Windows & HVAC & Kitchens, Oh My!

November 4, 2012

 

So busy every day, it’s hard to find time to download my pics and post blog updates.  So… where we left off.  Windows – or at least most of them – have arrived and have been installed.  One window (of course a big one right out front) has been “lost” somewhere between the factory and the lumberyard.  But the rest look great!  We caught a break when our window order was delayed while I was away.  We were able to catch a Jeld-Wen sale upon our return and got upgraded triple-pane windows for less than the double pane price.

 

 

 

Trevor and the boys kindly remade the front steps for us.  The architect’s design was a little different than what it turned out to be in real life due to the slope of the land we’re dealing with.  The front & back door stairs meeting in the middle resembled either a Mayan temple or the Titanic stairs before.  So the main set of stairs was changed to face to the front.  Changes are costing me a fortune in pizza and beer…  Now that’s been resolved they can finish the waterproofing on the deck portion over the garage roof.  Glass panel deck railing system can now be ordered too.

BEFORE - Stairs from the side

Left set of stairs goes to the back door, right set goes to the front double doors

on the deck above the garage.

 

AFTER - Stairs from the front corner

Front steps are now more welcoming to folks walking up to the house.

There has been a bit of preliminary work on the siding.  Weather delays thanks to Hurricane Sandy, a few components back-ordered, and waiting for that last window to do the front.

 

We finally got some basic electric service in.  The wiring throughout the house will wait until the HVAC and plumbing is in, but at least there is construction lighting and power for the tools.  Work on the furnace has also started this past week.  Adrian was working all weekend installing the ducts.  Unfortunately we’ve lost basically one whole closet thanks to both ductwork and recessing the fridge.  Plumber is expected on Thursday.  And on Tuesday Nov 13 the propane tanks will be delivered so we should have heat!

 

Our cars have now officially become storage lockers.  A friend of a friend is helping a widow clean out her husband’s shed.  He had been saving materials to renovate their house, and left her with many spools of electrical wire and plumbing pipes.  We bought that as not only will it save us a little money, but also help her out.  Problem is there is absolutely no place to put it all!  Hopefully we’ll be able to lock up the house soon and put them inside, but until then our cars are loaded down and the gas mileage sucks.  We also found a laundry tub & cabinet and some lighting on sale this week.  Just stacks of boxes everywhere in the condo!

 

So now our attention is turning inwards.  We’ve got designs from 2 kitchen planners, and are about to firm up with one.  A nice U-shape kitchen with an island, dark brown shaker style cabinets.  And a great price so we had some money to put toward appliances.  We took advantage of a sale this week at Lowes, and also bought now so our planner had the proper fridge dimensions, etc.  (“I MUST have room for my platters!” for all you Sleepless in Seattle fans!)  Appliances won’t be delivered for 6 weeks though.  And who knew – they now make stoves that are called “slide in” that tuck right over the top of the counter and look like a built in cooktop.  Stops those nasty drips that usually go right down the side of your stove.  All the controls are at the front edge.  We also got one of those microwaves with the built in exhaust fan to maximize our space.  The kitchen won’t be installed until January by the time it’s manufactured, so there is officially now no chance that we will be in by Christmas.  Unless we order in pizza for Christmas dinner!  I’ve been saying all along that I didn’t want to rush anything and will take the time to do it right now that we’ve come so far.

 

And finally, we bought our doorknobs.  Which you would think shouldn’t be that big of a deal.  But no, of course we liked the discontinued style.  Although it saved some money, it’s meant trips to 4 separate Lowes to get all the different sets we needed.  Since they’ve been discontinued, we had to get knobs for the interior doors and future finished basement now too.  And of course some are outside sets, some are locking (for bathrooms), some just shut (for the laundry room), while others are just decorative on one side like for a closet door.  Something that should have been simple added up to hours of running around and $1200 on sale!

 

Next blog update should see the outside totally finished!

And to all my American friends & followers, be sure to vote Tuesday!

October 2012 - Progress Continues

The last couple of weeks have just flown by.  Trees were trimmed, roof trusses delivered, the framing is complete, we have shingles and even a deck!  The retaining walls are 95% complete.  Still daily meetings with contractors and making big and small decisions.  Bought a garage door this week.  Got a couple quotes for furnace, A/C and ductwork.  And we were pleased to find a nice floor and splurged on the entire house in hardwood so it will all match.  At this rate I may be using a laundromat as there won’t be money left for appliances, but the floors will look amazing! 

 

 

 

Treehouse-like View from the Master Bedroom

 

 

 

 

Next we need to start getting serious about picking out a kitchen as it takes anywhere from 2 – 7 weeks lead time.  Even what should be little decisions are adding up and can sometimes be overwhelming – for example nice doors, then there’s still the handsets to choose.   What kind of railings for the deck – we need special hardware adaptations for the flat roof section over the garage.  And do we splurge now for the glass front deck panels or go with black pickets?  Also lighting – the electrician & I went through the house on Wednesday and figured out where all the switches and outlets would go.  Now just need to pick out and buy the fixtures – another big decision.  Just trying to prioritize and deal with it all as we need to, but knowing that a decision made today likely will impact something else down the road, so we’re trying to keep all our options open.  In a new subdivision they at least have things narrowed down into packages for you.  But here with everything on the table and up for grabs the choices can be overwhelming.

 

Jaime and his housemates had a great time in Florida!  We’re so thankful he had this opportunity.   Many thanks to the staff at Christian Horizons, and also our friends who contributed donations for the 2 fundraising garage sales we had this summer.

 

Ibby & I went on our annual couples golfing weekend to Niagara Falls.  The guys go golfing and the ladies go shopping – now that’s my kind of weekend!  We got back home in time Sunday to pack the cooler and head up to the cottage for our first drink in the Sangria Room!

 

 

Thursday our windows arrive!

 

 

September 2012 - Building Progress Report

 

We’ve come a long way in one short month!  While we were away, with the help of the surveyor siting the structure, the footings and foundation were poured.  We got back just in time to see the framing going up.  After getting home at midnight on a Sunday, bright and early Monday morning I was placing the window order.  Unfortunately that was just about ready to go, then I left in a rush.  Hope the delayed order doesn’t hold things back.  We also decided on siding colour in a board & batten style, and have been exploring deck options given that half of our deck is on top of the garage (a flat roof which means drainage issues).  We’ve initiated the process to get the hydro reconnected, the HVAC guys are now starting on designing the ductwork, and the plumber has been out several times already running preliminary lines and moving existing lines.

 

Thanks again to Bill, Trevor, Tyler and the entire Weisflock crew for keeping things moving along!

 

 

 

We’re also dealing with landscaping much earlier than I anticipated.  Thought we could wait until the spring, but the guys warned that once winter comes and then there is melting snow in the spring that would be bad.  Because we’re on such a slope, need to put in a few retaining walls now to protect against that.  A truckload of stone was just delivered yesterday, and they are placing most of it today.  We have very sandy soil which is bad for runoff but good as a stone bed.

 

At the site there have been little tweaks made along the way.  A window or wall moved this way or that but sometimes just a couple of inches will have a big impact on another area.  For example, recessing the fridge in lieu of having a 2^nd full depth coat closet provided an extra foot in the kitchen traffic lane.  Seems like every day I’m either meeting with someone at the site, driving out to a lumber store, or doing massive research on the web.  The guys give me lists written on blocks of wood.  We’re also trying to anticipate anything we can now.  For example, we had the plumber run 2 lines from the well to the house so we have a back-up.  Also roughing in plumbing for the basement now.

 

On the home front, Jaime and his housemates left on Tuesday for a week in Florida!  They are renting a house and going to Universal 2 days, Disney one day, and another evening at Disney for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.  Special parades, fireworks, and the boys get to trick-or-treat at the Magic Kingdom.  How cool is that!  Jaime will be celebrating this 19^th birthday down there, so Mickey’s party was our gift to him.  It was a little rushed getting him organized and packed once I got home, but the staff at his house had everything well in hand.  We’re so grateful Jaime has this awesome opportunity!

 

So as I’ve been typing this text, I’m sitting lakeside at the picnic table on a gorgeous fall day.  The leaves are turning colours, the geese are flying overhead, the site mascot dog Teak is chasing her ball, and I’m reminded of why we are moving here.   As if I needed a reminder!  The only thing needed to make the scene complete would be a soundtrack of Earth, Wind & Fire blasting out “September”.  We are very lucky indeed.

 

 

In Memorium

 

 

 

The following Friday, just 2 days after demolition, my Dad at home in Wisconsin took a bad fall. Taken unconscious to the ER, where it was discovered he had not only a broken eye socket and facial bones, but also bleeding on the brain and damage to both hemispheres. I left immediately Saturday morning and drove all day straight to the hospital. After about a week in ICU of testing and waiting, the difficult decision was made to transfer Dad to a hospice facility and provide comfort measures only. As many of you already know, my Dad also suffered from advanced stage Alzheimer’s, so he just didn’t have the recovery/therapy time that was required to bounce back from a fall so bad. After 8 days at the Hospice House, Dad passed away peacefully with myself and his family by his side. He was only barely 74.

Jaime's special buddy - filling the birdfeeders together 2008

 

Ibby & I stayed on the following week not only for the funeral and preparations required, but to also help my Mom get a little settled.  As luck would have it, my brother Tim had 2 extra tickets to the NFL Packers vs Bears game at Lambeau Field, so we were able to go with him, my cousin Mark & fiancée Monica, and a tailgate load of friends.  It was a release we all needed, and would have been what my Dad wanted.  I’m sure he was watching on the big screen in heaven.  Now if only someone can tell me why they don’t do the YMCA and Twist & Shout any more in the 4^th quarter…   Sacrilege at Lambeau!

 

 

 Me & cousin Mark - a Bears fan!  (The HORROR!)

 

We’ll be forever indebted to not only our friends and family for their support and kind words, but also to Bill and his crew who kept the building moving forward, coordinating with surveyors, plumbers and anyone else required.  And also to our neighbours here on the lane who took photos along the way and emailed progress reports.

August 22, 2012 - Demolition Day!

August 22, 2012 – Demo Day!

A few delays in getting machinery out, so our demolition was delayed until Wednesday, August 22.  My Dad’s birthday!  Wish he could have been here to share it with us.

The weekend prior to demolition Ibby & I had the chance to go up and see the cottage one last time.  Bill’s crew had taken out the ductwork and electrical wires, as well as a lot of the insulation and drywall.  A few small trees on the side of the house were taken down.  The bird’s nest that came out of the soffits was huge! 

 

There were just a few random walls left that Ibby & I took the opportunity to take a few whacks with the sledgehammer. I’ve always wanted to do that! Guess I’ve watched way too many decorating shows over the years…

 

 

The big day finally arrived.  Had a lousy sleep – kind of a nervous excitement!  We arranged for offsite parking for family & friends, and coffee in hand made it up there for 8:00 am.  Tyler on the excavator started promptly at 8:30 as promised.  He started at the front of the house and first clawed off the deck, then worked his way through the inside of the house from front to back.  He was a real artist with that big piece of equipment.  All in all it wasn’t completely down until around 2:00 pm, but that also included delays in getting dumpsters delivered to put it all in.  Again, guess I’ve been watching Extreme Home Makeover too much, but I expected it to go a lot faster with one real definitive “swing” taking it down.  Instead Tyler took his time and was very careful to keep everything contained and not spilling onto our neighbour’s property.  They took real caution with an old brick chimney that was no longer used but right on the property line.  One foundation wall was kept, and the others taken down since we are expanding the footprint.  Because of that remaining wall, we are technically a renovation as opposed to a new build.  New build levies are $10,000 so that was key.

We all took a break in the morning for a champagne & orange juice toast with friends, family & neighbours.  No celebration would be complete without Timbits either!  Later in the morning Jaime and his housemates were able to come up and see the last of it go down, so we ordered pizzas for everyone.  Jaime kindly told us he would fix the house for us.

 

Many thanks to Theresa for use of her bathroom, and to Judy and Helen for snapping pictures along the way.  Ibby also took video, so if we figure out how to post on the blog we’ll let you know.  But for now we’ll just let the pictures tell the story!

 

The deck comes off!

 

No turning back now!

 

Sunroom roof has collapsed

 

Working through the house

 

 

OOH! The Claw! 

 

Side View (lake is to the right side of photo)

 

The red wall was the back of our kitchen

 

There goes the old chimney!

 

 

And she's down!

 

The back porch was still standing!

 

 

Cracking the champagne 

 



We need to photoshop Helen Carey in here!  Thanks for taking these pics!

 Our contractor Bill, who graciously abstained from champagne while operating heavy equipment!

Jaime in foreground with housemates Kristopher (back left) and Jeremy (back centre). 

House staff Odelia and Andrew on left side of picture.

 

I'll fix it Mom!

 

August 2012 - Condemned Cottage

August 2012

Now the cottage looks like it’s condemned!  Totally open at this point for the squirrels and critters to take up residence.  Ibby says it looks like a Who-house after the Grinch went through --- nothing but hooks & wire!

So now we’re just waiting for confirmation of our demolition date.  We have a party planned with a lot of friends wanting to watch from the shoreline.  It's been hectic times and a heck of a lot of work to get here, but glad we're finally ready to move on to the next step.

I’ve turned my attention to working on picking out the exterior things so they can be ordered.  Coordinating windows, siding & garage doors from different manufacturers with different colours has been a real challenge.  The guys at the local lumber store have been terrific, and a lady at a local paint store spent 20 minutes helping me out even though I wasn’t spending a dime there (at least yet!).  We want something neutral so that it ages well but also something that fits in our neighbourhood of wooden cottages.  I think we’re almost there – still waiting for some samples to arrive – so stay tuned!

Next posting --- the demolition!