Basement Studs- and no, I don't mean Fred!

Shawn has been away supporting Theresa in the delivery of their second child, so it has been just Fred and I. I am working in Barrie Wednesday and Thursday this week to cover Christmas, so it has been a nice, long stretch here!
Yesterday the basement floor was poured. Rocky's guys worked until 2am to get it done! They are really an amazing bunch! Although it was -27 with the wind chill, we were able to work in the basement, which was toasty. My heart went out to Chris and Perry up on the roof.
Even though we had a slow start waiting for the delivery from Rona, it gave us time to lay out the lines for the walls and use up what we had on hand. Earl from Rona helped us out by passing the material to us into the basement. Daniel was a trooper being out at 9 am during the holidays.
Once we got a system in place the walls went up pretty fast. Since the cement floor hadn't had time to totally set, Fred was able to nail right into the concrete. Since there are a few interesting details in this home, we had time to discuss them. I think it will all turn out beautifully.
Merry Christmas to everyone.

Wind? NO! We have windows!!! or... How to stay warm in -20? Shovel out the house

It has been a busy couple of weeks, but seems that we are not making much headway. The snow and cold have really slowed progress. However, the windows came this Tuesday and they are slowly being installed. The addition of the front one certainly was welcome to block the wind!

We had a severe snowstorm last Friday that all but shut down Huntsville. A nice opportunity to stay home, decorate the tree and make some calls. The amount of snow did cause some extra work in that the roofers had a lot of shovelling to do before they could start with shingles.

I spent much of my time shovelling out the house- one way to keep warm as the temps dipped to -20. The basement level is sealed in and heat on to keep the frost out until the floor can be poured on Monday. That means we have hydro! They came yesterday after a long delay with lost paperwork and then cleanup after the storm.

On the weekend, after a quiet birthday party, Fred and I uncovered the windows and found a home for some. It is nice to see parts of the old Winoka being re-used.

First Snow

Monday and Tuesday, the bedroom end of the house got sheeted and the second floor and trusses were put in place. The loft will be a beautiful space. The septic tank is in place and has been inspected. I love the name of the system- Waterloo! Just too funny!

We had an absolutely beautiful day Wednesday- but no help. Shawn was ill and Andrew had an appointment. Only Fred and I were available, but we were able to get a few jobs done. We stayed until about 7:30, leveling the basement stone by spotlight.

After an early morning rain on Thursday, the day cleared. There were only three of us, but Shawn and Fred continued to work on the roof framing. My time was spent trying to get caught up on paperwork, running for supplies, gas and trying to keep the site as tidy as possible. John and his crew installed a new culvert to replace the one that was damaged by the heavy trucks. Now the water can drain under the drive, not over it!

Friday, the snow hit! It was quite pleasant to work for the most part, but the squalls were brutal. Andrew helped with the framing in the morning and then spent some time with me levelling the rest of the basement. I really felt for the Fred and Shawn up on the roof during those squalls!

John and his crew worked on digging holes for the sono tubes and Ryan dug the trench for the water line. Part of the process meant cutting some trees along what will be the path to the water from the house. It is becoming easier to visualize how the landscaping will look.

The plumbing system has been installed in the basement and is scheduled for inspection on Monday.

Although it is a beautiul cool, sunny winter morning, we are taking the day off to get some work done here then off to a party in Barrie! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again!