The extra lumber came today. The truck left just moments before we arrived.
All the plywood for the floors came.
And new 2x6 lumber for the wall studs. We sent back the 2X6's originally sent because
they were not of acceptable quality.
No plywood was used today; but most of the blocking has been completed between the floor joists.
The festive look of the picture is because of the tent type of shelter erected in front of the structure. It is intended to provide protection to the power equipment used throughout the day. It was raining most of the weekend, and threatened to rain again today.
Erik spent the day with the shovel and wheelbarrow, taking fill to the side of the garage. I've been digging footings for support posts in front of the house. Neither Erik nor I finished our tasks. We'll carry on tomorrow.
July 5, 9:00 PM
Work on the floor is progressing, but not much plywood is yet in place. Most of the day has been spent preparing and leveling; planing the joists and grinding the cement. I haven't updated the picture since it looks very similar. Even the clouds.
Erik has completed backfilling the north wall of the garage by wheelbarrow. I dug the third footing in front of the house. During the afternoon I had to pick up more supplies in Comox.
Hopefully tomorrow I can show some tangible progress.
July 6, 6:00 PM
As you can see from the picture of the day, the floor has been started. Wes and Harris have been very precise in laying the plywood. Incidentally, I stood on the top of "Mount Birkeland" to take this photo; (a large pile of dirt from the excavation).
Erik and I (mostly Erik) have also completed digging and installing all the footings for the posts in front and back. Almost; there's one more form to install in an excavated hole. Erik has also finished widening the drainage channel. He's been busy.
Me? I took time to go to the chiropractor in Comox, and to exchange some building supplies.
July 7, 9:30 PM
Yes! We have a floor! Every piece of plywood glued and screwed to each joist. There's still some trimming final finishing of the floor, but we're now up to ground level. Early next week there will be some exacting layouts measuring out the rooms, and making chalk lines on the floor. Then up with the walls.
We finished the last support hole footing today, (a little deeper and more of a problem than I thought). And I picked up a load of navajack gravel. I'll be hand mixing cement for these forms over the next few days.
Erik will be escaping, I mean going back to his life in Coquitlam, tomorrow. But he has his souvenirs of blisters and sore muscles to remember this place with. Marit is coming up tomorrow for a couple of weeks. So we'll have to do a little house cleaning early in the morning.
July 8, 6:00 PM
Marit has come. Erik has gone. The cat stoically ignores the changes.
It's been a quiet day of cleanup, relocation, and general reflection.
Marit thought it would be interesting to show our little flower decked cottage
sitting in the middle of the piles of construction material. The clematis at the back of the porch
is starting its magnificent display of blooms now.
I think this is the last year this cottage will be standing. It was intended originally as a very temporary structure.
Eighteen years later it still is not leaking.
Incidentally, some of the mason bee nesting tube boxes can be seen under the eaves in the big picture.
The health of Ozzy, the cat, is definitely improving. She caught a mouse in the field this morning. Her sight must be well recovered. So has her appetite (She ate most of it).
Tomorrow the neighbouring island, Hornby Island, is having a "Studio, Home, and Garden Tour" similar to those we've had on Denman. Marit and I will drive over and visit as many as we can in the day.
It's a pretty good life.
July 9, 6:00 PM
Marit thought the picture was so nice that we should leave it up for one more day. Especially since no construction has been done this weekend. Last night we had a dandy thunder and lightning storm. It was followed by a steady heavy rainfall. So all the plants got a good soaking. So did my new plywood floor.
An update on the mason bees. I haven't seen any activity at all since coming back after the long weekend. So I guess I'll arbitrarily assign July 1 as the end of their season. I don't know if they tire and die of old age, or if they succumb to predators. Anyway, the final count; all of the 6 inch cardboard tubes (56 of them) were filled and capped. And 27 of the longer 8 inch homemade paper tubes were also filled and capped. So I have a healthy population.
And for those of you with any interest in progress of my cat recovering from blindness and near fatal high blood pressure; she brought another dead mouse to the doorstep this morning after a successful hunting expedition in the field. (She didn't eat this one though). She's obviously well progressed in her recovery.
So, tomorrow we start on the construction again. The images may become more interesting in the weeks ahead.
July 10, 8:00 PM
Looks a bit like Friday's picture, doesn't it. There's been some minor finishing on the floor, but the guys have spent most of the day laying out all the rooms, walls, etc. and marking their locations with chalk lines on the floor. Hopefully tomorrow the walls will start appearing.
I was quite dismayed this morning to discover that the heavy rainfall on Friday night
had caused some washouts in the areas I had dug the footings.
One footing was completely buried in mud and I had to explore and excavate to locate it.
More digging and re-digging. Finally, mixed up cement and gravel in my wheelbarrow
and filled all seven footings with concrete, complete with rebar (reinforcing bars)
embedded in each footing. That was enough to keep me busy all day.
Tomorrow I'll start putting cylinders on the footings and filling them with cement about 2 meters in height.
At lunch time an old friend, Mel Brown, came and visited. He lives across the water in Bowser, about a 15 minute drive away. We used to be neighbours in Port Moody for many years. He told me he has an electric cement mixer at his place. Good old Mel; my Best friend! I'm going to return the visit tomorrow morning, in my truck, which is plenty big enough to carry an electric cement mixer.
I'll have to take a trip off the island tomorrow anyway. While taking today's picture, a screw fell out of my glasses and a lens fell off. Everything now is extremely fuzzy and blurred. I'll need to have them fixed before I can carry on any more work.
July 11, 7:00 PM
This is a wall in progress. It's the closest picture I could take of the first wall in the house. We don't seem to be up to full momentum yet. There are some minor problems, like pre-cut studs that are not of consistent length, and owners that have changed the window specifications from the original drawings. But these can all be overcome.
I was over to Vancouver Island today to get my glasses repaired, and to borrow an electric cement mixer. The trip was more interesting than expected; my brake line finally rusted through after 22 years, and I lost all brake fluid. Fortunately there is a great service station and mechanic over in Union Bay who once again "saved my bacon".
This afternoon Marit and I moved several stacks of lumber closer to the work site, for the convenience of the builders. More piles of building materials snuggling up close to our cabin.
Incidentally, while eating dinner on the porch, we noticed that our Clematis that is now in full bloom has some peculiarities. The flowers don't have the same number of petals. Different blooms have 4, 5, or 6 petals. Does anyone know if this is normal?
July 12, 8:45 PM
We have walls! Now I'm happy. Some structure is forming. The areas being "walled" are the mud room (i.e. washer, dryer, hot water tank, etc), and the bedroom and bathroom guest suite. The exterior walls are being sheathed before being erected, and insulation is being put in all cavities that will not be accessible later when the framing is complete.
I put in two cylinders on top of the footings I previously built and filled them with cement. There are six more to do. I didn't dare set up the other tubes in preparation for tomorrow, because rain is forecast tonight, and the tubes are made of cardboard. I hope the rain tonight doesn't cause more slides into the excavation and push my newly poured pillars out of place.
All the seasonal neighbours along the road seem to have come back to their properties today so I'm sure we can expect more visitors to see the progress.
b>July 13, 6:00 PM
The house is now starting to take form and shape. The north side of the first floor is framed. Other wall structures are laying in various states of construction, awaiting erection.
Quite a number of boards are being rejected and will be sent back to the lumber yard. We bought precut 2x6 studs. For the premium price, we don't intend to accept flawed and substandard material. My wife, Marit, has been busy carrying away the rejects from the house floor to our return pile.
The weather has been threatening all day, with a few minor rain showers. Gusty winds caused some good white caps on the water. I haven't dared start any major cement column work. I only did one, finishing the front. I'll need some more gravel to finish the back.
For Ozzy, another mouse breakfast today.
July 14, 9:00 PM
The walls are slowly being put in place. The picture shows Marit
looking over the days progress with Wes, one of the builders.
In one respect it's good there wasn't too much rapid advancement today
because we've identified a few minor changes (very minor alterations Wes) that
we would like made.
I trucked in another half yard of gravel (in my old pickup truck). And I've done a little more cement cylinder work. (One!) I'm ashamed to admit that I'm extremely slow. Any back filling depends on this being completed. I'll have to try and catch up over the weekend.
And Ozzy! I'm afraid the thrill of her amazing recovery is starting to wear a little thin. She's reverting to old habits and demanding to be let our and in during the early morning hours; starting at about 3:00 AM. And she insists on showing off the mouse of the day, before devouring it. Her enthusiasm is not shared by the rest of us.
July 15, 8:30 PM
This picture was taken at 7:15 PM from inside the guest suite, looking out through the opening that will be a patio door from the bedroom onto a terrace. Does it give you the urge to come and visit when it's finished? I hope so. The pillar intruding on the bottom of the image is one of the cylinders I've been filling with cement for support.
No work was done today, Saturday. We drove to Courtenay and toured stores looking at doors, bathroom fixtures, and kitchen appliances. Lots of ideas. If I only had the money.
Tomorrow I should get busy and finish all those cement columns. It's supposed to be another hot sunny day, so I better start in the cooler early morning hours. I've just finished bracing and positioning the worst of the lot, so I'll do that first.
We're hoping Ozzy will let us sleep past 3:00 AM tonight.
July 16, 5:30 PM
I'm repeating this picture, taken at 7:15 PM yesterday from inside the guest suite, looking out through the opening that will be a patio door from the bedroom onto a terrace. It's Sunday, and no more walls were put up.
I've been busy; almost all the cement pillars have been completed.
Almost, because the neighbours, Rudy and Anne Lehnert, invited us up for coffee and cake this afternoon.
A pleasant time, good coffee, and very relaxing.
I'll pour the cement in the last column at 7:00 PM, after dinner when it cools down a little.
(Right now the thermometer registers 27 degrees centigrade.)
There has been a lot of traffic on the water in front of the house today; mainly sailboats heading for Comox. We are wondering if there is some nautical occasion that we are not aware of. (It's strange how my concept of traffic has changed).
July 17, 6:30 PM
After a sunny 28 degree day, this is the current state of construction. Floor joists for the second floor have been started. The front wall is largely assembled on the floor. It would probably have been erected today, but I asked Wes to change the window positioning after the framing had been started.
It was pointed out to me that there is one more support post that required a cement footing and a cement pillar. It's for the far front of the garage roof. So I was back digging, framing, and pouring cement for a footing. Tomorrow I'll pour cement into the cylinder for the pillar.
And it's comforting to know that the government cares about me.
This afternoon I had a visit from the tax assessor who asked for me by name.
He knew I was building a new home and hoped to have it appraised for the next taxation year.
He decided he was premature and promised to be back in October.
I told him there was no hurry.
July 18, 6:30 PM
A little cooler today; up to 25 degrees centigrade.
The large front wall facing the water was erected today; all 16 feet of it.
It was quite a challenge with just the three of us.
We felt like Easter Island natives erecting the stone head statues.
More progress was also made on the floor joists for the second floor.
Unfortunately I had to take the picture against the sun.
It doesn't turn out quite as impressively with that lighting.
It appears that some construction details are not obvious on the drawings. The builders seem to be occasionally slowed down by the need to analyze and decide the appropriate course of construction. The changes that Marit and I request don't make it easier for them either.
Not all the lumber is of acceptable quality either. A percentage of the boards
are being rejected and will be returned to the lumber yard.
Wes asked me this morning when I would be driving to Comox in my truck so that
some of the lumber could be exchanged.
I told him I'd make the trip when he and Harris were desperate to get me away from the project for half a day.
Wes asked if I could make the next ferry.
July 19, 8:30 PM
Another day; another wall, more progress on the top floor joists. This picture was taken from slightly down the slope towards the water. The reverse of the direction from which I usually photograph. Notice that the second story extends four feet (about 1.2 meters) out over the first floor. That's one reason I've been pouring cement for all those support pillars.
I've had John Kirk up to plan the back filling of all the soil that was originally excavated. We'll use his smaller loader this time, not his big excavator. Some of the soil will be used to build up the ground level in the back of the house so that we can step out at ground level. It will be very interesting to see how much fill is left when we are finished. It's scheduled for next week; Wednesday or Thursday.
An interesting event occurred today. A series of native west coast indian canoes passed in front of the house heading south. They were the "war" or ceremonial dugout canoes with the painted figurehead. Each had a 12 to 14 man crew. I don't know the significance or the occasion that brought them in this area. But it was quite distinctive and notable.
July 20, 9:00 PM
Here's how it looks as the sun drops low in the north west at 8:30 PM.
Another wall was added today; the west wall of the dining nook,
with its 5 foot opening for french doors.
The floor joists on the second floor appear to be complete.
Much to my surprise, the three pillars supporting the 4 foot overhang appear to be placed almost exactly right. I'm not usually that exact in my measuring and placement. But it's too early to get proud; there's still 5 more pillar fittings to go.
This afternoon Marit and I were off to Courtenay. I had to go to a metal fabricator to have some brackets custom made for five post and beam fittings. I also had an appointment with the chiropractor. Marit took the opportunity for grocery shopping and picking up a few other supplies.
It's still very hot despite a few morning clouds. The thermometer showed between 27 and 28 in the late afternoon. It's not too comfortable.
July 21, 9:30 PM
Here's how things look at the end of the week. A solid floor is well underway on the second floor. The floor is not yet completed onto the overhang area. And a landing is being constructed where the top of the stairway will be.
The south wall has been started. It has been created in great detail, in chalk, on the floor. The actual wood assembly has been started, matching the template on the floor. Hopefully on Monday the assembly will be complete and the wall erected into place.
This morning Jim, the architect, stopped by to review the development of the project. He offered a few suggestions to us, and to the builders, which were helpful and appreciated. Thanks Jim.
As I wrote the last lines I looked out and saw a marvelous sunset; a brilliant dark red illuminating some clouds in the north west sky. This is a beautiful peaceful place.
July 22, 8:45 AM
My apologies!
There was no update yesterday.
I went off-island yesterday afternoon to attend a memorial service for a friend,Chris Ipsen, who died of bone cancer.
The service was held at Rathtrevor Beach in Parksville.
Chris was born in Denmark in December 1945.
He was a big hearted man who touched the lives of many many people.
He was given a Viking farewell. A replica of a viking ship had been constructed.
At dusk, the ship containing Chris's ashes, along with some ashes of his father,
and many cards and notes and poems, was towed off the beach and ignited on the water.
It was very moving. At the end, the waves brought the remains of the burned bottom of the keel back to the shore.
I returned back to Denman on the last ferry crossing at 11:00 PM.
This picture was taken moments ago at 8:30 showing the morning sun illuminating the structure. It's wet because there were some thunder showers yesterday afternoon and evening. I suspect the rain has washed away the chalk lines on the floor. I hope that doesn't have to be re-drawn to proceed with the wall construction.
I've done most of the cleanup before leaving yesterday.
Today I hope to concentrate more on the woodpile; cutting the smaller logs and branches that have been stacked for the past two months.
There's always some activity waiting.
July 24, 8:30 PM
Almost!
The south wall is almost finished.
It's laying on the floor waiting to be raised in place. We'll do that tomorrow morning.
Until then, the image has not noticeably changed.
So in its place I'm showing the clematis that is flowering on the porch of my temporary cabin.
On the north side of the house, the floor on the second story has been completed. Marit and I went up on a ladder; we had the impression of being alarmingly high.
Tomorrow after the wall raising, I am going into Comox to take back a load of rejected lumber. (Of course, in my '78 pickup truck, a load isn't a huge amount of boards). I'll also pick up some metal brackets that have been made to fasten some posts and beams.
And in a couple of days I hope to have most of the dirt filled back around the house so that we are once again at ground level.
The image will be changing. Believe me.
July 25, 6:30 PM
Despite the thunder showers today, we have the south wall. The house is taking shape. I'm hoping the front walls, which are lower conventional structures, can be erected faster.
In preparation for the loader coming tomorrow to fill the dirt back around the house, the builders have moved their equipment. If it doesn't rain, tomorrow should be a busy day. And the property should look quite different afterwards.
Today I exchanged the reject lumber and bought some additional 2x6 boards. My overloaded truck protested by refusing to start in the lumber yard. But after cooling off for half an hour, it became more cooperative. I also picked up the custom-made metal brackets for the post and beam connections.
We'll take stock of the situation tomorrow.
July 26, 9:00 PM
Some big changes today; the topology, and the weather.
John Kirk was here with his loader. He not only filled in all the excavated area around the foundation, he also built up the
area on the low side of house. The property looks significantly different.
The house looks like it shrunk five feet.
And the weather turned cooler, with showers. Summer seems to be temporarily displaced.
And one more wall section; An eight foot section of the front wall.
Piece by piece, it's slowly inching together.
A stairway to the second floor is underway too.
One unpleasant effect of the soil movement; the clay subsoil that has been distributed around is extremely sticky mud when it gets wet. The yard is once again becoming a quagmire. Lets hope the dry weather returns soon.
July 27, 4:30 PM
Not the greatest of days.
It has been stormy; raining all day and a strong south east wind.
It's a typical Denman "Southeasterly";
the reason houses are designed here with no doors in that direction.
I see there's one more wall built laying on the floor. They obviously didn't want to raise it in this wind. (Maybe tomorrow I get two walls built raised?). The guys were doing other work on the frame, but finally decided to pack up and leave early. I don't blame them at all. In this weather they should probably stay home.
Marit and I have a bit of a health problem. Marit has a sore swollen elbow, probably infected. It's very very painful and seriously affects her sleeping. I think she'll drive home tomorrow and have it treated in Coquitlam.
I awoke in the early morning with a mild stomach flu; hopefully the 24 hour variety. So I've been dozing all day. At least if we have to have a sick day, today was the perfect day for it. I didn't mind not going out into the storm.
The picture was taken just after 4:00 PM from the door of our cabin. It doesn't show too much of the ground, but the entire area is one large muddy mess. I have a lot of rake, shovel, wheelbarrow, and grass seeding work to do.
July 28, 9:30 PM
A better day today in many aspects. The storm is over; even had some sunshine in the afternoon. Marit's elbow was better; less painful but still quite swollen. And my flu has pretty well run its course; just very weak, with no stamina today.
Two wall portions were erected today as I hoped. The picture is taken from further back toward the road. It's an attempt to show the mud field left after moving the soil. The worst mud though is the sticky fill moved right around the house.
Starting tomorrow, I have a large task ahead of me; smoothing and moving all that soil around the house that the machine dumped there. Hope I'm up to the task. Any volunteers out there with a shovel and rake?
July 29, 7:30 PM
A quiet day today. Marit cleaned up the construction debris that has gathered over the previous few days. I worked on the fill on the north side of the house, spreading and leveling so that it's almost ready to spread some grass seed. (Not that I like lawn so much, just stable soil).
Being Saturday, we were surprised when Harris drove up. He's one of the two builders working on the site. He was concerned about our staircase. The hot weather has returned and the direct sun could possibly cause the newly erected staircases to distort. He nailed some plywood sheets over them for protection, then hurried off to catch his ferry off the island. A very dedicated guy.
For the picture I tried something different. I went to the back of the neighbouring property and climbed on an old rotting brush pile. Not a very revealing shot, but it's the north end of the house toward the water. The posts are supporting the second floor overhang of the master bedroom.
July 30, 7:30 PM
A very hot Sunday. It's Marit's last day here for a couple of weeks. We have been on the house floor marking out the kitchen area with boards and pieces of scrap. Marit wanted to get a feel for the kitchen layout and the cabinet and cupboards she will want. It's easier to visualize now with some external walls up, and the windows roughly cut in place.
There was a low tide at 11:40 today so we walked on the beach. Oysters and muscles for supper. We took some pictures from the beach looking back at the house. That's where the view of today's picture originated.
The electricity was out again this afternoon. Supper was late. In fact, there was no power at all to anywhere on Denman or Hornby Islands. This is not an unusual occurrence. We are considering getting a propane stove instead of an electric one. Apparently that's a common choice on these islands.
Of course I still think BC Hydro is a VERY reliable supplier of electrical power. (And they're pretty regular with my pension cheque too.)
July 31,6:30 PM
The last day of July. Marit reluctantly went back to the luxury of a bathtub and a flush toilet, in our condo in Coquitlam. She'll return in two weeks.
A couple of small walls were built today. The rough stairs were completed up to the second floor. (It no longer seems so frighteningly high since the soil was backfilled around the foundation). And more development on the initial framework was started.
I used the shovel and wheelbarrow to move some excavated fill that were difficult for the tractor equipment to access. And did some more work cutting up the never ending pile of limbs, for firewood.
There was a bit of thunder and lightning early this afternoon,
but no rain came of it.
A strong wind blew up mid afternoon from the west.
It was strong enough to cause whitecaps across the sound,
coming directly from Buckley Bay
across the water. It made it too difficult to work with plywood;
(like holding onto a sail).
And as I write this entry, the wind appears to be returning.
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