Locked Up at Last

The doors and windows are in and we have a complete roof - WooHoo!
The "Wet Coast" can be as wet as it wants now and we will not lay awake at night worrying about it. What a relief this is for both of us.
Next up: electrical outlets and lighting, insulation and poly for the ceilings, then exterior siding and soffits, (before drywall, because pounding on the outside walls ruins finished drywall on the inside-who would have thought?) grinding the floors, installing the fireplace and finally drywall. Then the fun part: the kitchen....

It's Official

We've joined the ranks of farmers and rednecks. We wear work boots and plaid jackets and we finally broke down and bought a pick-up. If my friends on Bay Street could only see me now...
It was impossible to lug home 2x4's and other building materials in the Acura. The folks at the local Irly store were really tasked to come up with new and creative ways to make things fit whenever I went in there. Eventually when the building part is behind us, it will be gardening materials and plants and who knows what all else. So the Sports Car as Roy called it will have to go. It's been a great car. Lots of memories.... but a truck has possibilities for bigger and better things!

Ever Closer to Lock-up

On Monday Roy went to work reading meters for Qualicum Bay-Horne Lake Waterworks - did I ever mention that he had a part-time job with them...? Hmmm, may have been overlooked (long story)... but he does.
Monday was also another Pacific Rain Forest Day (rained) and no trades came to "play" at our house.





Tuesday morning, Roy's workshop got a shiny, new concrete floor. The shop is sure to be his "Man-Cave" and will probably never look this good again...





Our carpenters were back to strap the gable portion of the roof in preparation for the installation of the metal roofing and to finish hanging the fascia boards. I have learned that carpenters are akin to tightrope walkers: unbelievable balance and no fear of heights. I can't watch as they walk along the tops of walls, stepping over trusses and carrying heavy pieces of lumber, skylights etc...
I had spent Tuesday morning squeegeeing Monday's rain, but a small pool remained on the floor and I was able to get some interesting reflections of our "aerial acrobats" at work on the roof.



More frightening than the carpenters on the roof is Roy on the roof..and they've entrusted him with a power nailer!



Wednesday saw the return of the roofers to finish the flat roof and the arrival of the HRV (heat recovery ventilation) guys to start the installation of the ducts and vents that will provide fresh air in our house. Because we have in-floor heating instead of forced-air an HRV system is necessary for air replacement and circulation and the removal of humidity in the bathrooms, kitchen & laundry. Quiet and unobtrusive vents in every room will do the job for us.



..and today they noticed me lurking around and decided to put me to work papering windows. Marcel patiently gave me "Window paper and Blueskin 101" and turned me loose with a tacker. Code requires these relatively new measures be taken to prevent water seepage, much of this resulting from the "Leaky Condo" scandal that took place in Vancouver a number of years ago.
So much time and effort dedicated to preventing all of this rain from getting into a house, about proper air circulation and ventilation...not concerns that I recall from Ontario - but huge here.
Welcome to a brave new world: wood framing and lots and lots of moisture.



This week ended on a very high note: we completed the fascia on the gable (ready for the metal roof) and installed most of the windows and the garage door. Man doors still to come.



All going well - Tuesday our roof will be completed and we will be able to install the remainder of the windows & doors and start to dry the place out...and I will finally "hang up" my squeegee!

The Roofing Gods

..smiled on us today.
At 8:00 AM sharp, under cloudy skies (but no rain) 3 pick-up trucks full of roofers and equipment converged on us. 15 minutes later the materials arrive and after a quick survey
of the roof - they go to work. First order of business is drying out the sheathing.


They do this by torching it - the heat drying the wood quickly. Takes skill though - linger too long and it's a call to BHBVFD - Roy to put out the fire on his own roof!
Next they roll out the first ply material and torch it as they unroll it - melting it and sealing it to the sheathing.



To finish the first ply they finish the edges, melting and sealing the material up and over the parapet walls. Water will be trapped and forced to exit through the copper scuppers and down the downspout out to the drainage ditch. The melting and sealing process is repeated with the second ply which has a granular finish much like an asphalt shingle.
The roofers complete both ply's on the workshop and carport and start on the house. By day's end they have completed the first ply which makes all of our flat roof water tight. This is huge
for us - maybe things can start to dry out a bit...
The metal roof and metal caps for the parapet walls will not arrive until mid next week - depending on the weather of course....

Fanny Bay

I was driving along the old coastal highway the other day, on my way to Courtenay and had to pull over at the Government docks in Fanny Bay.
The seals have returned.
I admit to knowing very little about them, just that they seem to stop here for a couple of weeks every year during their migration. They are quite large and lay about barking and basking in the sun(??) Quite humorous to watch....and then they are gone again.
One more thing to learn about.

Rain, Rain - Go Away...

....at least until we can get a roof on our house. The monsoons are upon us. It has rained almost every day for the last couple of weeks and the long range weather forecasts show that trend continuing for the next two weeks.

People here have a different attitude about rain - they don't really seem to notice it. Rarely do you see an umbrella or a raincoat - they just carry on as if nothing is happening; no running for cover, or shielding of the head. Building is no exception, it goes on all-year round, rain, or shine so this week the crew has continued to prep the roof for the application of the torch-on membrane and the standing seam metal. Water has continued to pour in, soaking the framing and pooling on the floor and every day I squeegee it out only to have the skies open up again....
With the sheathing complete, the parapet walls built and fascia installed and skylights "curbed" we're finally ready for the roofer. He'll come tomorrow - if it doesn't rain.
Torch-on roofs require the sheathing to be somewhat dry in order for the membrane to "stick" so if it's raining - it ain't happening. Of course, the forecast for tomorrow is (drum roll).... rain.

The Plumbers

The plumbers came back on Monday to do their rough-ins - prior to the application of poly and drywall. No big deal really, we've all seen black plumbing pipes at some time or another right? So, I'm not sure quite what to make of this...



I can hardly wait to see what the electrician has in store for us.