery boxes above the doors instead. I left the wire and switch peaking out of the left hand side so you could see how they work. I will paint over the little bit of wire that is visible above the jewelry findings to camouflage it.

This is the house closed and lit. I only wish I could light the top floor!

The ryokan has essentially been finished for a while now, with the exception of the last two tiny armrests for the legless chairs, and permanently attaching the roof on the portico. The only parts of the kits I don't plan on making are the 50's style TV sets, and the 50's style overstuffed chairs. I guess I'm just not a 50's girl, even though I was born in 1952!

Anyway, today I finished the last two armrests, and installed the portico roof permanently. Before, I had just set it on top without gluing it because I knew I would be moving it around a lot, and it would be easier to work on without that heavy roof attached. The kit had a large slab of black modeling clay that you are supposed to spread out and push down into the wooden framework below the tiles. This gives you more surface area to attach the roof, and it doesn't show from underneath.

I also strengthened the bottom posts of the portico, since they seemed to like to come loose with a lot of moving. The kit gave you two little wire things to push up through the bottom and into the bottom of the posts. I enlarged the holes and glued cut off toothpicks in to hold them more firmly to the base, and it's much sturdier now.

Tomorrow I will put a light into the last tokonoma, and make more accessories. I will need to start getting some landscaping soon!