December! And now I really feel the race to move in by Christmas.
Wes came today and we continued work on the ceiling. First, we installed the chimney box for the stove pipe which will be installed shortly. Then we began putting the "tongue and groove" pine boards. The picture shows the state of progress as we quit for the day. Incidentally, that's a 12 foot step ladder to the right.
Wes will be back tomorrow. We're going to work through Saturday.
The electrician came by to check on progress. We've tentatively planned on the middle of next week for installation of the base board heaters, lights, switches and general activation.
Marit returns tomorrow. I hope she's keen on painting the guest room and computer room. They'll have to be done before the electricians arrive.
And fortunately. most of the heavy winds seem to have missed us. Just normal wind and rain.
December 2, Saturday 5:30 PM
Here's how far we have progressed today. This picture was taken from the second floor hallway. The "vista" is across the front of the living room into the dining nook. (I had to move a 12 and 14 foot ladder out of the way to get this view.)
Monday I hope to finish the ceiling of the 8X12 extension of the living room.
We quit early today; around 2:45. Wes Had a 3:00 shift volunteering at the annual Christmas Craft Faire. Yes, the annual Denman Christmas Craft Faire is on today and tomorrow. It's a major event. Artisans from the island and surrounding communities display and sell their crafts. Two buildings, the Community Hall and the Seniors Hall are completely filled. And large crowds of off-island people attend every year too.
We'll go there tomorrow. Marit came back today, with the car loaded once again with packed cardboard boxes. We're moving slowly, every trip.
Incidentally, I heard a slight commotion while working this morning and looked out the front window of the house. I witnessed the rare sight of the neighbours cat being chased out of my yard, by a large cock pheasant. A different twist on the chase.
December 3, Sunday 6:00 PM
The same picture, since no work was done on the house today, and no changes made. (And I forgot to take a picture while it was light).
We were at the Denman Christmas Craft Faire this morning, and it was great. Indescribable. There were hordes of people walking aboard the ferry at Buckley Bay, coming across, and walking up the hill to the community centres. I heartily recommend this event to you next year. Reserve the first December weekend and come over. We'll have the guest room ready by then.
In the afternoon we went shopping for light fixtures. We ended up with a shopping cart full from "Canadian Tire" and a second cart full of "closet organizer". We still need more light fixtures, so Marit will have to go up to a lighting specialty store in Courtenay next week.
And as soon as we can make a decision on the floor colour I'll be ordering a shipment of laminate. We're currently vacilating between "planked beech" and "enhanced birch". (I favour the birch, but what does my opinion count for.)
December 4, Monday 7:30 PM
More work on the ceiling today. We've (almost) finished the ceiling above the living room. (That's the part behind the beam.) We're really stretching to reach the last boards. That's the stairs and the second floor landing on the right.
Tomorrow we'll start on the third ceiling level; above the stairs and down towards the front door and hallway.
Marit was busy painting all day. She finished the guest room and did the first coat in the computer room. Tomorrow she'll finish the computer room and do the laundry room (sometimes called the mud room).
The flooring has been ordered. We decided on "enhanced birch". It won't come until Friday at the earliest.
And we're feeling rather guilty about more extended good weather. Our share of the late fall rains must be diverted to Norway. Sorry.
December 5, Tuesday 8:30 PM
Like a broken record, I have to report "more work on the ceiling". We're working on the last stretch; the highest ceiling over the stairs and entry hallway. The picture shows the progress today. The boards in the foreground are temporary scaffolding.
The span is relatively narrow, so Wes is able to continue on his own. I worked on the floors, sanding off some ridges and uneven joints. Marit finished painting the computer room and started on the laundry room.
This afternoon Marit and I traveled to Home Depot in Nanaimo. We bought tiles, cement, grout, tools, and lighting fixtures. We drove back with the car at least 500 pounds heavier.
Next, I have to become an instant tiling expert. One of the first tasks will be figuring how to mix that tiling cement. December 6, Wednesday 6:30 PM
This is the last time I'll have to report "more work on the ceiling". Wes finished the last of it at the end of the day. Today's picture is taken down the stairs toward the front door; the ceiling shown was today's project. The scaffolding on the bottom will stay another few days for use by the electricians.
I spent part of this morning clearing all the electrical boxes that were partially covered with drywall and cement. Some day I must apologize to the drywallers for my private mutterings today.
Marit painted the laundry room; two coats.
Then we had to run to Courtenay, again, for more paint and more light fixtures. Despite all our shopping, we still can't find a couple of appropriate fixtures; the front entry, and the dining nook.
Tomorrow, Wes will start on the window sills, and I hope to tile the hearth area and get ready for the installation of our wood stove. Heating is becoming a priority now. Not only are we getting some hard freezes in the morning, the forecast is for arctic air coming in a few days.
December 7, Thursday 9:00 PM
Today my primary accomplishment is this small patch of floor tiles; the hearth for my wood stove. My first tiling effort, and I managed to spend hours preparing, planning, and finally proceeding. Fortunately Wes is quite capable at laying tiles, and not only gave me pointers, but also loaned some equipment, including a power mixer.
Tomorrow I'll grout it. And next Thursday the stove will be installed.
Marit has been working overtime today. She's painted and is basically finished except for touch-up. She's been cleaning and scraping windows. And has not only cooked and washed, but found time to prepare batches of spaghetti sauce.
Wes has been building window sills from two inch kiln dried fir. It's not as easy as it initially sounds. The wood has to be contoured to the curves of the drywall. He's doing a very good job.
Tomorrow we expect the electricians to arrive and begin bringing the house to life. Perhaps, if I'm lucky, the plumber will show up too.
December 8, Friday 9:30 PM
A busy day; only slightly chaotic.
Mike, the electrician showed up today, and installed fixtures at a running pace. The baseboard heaters are now all installed, and we have a fully heated building. Just in time for the cold spell that has been forecast. He has installed some lights, but will have to come back tomorrow afternoon to finish the lighting. One bathroom has had electric floor heating elements laid in place; the other will be done tomorrow.
Wes completed the window sills in the living room, dining nook, and kitchen. They're looking good.
The picture today is showing a corner of the living room with one of my new base heaters and some of the windows with their new sills.
I managed to mix up some grout and apply it to the tiles I laid yesterday. I'm pleased with the appearance. Next Thursday the wood stove should arrive and be set up on the new hearth.
Marit has continued to clean windows, and looks forward to putting things in her new kitchen cabinets. She may start tomorrow.
I have a few dozen errands to do in Courtenay tomorrow, including exchanging a lot of lights that we found were inappropriate. I'll have to be back with the new fixtures before the electrician arrives.
And tomorrow the flooring should arrive. The degree of chaos is climbing.
December 9, Saturday 9:30 PM
I'm a bit late again today; we were invited out to dinner by a neighbour.
Mike, the electrician, returned this afternoon. We now have lights in the house! Heat and light! The picture today shows the current state of our kitchen, as viewed from the dining nook. A lot of the light fixtures, both indoor and outdoor are not yet installed, but the most important elements are now in place.
I spent the afternoon assisting the electrician; well, more accurately, following him around. He very wisely gave me a lot of chores, like putting face plates on the switches and outlets, to keep me busy and out of his way.
And Marit has been cleaning the sawdust and mess out of her kitchen, and started putting her supplies in the cupboards.
The flooring material was delivered this morning. It has to sit for at least a couple of days to acclimatize to temperature and humidity before we can begin to install it.
So everything is coming together. And it's sure starting to feel cold.
December 10, Sunday 6:30 PM
A busy day cleaning and clearing, but little construction.
Marit took all the kitchen items that she had transported in boxes, and started filling her cupboards. I carried everything else from the garage to inside storage areas, and re-arranged the garage. Now there's lots of room to bring all the belongings we currently have in storage back in Vancouver. I have a truck booked for this weekend. I'm hoping it doesn't snow.
This afternoon I finished putting all the face plates on the electrical outlets. If I have spare time later, I'll start installing the rest of the lights that the electrician hasn't done yet. (I hope I can accurately tell which circuits are live and which are inactive.)
And here, in this picture, is my flooring. It's piled in the middle of the living room. Following the instructions has been easy so far; "leave it sitting, unopened, for at least 48 hours."
December 11, Monday 7:00 PM
It's cold out. How cold is it? Well, this morning outhouse toilet seat was frozen together! That's roughing it.
Into Courtenay again this morning to finalize the purchase of our appliances and arrange for their delivery next week, after I get the kitchen floor laid. We also bought a few more light fixtures.
Before leaving,I contacted the telephone company, Telus, to arrange changing the phone line from our cabin to the new house. We booked an installer to come on Jan. 2. When we got back four hours later, we found it had been done. No dial tone in the cabin. No internet. So we've spent the afternoon moving the computer, finding a live phone jack, "trouble shooting" the new line, and diagnosing the computer malfunctions.
The picture, by the way, is my new computer room. It's six feet wide (with a three foot alcove at the end). It'll be okay when I get all those temporarily stored items taken out.
Just before supper I managed to spend half an hour on the project I had intended to spend the entire day with. I started to plan and manipulate the layout of tile in the lower bathroom. It's a little more complicated laying tile over a looped series of heating coils on the floor.
And Marit continues to clean windows. There's lots of them to do. And all of them need the remnants of Vinyltek's glued signs scraped off.
Wes had the day off today. So he'll start tomorrow on finishing details of the stairway. There's a lot for him to do before he leaves this weekend, flying back east for Christmas.
Actually, I sort of feel like I'm running in molasses; not getting anywhere fast.
December 12, Tuesday 9:45 PM
I am taking a 15 minute break while my 9th load of mortar slakes. I'll write calmly and carefully to avoid excessive whining. I am not happy.
I spent most of the day preparing to tile the bathroom. There are heating coils laying on the floor that will provide heating when mortar and tiles are applied on top. How can mortar be properly applied for tiling without damaging the heating coils? I finally conceded to Wes's suggestion to first lay a single layer of mortar over the coils first, and screed it flat; just like working cement. Then tomorrow apply tiles over this flat cement-like surface.
Well, I've found that this mortar doesn't screed like cement. It sticks and drags, doesn't skim or level. And has to be hand towelled carefully, guessing at the depth of mortar being applied throughout.
The amount of mortar required to make a solid coat appears to be about four times the amount required to lay tile. At $27 a bag, this is going to be an expensive floor.
It's going to be a late night.
Other developments have been occurring. The air exchange unit was installed today. As the picture shows, it looks like a monstrous system in the crawl space. But it seems to be working pretty well.
It continually replaces the existing air in the house with fresh outside air. There's a heat exchange mechanism so that the new air tends to maintain the same temperature. And the water vapour in the house is expelled so there's a dehumidifying function. The window condensation has pretty well disappeared.
And Wes has been doing finishing carpentry on our stairway to the second floor.
10:45 Finished, sort of. Cleanup has been a bit tricky; the outside hose is frozen. My mortared floor looks a little strange. I had bags of the product from two different vendors who have quite different versions of the colour grey. I'd better get it tiled soon to hide that mess.
December 13, Wednesday 7:45 PM
Well, the mortar I spread last night is still very soft; about the consistency of "Play Dough". So I'm not doing any tile work immediately. I don't think it will be ready tomorrow either.
So I started laying the flooring system. For my initial learning experience I chose the walk-in closet off the master bedroom. As you cab see in the picture, it turned out quite well. The green outline at the edge of the floor is the thin foam underlay. The floor has a 10 mm gap from the walls to accommodate expansion due to humidity. It will be covered by molding.
The electrician showed up briefly early this morning to correct a wiring problem affecting the guest room and the laundry room (a screw had severed one wire). And to activate the phone outlet in the computer room. He'll be back Saturday to complete most of the remaining development.
And the plumber came for 1 1/2 hours; he completed some mainline connections in the crawl space, and installed the kitchen sink. He expects to be back for most of tomorrow.
And tomorrow (**** drum roll please ****) the wood burning stove is scheduled to arrive and be installed.
By next week this place should be almost ready for residence.
Marit left today for the condominium; a day earlier than intended because of the snow that's forecast for Thursday. Maybe I'm just becoming accustomed to the season, but it doesn't seem so cold now.
If my attention isn't needed for the stove or the plumbing, I'm hoping to lay the floor in the kitchen; at least as far as the areas in which the kitchen appliances will be installed. Then we can schedule delivery of the stove, fridge, and dish washer, as well s the washer and dryer.
December 14, Thursday 8:45 PM
Big disappointment; the wood stove didn't arrive today. The installers thought it would be to hazardous going on the metal roof in the snow, to install a chimney. They didn't want to break their perfect safety record. So they promised to come on Monday instead.
There wasn't that much snow. At the end of the day there's just enough to leave footprints; maybe two centimeters.
The plumber was here for a while and connected up water to the house. and installed the hot water tank. He set up the kitchen so we now have hot and cold running water. And the plumbing for the dishwasher was installed. He won't be back until I tile the bathroom so that the toilet can be installed.
The electrician stopped by and completed some wiring that he was afraid would be inaccessible as soon as I started moving my storage down here. He'll be back on Saturday to complete most of the lighting.
Wes finished up his work today and will be going off to Toronto for Christmas. I'm storing his table saw and 12 inch miter saw while he's gone. (It's really handy for the floor boards I'm installing).
Speaking of floors, I installed part if the kitchen floor; enough to accommodate the stove, fridge, and dishwasher. I'll arrange tomorrow for their delivery. Here is a picture of our kitchen as of this evening. How do you like that floor?
And tomorrow, I'll pick up a Ryder rental truck and head for Vancouver. On Saturday I'll load all our items in storage, and come back here on Sunday. I expect the garage and guest room will be very full when we are unloaded.
PLEASE NOTE: There will be no update of this site for the next two days. I'll update this again on my return Sunday night.
December 17, Sunday 8:45 PM
Well, another adventure! Rain and snow at exactly the wrong times.
As planned I drove the rental truck to Vancouver Friday night. Saturday we loaded the truck from all the places we had stored our belongings over the last 15 months. We loaded in the rain; heavier rain than we have had in many a moon. But we did get it all loaded and headed for the island late Saturday afternoon. Erik and I were the lone movers.
The 5:00 sailing to Nanaimo was canceled due to mechanical problems on the ferry. We left a 7:00 PM.
Arriving here at 10:30 PM we found snow; too much snow to even think about using the driveway. We had to leave the truck on the road and wade through about 12 cm. A late night by the time we got settled.
Early this morning, Erik and I started on the unloading. Everything had to be taken from the road. After a number of exhausting loads, plodding through the snow, we had a brainstorm. Build a sled; a freight sled. We did, and version 1.2 worked quite well. The picture today was intended to show Erik pulling the sled down to the house, although you'll have to view the larger picture to be able to distinguish him.
We finished shortly after 2:00 PM. Then we had to turn the truck around and get Erik back to the ferry to Vancouver and home, ready for his job tomorrow. Thank you Erik for all your effort and for sacrificing your weekend. It would have been hopeless without you.
The garage is now full of boxes. The guest room is full of furniture and boxes. And other areas of the house look like a warehouse too.
Since there's snow on the roof, I guess the stove people won't show up again tomorrow. And since the freight truck can't come down the driveway, I don't know if the appliances will be delivered, as arranged. We'll just have to see how the day turns out.
Meanwhile I have some quite sore muscles in the legs (and other places). And although he didn't complain, I suspect my son has not escaped unscathed. We'll sleep well tonight.
December 18, Monday 7:30 PM
Moving adventures: Part 2! The arrival of the appliances.
The driveway is still snow bound. I was wondering how the freight company was going to get the appliances off the truck and into the house. Finally in the early afternoon the truck pulled up. A young lady driving the van stepped out and said, "What's the plan?"
So I spent a very interesting afternoon with planks, ramps, dollys, etc. coaxing the appliances through the snow, from the road to the kitchen and laundry room. The driver was certainly pleasant and helpful. But today I would have preferred a 200 lb. lumberjack.
I had also forgotten that these devices require assembly. Bringing them into the house in a crate is only half the task. The kitchen is currently somewhat in chaos. Today's picture doesn't show the mounds of cardboard and crating material just out of range. I hope I can get it orderly before Marit arrives tomorrow.
Because the snow is still covering the roof, the stove and chimney installers won't come. Something's wrong here. I don't need the wood stove in the summer, which seems to be the time those guys would prefer to work.
Maybe tomorrow!
December 19, Tuesday 7:00 PM
They came! With the stove, chimney, and all! Comox Fireplace delivered at 8:30 in the morning.
Two strong guys came, and with the help of my trusty version 1.2 plywood sled, got the stove into the house. That was no easy feat; the unit weighs several hundred pounds. The area of the roof that I cleared of snow yesterday afternoon was still too icy. So they went to another job on the island and came back a couple hours later after the sun had thawed the ice.
Today's picture shows them on the roof installing the chimney and the roof braces necessary to keep it in place during the storms. They were good; managed the task even though the roof was still quite slippery and treacherous.
They did a great job inside too. installing pipes and connecting a direct air supply pipe. And they positioned the stove perfectly without any damage to my tiled hearth. I was pleased (and relieved).
Unfortunately the heat shield which I had expected for the rear of the unit was back ordered. So they'll be returning in a week to complete the unit.
In my free moments, I put up some shelving in the upstairs closet. And started briefly on the flooring again but didn't get far.
Marit arrived late this afternoon.
Tomorrow I'm expecting the plumber, for the appliances, and an installer for a TV satellite. That should be exciting.
December 20, Wednesday 8:00 PM
Just working by ourselves. I'm continuing on the floor, and probably will be for many more daily reports. Marit has been unpacking boxes and getting her kitchen in order.
By picture, you can share the first small fire we've had in our stove. We're breaking it in gradually with a series of smaller fires. It's a Jotul; the "Oslo" model. Heavy cast iron construction. The instruction book says to build several smaller fires and let the stove cool completely in between. And we're following instructions.
The TV satellite didn't arrive today. I contacted the supplier, and was told their shipment hadn't arrived yet. I thought these were commodities in stock.
And the plumber was preempted by another emergency today. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.
I took advantage of another of the island's great features tonight; the recycling centre. A large stack of cardboard, and big collection of empty paint cans. Darn convenient.
December 21, Thursday 9:00 PM
Here's another view of the kitchen, looking toward the main entry hall. Marit is particularly happy with the pantry shelves on the left. Marit has continued to unpack. And I've continued to lay floor. I've left the main floor temporarily and started upstairs in the master bedroom.
The plumber spent the day here. We now have the washer and dryer operational. I'll bet the laundromat in Courtenay will be missing me. The dishwasher in operational, and the shower and basin in the downstairs bathroom have been hooked up.
The satellite TV antenna didn't come today either, but after talking with them, they agreed to come tomorrow and install the basics.
It's raining now, so I guess the snow here won't last many more days. It's been quite Christmasy around. I just noticed that Marit has been busy this evening baking some Christmas goodies. And she has some pickled herring underway. Mmmm.
December 22, Friday 9:15 PM
Marit is gradually unpacking and putting things away. The guest room, shown in the picture, is becoming much less cluttered. But we are still basically living in the cabin. We need the floors more complete, and a flush toilet installed before we'll call this home.
The plumber came back today and finished all plumbing, (except the toilets.) I have to tile the floors before they can be installed.
The electrician came by and finished most of the remaining lights. There's still some minor work to be completed but that will wait until the new year.
And Courtenay Electronics came and installed our satellite dish. We can now watch the same TV show in four different time zones.
We still have snow; it hasn't been washed away yet. But surprisingly I heard a frog croaking slowly at noon today. And I saw a small flock of robins. And another flock of red-winged blackbirds. I thought they migrated south for the winter. Pheasants have left their tracks just in front of the patio doors.
Lots of interesting activity around.
December 23, Saturday 6:45 PM
The activity is winding down for Christmas. Just one tradesman briefly today from Comox Fireplace. He came to put a heat shield on the back of our Jotul stove.
In my activities, I completed the floor in the master bedroom today. I also managed to break one of the cast iron installation tools. It will be a bit difficult without it, so I'll try and find a new one, or get this welded back together after Christmas.
Tomorrow Marit and I will catch the earliest ferry off the island and head to Vancouver for Christmas with the rest of the family. We'll be back on Boxing Day. So there will be no update of the site for a couple days.
Tomorrow is also Marit's birthday. Her friends are having a small party at lunch for her.
So I'll leave this site with a picture of Marit's kitchen; complete with some of her Christmas decorations on display.
I want to say Merry Christmas, and wish you all the best of the season; to all my old work mates; neighbours, fellow members, relatives, and other friends including the chiropractor and his office who put my back together again.
I'll be back after Christmas.
December 27, Wednesday 8:30 PM
We're back after a very nice Christmas with the family. Full of turkey and roast pork. We were very fortunate that my mother was well enough to join us on Christmas Eve. She enjoyed the evening out of the rest home. But it exhausted her for the next two days.
We came back to the island, with our loot, late yesterday evening. And today Marit is arranging the unfinished house, trying to make it tolerably inhabitable.
I've concentrated on the bathrooms; trying to get the floors ready for tiling. That is now the number one priority. Because when the floors get tiled, we can get the flush toilets installed! I bought a tile cutter on Boxing Day, and I've been having great fun cutting and placing pieces in dry trials.
The cat is wary of this new place, but she doesn't want to be left out. So she has joined us today. She's quickly become acclimatized to one spot in the house, as you can see in today's picture. She isn't fussy about the state of the floors. Or the flush toilet.
December 28, Thursday 9:45 PM
A long day. A late night. And not too successful.
I tiled the bathroom floor today... Sort of.... The job started a little poorly, and went downhill from there. I won't describe all the details but it would have made a great script for the old "I Love Lucy" show.
But the tiles are down; not evenly level, and not too straight, but they're down. The picture is very forgiving, hiding a lot of fine detail. Incidentally, the green paper on each tile is it's number. I had pre-cut all the tiles.
Tomorrow I'll have to clean the mortar off the tile surfaces, and grout between the tiles.
I'll have to try a different approach on the upstairs bathroom. There must be a better way.
December 29, Friday 7:45 PM
Well, so much for my appeal for sympathy. To the one individual who took pity and said I was doing amazing "for someone who only recently figured out which end of a hammer to use", I have to say "Not True". But I find it's a lot harder doing inside finishing work than it used to be putting up a fence.
Anyway, the tiles didn't look any straighter in the morning. But the plumber came and installed the toilet anyway. And I've even hung the door myself. We have a working bathroom. Things are looking up.
As to the upstairs bathroom, I find that my estimating skills let me down again. I'm short one box of tiles. It'll have to wait until I can go into town and find one more box of the same tiles.
Meanwhile we are trying to put the house in order for the kids to come up and spend the New Years weekend with us. Should be a fun time.
Fortunately I have several hammers. I wonder what construction tasks I can assign them while they're here.
December 30, Saturday 8:45 PM
We have company; our first visitors in the new house. Lise and her friend, Gary, as well as Erik have come to spend the New Years weekend with us.
Part of the day was spent preparing the house for company. But I also managed to grout the bathroom floor.
Some of the dark mortar had formed ridges between the tiles and caused a dirty appearance. Marit was forgiving of my other tile faults but objected to this condition. Strongly! So I had to chisel out the dark ridges and re-grout the affected areas. So it turned into quite an operation.
I also found one tile at the entrance was loose. I'll have to re-set it with mortar when I do the upstairs bathroom.
Incidentally, that greenery in the lower left corner is a jade plant. (It was my gift to Marit a few years ago on our "jade" anniversary.)
December 31, Sunday 7:15 PM
A quiet day. Everyone slept in today, despite the noise I made starting the fire in the morning. I made the first pot of coffee and had to drink it entirely myself.
Erik chopped up some of the firewood that I had optimistically left too large. And he cut up a box of kindling, so I wouldn't make too much noise tomorrow morning.
No construction today. Just feasting on Marit's great cooking. We'll bring in the new year with games, and TV shows. And we'll all try and stay awake until midnight. (That'll be a challenge for Marit and me).
Happy New Year everyone!
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