Our littlest helper

Shawna and Chris were visiting from Barrie and brought the girls to visit our house today. Wee Sylvie was very helpful in cleaning up the site. After we're settled in, she's hired to keep the place spic and span.

Beyond cute: After supper and some playtime at the park, we said our goodbyes until the next visit. "Will you call me in the morning when your house is done?" Sylvie asked.

I'll call you when it's done, little buddy, but something tells me it won't be tomorrow morning.

Railings, part 2

After a weekend camping in Crotch Lake, we returned to find that the rest of the railings had been installed. This is a great relief to us, since it's one of the things between us and an occupancy permit. They look great, and will look even better with handrails and stair treads.

More to come soon...

Basement progress

Work on the basement began in earnest a little while ago, but I didn't want to brave the ladder to take a picture. (The ladder isn't that bad, but I don't like to go down this one in certain shoes. I know that sounds loony, but there it is.) The pink stuff is insulation, which is laid over a waterproof (Platon) membrane. Our heating supplier is due to install the piping tomorrow, although the place doesn't look ready for him yet. We'll see how it goes. After that comes the cement!

Insulation complete

The insulators came by and finished the job today, filling in the garage walls, the upper basement walls, and the gaps around the windows. There are still a couple of cracks in the insulation, but they don't go through to the outside, so maybe that's alright. The photo is of the garage, which is now ready for drywall.

Railings, part 1

John and I went over to the house today to take some closet measurements, and to our surprise and delight, saw that the first set of stair railings had been installed. These have been a long time coming, and we were thrilled to finally see them. The photo on the left shows them from the ground floor, and the photo on the right shows them from the second floor, looking down. They will have to be removed when the maple treads are ready to be installed, but they look great for now.

Drywall begins

Our first pieces of drywall were installed today in the garage and in the mechanical room in the basement (also known as The House of Jam). These had to be in place for the insulators to complete the insulation, which is expected to happen sometime this week. The empty space above the ladder in the photo is for the end of our canoe, which we'll hang from the garage ceiling. Our canoe has enjoyed wintering chez Papa and Allison, but soon it will be time for it to move into its permanent home.

In other news, work continues on the exterior this week. The guys are installing our soffit, which is cedar. Our interior stair railings are delayed, but coming soon. Once the insulation and the related inspection are complete, the drywalling can begin in earnest. Our mechanical supplier is coming in next Monday to complete his work and prepare to "shock heat" the floors.

Speaking of floors, the saga continues. Once we have found a solution to our woes, we'll fill you all in. Until next time...

View from the living room floor

The living room skylights were installed today, and to get them both in the photo, I had to lie down on the dusty floor. The things I do for you!

The manifold (tentacle-like junction for our heating pipes) was also installed today, earlier than expected! This is good news, because we need it to start the "shock heating" process for the floors. Ah, the floors. That's a whole other entry, friends. Stay tuned.