Quiet week

May 18; It has been a fairly quiet week on the build. There are many details completed, but much is hard to see. Pete, from Amped Electrical, has been moving throughout the house putting in switches, receptacles and other electrical details. Should see the lighting up soon. CJ, from Hobson's Cabinets, has been taking care of cabinet details, such as setting in the kitchen sink, drilling holes for outlets on the island, putting up the last column of cabinets in the kitchen. Paul, our master carpenter, has been working on finishing wood touches. We had a long conversation about the right colour of filler to use to cover the nail holes in the edge grain fir trim around the windows and doors..... seems like a light grey is best.... go figure. 

The Master bedroom fireplace trim and mantel set into place. There still needs to be tile around the fireplace opening. 

Last column of cabinets going into the kitchen. This area will hold the coffee machine, warming drawer and microwave......

Coming together..... Whahooo!

Sink set into place...

A key design feature to the fireplace is the floating hearth on the end of the thing. To reinforce the hearth, and prevent future breaks or leans, Paul is installing a steel piece to act as a cantilever to give the floating bit strength. 

Steel imbedded into the hearth supporting the floating end. 

Hearth completed, ready for tile installation.

Living room floor socket.... and my shoe.

The other floor socket...

The beautiful hardwood is protected for the rest of the build. The island in the sitting room and the kitchen have outlets on the side... convenient and mandated by BC Code. 

The rest of the upper level will have hardwood later this week.

Trimming the master bedroom windows. More to come later this week!

Bathroom progress

May 18: The house has 3 full bathrooms, and a tiny powder room under the back stairs - for quick trips from the garage workshop. The bathrooms have all had tile installed in the last week or so, on the floors and showers. The vanities are not all in, but I have chosen the marble piece that will be the vanity counter tops in the den & guest rooms (quartz in the ensuite). I love the showers.....

Final grouting of the den shower.

Vanity in the den shower.

The marble for the countertop in the den and guest bathrooms is from Matrix in Duncan. It is mined in a quarry on Vancouver Island. This type is called West Coast Wave - it is the marble that is found between the very white and the very dark. 

The West Coast Wave marble is a white / blue-grey colour. It is smooth with very few flaws. 

The drawings on the wall in the master ensuite marking out where the vanities and wood panel will go. The wood paneling is being made now, while the vanities sit in the walk in closet. Counter tops will be quartz. 

Ensuite shower.... There are four different tiles in this shower; the floor tile, the large travertine, the glass waterfall and the cream time on the sides (it has texture). The edges of the pony wall will be covered in the same quartz as the counter top. 

Detail under the ceiling rain shower.

East wall in the shower beside the shower opening. The opening is wheel chair wide so we can stay in this place as long as possible..... Den calls this our box house (to be taken out in a box....)

Building the inside rock wall

May 18: Over the last week, David, the mason, has been covering the feature wall with the wonderful Vancouver Island stone. The progress  has been fun to watch.

This weekend, the rock wall crawled up to the second floor. 

Working on the inner side of the upper rock wall. 

Inner side completed - just needs to be washed down.

All Done!

The feature wall before it's wash.... 

Clean, finished, ready for the stairs to be built in front.

Adventures in Flooring- it begins.

May 16: This seems like a real big deal to me..... flooring installation begins in earnest. The tile flooring has put down in the bathrooms, but now we have flooring in the rooms above the garage and the upper hallway. I love the engineered hardwood (thank goodness) and it instantly warms up the rooms - it is becoming a home rather than a build site. 

Hardwood flooring stacked, and more importantly installed, in the sitting room. It is a quarter sawn, 5 1/4" plank, white oak, engineered floor, with a matt finish. The manufacturer is Preverco (Quebec) and the color is Soho. Wahooo! Tomorrow the installers (Steve and team) will clean this floor and cover it with a heavy paper/card product, rolled up in front of the windows. 

The floor is glued down to the sub floor (upstairs) and "clicked" together with the tongue-in-groove edging. The glue is a new, environmentally friendly product that is easily cleaned off if splattered on the floor or members of the team. Also, there is no toxic smell - best for everyone. 

Close up of the flooring.

One of the bedrooms - the blue tape stabilizes the floor while the glue dries. The strips will be removed during cleaning, before the floor is covered (protected).

The other bedroom.....

Kitchenette in the rooms above the garage.

Dusty upper  hallway.

Hardwood to the back stairs. These stairs will be covered with the same hardwood product to the lower landing. 

Termination of the upper hallway (by the laundry room) - stairs will be installed here soon.

Interface of the hardwood floor and the tile in the guest bathroom.

Guest bathroom with the grout applied and cleaned

Okay - not a floor, but the guest shower has the grout applied and looks great!!

Master ensuite floor with grout applied and cleaned.... more detail of the shower to follow in subsequent blogs.

Today's Details

May 14: It is Saturday today and I love going through the house on Saturday as most trades are not there and I can really see the build's progress. CJ (cabinet installer) and David (mason) were both working today. Their dedication to my home is touching.....

The cabinet beside the fireplace installed - almost

The cabinet edge is flush to the lower part of the mantel, allowing the doors to open and slide back into place.

Other side of the cabinet - the unit will be flush to the tile surrounding the fireplace.

Media Cabinet doors.

Media cabinet installed beside fireplace.

Rockwall progress today....

The glass cabinet doors on one end of the island.... so cool.

Edge grain firm framing and trim surrounding the dining room nana wall.

Frame & trim detail.

Trim completed on the den windows.

Sink used for all bathrooms

Ensuite shower

Niche in the ensuite shower

The door is installed between the ensuite and the walk in closet. This door will be paneled in the same teak veneer that the vanities are made from. 

Floor tiles with grout in the den bathroom

Dog / utility shower with white grout

Electrical sub panel installed in the pantry.

... And one in the guest rooms above the garage.

Exciting!! Installation of the wood floor starts next week. There is only one type of hardwood floor throughout the house - that means lots of wood; so half is here......

And the rest is upstairs where the work will start. 

Building a Fireplace

May 13: Along with the mantel, the pieces to the fireplace facade have arrived from Hobson's for installation. They are massive and difficult to maneuver into place above the mantel, but they do add to the aesthetic. 

First piece on the scaffolding, ready for installation.

The other two pieces of facade...

Setting the first piece.

In place... I love how the wood pieces complement each other.  

Second piece stacked on.

Fireplace thus far. The grey cement board will be covered with charcoal black porcelain tile. 

Drop of the mantel on the north side.

Media cabinet (currently sitting in the garage) to be installed next to the fireplace.

The media cabinet had to be disassembled to get in the door. CJ and Ray have reassembled the piece, and are getting ready to install it under the mantel. 

Visitors Jane and Jeff Wittstock. 

May 12 Progress

May 13: There are several trades working within the house, including the mason, cabinet installers, electricians, tile guys, carpenters and plumbers. What a busy place. Obvious changes include completion of tile installation in the showers and placement of the great room fireplace facade. The weather is beautiful, and everyone seems to be enjoying life! 

Two of the crew - Leighton and Jeremy installing siding on the East wall of the house.

Preparing to put up the fireplace facade.... more on this progress in the next blog

Interior stone wall

Plumbing supplies are showing up around the house. The stainless steel sink for the kitchen looks great! And was in for the counter measurements earlier this week. 

Stone basin for the powder room.

Den shower completed

Den vanity beside the shower.

Fir mantel and surround on the master fireplace.

Laying floor in the ensuite shower

Exterior wall in the shower.

Finished fireplace in the guest rooms above the garage.

Guest shower tile - lots of bling!!

Electrical details installed

East wall siding progress.

Paul triming the Nana wall doors inside

Census Day

May 10: Today is census day in Canada, and I am taking stock of what is going on at the house. There are several trades working in the house at the same time, meaning people, noise and changes in most rooms. Loki Tile has two crews working and will have more people installing the vinyl flooring next week. The masonry team completed the tall outside wall in the front entry and has moved inside. Hobson's cabinet experts have been keeping busy installing crown molding above all the cabinets, and has begun the huge job of placing and securing the mantel. Additionally, the carpenters are continuing with siding on the East exterior wall. Progress despite 'help' from BC Hydro. 

Workshop in the garage.... kind of karma.....

Crown molding installation in the kitchen. Nice to see the recessed lighting has a purpose......

Laundry cupboard crown molding held into place while setting.

Facade for the great room pillar.

Preparing the reclaimed fir mantel for placement.

Mantel 'propped' in place - is it level??

Temporary placement of the mantel.

The wall ready for rock installation.

David beginning the interior rock wall.

Very tall wall in the front entry - stone work complete. 

Front entry.... 

Shower floor installation in the den bathroom.

Trim completed around the windows above the front door. Hey - no more scaffolding!!

The front entry and den are open spaces - unobstructed with scaffolding!

Within the upper hallway, the temporary stairs are gone, in preparation for the permanent, single 'stringer' stairs. This sideway step ladder was a challenge to negotiate.... for me.

Surprise! BC Hydro arrived and cut the power to the block to upgrade one of the transformers. Advanced notice would have been nice, and apparently my neighbors did get a flyer, but the construction site was not informed; difficult to build a house without power......

Honda generator to the rescue!! Thank goodness for short term equipment rental. The power was off for about 6 hours........

East Wall- the siding is above the door.

There are three mitered corners on the East wall......

The soffits and facia have their final coat of stain/paint and look great!

More Cabinets et al...

May 8: The cabinets are going in fast, and it seems to take more than one post to see the daily progress. In addition to the cabinets, the masons are starting work inside on the interior rock wall. David, the mason, has another wall completed and is working on the final tall wall on the exterior of the house. The siding is crawling up the East wall, and the wooden 'knee braces' have their second coat of stain. The house still has it's exoskeleton and will for a while I think. 

Functioning laundry cabinets

Sorting buckets in the laundry room.

Kitchenette cabinets with the doors on. 

The stove top and microwave/convection oven go here. 

Cabinet front facing the sitting room.

Upper cabinets and molding.

Lower cabinets ready for appliances.

Pantry in the kitchenette with doors and crown molding.

Pantry crown molding details - the molding is slanted like the ceiling. 

Interior wall with scratch coat applied (lower floor)

Interior wall, upper floor prepared with scratch coat. David the mason should be applying rock this next week!!

Rock facade on the South West corner completed

Siding progress....

The exoskeleton - will be this way for several more weeks I am sure!!

Cabinet & Tile Installation......still

May 8: More progress on both the cabinet and tile installation. I have had discussions about the height of shower 'niche' (What would be the plural for those??) and consultations about the placement of the kitchen island... to be honest I was worried the island was not placed properly - that it was not relating to the ceiling lighting well. But I have been reassured all is good - thanks Lorin. This makes CJ happy, as moving the thing 1 or 2 inches would be a huge deal!!! The house designer, Russ Collins, visited the project today - it was so cool to show him how our collective vision is turning out; He seems pleased. 

Rus Collins, lead designer at Zebra, and Pauline - love visitors to the build.

Upper cabinets with the laminate glass and teak trim doors.

Kitchen to date; CJ has wrapped the island in a protective cover so the cabinetry does not get marked. 

Crown molding applied above the framing over the refrigerator. Bracing is required while it drys in place.

Pantry cabinets with crown molding drying. 

Detail of the pantry molding. 

The reclaimed fir that will make our mantel

Nail holes from the wood's previous life....

Details of the fir grain... I love this wood. The same wood will 'clad' the pillar in the great room. 

Mudroom cabinets...final installation waiting for the flooring. 

Powder room vanity - it seems low but there is a tall vessel sink going on this cabinet. 

Den shower with stone accent. The same grey & black stone is going on the shower floor. 

The shower floor is tested to assure if is water-tight before the floor tile is applied. 

All the showers will have built in shelves or 'niche'. They are set in, sealed, and tiled. 

Tile floor in the master ensuite - not yet extended into the shower. 

Tile floor within the 'water closet'. 

Ensuite shower - also had the wet-test and passed!

Linear drain in the walk-in shower.

Shower in the guest bathroom. This shower has single piece floor - no water testing needed. 

Vanity installed in the guest bathroom.

Inside & Outside update

May 4: As noted, the cabinet installation will take weeks, but there is obvious progress everyday. The cabinets in the sitting room above the garage are close to completion and the framing/cabinets surrounding the refrigerator in the kitchen are installed. On the outside of the house, the masonry and siding application moves forward, as well as application of flashing on all upper roof lines. 

Kitchenette cabinets in the sitting room above the garage... almost done.

Detail of the lower cabinet - a 1/2" reveal line accent.

Interior of the kitchenette

Framing surrounding the refrigerator on the East wall of the Kitchen / Great room. 

Exterior East Wall - note the variegations in the cedar colouring. 

Siding mitered edge

Siding inner corner

Flashing applied to the upper edges of the roof

Stone applied high on the South West corner of the ocean side of the house.

To comply with regulations to minimize damage from earthquakes (a real threat on the West Coast) the stone work must have supporting bracing every 10 feet. David manages to hide the bracing within the stone walls with beautiful results. 

Two of the Crew: Jeremy and Paul. 

More Tile

May 4: There are two tile crews working to install the floor and bathroom tiles. The tiles add colour and shape to the rooms and the choices Lorin (and me!) have made work beautifully!.

Prior to the floor tile going down, a 'cushion' (orange stuff) is laid on the subfloor and wires are woven throughout for the electric in-floor heating. This will allow a rapid warming of the floor winter or summer -love warm toes. 

Infloor heating in the master ensuite bathroom, and water closet. 

Concrete / Mud is smoothed over the underlay, and the porcelain tile is staggered on top. This tile has a grain pattern and several shades of cream and 'chocolate'. 

'Yummy' tile close up....

The floor tile will extend into the shower for a curbless entry. 

Completed tile flooring in the ensuite bathroom in the rooms above the garage. 

Ensuite vanity to be installed over that beautiful floor. 

Shower in the main floor bathroom beside the den. 

Dog / utility shower almost completed - needs a little marble trim..

Cabinet Installation con't

May 3: I understand that the cabinet installation will take about 6 weeks. Over the last 3 days there has been very visible progress, including building of the kitchen island/bar and setting up cabinets in other areas of the house. It looks like the pantry cabinets are pretty much installed, just waiting for the crown molding and handles. Cabinets are also set up in the mudroom, and installation of the kitchenette (in the sitting room above the garage) has started. Cabinets make the build really look like a house......

Mudroom cabinets in place..... this will be my cleaning cabinet, with a bench beside waiting for a quilted cushion. 

Right hand side of the pantry. The cabinets are 12" wide - perfect for dish storage. The first tall cabinet will have multi level dowling to hang tablecloths and shelves for placemat & napkin storage.

Left hand side of the pantry, ready for the upright freezer and counter top.

Kitchenette counter bar, wall cabinets and pantry set in place. I love the charcoal laminate!

The end cabinet faces into the sitting room and will have a glass door. All cabinets are made with solid birch... so beautiful.

Pantry cupboard in the kitchenette - solid doors to be applied. 

CJ installing the kitchen cabinets.... We designed the house from the kitchen out so it is sooooo exciting to see it come together.

The raised counter/bar will come from Live Edge... to be installed.

The range top, vent, wall ovens, etc. will go here.

Kitchen island coming together... the open space is where the prep-sink will be installed. 

Appliance lift for my Kitchen Aid, eventually.

Recycle bins in the cabinet next to the prep sink.

End cabinet that will have laminate glass doors.

Dining room side of the island. These cabinets have pop-open latches, will be under the raised bar. 

Orientation of the island to the pillar in the great room

East cabinets under the windows. 

CJ gets lots of consultation from Leighton and Jeremey... appreciated I am sure. 

Tiles appear!

May 3: Loki Tile is now on site, beginning installation of floor, shower and backsplash tiles. Tile measuring and cutting add a new sound in the house..... loud but it does look pretty. 

White tiles surrounding the dog/utility shower in the mudroom. 

Floor tile in the powder room; the same tile will be installed in the front entry.

Shower side of the main floor bathroom (other side of the powder room)

Master ensuite pre'd for floor and shower tile. We will have electric in-floor heating installed under the tile floor for warm feet winter and summer.

Tile for the ensuite shower

More tiles for the ensuite shower. These ones have texture.....

Floor tiles for the ensuite.... these were the last available. Apparently when a style or colour is popular, they remove it for a season and reissue. Sounds crazy to me...

Outside takes shape.....

May 3: Beautiful Day on the West Coast has allowed for progress on the installation of siding, flashing and rock on the outside of the house - West Coast rock & cedar!

East side door

East side where the heat/AC pump will go

Check out the mitred corner!

Under the kitchen windows

Above the mechanical room

David, stone mason, starting the South West wall

Stone around the den widows

Stone and Cedar details at the front door

More Stone!!

Installation of flashing on the upper part of the facia....

Short Note

May 2; To be fair, I need to put in this short note..... our electrical is finally hooked up. Thanks BC Hydro - no pics......

Good News / Bad News - ongoing news..

May 1: So very exciting to see the interior doors piled in the garage. The lower floor doors are eight feet tall and look enormous. I have also managed to specify the door handles for these doors and the exterior doors as well. Bad news? - well we had another visit from BC Hydro. This may be the 4th or 5th trip and (no surprise) we still do not have the electricity hooked up. Apparently it is complicated.....

All 26 interior doors... the small ones are access to the crawl space from the mechanical room.

Seven foot tall edge grain fir doors - for rooms upstairs!

Laminate glass door for the bathroom under the stairs (in the mudroom)

BC Hydro came with 3 trucks and 2 flagmen only to leave 2 minutes later..... Sigh.... will keep posting the ongoing saga of our electrical hook up.

Outside Finishings

May 1: As the bling goes on the inside, the carpenters and masons are working on the outside.... The soffits and fascia are all done, and now the siding is going on along with the stone facade. I cannot wait to see the house when the exoskeleton comes down!!

Front Entry with the siding details and stone work on the right side!

Stone around the den windows in the front entry.

Stone accent on the very tall North wall in the front entry... did I say I loved this stone?

Siding around the mechanical room door. 

Window trim and roofing over the East side door.

And the bling goes in - Cabinet installation starts

April 28: The paint has dried and the bling starts to go into our house. This is the exciting part!! All the lovely fixtures and cabinets I selected months ago are showing up and beginning to be installed. This is also where I worry (panic) about those choices and how they will all look together in our home. Here we go!

The cabinets are the first 'finishings' that are installed. There are lots of cabinets, and they fill the dining room, mudroom, etc. waiting to be sorted, measured and set into place. Geoff Hobson's crew are efficient and precise. I am told this process can take weeks, and my patience needs to match their attention to detail and careful pace. 

Dining room full of cabinets - white and teak for the kitchen

Vent hood to be set over the range

Tall cabinets that will hang on either side of the vent hood

Cabinet footings 

Wrapping of the teak edge....... 

The East wall of the kitchen - will house the refrigerator (on the left), dishwasher and sink.

Preparing for pantry cabinet installation

C.J. installing pantry cabinets

Right hand side of the pantry....

First phase of the laundry room cabinet installation

Stack of laundry room cabinets.... love the colour

Laundry room cabinets in!!

Looking into the laundry room

Ensuite bathroom vanity cabinets

Lower cabinets for the ensuite vanities with roll-out drawers

Dad gets a glimpse of the NaNa walls uncovered.

Drywall complete... now to paint

April 27: The drywall process seems to be complete for now... hard to tell as the inside scaffolding remains for the painters and carpenters to install the window trims. For months I visited a construction site daily.... and now I see a house taking shape. The painters started late last week - spraying and rolling on the drywall sealant and primer. The colour goes on this week. I have not gone the house much during the painting process as I don't have a respirator - the fine mist of paint is everywhere!! I will post pics when they finish....

Sitting Room above the garage.

Back Stairs

In the garage - my father (the electrician) checking out the fuse box. 

Master Ensuite inspection by Sean.

Room at the top of the stairs... my quilting studio soon....

Upper front entry.