Preparing for the next concrete pour

Feb. 13: Getting ready for pouring the concrete floors in the garage and the mechanical room and the column on the Southeast side of the patio began this week - hopefully the concrete (and associated tradesmen to level the stuff) will arrive early next week. 

South side of garage that will eventually be the workshop, prep'd for the concrete pour. No longer using rebar, there will be a polimor weave placed within the concrete for strength. 

Northeast corner of the garage... 

East wall of the garage. Leighton is sealing the pipes prior to the pour.

Mechanical room floor insulated in preparation for the concrete pour.

Detail of the mechanical room floor insulation

Pipes insulated, set into the floor, and connected to the holding tank. I assume the pipes will be buried under the concrete floor.

Frame for column on the patio. The column will be covered with Vancouver Island stone.

Central Vac

Feb. 13: One more trade within the build - Tom is installing the central vacuum and roughing in the outlets throughout the house. This is a challenge, as the great room concept does not leave a lot of wall space for outlets. I am going to need a 40' hose downstairs...... 

Tom installing the central vac in the Southeast corner of the garage. 

Central vac outlet in the main floor hallway, with an extension pipe going to the second floor

Central vac outlet beside the laundry room door

Central vac outlet in the guest suite

Home Automation Installation

Feb. 13: This week the technicians from One Touch are one site, adding to the mix of trades within the build. They are roughing-in the home automation and security systems, and as with all these systems, there are numerous decisions to be made as to component placements, etc. Additionally, the home automation and security systems contribute to the weave behind the walls, impacting almost every room with data, audio and alarms lines.  The house's frame is now riddled with holes... Martin assures me it remains strong. Of note, the home security system wanted to install their "own" smoke detectors and not tie into the 8 smoke/CO detectors already connected together in the rest of the house... really?

Drilling through the studs to string more wires for the home automation and security systems.

Ceiling over the island in the kitchen area. There are two sets of recessed lighting and brackets for pendants lights, along with the speaker brackets (blue) which will tie into the audio system. 

Ceiling above the dining room area, with recessed lighting, the bracket for the pendant light (over the dining room table) and the blue brackets for the audio system. 

Den ceiling with recessed lighting, a smoke/CO detector and more blue brackets for speakers. 

Home automation panel in the mechanical room

Working on the home automation panel

Electrical Details

Feb. 12: As the first fix winds towards completion, I see the miles and miles of electrical wires link together to make things work. It is really amazing what will be woven behind the walls of our home... I am intrigued by the details (hours discussing where each receptacle or switch needs to be) and the larger aspects of the electrical system in our home (such as the numerous panels - control points.) I have finally made a decision on the lighting for the great room and finalized  all other lighting choices. 

Control central for the electrical components....

Electrical inlet on the outside of the East wall.

Electrical sub panel in the pantry

Sub panel completed....

Note the "boxes" mounted to anchor (and supply power to) the Kable lighting suspended over the Great room. 

Lighting boxes over the Great room...... seemed to take me soooo long to finalize this decision!

Framing details

Feb. 5: More framing details are in place as Ian and the team completes the bones of the house. The main fireplace, with its revised proportions, is now roughed in, along with the fireplaces in the master bedroom and sitting room. 

Framing for the great room fireplace, hearth and chimney.

Fireplace opening and the hearth area that will house the media cabinet.

The other side of the fireplace, and the floating hearth.

A/C duct outlet under the floating hearth

A/C outlet outlet on the other side of the floating hearth.

Floor level outlets for A/C - these will be part of the island... You can see the electrical and plumbing rough in for the services on the island. 

Master bedroom fireplace framing and fireplace in a box beside the frame!!!

completed laundry machine pedestal in the main laundry... second floor. 

Okay - not a framing detail but the electrical sub panel in the pantry does seem to have a life of it's own....

Timber struts

Feb. 5: Such a surprise - to see one set of timbers in place. They truly are beautiful; I love the detail of the wood joinery. There will be six sets of these timbers; four on the front of the garage, one by the front door, and one by living room on the ocean side of the house. 

Front of the house that will have 4 timber sets.. this is roughed in, to be painted.

This set of timber is put together with a mortis and tenons system, secured with wood 'nails'. The timbers are 8 X 8, and will be stained similarly to the siding, surrounded by the rock work. 

detail of the wood nails....

Did I say how wonderful the timber sets smell!!! 

Craftsmanship with the wood pillars

Feb. 4: The most beautiful beams of fir are being shaped into struts that will support the roofing in front of the garage, front door and living room. They are fitted together with a mortise and tenons system, secured by wood "nails"  - amazing wood work. 

Craftsman at work??

Big Beams - Big Saw... thanks Ian...

More plumbing details (and heating / ac / venting / gas....etc.)

Feb. 4: I am amazed at the progress this week. Most noticeably, lots of new mechanical stuff. The gas fitter has plumbed in for the fireplaces, range and dryer. A/C and associated venting has been run through the crawl space, and vented to the great room and master bedroom on the second floor. Plumbing rough in has included access to kitchen appliances (steam oven, coffee maker, refrigerator, freezer), laundry and sinks. Next week, the in-floor heating is due to be installed..... 

The holding tank is 'dug in'  to the mechanical room floor with the appropriate piping attached. . 

The copper gas pipes...

Copper gas pipe to the main laundry for the gas dryer.

Both the water and gas shut off valves are brought to the front of the pedestal for ease of access.

Gas line for the fireplace in the sitting room above the garage.

And here is one of the fireplaces!!

Termination of the ventilation recovery system (that is in each bedroom..) 

Exhaust to the outside for the ventilation system.

The A/C unit that will provide cool air to the kitchen and great room area....

A/C unit that will pump cool air to the master bedroom area.

A/C venting beside the great room fireplace...

More First Fix Details

Jan. 28: Numerous tradesmen are still working hard within the house, detailing what goes behind the drywall. The daily changes may not always be obvious, as the detail is evident. 

Heating and venting material stacked up in the mudroom ready for installation.

To facilitate the venting system, we have had to give up some of the real estate within our main hall closet.

These 10" pipes will bring cool air up to the master bedroom from the A/C unit in the crawl space.

The Heating/Cooling pipes come up into the master closet - more lost real estate but for a cool cause. 

The other side (of the closet) has the smaller 4" pipes that are part of our ventilation system, that will move fresh air throughout the house  - this system has outlets in every bedroom, closet and bathroom. 

These pipes will be hidden...

Our "holding" tank has been muscled into the mechanical room, to be buried in the floor...... so much better that being out in the yard.

Those miles of wires are now being hooked up to receptacles and switches. 

Sconce placement under the stairs... big decision.

Of course, electrical hook-ups mean Fin (long suffering apprentice) goes up a ladder. 

Exterior Prep

Jan. 28: Most of the carpenter team are out working on the exterior of the house, preparing it for siding and the rock face installment. The painted cedar and soffit boards are here, and the rock material is coming this week. I was very worried about the colour I choose for the siding... but I am happy with it when I see it on all the boards..... The crew did some examples of how the application of the siding and soffits will look - very clean. 

Example of cedar siding application

Two different ways for corner installation of the siding. 

I like the mitered look.

The soffits are covered with the same siding panels, but the reverse side is showing, giving a smooth look. The facia is covered with a painted cement board, very sleek. 

A view of the painted cement board on the facia next to the siding example - truer colour of the siding. 

More Details

Jan. 27: The pace of construction is feverish right now, with so many trades in doing their thing! Visually, progress is not as evident, as the plumber is working in the crawl space, the electrician is pulling miles more wire while the fan and ventilation guys are busy putting in ducting and vents. Around all of this, the carpenters are putting finishing touches on the interior framing and the preparing the exterior for the cedar and rock siding installation (I am told I will see a mock up of the exterior skin plan this week..) We ordered interior doors today... lots of choices and decisions; within a couple of months I will know if I made the right ones. My contractor Martin tells me that we should be done the first fix in a couple of weeks - then a month of dry-wall installation begins. The weather is generally cooperating but we are expecting more rain this week.... just when we wanted to start the exterior siding -West Coast Living. 

The sky lights in the patio roof....

Sky Lights covering the patio in front of the dining room

Electrician Dave - one of the patient guys on the team

A trench has been dug in the garage to insulate next to the house and to install plumbing to the workshop area.

The "holding" tank... looks a bit big?

Preparing the custom cedar trim for the windows

Framing for the fireplace and TV in the sitting room above the garage. 

Plumbing and venting installations in the powder room under the stairs. 

Today's Details

Jan. 20: The team is now focused on details within the build - details that will provide the polished look to our home.

Completed plumbing pipe placement from the Master ensuite.

Framing for the concrete/wood pillar on the SouthEast corner of the covered patio.

All the windows are framed with individually crafted cedar slats - I am loving the colour.

base for fireplace framing in the sitting room. It is only 11" deep - awesome.

Reinforcing the stairwell for handrail installation in the future. 

Counter top road trip

Jan. 19: The talented people at Live Edge Design have found a great piece of maple that will be crafted into the raised bar on our kitchen island. I drove up to Duncan today to see the piece... Unfortunately my images are not great - camera (or operator) malfunction. More to come as they finish the piece. 

To be mounted on the kitchen island as a raised counter top.

The grain of the wood is evident when sprayed with water...

Marking this as our counter top.

My temporary housing

Jan. 18: I have been fortunate to be able to live so close to the build, just around the courner really! I have rented an upper floor apartment within a very short walk to the build, within the beautiful Sidney Harbour area. I have become a bit of a mountain goat, as entry to the apartment is all uphill. Great exercise!

It is all uphill!

And then I go upstairs.... All worth it for a comfortable place to stay!!

Plumbing improvements

Jan. 18: Advances in plumbing was obvious today. The offending waste pipe that originally lived along the support beam between the living and dining areas in the great room, has been shifted to the exterior wall behind the kitchen cabinets. I will lose a bit of space in a drawer on the bottom of that bank of cabinets, but this is a small price to pay for a potentially less noisy placement. Our plumbers are also patient people! The rough-in for the sink in the workshop (garage's 3rd bay) is done, and the middle risers to the back stairs are being built. 

the support beam is now clear of the offending pipe - which is now re-located to the exterior wall (look behind the ladder)

The pipe disappears into the crawl space over the foundation wall - there will be cabinets and dry wall over the pipe itself...

Plumbing rough-in for the sink in the workshop (garage).

Back stairs case in progress

Exterior Details

Jan. 15: A few more details outside - the kitchen hallway window has full cedar framing. I think the colour is great beside the darker window and door trim colour. The cedar trim will also be fitted around all exterior details such as electrical and plumbing fittings. I am fascinated by the protective details within the foundation. As the exterior is prepared for the cedar siding, the foundation is sealed. The cement foundation walls are painted with a bitumen product, but also covered with a water repellent (waffled) sheet that is also at the edge with a waterproof trim. 

Kitchen hallway window trimmed in cedar beside the East mudroom door. 

Cedar trim on an outdoor tap

Our dry foundation - sealed against the elements. Also note the narrow metal "shelf" that will support the siding. 

The beginning of the  plumbing rough-in in the mechanical room. The boiler system will go on this wall.

Shaping the exterior post on the East side of the patio outside the dining room. Eventually we lose the current decorative post.... ahhhhh.

First Fix #3

Jan. 15: In addition to plumbing and electrical trades, HVAC installation has begun with setting of the fan systems throughout the house. Most of these fan exhaust directly outside. Additionally plumbing details on all floors are visible - there is lots to install and we have not done heating and cooling yet!

Kitchen wall, with appliance plumbing, electrical and gas fittings. 

The other kitchen wall with plumbing and electrical fittings. 

Rough in for the vent-a-hood fan over the range top

The outside vent from the kitchen fan

Rough-in for the bathroom beside the den

Fan installation in the den bathroom

Exterior vents from the den bathroom

Laundry room plumbing and electrical fix

Recessed lighting in the laundry room

Recessed lighting in the upper hallway and low voltage lighting above the shelf created by the laundry room ceiling.

Lighting and fan rough-in in the ensuite bathroom

Ensuite rough-in

Lighting and one of many smoke/CO2 detector in the upper front entrance. The detectors throughout the house will all be connected to allow for house-wide alert! Awesome. 

Kitchenette rough-in (rooms above the garage). 

More wires to the upstairs sub panel.

Plumbing pipes that vent to the roof.

Back of House

Jan. 15: The detailed framing at the back of the house shapes out a couple of important features - the back stairs and the powder room under those stairs. We now have access to the upper floor at the front and back of the house.

From the top down...

Safe back stairs with the railing at the top - I think I may want a higher barrier at the top.... it makes me dizzy!

Top of the stairs with a view into the bedrooms above the garage.

Roughing out the two piece bathroom under the back stairs. 

Exterior Progress

Jan. 13: The team is very busy outside as well as in. As noted in an earlier blog, the carpenters have begun strapping the outside of the walls, in preparation for the cedar siding. Additionally, a single window has been trimmed in cedar stained the colour of the siding. It is exciting to get a glimpse of how the house will look and eventually settle into the surrounding environment.  It was a sunny day today on Roberts Bay. The tides are unusually high - very spectacular. 

Cedar window trim in the colour all the siding and trim will be stained.

The back (East) door that demonstrates the window casing and trim along with the matching door colour. Can also see the exterior wall preparation for the siding and the foundation seal. 

The West wall prepared for window trimming and siding. Note the new scaffolding system - very cool.

The lunch crowd enjoying some sun.

Very high tides and lots of drift wood.

Back Framing

Jan. 13: Framing is such a huge job - Although the house is upright and the major framing is done, the carpenters are finishing up with smaller framing jobs throughout the house - called back framing. There were a couple of interesting jobs done this week. The elevator is trimmed in, and the dog wash / utility shower is built within the mud room. They also have been working on the bathroom next to the den, roughing in  the shower. Additionally, the back stairs are under construction. These are very tall stairs and I have asked for solid walls on the sides so I don't get dizzy! Finally the plywood was taken off the large front windows as the carpenters completed the vapour wrap over the sills - I had a change to snap a couple of images of my future view over Roberts Bay. 

Our wee elevator space - to be in place for our later, immobile years. 

Dog wash/utility shower in the mud room - the other side of the wall is the front entrance. 

The ladder is in the den bathroom shower space.... to be removed. LOL

The very tall back stair case....

Open again..only for a short time.

Sigh..