Wednesday, August 19 - And now for the inside ....

The work continues this week. Interior framing and plumbing are done this week, HVAC stuff is largely done as well, moving now to the electrician. Our mason starts next week, putting up the stone. We still have to pick our siding and our "hardy board" which is a stucco like product. Picked beautiful Ariscraft stone (sort of a beige olive green colour) It's here. Ours is the smooth one on the bottom.

Have to get the lighting organized. We are doing potlights throughout the house, but I have to pick some ceiling fans and decide on a dining room light and the island lighting. Not too promising so far on the contemporary ceiling fans, but I haven't hit the biggest stores yet. Am thinking streamlined, steel, maybe kind of art deco looking, 20's feel. Like this or this:

Time to turn to the fun stuff ... the inside. As you all know, I love to shop. And shopping for furniture is one of my very favourite things in this entire world. The husband will even do it with me - so that makes it even more fun (and I don' t have to hide the bags ...)

Last weekend in Toronto, we bought these lovely chairs, to go in our library area. I love the nailheads. Have been dreaming and craving nailheads. Have been drooling over anything with nailheads. We got both, floor models, for a steal. While shopping is good, shopping with a deal is even better. It's like the fudge sauce on an ice cream sundae. Anyone can pick something expensive and have it look great -- but not everyone can find chairs like these for HALF PRICE. Ah, my talents have to lie somewhere .....

I sat in them and bought them in about five minutes. Literally. Ok, they are sitting in Toronto right now, we couldn't bring them home in our car. But I will find a way. Oh, yes. I will find a way, my friends.

Then, we found these cool stools: We wanted ones that swiveled, and we wanted backs and we wanted white leatha ... So haven't bought them, but will pick them up when we grab the chairs.

For the kids rooms, I am starting there with the decorating schemes. The kids rooms will be very cool -but small. We are doing loft beds and built ins. Check out this very cool bedding set I got for the 4 year old. Love it. His room is a dark tealish grey blue and the orange in the picture.

He is v. excited about it - and wants the bean bag!

Must sign off. My life is very exciting - have to go pick up toilets.....

Kellie

Wednesday August 12, 2009: Almost Enclosed!

A very exciting week.

Our windows are in and they are gorgeous! We are thrilled with them, they make the house feel so much more like what's drawn on the plans. We spent a large part of the day at the house last Thursday, doing a million things. That house - it sucks you in. There are so many questions, issues etc. that require our input, we can spend hours there and never leave. On this particular day we were doing a walk through with the plumber, working with the HVAC guy on the cold air returns, re-jigging some framing, getting quotes from the smart wiring guy, dealing with the exterior cladding stone guy, and doing the day to day stuff with Mark. It's a lot to manage - especially in one day! But, the more we stay on top, the faster we move, so we're really concientious about sticking close by, being on site every day, and being readily available for whatever comes up. However, it can be draining. The husband's phone never stops ringing .....

For anyone building or planning to build (or renovate) I think this is the single most critical aspect of a successful project to keep in mind. On site, available, and able to move on decisions quickly. Do your research as much in advance as you can, that way when the decisions are required - you're not starting from scratch. Delays - in my view - are almost always the fault of the owners.

Here is the how the house looks from the street right now with the windows in:

Also last Thursday, the framer guys were installing the windows the whole time we were there.. There are so many and some of them are so big that it's quite a process - first unloading from a large semi truck parked around the corner, then using a smaller truck to bring them to the house. See picture below. Then, they hauled these huge windows through the house, up the ladders - with nothing but their bare hands and brute strength. Then, it's like a puzzle to figure out which goes where. the doors are on their way in, as well. They were literally dangling them from upper floors and throwing them around quite a bit.

Golden Windows http://www.goldenwindows.com/ were highly recommended by our builder Mark. We are really glad we chose them. Here is the view from inside looking out:

In other news:

• We ordered both garage doors - the "real" one and the commercial windowed one for our back terrace/dining room. It will be very cool to see the back one installed. This is the riskiest thing we're doing and I really hope it lives up to it's promise.

• We ditched the idea of a steamroom in the shower. It was getting too complicated, we didn't have the space for the unit, and it was much pricier than we thought. So now we have this great option of doing an open door into the shower which will not require floor to ceiling glass and which will be great looking design wise. Tanner, our designer guy, has a great concept of an all glass tile back wall done in "stripes" of glass tile in two colours. We love it. It's going to be stunning. Kinda like this:

http://www.hgtv.ca/SarahsHouse/theshow.aspx?sectionid=210&categoryid=7783204822194542981&postid=47836

• Also, we bought a hot tub (I know, I know, a hot tub in an "eco" house is a bit of a juxtaposition, but it's a second hand one, so that counts!!) It is going to be on the balcony off our master bedroom and will be like a very a large outdoor bathtub for us in lieu of one in the master bathroom. Our upper balcony is taking form - and it's much larger than we thought it would be. Looks like it will be a real terrace area, with a real "rooftop" feel. I'm dying to get some great loungers up there where I imagine I will read and sip champagne cocktails! (Note: this will never, never actually happen ..... just a figment of my imagination. I may accidentally sit on one of the loungers to fold laundry, that's as good as it will get.) Anyway, some crazy hot tub delivery guy is somehow dragging it up through the house, to the second story and to our balcony. This seems impossible to me. He said he'd been doing it for 30 years and had never had a house that he couldn't get a hot tub into. We said, come and check out ours. He did, and said he was worried .. THAT'S how narrow our lot is. Anyway, he says it will go - just may require removing a header. Our framers will be thrilled, I'm sure to un-do their work and re-do it again.

And as a bonus, here is the four year old and Olive the dog, on the front steps .. getting used to the place!

Kellie

Wednesday, July 29

Just a quickie today. Stopped by the house last night to take a little tour. Check out the view (above) from our future dining room/kitchen/bar area. We're putting an actual garage door here - I know it sounds strange, but picture restaurant patios that open up - right outside of this area we're having an outdoor room kind of space that will be covered by the balcony above so we want to open up the entire back of the house. The door will be completely full of windows. Kinda like this:

http://www.contemporist.com/photos/1168_Richards_2.jpg

We think the "dance floor" party area will be right in front!

The balcony above this space is going to be off our bedroom, facing the backyard. We want to put a hot tub out there for the husband and I in the winter. (Note: I used to call hot tubs "boiling vats of pee" but thanks to our friends Jane and Chris who have one, now I am addicted. But only in the winter .... nothing like it outside with the snow falling down on our heads.)

Anyway, the husband says this balcony seems much larger than we originally thought and I am supposed to check it out so we can figure out what we want to do with it. The problem is that there are no stairs to the second floor yet, only a very tall ladder. (Ceilings are 10ft, so the ladder is longer than ordinary ones). When I visit the house, I am usually straight from work, wearing some kind of stupid shoes that do not facilitate ladder climbing. Last night my shoes were better, but I couldn't do it. I was by myself and got about 3/4 of the way up - and realized there was no way I was getting down on my own. No one holding the ladder for me! With some degree of shame, I climbed down, defeated. Will have to try again when I have some assistance.

Meanwhile, Friday we order our fireplace: it's going here:

It will look like this: (I especially love the stones ....)

http://livemodern.com/forums/materialsmethods/428599942/421986479/diningroom-mqclose.jpg

It's very very humid today so it feels strange to even think about a fireplace, but I think it will be very cosy and will be visible from kitchen, dining room, desk etc.

What do you think??

Kellie

July 22: Onwards and upwards

So, over the past ten days since my last post, work has been continuing. The balconies are now built (front and back), and the early days interior electrical, heating and plumbing work is happening.

It's still (hush) on schedule. It's also still seeming very large or tall or something. It's actually not large. It's only about 200 square feet bigger than the old one, and we attached the garage.

It's certainly wider and higher. I think the old house was lower and seemed quiet small from the front, this one is all up front.

I can't get used to the idea that we're going to live there, and fairly soon, too. It still feels like it's happening to someone else. Strange.

Something called gypcrete is going in tomorrow. (Update: It's in now ...) See picture.

It's some kind of goo that was poured over the heating tubes for the floors. We are putting in heated floors instead of a furnace. This was an idea our friend and HVAC guy extraordinaire, John Vanderheyden, told us about years ago. He really felt it was the most efficient way to heat homes, especially in a cold place like Canada. When we went to build, we found out the price had come down enough that it was something we could do. We had heated bathrooms floors in the original Morris house, and it was lovely. I can't imagine it everywhere, but I think it will be great.

It's really getting down to the details now. It's time for selecting, choosing and final decisions on this, that and the other thing. I spent hours at Direct Buy last night (not a fun place - even for a shopper like me) researching appliances, tile, fixtures, furniture, counters, flooring, blinds, outdoor pavers ....

Had to have a few glasses of wine when I got home to recover.

Have you shopped there, followers? It's so ....analog. It's crowded, too, and those catalogues, the small print, the plastic wrapped pages. I felt I needed hand sanitizer. They have these actual paper forms you fill out with pens! I don't trust it. And they don't take credit cards!

I ordered a washer and dryer last night. Check it out:

http://ca.lge.com/en/products/model/detail/27inchwashers_wm2801.jhtml#

We chose it because it was blue and I like the square doors. I think it steams things, too. It was a great price, on sale.

Other updates:

We picked our appliances. We're going with GE Monogram line - it's high end looking, without the ridiculousness of the totally high end prices. Check out our stove. It's a six burner. SIX! What are we ever going to do with six burners? The husband wants it, thinks it's great for his famous "heart attack in a pan" egg fry breakfasts.

http://products.geappliances.com/ApplProducts/Dispatcher?REQUEST=SPECPAGE&SKU=ZDP484LGPSS&SITEID=MON2


We have a concrete basement floor now, it was poured last Friday. You can walk around down there without precarious balancing over shifting stones and mud. It is lovely and smooth, makes you want to do a little tap dance (OK, so maybe I did .... )

Let me explain our plans for the basement - we designed it with an in-law suite in mind. Both the husband and I have healthy, independent parents who right now would never dream of living anywhere other than their own homes. But, we've always believed in the concept of multi-generational living, and have noodled over having them live in close proximity, in some way (they are pretty cool as far as parents go - and yes, they all read this).

So, because we didn't really need the basement space, we turned it into a two bedroom "suite" - complete with bathroom, fireplace and open concept kitchen. It's got large windows and 9 ft ceilings, so it doesn't really feel too basement-y. It's not big, but feels spacious because it's quite open.

(Note: I am not really a "basement" person. Warren is. He has always dreamed of his own "man room" preferably with no windows, one of those ugly Lazy Boy chairs, a TV and a well-stocked beer fridge. Like that is ever happening .....)

Anyway, our parents helped us the design the space - we asked them for the elements they would want for something like this. We even put in some foundation work to support an elevator installation someday. Both moms have arthritis and would need one to get down there. I have a very large closet off the mudroom for now.

We included a small terrace off a french door (which both moms said would be nice) and a fireplace (which they thought would make it feel warmer and less basement-y. Walking around there it now, it certainly doesn't feel too basement-y.

They are likely years away from needing to be this close to us, but in the meantime, we can use the space for a student, a nanny, or even some renters. (Applications must be made in writing ...)

We continue finalizing our kitchen design and bathroom plans. Tanner Vine, our very own designer guy, has come up with very cool ideas around these areas. He is busy drawing our plans - and I can't wait to see these spaces become reality. Tanner has been fantastic. If you are looking for a great kitchen designer, I recommend him and his firm: http://www.2gokitchens.ca/

This week, the husband and I will be picking exterior cladding, our fireplace, final plumbing choices, and sorting out the stairs. Still waiting for summer weather to arrive, so this will be a little easier since we won't be sitting on the beach! The husband is on vacation and running "daddy day care" for the next two weeks, do it ourselves renovations on the cottage also continue (hey, another blog??) so it's a really busy time. I am still commuting, but we hang out at the site every day or so somehow. I can't imagine what we'll do with ourselves once it's all done ..... I guess we'll be doing a lot of cooking on that six burner, right Husband??

Tuesday, July 7th: Great Progress!

Tuesday, July 7th (Week Six)

Big progress this week. We have a house. An actual house. It's got walls, two stories and a plywood roof. See picture of me, inside, below. And another of me, on our new front porch. (Can't wait to sit out there and watch the world go by.) Welcome to our new home!

Our amazing framers did it in just over two weeks ... we are tentatively, quietly, (hush, whisper) ahead of schedule. Shh... don't tell anyone. Don't want to jinx it. I walked in it today, even climbed a rickety ladder in flip flops (NOT work site gear, by the way) and checked out the second floor. There are plywood outlines of the interior walls. This gives us an idea of the space. Some rooms seem larger, some smaller.

The house is very high. That's one thing we have really noticed. Our main floor will have ten foot ceilings, and the basement and second floor have nine footers ... plus our joists are really thick, given our lack of interior walls .. so it all adds up and seems .... kind of towering, actually, next to the other houses. What do you think, followers?

Very happy we didn't end up with a third story, as was tossed around in the early days. Would have been ridiculous. The windows are really great in some spots, the front upstairs window above the garage is huge and really nice. It will be our guest room and will also have a bit of a vaulted ceiling, so will seem airy and spacious, even though none of our bedrooms are particularly large. The kids room seem quite puny. We kind of planned it that way - kids don't need much and I have an anti-clutter thing going on, so the less the merrier. They will have all sorts of built ins and window seats for storage, but I didn't want large room for them and we were kind of squished as it was.

In other news, the pressure is on for selecting, ordering and narrowing down a ton of choices. Today we nailed down our appliances - they are required for the final kitchen/great room plans. Next is the plumbing pieces sinks, faucets, etc. I am hauling an entire bag full of brochures and catalogues back to the cottage this week so we can narrow these down. We also have to figure out and fine tune the electrical placements - which plugs, outlets, light switches are going where. As Tanner, our kitchen/bathroom/mudroom/everything designer guy has repeatedly pointed out, we do not have a "lighting plan" - so will be developing one as we sit on the beach next week.

Given the unfortunate placement of the outlet cover that causes our fire .. this is something we want to pay special attention to.

Speaking of ... we decided to also install a sprinkler system in the house. It's not as pricey as we thought, and I think also does wonders for insurance rates, not to mention peace of mind. Apparently they only go off when certain temperatures are reached, and do not go off accidentally. This was my first concern - we've all seen the movies ....

Also began some very fun furniture shopping today - found a wonderful bed for our marital headquarters, and potentially a fabulous desk for me, which I would like in our master bedroom. Kind of contemporary and art deco, both pieces. Loved them both. Will be visiting them in the store again soon, I think.

Am also thinking of a very jazzy burnt orange leather sectional for our media/TV room which is upstairs, just off the staircase, a fairly small space also. I like orange with the blues we have planned. The price is amazing and it's modern and sleek looking, yet it seems comfy. Will decide soon, keep you posted. Any thoughts appreciated. Orange just makes me happy.

Also check out our super high garage .... here is the husband (who stands 6'5) inside it - we will be able to actually keep the car in it - plus maybe a loft area for storage. This also makes me happy, even if it's not orange.

Kellie

Tuesday, June 23
OK, so I've fallen off the blogging wagon a bit this month. Had a few posts ready, but they seemed unexciting. I really want to avoid completely boring my small but loyal gang of followers.

So .... here, in a nutshell, is what's happened:

• Our site got shut down for a half day by the Workplace Safety patrol -- apparently the company hired to do the foundation had "catwalks" that were too thin. Yes, we had catwalks. It was quickly and easily addressed when the company bought larger pieces of wood to walk on. The best part was when the husband overheard the Workplace Safety guy growl"That's it. I'm shutting you down." It was very exciting. Like we were fostering child labour or something ......



• There was some pretty good drama with the neighbour and a bush. It's all good now, we think. Nothing more to be said about that one.



• The foundation is done. The basement looked like a huge gray swimming pool with a gravel bottom. The four year old was touring around in the future basement and let us know he would like: "Y'know one of those basements that has toys and a TV and is clean." This is in direct contrast to our old 100 year old basement, with the trap door access, the 6-foot ceilings, tree trunk support beams, creepy spider-webby stone foundation walls and mystery smells. It used to scare us down there.



• We ordered the windows. That one was a bit ouchy on the pocketbook. There are a lot of brand new shiny windows! The husband and I got into it pretty good about the window opening cranks. I kind of hate them. He just wanted to order them. We are supposed to have loads of window seats .... as if we want those crank things sticking out! But I am assured that the double hungs (the ones you can slide up or down) won't work for our larger windows. And I am also assured that the new fancy cranks are molded to be flush and are kind of curvy looking and much more aestetically pleasing to me. I relented. I am sooo reasonable sometimes.

Where are we now ...

We are almost completely backfilled. This means there isn't 10 ft "moat" around the foundation anymore. We have only one small section to complete. Because we live in a downtown area, they had to cart off our dirt, store it somewhere, and then haul it back to fill in the remaining hole. We had to pay to have our dirt stored. Sigh.

So now we are framing. This is quite exciting. There is something being put together, they are building our future walls and floors. In two weeks, most of the structure will be erected. This part is supposed to feel like it moves very quickly, followed by two weeks where it will feel like they are doing nothing. Can't wait. Here is where we were early this morning.

Coming up next ...... I am on vacation for the next two weeks and will be up at the cottage for most of it. It's a very unseasonable summer so far, cloudy and rainy, so I am sure I will have more time to fashion interesting posts. I'm thinking it's time to introduce you all to our cast of characters .... our contractor, our design guy, our architect.

Until next post,

Kellie

June 5, Week Two, The Foundation

So this week, we're watched two things closely - the weather and the parking spot in front of our house.

The weather because of the cement. It needs clear sunny days to be poured, and to set. Lucky for us, we have had a rain-free week. So far, so good. We're making progress.

And then there's the parking spot. Turns out the street parking spot right in front of our house is the most critical aspect of this whole project so far. The large trucks, cement mixers (see photo above), back hoes etc. that need to creep onto our narrow city lot need to do so from the curb. The husband has had more than one every early morning call notifying us that someone is parked exactly where they can best block the trucks. We lived in that house for three years, and nobody ever parked in front .... for some reason, it has become the hottest spot on the block. We even have these pylons -- huge, orange and black striped pylons. And still they park. I have now taken to swerving wildly down our old street at any opportunity, so I can heave those huge pylons thingys in place to block the evil cars.

The husband informs that the cement was poured to form the footings, which are the slabs of cement that form the outline of the house. Then they placed the wrongly named "weeping tile" which as far as I can tell is a bunch of hoses snaking through the basement floor. I get the "weeping" - the "tile" is where is falls apart for me. The husband and his BFF had an incredibly boring conversation the other night about the weeping tile. I can tell you that I was near weeping after ten minutes of that.....

It was strange to see the house outline and I can't decide if it looks larger or smaller than I imagined. Strange, but kind of cool to know we will have laid eyes and stomped around the house from the ground up - literally. We're walking around the pit of our new foundation, imagining the rooms, the view. The lot looks large (by downtown standards) but the trees look lonely. Don't get me started on the kids' play structure encased in weeds at the back of the lot.

Next week: the forms and basement walls. And I think we have to order a whole pile of windows.......