Holiday's Over, Back to Work

Drywall, taping, muding and sanding are finally at an end and the drywall is being spray painted with a couple of primer coats to seal it. Roy and I masked all the windows in preparation.


A coat of white paint makes such a difference. The space is beautiful, open and airy. I chose a colour for the main living space and Tom is going to spray it on for me...it's a soft yellow-green... Chartreuse? The kitchen cabinets are white, counter tops are black and the floors are dark gray so a bright and lively color is called for. We'll know instantly if this is a mistake...

We've had a guy in to "Schluter"(waterproof membrane) the showers. We've chosen some nice white tile and that should get installed over the next week or so.




On another front: the "front lawn" is being dug up for what I hope will be the last time as the Type 1 septic system goes in. Two large concrete tanks to the side of the house and the septic field goes in the front to be as far from the creek as possible. Once this is done we can start to install plumbing fixtures ( bye-bye Porta Potty) and have running water.
We received our wall package on October 13th, so it's been 3 full months of construction and Roy and I are tired and can hardly wait to get in and get settled. Maybe early February..

Jack Frost

I have been quite struck by the beauty of recent frosts on the leaves, grass and mosses and have taken quite a number of pictures. I'm not sure that I have ever seen frost quite like this - thick and granular like a sugar coating. I'm posting a few of the dozens taken. Enjoy!

New Year's Dip

Jan 1st 2011. The sun has shown itself, but it is a cold day (by BC standards) and we are bundled in warm jackets, hats and mitts. Roy and I and a small crowd gathered on the beach to watch a group of brave souls throw themselves into the frigid waters of the Georgia Straits. Why they do it every year remains a mystery to me, but I guess it is a New Year's tradition and a way to mark the new year. I will stick with my personal review of the highs and lows of 2010 and toasts to the coming year. Roy and I have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to look forward to in 2011. Amen.

High Winds & High Tides

The weather has been very wet and the winds came up the other night. We could hear the surf pounding the shore all the way up Charlton to the cabin. The combination of high water levels from the rain, an exceptionally high tide and high winds made for a pretty scary time for those in low lying areas and waterfront properties. In Qualicum Bay (above) the surf threw debris up onto the Island Highway and slapped at the front of some of the beach-front homes - yeah, no thanks! The Nile Creek was also running very high, wild, roaring and unrecognizable from just days before. Nature sure is something to behold. Thankfully unbroken weeks of rain appear to be ending.
If the Weather Network is correct we are in for some sun - my fingers are crossed.

Season's Greetings

MERRY CHRISTMAS
&
A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Mudd and Mayhem

My 6 year old laptop is on its last leg and acting very buggy which is making it difficult to update this blog. I may be forced back to the library and the use of their computers (sigh..) but for now soldier on...

The pocket door frames are installed and floors papered in preparation for : Drywall Time! - the boards are delivered by two crane trucks, lifts marked for the rooms they go to. So far, so good - very organized and professional. The next day the drywallers arrive for what they call the "slam" which is a one day blitz of boarding. 5 guys board the whole house in one day. It looks like a bomb went off, bits and pieces of drywall, glue tubes, pop cans, drywall screws and white dust everywhere.

Touring around the outside I see something odd - what is that? then break up laughing - they boarded over a window with a pop can on the sill - it looks so funny!



When all that dust settles two guys come back and finish the trickier stuff at a more leisurely pace. But decision time again- Yikes! What kind of corners do I want? How are we handling window trim and what kind of doors are going in? What are we doing with the showers? and the finish around the fireplace?...and where the drywall ends at the ridge beam - what about that? Who knew that drywall could be so complicated?


The rooms in the house are starting to take shape and we can get a real feel for the space. The drywallers have been at it a couple of days when the accident happens; a drywall screw misses a stud and of course, doesn't miss the plumbing pipe - water everywhere. Thankfully these pipes are easily repaired and no real damage is done.


Next week: drywalling continues and septic system installation begins!

Progress

The last few weeks have flown by. We continue to make progress knowing that we still have a way to go before the house will be move-in ready. The electricians have finished pulling wire and placing boxes for outlets, fixtures, switches and electronics, R40 insulation has been placed in the ceilings and poly on the walls (the walls were already insulated as part of the Pacific Homes package) and the cedar board and batten siding is almost finished.





The fireplace and woodstove have been installed and the floors are being ground off in the main living area.


The finish on the floor is quite organic and varies from small specs of exposed aggregate to larger pieces in the colours of the rainbow on a dark field. In the sunligh the colours sparkle. The shots below are close-ups, the overall effect much more subdued. We're very happy with it.


Ahead: drywall, paint and kitchen cabinets on the inside and on the outside the septic system, before we can do plumbing. As I was saying, still a ways to go.....