Dec 16th

Year End up-date

Our office and jobsite will be closing on Wednesday Dec 21st and will remain closed until Wednesday January 4th, so this posting is a summary as to the status of the project

Siding

the siding has all been delivered to the site and the guys have started the installation.  the first step is to strap the entire building prior to installing the the prefinished wood siding.  this is required for the siding to breath and prevent moisture from building up behind it causing warping.

Pre-stained cedar shakes have been installed on one gable end.  Unfortunately our supplier made an error and shipped us only half of the shakes.  Luckily it is not holding us up and they are rushing to correct their mistake and get us the rest asap.

Windows and Doors

The big news this week is that most of the doors and windows have been delivered (the rest will come next Monday) and installed.  We think that they look great, and by next Wednesday we will have a closed in building ready for some heat.

Insulation

The next big step will be insulating the building.  All the material has been delivered and the guys have the strapping and blocking, needed for the insulation and wall covering, almost all completed and they have  already started to insulate.  The spray foam guys will be in next Monday to apply sound insulation foam to the main floor ceiling, and insulating foam to the perimeter of the second floor joists.

Attic Storage

Attic trusses where installed on each side of the Master bedroom thus creating two attic storage space which will be accessible via fold-down attic stairs in the hallway.  Building code regulations forbids us from closing in the walls of this space which would create an illegal room (due to the lack of escape options) so we have only enclosed it with a 4 foot high wall to allow a more secure storage space and prevent anyone form moving to the rest of the attic and falling through the ceiling.

 

Antique Beams

Mike and Christina have obtained a number of old wood beams which will be installed in the Living Room and Master Bedroom.  The photo below shows one of the beam in place under the engineered floor joists prior to the ceiling being completed.  One beam will be used for the mantle of the fireplace.

Electrical

Darren and his crew will have all the electrical rough-in completed by the end of today ready for electrical inspection and the place is a maze of wires.  I have difficulty understanding how they keep track of what wire goes where.

Plumbing

We passed the plumbing inspection last week so now the plumbers are hard at work adding the pressure tanks, and other fittings ready for the bathroom appliances and kitchen cabinets when they are installed

Electronics

The electronic people were in and rough-in the wiring for the TV and sound system, the CCTV, etc.  Their wiring look more complex that the electrical system.  Those green wires in the control panel and in the Great Room are about one inch in diameter.

Heating and Ventilation

The pipes for the main in-floor heating were all installed before the concrete floor was poured.  The installers have been back to install the pipes for the second floor heating in the bathroom floor and for the radiators in the bedrooms.  The systems supporting the heating and the hot water like the HRV have also been installed, ready to be connected.

Washer/Dryer

The washer and dryer will be located in a second floor closet.  The power, water supply, drain and venting are now all in place

Fireplace

As reported earlier the fireplace has been installed and certified by a WETT installer. 

Natural Gas

A large natural gas tank has been installed behind the garage and a line to the cottage is now in place (yellow pipe below) and the black distribution line can be seen near the bottom of the building which will deliver the gas to the kitchen stove and the heating boiler.

Septic System

The above photo also shows the sewage pipe coming out of the wall which will connect to the sewage pump and tank which appear on the left in the photo.  The pump and tank will be buried when landscaping is completed in the spring.

Cultured Stone

The good weather has allowed our stone mason to completed the stone on the deck perimeter wall and he has been able to do part of the cottage wall.  he will be able to resume once the windows are all installed, weather permitting.  if it is too cold he will move inside and work on the framing and the stone work for the fireplace.

On behalf of

Harry, Gail, Marcel, Jon, Adam, Ben and Matt

please accept our best wishes for a

Joyous Holiday Season

and a

Very Happy New Year.

See you again in 2012

Dec 2nd

This week I have nothing visual to report, but I have very important news.

This week the guys spent a large portion of their time doing all the nitty gritty things that have little if any visual impact, but are nonetheless important to have a good and sturdy building.  That included things like blocking, tying all the walls together, making sure things are squared, etc, etc.

The outcome of that tedious work is that today WE PASSED "FRAMING AND PLUMBING INSPECTION".

That means we can now proceed with the electrical, the heating and the insulation.  The aim to to be able to have heat in the cottage by Christmas, and that is a little ahead of schedule.