CottageTimes

Some family fun pics

2011-10-12T08:52:00.001-07:00

I just have to share them.

I always imagined me painting up here like this. Now its a reality.

Grampy (pronounced Dampy), Aunt Jess and Bradley July 2010

Grampy, Dan, and Bradley

Just enjoying...

Bradley, Amanda and Caleigh July 2011

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Me slacker....

2011-10-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

Wow....I haven't updated this 2 years?

....me slacker....

In my defense, we've been enjoying NOT having to work on the cottage SO much that my responsibilities to the blog have suffered. I beg your forgiveness.

As a place for family visits and escapes from the city, its the best. And was well worth the work.

But I still wanna know....

Why after all that work did we NOT end up muscular, toned and totally buff? We were simply tired.

I guess there IS no justice in the world.

Relax, enjoy, have a glass of wine or a beer

2009-09-10T06:47:00.000-07:00

Yay! Time to relax. This is the life!!

Shoal #2

2009-09-09T06:16:00.000-07:00

Off the front shoreline is a ledge of rock. A small part of which forms what I call Gull Island. Gull Island is really just a small bit of the rock which juts out of the water, but the gulls congregate there and there is usually plenty of gull guano as a result (which luckily the rain washes away now and then).

Anyway, apparently, this rock formation has been the site of one of the lakes major pickerel spawning beds. Pickerel populations have been overfished in the last few years, so the lake association (MLLA) has decided to beef up the spawning beds. So with permission from the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) they've started adding rock to extend the favorable conditions for spawning.

Cool!!

Guests

2009-07-20T08:24:00.000-07:00

Friends of ours came up for the weekend. The weather cooperated nicely and we had a good time, just relaxing, reading, wining....(not the whining kind LOL) and yeah....eating. Geez, I wish we'd taken pics.

It was great not having to do any real work, tho Bill did a few smaller things. We brought up 3 8 foot sections of dock framing, so this weekend we'll bring up some cedar decking and try to get the dock closer to finished.

Dishes in the kitchen sink, a chance to relax and alternate food sources.

2009-06-07T12:46:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo! The kitchen sink is done. I never EVER thought I'd hear myself say that I was looking forward to doing dishes. But I was! In the kitchen sink that is. So the kitchen is now officially done. And another milestone has been reached.

While I was waiting for the tile sealer to dry Saturday (which btw was a lovely sunny day), I put together the hammock. There is alot of symbolism in the hammock to me. We didn't want it "getting in the way" when we were working. Esp since we wouldn't have a chance to enjoy it. So now being done with all but the smallest of extras, the hammock symbolizes our ability to begin enjoying the cottage.

I read somewhere a commentary on the different effectiveness for natural bug repellants versus ones with deet in them. This guy basically said that the natural ones do work in slightly buggy situations, but even then its best if you have next to you an alternate food source. Being someone who foolishly enough has even LESS protection on them. Apparently, they actually don't like the taste of citronella or Skin So Soft. However, if the guy sitting next to you has a deet product on, then in the skeeters buggy eyes, there is nothing else to eat, so well...you're it. You're the alternate food source.

One of the things we love to do in the evening is to just sit outside, sipping a beer or a glass of wine enjoying the night air and such. So Saturday there we sat figuring we'd stay out there as long as the mosquitoes didn't eat us alive. I usually tease Bill saying that he is my alternate food source and usually he is. The bugs normally think he's nice and tasty. Well, Saturday Bill had been working outside more than me, so had put some deet on while I hadn't. So yeah....I was the alternate food source.

What?! Snow and sleet?!? on our first overnight stay for the year?

2009-06-01T05:06:00.000-07:00

OK, so it was only a little. But still.... its May 30th!! Sheesh.

It felt great being up there overnight tho. I haven't slept better in weeks! Bill too slept like a log. Was it the fresh air? The hard work? Maybe the wine. LOL

We got a little work done too this weekend too. I got the countertops tiled and grouted. Bill was the official tile cutter. His first time with a wet saw. Warning. Wear a rubber rain coat! And goggles! The pic doesn't do justice on how wet he got!

But look how pretty the tiles look!! Worth all the work.

Next week..kitchen sink!

A new year!

2009-05-26T08:05:00.000-07:00

Well, the cottage survived the winter well. Work needed is minimal. Or at least that's the plan.

We've turned on the water. Priming the pump again was easier this time, so we were relieved by that. Next order of business was to instal the hood for the stove and to tile the countertops and install the kitchen sink.

Power was out for 4 hours while we were there, so didn't all of it done, but the stove hood is in and the prep work for the tiling is done.

We've noticed that our resident phoebe has built a nest in the outhouse again. There are 4 gorgeous little eggs in there last time I peeked. I'll wait until they're gone before cleaning it again. Thank goodness we don't need to use it much now, but it is nice to have it clean and ready for when we do need it. And hopefully this summer we'll have guests, and it may well be needed.

An (almost) completely functional kitchen....

2008-09-17T04:52:00.000-07:00

Maybe I'm easily amused, but I'm loving the new kitchen. No tiles on the countertops yet, so the next project will include choosing the tiles I want and then doing it, but I'm looking forward to it.
This pic shows them without the knobs and plywood base for the tile, but they're on there now too.

We've had our first overnight visitors too. Jessica and her friend Crystal came up for the weekend. We had a great time just vegging and eating and playing cards and Scrabble. Perfect cottage activities.

Visitors

2008-08-27T05:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a pic of Shanna and Michele vegging on the deck. Michele came up for a visit from Phoenix and of course we had to spend a day at the cottage.

Cupboards and Guests and Rest, oh my...

2008-08-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

Well, we've finally gotten a chance to just enjoy the cottage. Bill and I spent the weekend up there recently and I have pictures to prove he actually relaxed a bit.

Shanna and Michele (my step-daughter) were up there for a Sunday visit as well. This was their first visit to the cottage. No work, just relax, lunch and margaritas on the deck.

Oh and the cabinets....they're there, stacked in boxes, ready to be installed this week.

Woo hoo!!

Kitchen cabinet plans and other stuff.

2008-06-24T07:49:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo!! Getting there!

I feel like we're finally getting civilized. Hot water in, water filter in place, frig, stove. Life is good.

Next week is a four day weekend and I am sooo looking forward to it.

Next on the list is the kitchen cabinets. This is the design we've come up with. Its a small area, so we'll be pretty desperate for storage and countertops.

Settling in....and ouch factor

2008-06-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

Oh what a difference a little furniture and stove and fridge make. Life at the cottage is getting cushy now.

I'm pricing kitchen cabinets now. And of course the ones that would look the most awesome are also their most expensive. Sat for 2 hours at Home Depot yesterday figuring out what we will need/want. I won't get that first quote until later this week. In the meantime, I gotta start getting other quotes. I hope it doesn't hurt too much. The ouch factor could be scarey.

The cuckoo is driving me cuckoo

2008-06-02T04:20:00.000-07:00

When I was in the basement at the house yesterday, I found the old cuckoo clock that we inherited from Bill's mom. I'd love to get it working so that we can take it to the cottage. I'll take it up even if its not working, but it would certainly be cool if I could get it working.

I've done some checking, the only place I've found so far that will fix it charges a set rate for each gear system. There are 3, so it would cost almost $500 to have a repairman fix it. So..... it looks like it will be my project for next winter. I found an e-book on the subject and a place that sells parts, but will look around more. It probably mostly just needs a good cleaning, but the little bellows have rotted, so I'll have to replace those.

I can get the gears going and the cuckoo to come out and even the music box to play, just not regularly or on its own yet (which is probably the cleaning issue). The cuckoo sound is from the bellows, so no sound until I get that one fixed. I spent a good portion of last night, figuring out all the gears and such. So...for testing purposes now I've got it hanging in the basement in my art corner. This thing has me fascinated. I won't be able to relax till its working....

Trimmed up

2008-06-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo!! The window trim is up now and it makes a huge difference in the feel of things.

So today, I concentrated on tidying up and "nesting". I got the large rug down in the great room and the small dining table back in place. The bed made up and the down comforter on it.

While I was doing that, Bill cut down a few cedars that we have to sacrifice for the dock area. We'll use the logs along with a few more that we've collected to build a small cedar log fence near the parking area. We planted some decorative grass and honeysuckle there last week and I'd like the honeysuckle to be able to climb on the fence. The butterfly's and hummingbirds should love it. We also planted another trumpet vine in the corner of the front deck. Another plant intended to attract the hummers. There is a pair that visits us regularly. They must have their nest nearby, we're not there 10 minutes before they're hovering waiting for me to fill the feeders up.

We didn't stay very long this weekend. The weather was dreary and the mosquitoes vicious. So no cedar post holes dug, but it still feels like we're almost there. A feeling we're beginning to really look forward to enjoying.

Cottage season again!!

2008-05-05T04:17:00.000-07:00

OK, so I'm a little early. But we got up to the cottage this weekend, so I was delighted. Everything is in order, only a few fly carcasses laying around.

The phoebe has decided to make a nest in the outhouse again this year. She's picked the top ledge, which is actually a good private place for her. She was good about having to share the outhouse with humans last year, but after next week she should have the place to herself for the most part as we plan to turn the water on.

This weekend the project was to starting putting verithane on the wood floors. It had been raining off and on most of the weekend, so we didn't start until noonish. Did get one coat on the upstairs and the master bedroom tho.

Yeah, the work has started, so its officially cottage season.

swamp no more and other stuff

2007-09-25T13:02:00.000-07:00

We brought in the big guys this week. A local guy came in with his big equipment and brought some fill. We filled in an artificial swamp that was created years ago when they made the road. The swampiness caused all the trees to die off and left us with a major fire hazard. So, swamp no more.

Also accomplished this week was the last of the hardwood floors and the bathroom. All finished and all fixed. We didn't turn on the water to the bathroom as we'd just have to turn around and drain it right away, but it is ready to go for next spring.

Lastly, we did some small projects, just to fill in some time. We got a great little door knocker in Portugal and I've been dying to get it put on the door. Check out the pic.

Floors - chapter 2

2007-09-11T03:44:00.000-07:00

This weekend Bill worked on the hardwood floor upstairs and I worked on the tiling the bathroom and grouting the hall and kitchen.

Actually, I had hoped to grout the bathroom too, but it didn't happen. I had decided to go with a 45 degree angle on the tile pattern, which meant alot more cuts. Of course then there was the issue with the toilet, how to deal with it. All the planning of exactly how to lay out the floor, considering the toilet, plus all those cuts took a heck of a lot longer than I had anticipated. At the end of Saturday, I had only gotten 1/2 of the small bathroom finished. Sunday, I would have to finish the tiling which would mean I couldn't grout it because the adhesive has to cure for 24 hours. And then finally there is that final last tile right behind the toilet. It would require 4 cuts plus a hole for the pipe to come through. Cuts I couldn't do without a wet saw or diamond blade.

The kitchen and hall grouting I finished on Sunday, but there sits the bathroom minus one silly odd shaped tile. I'll take a pic of the bathroom next week when it's finished. Oh please, let it be finished then.

Mornings and evenings

2007-09-04T05:51:00.000-07:00

Mornings and evenings are so wonderful at the cottage. My favorite times. Sit on the deck with a cup of coffee or glass of wine and watch the birds and small animals. A mist on the lake, starry skies. Just love it.

Then in between our days are still pretty full with projects, though the pace is definitely more relaxed than previously. This weekends' projects were:

Bill:

mixing tile adhesive for me,
closing in the knee wall with cedar planking and
trimming dead wood etc on the property

Mary:

tile kitchen and hall,
caulk shower,
hang cabinet and towel rack in bathroom.

And here's the proof.

Insurance woes

2007-08-20T04:47:00.000-07:00

Apparently the insurance companies don't like that the cottage's main source of heat would be the wood stove. This surprised us really, every cottage I've ever been in had wood stove heat. Anyway, many have said sorry to us and one that will allow us "with a provision" doesn't like the degree to which the cottage is finished.

So.....to ease the insurance woes, we decided not to go to Campobello Island this week as planned and have been busy installing Russian Maple hardwood floors. We'll still take 4-5 days for camping in New Hampshire though.

This wood has been sitting in our basement for 2 years so its really nice getting it out of there and having a useable rec room again. Still alot of furniture being stored down there for the cottage, but we're slowly getting that up there too.

Dilemma, dilemma, everywhere a dilemma (or Portugeuse spoken here)

2007-08-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

A 3 day weekend well spent, I'd say. We did ALOT of cleaning. Drywalling produces tons of dust and even though we did alot of cleaning before painting, we had still more to do.

After cleaning and organizing, we worked on the ceiling of the great room downstairs putting the cedar plank and the ceiling fan up. We also started putting the shower in, but came across an "issue" that we have to take care of . Dilemma #1 for the weekend.

On the ceiling, we came across dilemma #2. At the stove pipe for the wood stove we had to figure out a way to be able to nail the planks around the pipes wall, so after much deliberation and a few chosen Portugeuse phrases, we came up with a plan (pics following).

Dilemma #3 was the da%& mouse that is trying to take over the shed. So we got all furniture, kitchen stuff and clothing out of the shed. He was only starting to get comfortable and had started making a nest in one of the drawers of a small cabinet. So serious inspection and disinfectation later we now have 2 small dressers, a big dresser, and 2 beds in the cottage. Getting kinda homey really.

The kitchen is a hodge podge of shelves, totes and bags at the moment. But a tidier hodge podge than before.

Not everything was work though. Actually the pace of work in the last while is MUCH less hectic than previously. We even squeezed in a canoe ride around the lake AND an afternoon swim over the weekend. Not to mention the wine and beer on the deck in the evening (for medicinal purposes only).

About 2 years ago, we bought this humongous self standing 3 burner camp stove at Costco and its been in the shed for the whole 2 years. We've never used it! Silly us. So finally, we brought it down thinking it would be easier to cook on than our trusty, rusty Coleman stove. It now proudly stands next to the BBQ grill and I tell ya, it looks like we're ready for a major crowd. Cooking is alot easier with it. Almost don't need a kitchen. Ok, well, still want a kitchen, but it'll do for now.

Painted and ready to roll

2007-07-30T13:51:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo! 2 coats of paint on it all.

The final choices were:

great room and upstairs - Navajo white (I don't care what they say, it ain't white)
master bedroom - Valley Mist (hmmm, I really wanted more green than blue, but it is pretty)
bathroom - Cornsilk

We should be able to reasonably use it soon. Next week we start cleaning and getting ready to start getting settled. Can't wait to get things organized. I'm tired of the mess. The shower and toidie can go in too. Technically the tile should be put in the bathroom first, but I think I'll try to figure out a temporary fix for now. Tile probably won't go in until next year. We'll start putting the cedar plank ceiling up downstairs as well. It's a 3 day weekend, a little work, a little play, should be nice.

The first pic is the dining area and a bit of the kitchen. It's all open concept. Notice the plugs and switches all have covers on them too. We're starting to get civilized here.

2nd pic of the wood stove in the sitting area.

3rd pic is the master bedroom.

And just so you don't think we're NOT enjoying ourselves too. Here's a pic of Bill getting the fire going. We've been cooking our evening meal over the campfire. Steaks, baked potatoes and roasted corn on the cob. Oh yeah, we're roughing it.

Ready to paint!

2007-07-24T06:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend went well. We got everything accomplished we intended to.

It took me a full day of cleaning to get things ready. There was soooo much drywall dust everywhere. The poor vacumn cleaner was majorly stressed out.

But, everything is now primed and all ceilings that will not be cedar have been painted with 2 coats of ceiling paint. So...we're ready for painting the walls.

Now to decide on colours. I took a gazilion paint chips up and sat on the deck looking around at the colours in our surroundings. Then held the possibles up to a cedar sample. I still haven't decided.

Oh, and another thing....I HAVE A BED!!!! No more sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags. Woo hoo!!!

more pics

2007-07-17T06:18:00.000-07:00

Taking decorating ideas.....

ok, pics already....

2007-07-15T18:55:00.000-07:00

Well, Stef (the Admin Asst at work) has been bugging me about putting pics up and we finally have something to show. So.....here are some pics showing (proving) the latest progress.

And since pictures are worth a thousand words, I don't feel the need to say much more.

Ceilings and walls

2007-07-12T07:05:00.000-07:00

Well, we started on the cedar plank ceilings this last weekend. Upstairs first because we have to get the ceiling up before the stairs go in. Why, you ask? Because the ceilings are so high, we need the scaffolding and we wouldn't be able to get the scaffolding down once the stairs are in. So, upstairs first, then we can quit climbing a ladder to get upstairs. At the rate we're going, it will take a full month to get the ceilings all up. The planks are only 4 inches wide, so it's taking forever. We got 1/2 of the 2nd floor done over the weekend. It goes slower than we expected, but then I guess everything has.

Drywalling is happening this week. Bill talked to the guy yesterday and the walls are all up, now they're mudding and sanding and such. Can't wait to see it.

We moved mattesses and box springs up to the cottage as well. They're stored in the shed right now, but I want to get them into the cottage itself asap. So...as soon as the drywalling is done, they'll go in. Don't want any critters to get too comfortable.

Pex vs copper

2007-07-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

Since the last post, we've concentrated completely on the plumbing. This whole project it seemed no matter how many times I planned it out on paper and no matter how many times we went to the hardware store with a list, we always seemed to come up short on supplies. We were always buying what we thought would be way more than we needed but it was always some odd ball thing that we ran short of. Originally we were going to do all the hot lines in copper and the cold in pex, but the pex was so easy and is supposed to hold up much better to freezing conditions than copper, that we decided at the last minute to not use the copper we had at all and to go with pex completely.

This being a 4 day weekend because of Canada Day, the plan was to go up Friday and work and have the entire plumbing system layed out with everything in line (sort of like a dry run). The idea was to get it all set out and lengths cut with fittings and connectors and such in place and then we'd just go back with the rented crimpers and crimp all of the connections on Sunday or Monday.

Friday before we left, I had it all laid out with the exception of the pex line for the hot water to the 2 sinks (remember we were going to use copper). So I made up a list for Bill with a few extra things (just in case) and he was to pick up everything when he went to rent the crimpers. Jessica was coming to visit, so we would not be at the cottage on Saturday.

Sunday, I finished up the rest and started right in with the crimping. Working with the pex hose was really quite easy and the crimping went along much easier than I expected. Almost too easy it seemed. Once I was done and we primed the system I kept expecting to see water squirting out all over.

But, surprise, surprise, it looks good. We got the pump running and we now have running water. Now, back to the store to take back all that extra stuff.

Next stop......drywalling.

Insulated and ready to roll

2007-06-18T07:26:00.000-07:00

Whew. The insulation and vapor barrier is finally done. We're now ready to move on to the plumbing intake and then drywalling.

Even had a chance to take it easy this weekend. Once we had that project done, Bill put the cement pad in for the water pump and I started tidying up. Amazing how many silly tools you leave laying around just becuase you might use them this week or next week or the week after. Actually, it's amazing how many silly tools we've ACQUIRED!!!

On another note, mummy phoebe and the kiddies are doing well. I can only see 4 in the nest now though, but it's pretty crowded even at that. This week they already have real feathers and are starting to be more alert. Mostly they still just sleep.

More pink

2007-05-28T05:56:00.000-07:00

We are only able to work Saturday this week, but spent the whole day insulating and sealing with vapor barrier. Putting the vapour barrier on the cathedral ceilings is proving to be a real chore. It's very time consuming for we 2 novices. Moving the scaffolding around to let us reach what we're working on is difficult and time consuming as well.

It's likely another 2 weekends to finish.

But here's where we're at:
Upstairs - 3 walls and most of ceiling insulated and sealed, peak of ceiling yet to do.
Great room - part of 1 wall and insulation in 1/2 of ceiling
Kitchen - done
Bathroom - done
Master bedroom - not done

On the nest front....mummy Pheobe is doing well. She puts up with us. Flies out when we go in, then sits in a nearby tree and waits for us to leave. Apparetly phoebes nest close to people all the time, which explains why she's not overly skittish. No hatchlings yet. Perhaps next week.

2007-05-21T17:46:00.000-07:00

See???? Pretty in pink

The cottage is starting to take on that warm feel.

A lovely moss Eastern Phoebe nest. Now home to 5 eggs.

Pretty in Pink

2007-05-21T17:24:00.000-07:00

We're on to the insulation now. Doesn't sound exciting, I know, but we can't do internal walls until we have insulation.....so....we're thinking the cottage looks pretty good all draped in pink insulation right now.

Another week or two and we'll have it done. Amazing how long it takes to insulate, vapor seal and put that red tapey stuff down all the studs. But, it's coming along. We did have to spend a considerable amount of time on the deck rails though too. It's amazing how the grunt stuff goes really fast, but the finishing touches, like trying to cut perfect angles takes so durn long!! Anyway, got the final set of steps up, put rails on the back porch and top rails on the whole front.

Oh.... and on another note, we discovered the most beautiful moss bird's nest in our outhouse. Two weeks ago we found the nest. We were afraid she'd abandoned it after the human activity. Then Saturday I was delighted to find 3 lovely eggs in it. Today when I peeked there were 5 eggs, so she's a real eager beaver. I finally got a look at mummy and she's a lovely Eastern Phoebe. So we're hoping we'll be hosts to a whole whack of phoebes soon. I saw her leaving the outhouse twice today, so she'd still being a good mommy and not too afraid of the occasional human visitor.

BTW, you can thank Amanda for the "Bless our nest" sign. She and Dan decorated the outhouse when it was still the only structure on the lot.

All done for the year

2006-11-25T14:37:00.000-08:00

Here's Bill looking mighty proud. Or is he relieved that the cedar siding is finally done and we can call it a year?

Either way, we are delighted it's done.

Holy moly

2006-11-10T08:25:00.000-08:00

Holy moly!!! We passed the electrical inspection the first time! Do ya believe it? We didn't.

Only thing is we have to have a guyline put on the pole. And...well...there is only 1 guy in the area that does that and our teeny tiny job is gonna be WAY down his list of to-dos. But, them's the breaks.

He did "suggest" that we put caps on the connections. We had soldered everything and taped them, which is what the code book said was the best way. However, Mr Inspector says that the tape tends to dry out and crack after awhile, so he likes caps. So...guess what we're doing this weekend. *sigh*

Oh, one more thing. It's deer hunting season. So guess who hasn't been working on our siding. *sigh*

ready for inspection

2006-10-31T16:59:00.000-08:00

Whew! Finally, we are ready for the electrical inspection. We went up to the cottage Saturday to work on the last few things, all of which were outside projects. It was raining so hard, with no sign of letting up, so we resigned ourselves to the fact that we'd have to come back Sunday and hope for some decent weather.

Luckily Sunday was cold, but no rain. So with mitts on my hands, we worked away. We had to put in the outside sockets and the outside light fixtures and have them fully sealed against the weather. Also, had to label the circuit box and get the grounding cable and plate in place. The flexible conduit was so cold that we had a heck of a time getting the copper wire all the way through it. It just kept kinking up. But after a few attempts and several curse words we got 'er done.

Now we just hope for the best and that the inspector doesn't find too many things that need to be redone. We were pretty careful and tried to do everything above code. Guess we'll see.

2006-10-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

The cedar siding is going on the cottage.

wires all over

2006-09-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

We've been working on the electricity for what seems like forever now. Slow process.

My son Jim was up visiting and he spent 2 days helping us with it. We kept him busy!!! Of all the kids he's got the most sweat equity built up.
:-)

I'll get a pic uploaded soon. I'm absolutely positive everyone would just love to see the inside with wires hanging all over.

So....not much to write about. After all do you REALLY want to know how many recepticles I put in one day?

Soon there will be the siding on it though and that WILL be worth a picture.

2006-08-02T13:45:00.001-07:00

The front steps. This is the lake side view.

2006-08-02T13:45:00.000-07:00

The back steps (view from the road leading in)

The best invention...

2006-08-02T13:29:00.000-07:00

You wouldn't think a person would get giddy over steps. But honestly, if you didn't have them and had to climb a ladder just to enter the building, you'd really LOVE steps. And if you had to go up the ladder every time you needed a tool or a gadget or thinkamabob, well....it just made you think twice and made you plan every durn trip. Not to mention those visits to the loo in the wee hours of the night or morning (with flashlight in hand) after a glass (or two) of wine (for medicinal purposes only).

So...this weekend, we made steps. Two sets of them. One for the back porch and one for the front deck. Lovely steps they are. Oh, there was the usual Portuguese spoken, all right, but....we have steps.

Yes, steps are a good thing. Best invention since the wheel.

2006-07-24T05:40:00.000-07:00

Lunch on the new deck.

The deck! The deck!

2006-07-24T05:06:00.000-07:00

The frame for the deck went up during the week and this weekend's goal was to get the decking on. In my mind, that has always been a major goal. To be able to use the deck. I always pictured us lounging on the deck, cool ones in hand, just enjoying the surroundings.

This was to be that weekend. We brought a good portion of our camping supplies; mats, sleeping bags, cooking items, etc. Plus a cooler full of goodies to keep us over the weekend, including beer and wine. This was to be our first sleepover inside the cottage.

It was a lovely weekend. Slightly overcast on Saturday, which made for excellent working conditions. We arrived about 10ish, but took a bit to get oriented and figure out rows and gaps and such. Bill was trying everything to figure out a way to not have to rip any of the planks. Our table saw would not produce a pretty outcome and we knew it, so we tried to plan carefully so that it wouldn't come to that.

Even once we got going, things moved slower than we had anticipated. The planks were all 12' 1/4" and the frame was at perfect 16" centres. We ended up having to shave that 1/4" off of almost every full plank put down. Needless to say, it slowed us down considerably. Then there are the issues of the planks that are only 5 3/8"instead of 5 1/2. When dealing with gaps between planks that are only the size of a nail, that 1/8" is huge. So, we tried to plan and do full rows of narrow planks to eliminate any problems, but every once in awhile, it just didn't work out that way.

We worked until 6:30 or so and by the end of the day we were about 6 rows short of having the front deck finished. So while Bill started the fire, I tidied up and put the Muskoka chairs in place. We cooked our dinner of steak, onions and mushrooms, and baked potatoes over the fire and sat and enjoyed our dinner fireside. Afterwards, we retreated to the new deck and resting in the chairs enjoyed those "cool ones" that I had pictured all that time.

We were tired so didn't last too long that night before heading to our sleeping bags.
Sunday morn we woke up, make a pot of hot coffee and breakfast and started back to work. We got the front deck finished and had 2 rows of the side deck on when we stopped for lunch. Just as we got back to work, Peter and Cathy, Evan and Erin stopped by on their way home from their cottage. Cathy had never seen the cottage, so they got the grand tour.

They didn't stay long, so it was back to work. Work still proceeded slowly and by the end of the day we only had about 1/2 of the side deck done. But it's great progress, the deck makes the whole cottage look so much better. Not so tall and gangly and out of place in the woods. Besides, we have a useable deck now. I'm happy as a clam. Next weekends projects will be to finish the decking and to build the stairs.

2006-07-04T06:08:00.000-07:00

Bill sweeping the floor after we FINALLY got the septic hooked up. Notice all the wood for the deck laying around (still).

When s^!@ don't fly

2006-07-04T04:52:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been...welll...troublesome. Who'd a thunk a simple plumbing and drainage system for a little cottage could be so much of a problem. We designed everything needing water to be in one corner near the septic, thinking that would solve any major problems. Yeah, right.

#1 - Mr inspector dude won't let us put the waste pipes in the exterior walls. Holes would be too big and would weaken the wall he says. Ok, makes sense. We'll build false walls to put the pipes and air stack in.
#2 - That durn pipe glue dries in 3 seconds flat!!! Holy crapola!! Our brains and hands are far enough apart to result in a pause long enough to result in multi failed attempts to connect elbows, Ts and such at the correct angles. See our pile of bad glue jobs for a clue. We finally figure out the solution is to goober on SO much glue that drying is delayed by a second or 2. Oh, an glue goobers on hairy arms hurts when you have to pull it off (ask Bill).
#3 - When you have to saw out a piece of 3" pipe that is built into the corner of 2 false walss (that have been nailed tightly down) it gets ugly. The vibration from the saw and pipe jiggles the brain beyond belief. My ears are still tingly.
#4 - Tip of the week. Always purchase 20% extra of pipe fittings too. After all, multiple trips to small town hardware stores (of which usually have shortened hours when you need the item most) results in lots of lost time and LOTS of cursing (including the occasional "they're charging WHAT for a #$@! 45 degree elbow?!!!?").

But, finally Monday morning we finished the drainage portion of the plumbing. The pipe slid neatly into the septic tank and was successfully attached to the house. So, now hopefully on that first flush, shit won't fly.

And to end this post, well, lemme say this. This project has made me appreciate professional plumbers more. They earn every cent, even IF I have to put up with plumbers butt.

I'm dreaming of a bathroom

2006-05-30T10:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm done putting together those Muskoka chairs and they sure do look nice. One last coat to put on and they'll be ready for a deck.

Bill in the meantime has been planning out the plumbing. Figuring out how to put the vent stack in has been the problem. Where we wanted to put it, just happened to have a window above it on the 2nd floor, so we had to rethink and rearrange. I think we're pretty close to starting the actual work now.

We've bought all of the BR fixturs (except shower, we need a truck for that). So far they're just sitting in their spots, helping us visualize how things will get laid out. Sure will look good when there are real pipes all hooked up!! Of course walls would help too.

The deck that isn't (yet)

2006-05-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

It's so nice to be able to begin work on the cottage again. The plan for this year includes:

deck and porches
siding
plumbing &
electrical

More than anything, I can't wait to be able to sit on the deck holding a cool one. Electrical be damned, I want that deck. Since our constuction dude can't start work on the deck until late June or so, and the siding after that, we concentrate our efforts on the inside and other things. Bill has been studying the electrical and plumbing code for weeks. I on the other hand have been investigating solar power systems. Not sure if we'll go there, but it is an option.

This week, we chose some samples of tile to take up and have since decided on which ones we like. Sunday Bill started on the subflooring for the tile in the bathroom and kitchen, while I started to paint the 4 muskoka chairs that we picked up at Costco.

When we were shopping for paint, I had insisted on 4 different colors for them. Primary red, yellow & blue, and John Deere green. So right now the big room in the cottage is covered with various colors of muskoka chair pieces in various stages of painting laid neatly in their sections.
Next week I'll paint some more and maybe even be able to put them together before putting on the 2nd coat. Then, once they're done, I'll get a picture of the 4 beautiful chairs for the deck that isn't (yet).

Maybe I'll even be able to get a pic of the tile floors that aren't yet too.

A Cavalier on a 4 wheel drive road in winter

2006-03-11T14:44:00.000-08:00

We knew we were taking chances driving into the road with our little 4 cylinder car.

The road to the cottage area is typical country farm type road, hilly and curvey. As the crow flies its probably less than 1 kilomettre, taking the road it's probably 5. But among protected by the trees, the snow on the road had not melted much. It was still thick and relatively solid.

It didn't look too bad from the main road, the snow was quite well packed down from the 4 wheel drive trucks that have been down there, so we ventured in. Carefully at first, then since we were doing pretty well, we went a bit faster thinking we'd have to have some speed to get up those hills. Please don't let us meet another vehicle.

Scraped bottom a few times, but for the most part did pretty good. It was a good day, the cottage looked perfect nestled among the snow and trees.

The lake was still frozen solid, the odd fishing hut still standing waiting for its owner to try his luck. But other than one lone fisherman hovering over his ice hole with his trusty horse (ATV) standing nearby all was quiet.

And other than a bit of pushing that Bill had to do to get us going back out, that ole Cavalier handled that snowy road pretty well.

Yeah, we took a chance, but we did okay. Maybe we shoulda bought a lottery ticket today.

2006-03-11T14:30:00.000-08:00

The cottage fared the winter well.

Nitey, nite cottage

2005-11-29T09:58:00.000-08:00

Well, the windows are ALL finally in. Greg, the construction dude even put the lock on the back door for us. Considering the chisel work needed, I'm sure it looks alot prettier and was done alot faster than if we'd done it.

So....the cottage is now all nicely sealed up for the winter.

A.S.S.U.M.E. x2

2005-10-23T14:02:00.000-07:00

Remember the saying never assume anything, cuz it'll make an ASS out of U M E?

Well, I think the window salesman will remember that next time. Apparently, when he came out to measure the windows, he measured them downstairs and they came out bang on to what was on the plans. So he decided he didn't need to climb up the ladder to the upstairs, he'd just go off the plans.

I suppose it's a compliment really, but we had changed things on the 2nd storey. We had removed the dormers and raised the sides of the walls from 6 feet to 8, which allowed making most of the windows bigger.

So, out of the 6 windows upstairs, only the side ones fit.

The salemans second mistake was to assume that the window in the bathroom was the same as the kitchen and not bother measuring it. I'm not sure where he got that idea, there are no inside walls yet, and the bathroom is right next to the kitchen, so you look at one and you see the other as well. Luckily the window he ordered for the bathroom fit perfectly into one of the window openings upstairs, so our contractor was able to use it. So Mr Salesman only has to eat 3 windows.

Bet he got a tummy ache over that one.

2005-10-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

Mary and the windows from the inside

2005-10-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

Bill and the new windows

rain, rain go away

2005-10-18T07:05:00.000-07:00

It's been raining too much to get the windows in. They're there, inside the building, looking pretty as can be. BUT they'd be much prettier if they were where they were supposed to be.

We spent Saturday morning working on that last footing for the deck. Well, actually... technically that's what I worked on. But only after I picked up a nice selection of gorgeous red, orange and yellow maple leaves for my autumn table decoration at home. The colours at the cottage were much brighter than in town. I couldn't resist.

But we did our job, then tidied things up and were able to go home by lunch time. Feels lazy to be going home so early.

Thanksgiving mushroom experiment

2005-10-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

On a previous visit, some fellow cottagers stopped by. They had been out mushroom hunting for shaggy manes and saw us working and so stopped by to see the progress. They had only found one (a very small meal), but showed it to us and talked about how delicious they were.

I have a book of edible mushrooms at home, but so far had only ever tried morels, which are so easy to identify that I never questioned their edible-ness.

Anyway, the very next time we were up at the cottage (Thanksgiving Day), must have been prime shaggy mane season, cuz they were sprouting all over. I managed to pick a good assortment of very fine looking ones. Once I got home, I dug out the book and double checked. There really were no poisonous ones that were close enough to mistake them for.

So I made a delicous cream of mushroom soup for dinner. Shanna was there for dinner and I made her a vegan version as well. Though I noticed that she scrutinized the pics and descriptions VERY closely before agreeing to try the soup. Bill on the other hand refused to try them, opting instead to see if I was alive in the morning.

The soup was delicious (and of course the creamy non-vegan version gets my vote). And as you can see (I AM typing this afterall) I survived, so Bill happily ate some leftovers the next evening and agreed that it was very good.

So, this was a successful experiment. And I was thankful.

where are the windows?

2005-10-11T13:44:00.000-07:00

No windows yet. But we did get a phone call from the contractor. The windows were delivered to the warehouse last Thursday and are to be delivered to the site Tuesday (today). The contractor will put them in Wednesday. I can hardly wait to see the cottage with them in.

We went up Monday to work and made good progress on the deck footings. We got all of the forms for them filled except one. This one is quite deep so and we'll have to build a taller form.

Bill was digging at it yesterday and there was a loose rock that was in the way. But it was a huge rock and the hole was too deep to get it out using the big pry bar (and we have a really big one).
But Bill certainly can't be faulted for lack of trying. I was really worried he'd strain himself or crush some major body part (like a leg). So I suggested that he just roll it off to the side of the pit so it's out of the way. He had to make the hole bigger to make that idea work. Its a waste really. That rock would have done really well on the part of the shoreline that is eroding (which is most of it). But, it is way better than crushed body parts.

2005-10-03T09:02:00.000-07:00

Bill mixing cement. That hat just about makes you wanna sing the theme to Beverly Hillbillies, doesn't it?

bets on

2005-10-03T08:47:00.000-07:00

No windows yet. They were supposed to be delivered Thursday, but that is the day we had a pretty bad storm. Lots of wind and trees coming down (including in our backyard). The cottage lot fared pretty well, but we can understand why the company might not want to move thousands of dollars worth of windows in it. Hopefully this week.

Bill and I did get up there to work on the footings for the deck again. We got the back porch footings done this week, but the meauring, and mixing of cement is slow going. We keep measuring and remeasuring and still never seem to get the forms placement just right. We may even have to redo one of the footings we did get done next week. We wouldn't worry about it too much (it is after all a deck), but....this is the section of deck in which we want to put a roof over and this particular footing supports one of the corner posts. Wanna take any bets on whether Bill insists on redoing it?

catching up with us

2005-09-28T04:53:00.000-07:00

When we started working on the cottage this summer, we thought these aging bodies would loose some fully paid for weight, firm up and look pretty buff. However, we didn't loose a pound (actually gained), thought that extra weight did look a "little" firmer. "Muscle weighs more than fat" says I.

But I must admit, I was a bit disappointed. After all those hours sweating and toiling all we really got was tired.

Now, when we work at the cottage its one day on the weekend. Maybe it's because we made good progress and CAN relax, but I think it's actually because we're still tired. Our age is catching up, I guess.

This weekend we started mixing and pouring cement for the footings of the back porch. Also readjusted the positioning of the forms for the deck.

No pictures again this week. Sorry, but even I have to admit, forms are just plain boring. Lets save a pic for windows and doors. Now THAT's exciting. They should be delivered this week.

I'd yee-ha, but I don't have the energy.

roots & rocks

2005-09-19T10:49:00.000-07:00

Not much happening this weekend, so this will be a fairly boring post. Windows probably won't be ready to go in until the first of October.

We started on the deck though, so actually having the better part of a deck this year, is kinda exciting on its own. Now that we have all that decking cedar sitting in the yard, its kind of given us incentive to get it done.

Our goal for the day was to get the forms built and in place. We got out the measuring tapes and figuring diagonals and all that jazz then rough marked where each form had to go.

Bill started by digging out the dirt in and around where the forms were to go. Similar to what we found when putting in the piers for the cottage itself, some areas are nice flat rock while others go quite deep in spots. On one, there were tree roots to contend with and Bill struggled with those. Some were too big for either the shovel or nippers and required a saw. It had rained the night before, so everything was quite muddy on top of it.

My job was nailing forms together again. I tried to be extra careful throughout, figuring I really did not want to sacrifice another finger. Down to the last form, then that dangerous 3rd last nail and I'm telling myself "be carefull, no getting careless". So I survive in this manner, talking silently to myself, and escape with my fingers intact.

Next I helped Bill with the digging. Most were easy as it was relatively flat and close to the surface. However, two of them went quite deep. One had a large loose rock along the side that would have to come out. Luckily we had a large pry bar in the shed and Bill was able to get it out using that.

And that was that. We were tired so called it quits. All the forms were built, and put in place, not perfectly in place mind you, but enough to justify to me that we had accomplished our goal.

What was I thinking?!?

2005-09-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

Bill says, "I think you need to change the blog" "Why?" I ask. He explains that the deck will not be easy, as I claimed on the last post. But, me? I didn't really believe him. After all, at least I won't be dangling off the edge of a 2nd storey.

So we go out last weekend to begin planning the deck. Measuring, deciding on placement of the piers, figuring out what tree roots we have to dig out, things like that. And afterwards I sit and look through the "Decks" book put out by Home Depot. My mind begins to turn to mush. Strings strewn all over to help determine level, braces for the posts, notching the posts for the side rails..... Not to mention hand mixing of the cement. *sigh*

Easy? Did I say easy? Sorry, I must have been hallucinating. Nothing is easy in this project.

2005-09-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

The front of the cottage WITH roof, but before windows.

Work and no work

2005-09-04T17:38:00.000-07:00

We've been able to enjoy our reprieve from work. Not only has the wedding and receptions kept us totally entertained (and might I say, well fed), but the contractor we hired for the roof is doing such an excellent job that we never worried about it a bit. The windows are on order and as soon as they get in, he'll put them in as well.

Bill caught a cedar sale at Home Depot and bought all of the cedar we would need for the deck, with possibly enough left over for a dock. So our next project will be the deck, which should prove to be a much easier job than framing, sheathing, etc.

I'm actually looking forward to it.

2005-09-04T17:35:00.000-07:00

Side view of the cottage. Windows and doors are next.

Shopping for shingles

2005-08-22T06:37:00.000-07:00

Our contractor starts on the roof today, so we've been shopping for shingles. I don't think people think too much about shingles. I certainly never did.

Where to go? The little local dude will deliver. You get a better selection if you go to a specialty place, but we'd have to rent a truck and unload it ourselves.
What colour? I really wanted the cedar, but you can't get it in all the years.
What style - 3 tab, laminated or stepped? 3 tab is the norm, cheapest and easiest to put up, but gee that laminated looks nice.
How many years - 25, 30, 35, 40 or 50? Do we REALLY want to have to worry about reshingling the cottage in our lifetime?
Zinc strip anyone? You know, that little strip that retards the growth of moss on cottage roofs. But, if you get the 50 year, you don't need the zinc strip as granules are imbedded.

Oh my, such choices. Bill says, I like the 3 tab. I say, I like the laminated, besides we can get it in 50 year with those little granules. Bill says, you can't get cedar in 50 year.

I struggled with that one. I really liked the cedar, but then thought, hey, its a roof, lets go with 50 year. I think he was relieved actually. The price difference is minimal and Bill really, REALLY didn't want to have to worry about reshingling in our lifetime. So, one truck and 2 tons of shingles later.....

As luck will have it

2005-08-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

We had a close call this weekend. But we were lucky, alot of luckys. There were severe storms in the area and a very large tree along the road came down right onto the hydro line, pulling it down. It took out all the power to the cottages. Luckily, Roger, our trusty neighbor was around, and called Hydro. Several hours later they still hadn't come to fix it, so he took the boat onto the lake to see how the other cottages were faring. While he was on the lake, he luckily noticed the power to his cottage was back on, even though no Hydro trucks had come to fix the line.

From the lake, Roger could see the whole hillside light up. The broken line was in a pine tree at the end of our driveway and had started it on fire. The juice was flowing and causing all sorts of arching and such (why it didn't trip and cause power to go out again, I don't know). But I guess it really lit up the sky.

Apparently, at the end of Green Forest Way, the hydro truck took a left onto Almost Lane (left continues with Green Forest Way where we are). Since they didn't see any downed lines, they went back and turned the power back on, never bothering to check further.

Luckily Roger was able to call 911 using his cell phone (which ironically usually does not work there, but miraculously did "just this once"). Additionally, 911 didn't have our road registered in their files and didn't know where we were or what to do with us (we don't have regular phone service out there, so no phones, no 911 service) . Eventually they patched him through to the fire department and 3 trucks came roaring out (after initially getting lost). Lucky again????

They called hydro, had them cut the power, put out the fire, cut it all up and left it. It was after 1 am before they left. When we came up on Sunday, we wondered why there was a burnt tree stump and huge cut up tree at the end of our driveway.

Rog came over when he saw us up there yesterday (Wednesday) and filled us in. The whole area had gotten lots of rain the few days before this happened. Enough to soak everything enough that even though a substantial fire started (there was luckily no wind) it did not catch in the surrounding trees. There is a alot of downed and dried trees in the woods. Had luck turned the other way for us (all) that whole side of the lake would have gone up.

And you know what else? Unbeknownst to us, all this happened Saturday. Since we didn't even have a roof yet, we had not put fire insurance on the cottage until Monday. Yup, we were lucky.

and on to the roof!!!!

2005-08-09T07:17:00.000-07:00

Most of our time this week was anxiously waiting for the inspector to get back with us. Finally he did and gave us the go ahead. So Saturday we spent the day finishing the sheathing and talked to two more contractors about putting the roof on. The sheathing for this part should have been quite easy. We only had to use one section of scaffolding. Our goal was to finish early and have the rest of the weekend to rest. But nothing goes easy, and the reciprocal saw I was using to cut out the windows died. From then on I had to use the jigsaw cutting from the front, so had to draw where the window was and then cut away double checking to be sure I had it right. And then the blade for the jigsaw broke and then we didn't have another, and then....

So we worked until after 7. So much for a short day. But at least we got it finished and didn't have to go up again on Sunday. So we can now concentrate on home stuff that has been neglected.

We should have bids and make a decision some time this week. It will be nice to have the building protected from the elements. As it is now we think about potential water damage every time it rains.

In the meantime, we are as far as we can go in work until the roof is done. Hopefully, by the time we leave for the wedding we'll have a contract with a contractor and maybe even they will have started. After that, it's the windows.

when in doubt, put in another stud

2005-08-02T06:29:00.000-07:00

This was a pretty easy weekend for us. We worked on the rest of the sheathing and talked to contractors about putting on a roof.

A couple of contractors came out and will give us bids. They seemed pretty impressed with our work so far. While talking to one, Bill said, "with weekend carpenters, you're learning as you go and hope that you don't make any costly errors... so...when in doubt, put in another stud."

In the meantime, we really can't go any further until the inspector comes out and gives us the green light (or alternately tells us what changes we have to make). So, we're hoping that the extra stud theory holds true.

slave labour

2005-07-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

We were excited to be having help this weekend. Donald volunteered his assistance for 2 whole days, poor guy had NO idea what he was getting into. So for the cost of feeding him dinner and breakfast, we worked the poor guy. Dinner of steaks, fresh sweetcorn, fresh green beans, coleslaw, baked potatoes, all washed down with wine; then for breakfast juice, toast, and egg and veggie fritattas. Hey, if anybody wants to work for 2 days, we'll feed you well.

Bill and I had decided that our best use of Donald was to be sure that we put the sheathing on the section of the cottage that has 2 floors (figuring we could handle the bottom floor stuff on our own). Since the scaffolding was already set up in the living room, giving us access to the 2nd floor, we put up the sheathing on that section. That went fairly well and gave us some sense of encouragement.

Next we went to the back and put up what we could get to. However, the septic bed offered a real dilemma. It is a raised bed so is very uneven. All that day we mulled over ways to get up to the second level. The scaffolding just wouldn't go on it. So that first day we worked around it, hoping we'd come up with a good solution. We did 1/2 of the back wall and worked around the corner that day.

The next day after bouncing ideas around we came up with a neat little idea. Leave a 2 foot section open so that we could build a temporary platform that would reach across the span of the septic to the cottage. So, using 16 foot boards (destined to become rafters soon) we nailed the boards to the 2nd floor and included a plywood floor for safety (see the picture below for a good view of it). We worked well into the early afternoon before stopping for lunch taking advantage of our momentum (and our captive slave labour). The afternoon was spent moving scaffolding around and tackling the wall facing the woods which thankfully was a flat surface. The guys would put up the sheets and do the bulk of the nailing, while I would follow behind and cut out windows and doors. We finished the bottom section and 1/2 of the top before quiting (moving the scaffolding around is heavy work and very time consuming, but I can't imagine doing this without it) .

So released from his work, Donald took a quick swim before heading out. Hopefully it refreshed him enough for the drive home. Thank you for your help Donald. Hopefully you won't be TOO sore in the next few days.

2005-07-26T08:06:00.000-07:00

The front of the cottage before roofs.

2005-07-26T08:03:00.000-07:00

The septic bed being very uneven caused problems for setting up the scaffolding. Together we came up with this scathingly brilliant idea and it worked wonderfully.

Crazy dayz....

2005-07-17T17:25:00.000-07:00

I think I drove Bill crazy Saturday.

It was hot and humid again. I started building walls for the upstairs and Bill built headers for the windows. He was able to work in the shade downstairs, but I worked in the sun.

Maybe it was the heat that drove me crazy. Anyway, after we got the first wall built, we lifted it up and slowly skootched it into place. We're on second floor remember and BTW, I don't do heights very well. Anyway, the closer we got to the edge and more nervous I got. In all honesty, I was just about freaking out, though trying REAL hard to buck up and do what I had to do. Anyway, uh...I wasn't able to hide it too well, all those gasps and words of exclamation and obvious signs of distress such gave me away. Bill had to work at staying calm and to keep me calm and focused, but I'm sure he was about ready to pitch me off the side. Yeah, crazy.

We didn't work too fast. It was just too hot. But did get another section put together before quiting for the day. I didn't wierd out so much on that one; it was a shorter, lighter section to deal with.

Sunday was a bit crazy too, but in a different way. How many different ways can you say it?

It rained like H E double toothpicks
We got wetter'n wet hens
We felt like drowned rats
It rained cats and dogs

Anyway, in case you didn't get the drift, it rained. It rained for the whole drive up, but we kept thinking, oh it'll clear. So we unloaded our stuff and sat on our little plastic adirondack style chairs under the cover of the 2nd floor floor (sitting only in places where the rain didn't drip through) and sat and drank coffee and thinking, this is the first time we've been able to just sit here and enjoy. The lake view is pretty even in the rain.

It started to clear up an few times and tease us, but finally stopped after an hour or so, so we continued with our building the walls for the upstairs. It took most of the morning just to get ready. We put all 3 levels of the scaffolding up to help us and it worked really well. Got the 2nd section up plus 2 more sections together and up. The scaffolding was especially helpful in getting the wall section over the front room up. We were just about to start on the next when the storm rolled in again. Bill started to brace the walls before it started raining, but it didn't take long for the rain to come fast and hard. By the time we "saved" all of our tools, the plans, etc and got them out of the rain we were dripping wet.

We stood around under the semi protection of the 2nd floor floor wondering if the rain would let up, but it appeared to have settled in, so we called it a day. Crazy rain. Ruined our work day, but to be honest it actually felt good on the skin.

The Homeowner's Guide to Basic Tools

2005-07-15T11:11:00.000-07:00

Hammer: In ancient times a hammer was used to inflict pain on one's enemies. Modern hammers are used to inflict pain on oneself.

Screwdriver: The drink ordered at the local bar after you call in a professional repairman to undo the $500 in damage you did while trying to change out a light socket with your handy screwdriver.

Phillips Screwdriver: The bar drink that you order when the damage estimate is over $1,000. Contains twice the vodka.

Pliers: A device used to extend your reach the necessary few inches when you drop a one-of-a-kind screw down behind the new wall it took you two weeks to install.

Multi-Pliers: Contains a handy assortment of sharp and dangerous tools. Best left in it's leather sheath and worn on a homeowner's belt to increase testosterone levels.

Halogen Light: A work light that lights up your backyard with the incandescence of a football stadium, causing you to cast a heavy shadow over the area you're working on so that you need to use a flashlight anyway.

Cordless Drill: A device that lessens your chance of electrocution 90% over a standard plug-in tool.

Chainsaw: Allows you to cut your way out of the shed that you accidentally built completely around yourself.

Vise Grips: A pair of helping hands that doesn't critique the job you're doing or offer advice.

2005-07-14T16:50:00.000-07:00

Bill working on the 2nd floor. We'll have an awesome view from here.

2005-07-14T16:46:00.000-07:00

Lunch time

You know its gonna be a bad weekend when...

2005-07-12T06:51:00.000-07:00

...you start the day by driving away with your coffee mugs sitting on top of the car and don't realize it until you hear the thud and the coffee is all over the street.

...the first thing that "hits" you once you start work is the realization that one person (OK, me) started marking all the 16" centers wrong (ask Bill what that meant to us) .

...the forecast is rain Saturday and brain melting heat after that.

...the rain has brought out the mosquitos in droves. Lots of little stagnant puddles all over (aka mosquito factories)

Yeah, it started out bad.

The table saw still isn't fixed so all cuts must be made with one of the various small electric hand saws or the chop saw that we have. For the most part it works well, but it results in some pretty rough cuts when you have to rip a long piece. On the good news side, we found the original receipt for the table saw and it had one week left on the 2 year warranty (the part alone was $80).

We did get lots accomplished though and ended up meeting our goal for the weekend, but it meant long days and the typical resulting exhaustion. The heat was brutal and took alot out of us. We took several breaks and drank gallons of water though. Our body gave us plenty of signs of when to break and we listened. We're both sore and really wanted to call in sick the next day but dragged our bums to work.

Accomplished:

finished ALL of the walls for the interior rooms of the 1st floor
put up the floor joists for 2nd floor
put on 99.9% of the sub-floor for 2nd floor (only some very small pieces left which require a better saw)

Neat things that happened to remind us that all of this hard work is worthwhile:

can actually envision the view from 2nd floor now and it is outstanding
caught a glimpse of a mink scooting across the front of the lot
saw lots of birds to whet our appetite, 2 kinds of warblers, wrens and sparrows. Plus the normal jays, chickadees and woodpeckers
the sound of children laughing and playing in the lake

2005-07-05T04:39:00.000-07:00

Smile for the camera.

2005-07-05T04:38:00.000-07:00

Dave and Bill putting on the top plates.

motivation, vision and mutiny

2005-07-04T14:38:00.000-07:00

Friday
Ever since we bought the cottage lot 2 1/2 years ago, we've been slowly picking up all the tools we figured we'd need to build the cottage. One such purchase was a large table saw. We figured it would get a bit of a beating on this project, so bought one of the bigger ones, a Delta, which we figured would be pretty sturdy. It's a heavy bugger, if that indicates sturdiness.

On Friday though, while cutting through a large 2 x 12 piece of lumber, something inside bound up and it blew the circuit. Looking underneath, we discovered that the trunnion, which is what holds the motor in place had literally snapped in two. We had just begun the day and had lots of cutting to do, so you can well imagine the choice words uttered (commonly referred to as Portugeuse now since our driving experiences in PT and SP). Luckily we also had the electric chop saw up there, so finished our cutting with it. On the large wood like the 2x12 it was not a neat cut as you had to flip it over and make 2 cuts that met in the middle, but it did the job.

It was a cloudy day, much cooler than last weekend and was actually pleasant to work with a slight breeze blowing. Late morning though a storm hit, complete with thunder and such. We quickly covered the piles of lumber and took refuge under the cottage where Bill used the time to begin taking the saw apart. We could smell skunk and looking around were relieved to not see him. However, he obviously comes around sometimes (the rain probably brought the smell out). We'll have to keep an eye open for him/her.

Our goal for the day was to get the 3rd wall done. Made a trip to the lumber store for wood, only to discover that it was closed for Canada Day (stupid of us not to remember really). By the time we went to get it up we were tired and it started slipping off the side. We set it back down, took a couple of deep breaths and tried again. It went up that time. Once it was tacked down, you could already feel how much sturdier everything is. I I no longer feel so anxious about everything tumbling down like a pile of matchsticks. Since we got put so far behind with the saw ordeal, we worked until after 7. By the time we got home at 9 pm, we were exhausted. It's a good thing we can envision what the cottage will be like once done. It keeps us motivated.

Saturday
We made 2 trips to the lumber store today to exchange and buy more. Each trip takes just short of an hour. While I was gone, Bill worked out the stud plan. The stud plan is always slow going. It is time consuming when you have windows and doors and this last wall is the one that faces the lake, so is almost all windows and doors. We saved it for last purposely. We did this wall in 2 sections. At first, I worked on one and Bill worked on the other. However, because it is the last wall, the fit is so tight that we couldn't maneuver, so we decided to do one section at a time. So we pulled back the 2nd section out of the way and went to it. Bill worked on the headers and I worked on the frame. By lunch time we had the first section frame done, minus windows. After our break we finished it up and put the 1st section up. The headers that you make for doors and windows make each section very heavy. We knew we'd have trouble getting the last section in. Not only is the fit is so tight, but there are 2 windows and a 6 foot sliding door, it's very heavy, so we decided to wait until Dave got here tomorrow to put it up. We were both quite tired by the time we got home. I can't wait until the day comes when I can sit on the deck with a cool drink and I have nothing to do but watch the birds, Lenny (the chipmunk) and Squiggy (the squirrel). I'm really, really, really looking forward to that.

Sunday
Up by 6. We're both still tired, our muscles are protesting. Loudly. We wanted to be able to do a few things before Dave got there, to use having a 3rd person to its full advantage. By the wedding in August, I'll be so muscled I should consider a tuxedo, not a dress. But right now, Bill expressed it correctly when he said "Right now, I feel like Gumby".

Dave arrived just before 9. Bill gave him a brief tour of the lot. While I did the customary run to the lumber store, Bill and Dave put up that last wall section. Next we squared everything, checking for level, etc. It is a time consuming process, but it went really well, so we nailed all the walls down tight. A fellow cottager stopped by to chat and by the time he left, it was lunchtime. After lunch, Bill and Dave put the top plates on all of the exterior walls while I built the only inner walls that is a supporting wall. Since Bill and Dave were using the scaffolding to work on the top plates, I had to put it together quite a distance away from where it would be placed. It is a 16 foot section, so was extemely heavy to get up and move into place, but we finally managed. It was 6:30 by the time we finished. We couldn't have done it without a 3rd person. THANK YOU DAVE!!!! I'll bet he has a few aching muscles in the morning. Hope it didn't affect his golf.

Monday
This was a 4 day weekend for us and we had hoped to take advantage of it and get lots and lots of work done. Unfortunately, our bodies were protesting furiously and threatening mutiny. Even on the way up, we felt more like we normally do at the end of a day, we were so tired. We're not used to this type of work, we have desk jobs!!! I don't care how many times you go to the gym. It does not prepare you for it.

I was so tired, that I fell asleep on the way up (its usually on the way back that I do that). No amount of coffee was doing the trick. But we have work to do, need to stay motivated, keep that vision. Bill was hoping that we'd get started on the floor joists for the 2nd floor, but I was skeptical. It is heavy work. Each 2x10 is 14 and 16 feet long. They're heavy and we're tired before we even started.

Bill decides he doesn't like the header on the inner wall that we put up yesterday, so he attacks that, putting in a few extra supports etc while I build one of the inner walls. Because it has no windows etc, it is quick and easy and we have it up in no time.

By the time we're done it is almost lunchtime, so we take a break. Neither of us wants to get up, afterwards and I suggest to Bill that we make it an early day. After a bit, we go back to work. Bill is still not satisfied with that door frame and begins to talk about taking it apart. I convince him that we need to be working on brainless tasks, that we're too tired for making big decisions. So we decide to work on the other inner walls. We count stud pieces on hand and realize that in order to finish them we need a couple of 10 footers and an 8 footer. With what we have we can only do one of them. So, we finish that wall, Bill takes apart the table saw and call it a day. An afternoon off is badly needed.

When your body decides to mutiny there is only so much that you can do.

2005-06-29T04:43:00.000-07:00

Here we've put up the last 10 foot section of one of the 30 foot walls.

Lessons

2005-06-28T04:38:00.000-07:00

Saturday
We had ordered wood for this weekend's projects ahead of time. When we arrived, there it was sitting exactly where we had hoped they'd put it. Close to the cottage. First thing we noticed was there were no mosquitos this morning, so there was no need to spray on toxic bug repellants, only the required gobs of sunscreen.

Our first task of the day was to finish the flooring, so that is what we did. Bill and I normally work pretty well together, but at one point today, I apparently backed up too close while he was on the upstroke of a hammer swing. In order to miss my bum, he broke the swing only to come down on his thumb. Lesson: hammers, thumbs and bums don't mix.

Once done, we started going through the wood. The 8 foot 2 x 6s looked pretty good, but Bill noticed that the 10 footers which we were going to need for the top and bottom plates were ratty looking. Of the 8 that we'd gotten, 4 were deemed unusable. We decided replace 2 and get a refund for the others. So off I go.

On my return, Bill had taken 3 of the remaining good ones and was just finishing up planning out the stud placement. We're on our way..... or so we thought. Once we dug out the 2 x 6s to use as studs, we realized that they too were not premium quality, but were bowed, twisted, and barky.

It was by then too late to take them back and get different ones (besides, I really had to work at finding good ones last time, as the whole bundle was questionable). So we decided to call it an early day. We would hit Home Depot that night and get enough studs to finish the next days work and do the same for Monday.

So we went through the bundle, picked out what was useable and set aside the ones we would return.

Sunday
First thing was the trip back to the local supplier to return the wood. The boss was there, so I told him we were disappointed, would you please put something on our account to say that we expected good wood. We buy from them because they'll deliver and it would be easier for us. But we refuse to use that 2nd quality wood. We can get premium wood at Home Depot $1 per board cheaper. (I didn't tell him that). I tried to be nice. How do you say "we're not accepting crap" nicely? He talked about them having to decide if they should only carry premium wood, but it would be 25% higher, yada yada yada. They're already $1 higher per board for lesser quality wood. This is getting hard to swallow. *sigh* but I'll be nice. I've made my point to them.

So back to the site I go. We focus on putting the first 3 - 8 foot sections of the wall together (minus windows) before lunch. The heat of the sun at midday is brutal

After lunch we begin getting some shade on parts of the worksite and it is slightly more confortable. We concentrate on windows (I believe its a 3 hammer level job). It all goes fairly well and by the end of the day, we've raised the 3 sections and have them in place. We're feeling pretty good about things. By the time we got home though, it was too late to go to Home Depot for more wood.

Lesson: check your order thoroughly first thing. Oh and before the store closes.

Monday
We hit Home Depot right at 7 am and filled up the Cavalier with the wood. You'd be surprised to see how much we can fit in that little car.

First thing we did once we got to the cottage was measure everything (again). Somehow, we've lost 1/4 inch on one side and 1/2 inch on the other of the width of our cottage. Hmmm. What to do. After much thinking and colourful language, we end up taking all the nails out (they weren't fully nailed in) in order to move the wall out. Once we try to move it over, and I can feel the thing wobble, I'm beginning to doubt the wisdom of our choice. I see visions of disaster and I'm starting to sweat. I voice my concerns about the ability of 2 people to move 30 feet of wall. We decide that the 1/4 inch on the one end is liveable, but we have to move the 3rd section which is in too far off. We're not sure which major board is slightly bowed, but one of them is and we have to correct for it. It has to be square. So we move the 3rd section to match the others.

However, this was not to be our only frustration for the day. Bill noticed while working on this wall that the front corner studs were not flush with the bottom plate. Since this is a corner, it is critical, we have to correct it. So we decide to take that section down and fix that corner. Now putting up a wall is easier than taking it down. We were very concerned about it sliding off of the floor. Again visions of disaster come to mind, so I strategically place myself in a 16 inch stud opening. Bill however, didn't realize this and while we're taking it down, he starts to yell at me to back up so I wouldn't get caught under it, when in actuality I can let it ease down and then slide right over me. It actually came down without a hitch, much to both of our relief.

Bill then tackles removing the offending nails and straightening out the boards. This job resulted in more cuss words than all of driving throughout Portugal and Spain. But it too passed, was corrected and the wall put back in place.

But we're getting tired and it isn't even lunch time. The heat takes alot out of you, we're drinking alot of water.

Next we start on the back wall. It is shorter, only 24 feet total, but we do it in 2 sections. This wall only has one door and one window, it should be easier, but somehow we have more trouble with them today. The headers cause us some difficulty. I think we're just tired. We get the corner section done, put up and squared. It turned out well. The 2nd section isn't square. It's only off slightly, but we try to adjust before putting it up. It is late by the time we're done and have tidied up. We're exhausted and hungry when we head home. We noticed though that we no longer hurt at the end of the weekend. We're only dog tired. I never thought I'd say I was looking forward to going to work so I wouldn't have to work so hard. But it was true. We both needed the break.

*sigh* I think someone was looking over us this day.

Lesson 1: You can't measure too many times.
Lesson 2 for Mary: Don't trust the level of the boards just because they're lying flat on the floor.
Lesson 3 - Bill is still learning this one: Don't just throw your tools down when you're done with them, that is what the little loops on your toolbelt is for (ask Bill how much time we spend looking for his hammer and such).

The first windows quote

2005-06-19T19:15:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention. We've gotten our first quote on the windows. Home Depot. The guy that was preparing the quote has only been on the job for 3 months. After several failed attempts, due to missing windows, and sliding doors that were 3 times more expensive than the 6 foot garden doors we wanted and alot of help from Jamie the window expert, he finally came up with a quote. Bill has since numbered the windows on the plans and their corresponding ones on the quote to be sure that every one of them is accounted for. We think that it is now probably correct.

There are I think 20 windows total and 3 garden doors. Four of those windows (which are the triangular ones and therefore special orders) are estimated to cost about 1/3 of the total.
That seems a bit out of line. They are not that big.

Guess we'd better get a few more quotes.

The floor 2

2005-06-19T18:22:00.000-07:00

Saturday
It rained all night Friday/Saturday. Bill and I went up early hoping to get a full days work in. Laying the sub floor down is a one hammer difficulty project according to the do-it-yourself construction books.

Somehow things just weren't coming together. The floor is 24 x 30. That means that we should be using 3 full 4 x 8 sheets and need to make only 2 special cuts each row. One on each end. Now it would seem that you'd only have to do one cut, but it has to be on both ends because of the first and last sections NOT being 16" centres, since you have to go all the way to the exterior of the board, not the centre.

On well, shouldn't make much difference right? Wrong. You see, in real life, 4 x 8 sheets translate to 96 3/8" by 47 1/2" when the groove was not counted and 48" with the groove. Making the effective width 47 1/2". Problem was the joists were laid out for exactly 96" centers so after two or three boards the extra 3/8 of an inch pushes us off center. So we end up making about 4 cuts each row and end up with oddball sizes many of which cannot be reused cuz their too d@&^ small. Also, the 47 1/2 " width means there will be a 3" strip after laying the six rows that will have to be covered. Not much strength there.

The books also suggest that you use a special glue (caulk) to glue the sheets down before you nail them. Reduces the squeak I suppose. We were getting so much of that glue all over our hands that even though Bill hammered his thumb 3 times, there was only the slightest bruise. He had so much glue on his fingers that it deflected the blow. Maybe I should try that every week.

After a full days work, we we one special cut from being done with 3 rows, only 3 more rows plus to go. Even when we stopped it took another hour just to tidy up and get tarps over everything. Just after we had tarped everything, Bill took a step, onto the special cut spot that we didn't finish that night. He couldn't see that it wasn't solid as the tarp made it appear so. Luckly, the tarp only gave so much and he didn't go crashing all the way through. It was enough to shake you up though.

Needless to say, we were tired when we got back home. If this is only a one hammer, we're in for it. Bill is already trying to talk me out of the dormers.

Sunday
I had to leave this morning for O'Toronto for work, so Bill and I couldn't work at the cottage together. To finish the floor you really need 2 people. If you have any brains at all you won't even try to cut those 4 x 8 sheets by yourself. Too floppy. Too dangerous.

I knew Bill hoped to go up to work a bit. So I suggested that he put down some full sheets in the last 2 rows. If he lined them up so that we'd need the least number of special cuts it would work out and not be so much lost time.

I'd had bad feelings all night of him working up there alone and taking one bad step and falling onto the joists and breaking a hip or leg or something and no one there to help him. We don't have a cell phone and even if we did, they don't work up there half the time.
Anyway, so first chance I get I call home at the end of my day and am relieved that he answers the phone. Go ahead, call me neurotic.

So apparently he got done what he had hoped and also water proofed the flooring so we don't have to worry about tarping them, only the stack of not yet used sheets. He still seemed disappointed with our progress this weekend though. We'll have a 4 day weekend soon and be able to catch up. Or so we hope.

The floor

2005-06-17T14:27:00.000-07:00

It's raining today. We had rented a large truck to take the generator, table saw, scaffolding, base flooring and other goodies up to the cottage. Hoping that the rain would pass, we optimistically packed a lunch of rosemary chicken salad, 2 types of bread, cheese, crackers, a variety of pop, and granola bars.

It was a bit fancier lunch than we usually pack, but Daniel, Amanda and Amanda's mom, who is visiting from Nova Scotia was joining us. They brought a veggie tray with dip as well.

Bill and Daniel rode in the truck with Amanda driving their car, me with her and her mom. To navigate, right? Well, we're barely got off of our own street and me busy gabbing away forget to tell here where the first turn was! *sigh* Lets just tell Bill that we thought we should follow him.

I was more careful after that and managed to tell her where all the turns were before she was already past them. So we make it to the cottage just in time to see Bill's attempts to back this huge truck down our curved downhill driveway. He did pretty good, managing to only run over a few small trees.

It was still raining, so we quickly donned jackets etc. The mosquitos were numerous and hungry, so we quickly Off'ed ourselves. Nasty stuff, but it works. You can die from West Nile or you can die from deet. Take your pick. Deet takes longer to happen, so I guess for now I'll choose that route.

We unloaded the smaller stuff taking most to the shed and then started on the wood for the floor. It was placed right on top of the joists, Daniel and Amanda's mom handing it across from the truck, with Amanda and I helping it across the span to the joists and Bill easing it into place. A regular assemby line it was. Worked well too, until the pile got too tall for Amanda and I (both being vertically challenged and all that jazz). Finally all that was left was covering things up with more of those blue tarps and chaining the expensive things down. We've heard about all of the theft that happens on construction sites and want to be able to sleep at night.

Since it was still raining quite hard, we couldn't really do any more work, we retreat to the base camp tarp and had lunch. That is what it is for after all. But, the mosquitos don't give us any peace and find all sorts of little spots in which we did not spray cancer causing chemicals on. So after quickly gobbling down the meal we decide we've donated enough blood and head home.

Thank you Daniel, Amanda, and Cindy for your help. We sure wish it had been a more pleasant day.

2005-06-15T04:23:00.000-07:00

The floor joists going in. Daniel and Bill are working away on them. You can tell by the shadows they're not even 1/2 way yet.

2005-06-15T04:21:00.000-07:00

This is a "before" picture, clean and energized. Notice the blue tarp, that is part of our "base camp" and provides much needed shade for lunch.

Beams and joists

2005-06-13T05:53:00.000-07:00

Friday
Bill and I spent the day "creating" main beams. We got there before the delivery truck, so had some time to kill. Since after next week, we'll be camping up there on weekends, we decided to start making our base camp. We hung a tarp between the trees for shade and protection against rain. This will be our kitchen and sitting area.

The truck arrived shortly after and with its built in crane lifted the wood and was able to place it very close to where we would be working.

At first glance the wood looked nice, but as we started working with it, we could see how badly many of them were warped. Many times, alot of planning and effort had to go into placing and turning the wood just so so that we could force the wood into as straight as a beam as possible. We figured that the sheer weight of them would eventually force them to settle into place.

The plans called for 3 2x10 s but Bill thought we should go to 4 2 x10 s for added strength. Knowing full well that there was no way we'd be able to move those puppies once they were done, we decided to build them right on the piers. It actually worked out quite well, though was heavy work and time consuming. By the end of the day we had our beams done and in place.

Saturday
It had rained overnight. We arrived to see that the second delivery of materials was there and waiting for us. We also noticed that the beams had indeed settled nicely and would need very little shimming to level everything out. We took our measurements and checked for level. Then on to the joists.

It was a sunny day. Bugs weren't too bad once you got to the construction area (though they were vicious in the wooded area near the shed and outhouse). There was a nice breeze which helped as well. The work was slow going. Squaring everything seemed to take forever. Then measuring and marking exactly where board placement was to be took up yet more time. Again some of the boards were bowed and warped. By the end of the day we only had 3 sets of joists in place and we were concerned that we might not get the joists ready for flooring (which was to be next weekends project). It was a long day. We worked until after 7. We were hot, tired, sweaty, stinky and hungry by the time we got home.

Sunday
Bill had arranged for Daniel to come up and help us. Yesterday Bill and I had set alot of the wood in place and at first glance thought we were over half done. We was a bit disappointed when he realized how much still had to be done.

It had been a cloudy day for the most part, but it was also humid and there wasn't much of a breeze. The dragon flies are everywhere but for the most part we like them since they are getting fat with mosquitos and keep the population down.

Bill and Daniel worked on the piers and I concentrated on puting the bracing in place. It worked out well that Daniel was able to come that day instead of Saturday. By 4:00 we had everything done.

Monday
Groan. We both woke up sore and still tired. Can't believe we have to go to work. We could certainly stand a day to rest.

2005-06-07T05:40:00.000-07:00

The piers

2005-06-07T04:49:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy weekend.

Friday Bill was up at the cottage shoveling the sand away from the forms and taking the forms apart. He claims taking the forms apart was the hardest. I guess we'd put alot of nails into those puppies. Then at home that evening he cut them up and drilled holes into them so that we could use them as face plates for the piers. It was a long day for him. He was already sore by Saturday, when we got up early and drove up to the cottage to start again. Not a good way to start your weekend.

Saturday we spent the morning remeasuring and checking levels. Gotta double, triple, quadruple, hextuple check them you know. This is the critical part. And so we did. Multi-tuple checked levels. Again. Am I getting across how many times we've checked levels so far? So, finally satisfied that we're doing just fine, we measure out where the blocks have to be placed.

Then we stack them only to notice that some of the blocks have little knobby globby things on them and won't sit well. So as we go along, we have to use the cold chisel and knock off any of the uneven globs. THEN Bill notices that some of the piers have ended up with the top level facing the wrong way. He explains that the direction of the split between the two blocks of the top level (2 blocks per level, then the next level alternated) must be in the right direction or the main beam will sit on the split a potentially weaker spot. This is a theory mind you, he hasn't read that anywhere, but it sorta makes sense and I'm not about to argue (grumble yes, but argue no). Besides, do we REALLY want to take the chance? So, we restack probably 1/3 of the piers before cleaning up and calling it quits for the day. We're tired, but it already is beginning to "look" like something.

Sunday, is the day to mix cement by hand (Bill's hand) and to fill the pier cavities, using rebar to reinforce it all. The face plates which I have put the 8"L-shaped bolts into site on top (just where we've marked that they must sit). So, we mix, fill, pack, place face plate, & mix, fill, pack, place face plate some more. About 1 pm we fear that we won't have enough cement (though plenty of sand and aggregate) and I run up to the closest Home Hardware to buy more cement. Alas, it closes at noon on Sunday. We are not looking forward to the prospect of having to come back up on Monday to finish up. But we slog on and mix, fill, pack, place face plate, mix, fill, pack place face plate, all day long.

As we keep working we begin to think that the cement will be enough after all (those guys at the buidling supply store are good at figuring how much you'll need for a project). We just might make it. And lo and behond we do. Though we work till well past 6:30 and don't get home until after 8:30. But it was worth it. At least until we woke up Monday morning and felt our muscles complaining.

Next week I'm going to try to get before and after pictures of the two of us.
Before we start work on the weekend - clean, smiling, energetic, raring to go....
then on Sunday late afternoon/evening - grubby, haggard, haunted look on our faces, dragging butt.

How is it that the stupid scale hasn't registered one pound less???? We should be skinny after all this work!!!! *sigh*

And we're in the final stretch

2005-05-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

of forms that is. Friday we went up to the lot early to check on the forms, make sure they were cleared out, that sort of thing. The truck was scheduled to come at 1 in the afternoon. Well, the forms had held up well and there was little additional cleaning to do, a few grains of sand, some leaves. Two needed to be brushed down with the wire brush and then swept out again as some dirt had built up on them.

But we finished our task early and had time to kill, so began to do little things around the lot, clip branches off downed trees in the swampy area so they fall even closer to the ground. My theory is the flatter they are, the faster they will turn into dirt. And there we need the dirt. Bill mowed the little grass that we have out there. But still we had time to kill, so just sat around near the point that juts out into the lake where the black flies were better, because of the breeze.

We had lunch, rosemary chicken salad with lettuce on flax bagels, but still no cement truck. Bill started to worry that he was having trouble finding us, so drove up to the road to meet him. About 10 minutes later from our chair on the lakefront I could see the truck driving along Ardoch Road.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, there is Bill and the truck just behind him. The driver has been doing this for 20 some years and is quite helpful. We'd been hoping that the truck might fit between two rows of forms, but the measurements are so tight, the driver expresses concern of the pressure on the sand and dirt packed around the forms and that it might actually displace some of the forms. So it is decided that we will wheel barrow the cement to the forms.

The driver helps and between the 2 of them dumping the cement into each form, Bill checking for the fill line and pounding the cement with the pounding tool (a 12" heavy metal plate with a long handle) to get the bubbles out and and me leveling and smoothing, it all goes quite well.
The cement is thick with aggregate, but does not dry so quickly that it is a problem that I am 3-4 forms behind them. It was all over with in barely over an hour.

We clean up, wash down all the tools, cover the forms and head home. Saturday, we go up to check on things and spray down the cement to help slow the curing process. Everything seems to be just fine.

Bill has already ordered the blocks, cement bags and aggregate for the piers. That is next weekends project.

Forms 3

2005-05-24T04:26:00.000-07:00

What a forlorn long weekend this has proved to be. It rained every day. We had arranged a 4 day weekend thinking we'd accomplish so much and still have time to do something relaxing.

At the cottage lot, we worked on the footing forms again, hoping to finish the forms for the foundation. It is our hopes to have the cement truck come in next weekend. We've arranged for Daniel and Amanda to come out and help us. The following week we can build the piers and by June we should be able to start construction of the frame. That's the plan anyway, but then we're already a year behind schedule. The plans took 3-4 months longer than we expected. What makes us think we'll be on schedule this time?

When we showed up to work we found a calling card from the local inspector pinned to one of the sawhorses. He'd put a date on it, so had stopped by the day before. Not good we thought. We weren't done.

Since we're building on bedrock, the rock below the forms must be cleaned really, really, REALLY well. And they were not at that point. It had rained (again) of course, but we lucked out. Having feared mud washes in the bottom of each form, we were delighted to see only small puddles of water and the odd plant material (leaves, seeds, etc). The rock is not level and in some spots we had to go quite deep. It's difficult to clean out those deep abysses. But things progressed well and we went home feeling we had accomplished alot.

Now if the rain holds off and doesn't wash mud into them again we'll be all set.

When we got home, we are pleased to have a message on the answering machine from the inspector. He gives us the green light to proceed.

Bill called the cement company to make arrangements, but they don't work on Saturdays. I have arranged to trade days off then and we will try for Friday. Not sure if Daniel and Amanda will be able to help us though.

Forms 2

2005-05-16T10:20:00.000-07:00

*sigh* Forms again. It sure is taking a long time to get through this part. It rained again and there are mud washes in the bottom of the forms.

I have a splint on my poor damaged digit. Damn fingers sure do hurt when you whap them. I never got it x-rayed, but I'm sure I fractured the boney point. Taking up time at the doctors would have been embarassing I think and I doubt there is anything they can do for a fingertip. The fleshy part is healing well, but the bone is extremely sensitive to any movement. Thank god its not the joint at all.

The splint hinders the speed of my work, but can work around it. I keep whapping it on things and am glad the finger splint is as solid as it is. I clean the forms out and for the most part it goes well (except for those cursed black flies). Though I must admit, they seem to like B more than me. Must be his beer flavoured blood. Flies apparently don't like red wine. Remember that.

We're noticing lots of birds on the lot, saw two types of warblers, the yellow rumped and the black & white in addition to the normal chickadees and such. We looking forward to the day when we can sit on our deck with binoculars and count birdie varieties. I've put up a bird feeder and the chickadees are already used to our close proximity.

2005-05-10T05:42:00.000-07:00

Moose prints along the path leading to the lake. Next to my 7 1/2 shoe for size comparison.

Ode to fingers

2005-05-09T04:38:00.000-07:00

Oh to fingers still intact. Tactile wonders fingers be. Oh the pain when fingers whacked. (repeat until pain subsides)

Yup, we worked on the forms Sunday. It was my task to build the forms which B shoveled the dirt and debris off of the rock. Of course he should do the heavy work and I should have the "easy" job of hammering a few nails into the wood.

Other than fighting off the blood sucking black flies (which really love to go straight for the eyes), all went well. Until the last form, the 3rd last nail. Whammo, bammo I slam that hammer into the left pointer fingertip. Yowls and hand shaking and cursing and jumping up and down follow. Bill of course is sympathetic and offers to finsih up while I nurse my bleeding digit. But I'll be damned if I let a little finger pain get the best of me and with blood dripping onto the forms I finish my task.

This is the first blood spilled on this project. I hope it's the last or at least as bad as it gets.