Life in Mono

Plumbing

2010-04-21T13:22:00.000-07:00

So now Chris is busy working on the plumbing.
He's just finished all the vent/drain lines and they look very pro, almost makes me want to leave the walls exposed.

almost...

we had the drywall delivered and the driver picked up all the extra unused insulation, all 64 bags of it. Because we had so much extra insulation delivered, the drywall for the whole house ended up costing us less than $300
The drywall was craned in for the second floor through an upstairs window, it's the little things in life I find exciting now

so now it's just patiently sitting here while we finish up the plumbing and all the loose ends I've been working on, like last minute framing for the drywaller, installing vents and the phone/internet lines. More wiring so I probably won't be photographing that very much

Insulation

2010-04-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

We put on our insulation proof gear and started packing the walls with all the Roxul, a really nice product to work with compared to the pink stuff.
It cuts easier, has less airborn particles, is made locally and from mostly recycled material.
It didn't take too long to get this in and then the next job was making sure the vapour barrier sealed it all in permanently.

A lot of stapling up plastic, taping the seams and using stinky and sticky black accoustic sealant which gets everywhere and makes such a mess. we tried hard but could not find an environmentally sound alternative that has a good reputation.

all the electrical outlets and sockets also had to be really well sealed so no puffs of air or insulation could escape.

In the middle of this we had an amazing visit from my cousins Glenn and Paul who on a saturday helped us rough in the second floor hot air ducts. They are so proficient and fast and it took them one day what would probably have taken us over a week. It's also always exciting to see someone do construction in a house with a chain saw.

chris started work on the ducting for the bathroom fans, all the little, never ending things, so he could eventually move on to plumbing

winter

2010-04-21T11:53:00.000-07:00

.
it was a loooooooooooooooooooooooong, cooooooooooooooooooooooooold winter.
I didn't feel much like taking photos or doing much of anything,
but, we kept working and trying hard to stay warm.
we did go for a few nice walks and the last snow storm was so deep we needed snow shoes even on the trails in the park

the next large job was electrical. this took such a long time and got to be really boring.
There aren't many photos because it's really not that exciting to look at a bunch of wires

We passed the electrical inspection without having to make any changes, such a huge relief to have this part done, I actually was looking forward to working with insulation, anything other than more wiring.

Our regular building supplier was away when we ordered the insulation and the new guy ordered SLIGHTLY too much, but at least we had it at the house and the thoughts or warmth were, well, heart warming

Heat

2010-01-16T14:02:00.000-08:00

Dad helped us take down the old bunky and Rachel's dad helped us take down an old fence so we could make a wood shed for the incoming wood stove.
Chris got up on the roof with the last window of good weather and secured the chimney and stove boot.

we got our first load of firewood delivered, 3 bushcords for this winter and some of next.

Rachel, Doron, Fraser and the kids came up to help build the shed and stack the wood

The stove was delivered and certified from the amazing folks at 'Hearth and Leisure wood stoves' and we're now finally in the heat.

Simple little things like defrosting are sooooooo much easier now

windows

2010-01-16T13:48:00.001-08:00

the house got all wrapped up with it;s own house k-way and right before the windows arrived, we cut the holes and put on some peel and stick flashing.

this was kind of finicky and almost too cold for it to stick, the windows were super behind schedule but they finally arrived late one friday night and our neighbors helped us unload them off the truck. With Hamish's help, we got them in and Chris started the long finger-numbing work of leveling and flashing.

and now the wind only kind of whistles through!

stairs!!

2009-12-06T12:41:00.000-08:00

once again parts of the original house have been re-purposed, the stairs to the old back deck now keep us out of the mud outside the back door, they're almost in the identical position from when we bought the house

chris has been masterminding the stairs up to the second floor so we can safely get the windows up there when delivered, and we can temporarily put away the ladder

the space almost feels bigger with the stairs going in and miraculously they fit perfectly

Maestro Martinz making sure the levels on the level

and as the sun set we went up the stairs for the first time!!!!

the novelty still hasn't worn off

the mess

2009-12-06T12:24:00.000-08:00

cleaning house is as hard as building house

all this junk is now gone before the snow flies too deep

Backfillling

2009-11-18T13:36:00.000-08:00

Our awesome neighbor Tom came down on his tractor to take home the trailer he'd been lending us all summer (this photo is for all you tractor lovers out there, you know who you are). The trailer was moved in anticipation of the bobcats arrival to backfill
and an action shot of the trailer in motion

a few before and after shots, this is the pile of earth and rocks that needed moving (and a nice side angle of Marvin the golden Olds)

this is where a good chunk of it went, in the pit where we also put the wall we demo'd

and the earth slowly made it around the house till we were all frost protected for the winter

taking down the wall

2009-11-17T14:55:00.000-08:00

After deliberation and consultation with Kurt and Haji, we decided to take down one of the basement walls so we could orient our basement stairs better

we did the job in two scull breaking days, parts of the wall were over 20" thick

we wanted to get this done before the backfilling so we could bury all the rubble

the work was painful but definitely the right decision

wrapping the house

2009-11-17T13:01:00.000-08:00

working on the house wrap, making sure there are no gaps

the glow of the inside light, comes from the wrap being on on so tight

cozy as a bug, but there'll be no bugs in this fine rug

summer's gone and fall is here, the wrap's on now because the windows are near

finishing up the house wrap, makes us pretty darn hap.
py

gittin on the roof

2009-11-16T12:07:00.000-08:00

In between frosts we managed to get half the roof panels on, working wherever the sun was hitting the roof, this took a little while

the underlayer is very durable (and slip proof) so we had a little bit of leeway waiting for the weather to cooperate

Dad is a champion of assistance as always and baby kaya and feast bearing parents Sanjay and Nicole helped speed things along and keep the belly satisfied

The Super Jones and soon-to-be-Daddy John really blitzed it by helping us lift the last panels into place before the first snow storm of the year hit. thank you thank you

with the roof on and done, we enclosed the gable ends and finished all the soffits and fascia

There is a master of paint mixing at the Shelburne home hardware who helped us get the exact stain colour we were looking for and in between the constant rain, sleet and snow, we got it all done

2009-11-10T09:53:00.000-08:00

We got most of the plywood on the roof with Kurt, Nobi and Haji's help, we finished it off shortly after so we were for the most part, waterproof

Kaija was fearless, skilled and a treat to have around, she also has a hook up for some of the best bagels Toronto has to offer

the next step was to get the soffits and fascia stained and ready, this was tricky because it started to really rain, again, and got really really cold, the stains had a really hard time curing

in between rain storms, we managed to get a waterproofing membrane on the whole roof, this was the part when we could finally breath

Kurt taught us a fancy trick for assembling our own scaffolding so this was the next step for getting the roof done

group activities

2009-11-10T08:42:00.000-08:00

We've had so many awesome, helpful visitors from near and far and all sorts of good activities have taken place
there have been lots of little visitors...

lots of eating and socializing...

some work, some watch...

some have their hands full...

such good work was done by all

the hot tub is where we relax, especially now since the pond is too cold for swimming

the trusses come to town

2009-11-10T08:17:00.000-08:00

the trusses arrived in a big package and sat for a few days getting comfortable with the site

with all the B.C. crews help, the house was ready for the trusses while they were still here and once again Kurts highly caffeinated expertise whipped things into shape

Haji and Nobi were heroes for the day with their generous help and manpower especially seeing as they were only paid in ice cream

and at the end of the day, the hot tub was fired up with all the off cuts for a prime viewing of the days work

Second Floor

2009-10-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

and then the angels from b.c. came to town.
Kathyrn, Kurt, Lily and Ezra descended and whooped our butts and house into shape. We can't wait to spend more time with them when they move to Erin

Kurt helped us get the first floor kinks worked out and then pretty much rocked out for 5 days straight without leaving the property. The second floor floor joists went up lickety split thanks to many coffees a day on the trusted faema

We had the best week of summer while they were visiting which was soooooooooooo amazing

Really it was Kathryn who did all the real work

and then there were walls on the second floor too!

First floor madness

2009-10-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

Chris and my dad moved the oil tank while it was still half full in the basement, this was a very nerve racking moment as the floor boards groaned with the weight of it. After all the gravel and weeping tile was around the outdoor perimeter, we trenched it away from the house for future rainstorms. (and a nice picture of all the layers of outside work on the foundation)

The theater we live in.. .
Putting up a wall Mono style

some photos of walls going up, the satisfaction cannot be overstated

at this point, we officially have an inside and an outside! Chris is on the ladder where the future staircase will be

the first picture is looking out the kitchen window, the second one is the living room window looking into the spruce and the provincial park

and that's the first floor done.

finishing the foundation

2009-10-28T07:39:00.000-07:00

we had to paint the entire exterior of the foundation with this horrible tar stuff, then we used drain board/roxul insulation to wick the water away when it comes into contact with the foundation.

Dad helped rebury the well pump lines that we redirected through the house rather than outside as they had been before

once all the insulation/drainboard was on, we covered the top 3' with galvanized mesh to hold on the cement parge. We had lots of onlookers and helpers to keep this phase moving along and always at the end of it, Kristine had a beautiful, delicious meal for us

when all this was done, we had a gravel truck come in and pour huge amounts of gravel around the perimeter, he was only able to access 2 sides of the house, so dad and I huffed all the gravel for the other 2 sides with a creaky old wheel barrow the dump manager gave us.

then the building inspector came again and gave us the next check mark and the go ahead to back fill

shanty towns base camp

2009-10-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

finished base camp, the office

our lovely flushing outhouse, plumbed in directly to the septic
the outdoor shower, with hot water of course

the skunk proof kitchen overlooking the wild apple tree

First lumber delivery

2009-10-18T14:20:00.001-07:00

This was definitely the largest lumber order I'd ever placed.
and then it rained and rained and rained and rained and rained and rained
our neighbors lent us their trailer for our overnight friends and guests, we have the BEST neighbors in the world

Ground floor platform

2009-10-18T13:53:00.000-07:00

with the exceptional help of Hamish, quick work was made of the ground floor platform, finally working with wood, everything started to go faster and smoother

our "new" basement turned out to be much larger than we thought, enough room for a man cave and a few jars of preserves

Fixing the foundation

2009-10-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

After all of O.J.'s hard work, Chris still had to take 3 days to square and level the foundation.
at the time it seemed like an eternity but it was the wisest thing to do. Now everything goes up straight and level and we don't even have to think about it

laying the foundation

2009-10-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

The forms were built for the new foundation and we had the building inspector come by for the first time to give us the sign off to start building, this part was amazing because we were finally adding, not taking away

the other part of construction we hired out was laying the concrete block, this was done by a crazy man named Howard and his crew of teenage miscreants. O.J. in particular got a regular thrashing from Howard for not being straight and level, at first I felt sorry for O.J., until they left and we had to work with the job he had done......

and then the rains came

Preparing the foundation

2009-10-17T10:32:00.000-07:00

the original foundation, the only part of the building we kept, all the utilities are still intact making it much easier to live here throughout the spring/summer

Ron, a local excavator came and created a nice big hole for us to start the new foundation, it wasn't very hard seeing as the old owners had never bothered to put a real foundation in here before

this took about a day or less

demolition

2009-10-14T15:23:00.000-07:00

the house was taken down to the original, original foundation which is about 10'x12' the rest was un-salvageable.
we had the most awesome crane operator who tore it down in 3 hours leaving the power service intact and standing without dropping a single nail on it.

after the house was torn down, the excavator dug us a big pit and we burnt 1/3 of the debris from the house over 3 days

Lila was the best foreman ever!

dwelling

2009-09-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

shantytown is done and the skunks, feral cats and racoons can no longer get in

kitchen continued

2009-08-22T16:27:00.000-07:00

Chris was the smart one who decided we should just bring the whole kitchen from inside and plunk it outside,

this photo of the lovely Kristine was taken before we got the running water hooked up
and with super big help from Sanjay we got the washer/dryer in place behind the kitchen

outdoor kitchen

2009-08-22T16:13:00.001-07:00

I know, I know, I'm really out of date with these blogs
so this was the last go in the kitchen of the old bungalow and then we moved everything outside to the 'Picnic table kitchen'

then we remembered all the wild critters up here so we made 'fort food' to keep them out at night

and then we got to work on the latest and last incarnation of the kitchen

2009-07-24T11:48:00.001-07:00

With our official building and demo permit in hand, we started building our temporary living quarters in the back yard which our neighbor Matt calls, 'Shantytown'.
we salvaged as much as possible from the house, the general idea is a sleeping/clothing hut, a kitchen, a hang out space, and using the two sheds that came with the property for storage and a tool shed.

The end of the house

2009-07-22T12:59:00.000-07:00

Where to even begin?
the last month has been so sad with the death of my mom and so happy with the wedding of two of my best friends.
so where do I place tearing down our house? at first it was in the sad category, but the minute the wrecking ball hit, it was in the oh, so happy category.
so here's some reasons why we had to tear down....(oh, and the foundations were sitting on grade, I guess the old owners didn't know there was such a thing as frost in Canada???)

we had to dismantle the crappy little house as much as we could to save time and money and move once again after having settled in for 2 months

and so we leave the house with the last batch of morels for the year

Building Drawings

2009-06-09T10:45:00.000-07:00

This describes our last month pretty acurately (except you can't see the coffee cups)

more mushrooms

2009-06-09T10:40:00.000-07:00

This was the most ridiculously delicious pizza ever, fresh morels (second batch), watercress from the stream 2 minutes away, ricotta, and olive oil from Penny's family orchard in Greece

mushroom madness

2009-06-06T11:00:00.000-07:00

THE MORELS ARE OUT
well, this is a little late, these were picked 2 weekends ago, and the shitakes are from Jan and Jim's shitake log in their woods
I discovered a secret to finding morels, look for an idyllic spot in the country, with dappled sun and maybe a wild flower or two, head for it and look down. This worked almost everytime, they were either in the sweet spot or heading to it.

We now have our 2 conservation authority permits, our stamped truss drawings and foundation contractors lined up, we can now, finally, apply for a building and demo permit!!!!!!

soon there'll be photos of no rooms then new rooms instead of mushrooms

fiddleheads

2009-06-02T09:14:00.001-07:00

Chris went fiddlehead pickin at our friend Jer's house and we went and collected some wild leek leaves too (we left the bulbs in the ground).
Amongst the many things we made with the fiddle head stash was this dumpling dinner
Tofu, Acorn squash, Leek and Fiddlehead dumplings.

We now have approval from the Niagara Escarpment Committee and the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation authority to build, we just have to anchor the building permit......

Discoveries

2009-05-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

It turns out the former residents of this house were environmentalists, instead of clogging up the dumps with their trash they were much more responsible and just buried it. How nice.

The other more remarkable discovery made this week was the rhubarb!!!!!!
RHUBARB IS INSANE!!!!!!!
the uni- root on this one plant defies all root rules.

Japanese knot weed is a really invasive plan that grows in the ditches here and also right beside us in the provincial park, the good news is I found out it's edible so we're going to try and eat our way through the invasion.
I made pasta with wild leeks and wild watercress and garlic roasted knotweed on the side, super tasty, and yesterday we made tea with the wild ginger that's coming up.

it's like the canadian jungle here

Spring flowers

2009-05-08T09:32:00.000-07:00

All the beautiful spring ephemerals are coming up, red trilliums are normal for this area!

possibilities

2009-04-23T15:53:00.000-07:00

it gets a little better everyday..

Spring Beauty

2009-04-19T18:14:00.000-07:00

The spring flowers are coming up including the wild leeks.
The escarpment is amazing, moss covered and full of secret valleys and cliffs.

The new digs

2009-04-15T15:03:00.000-07:00

We moved in April 1st!
still not sure if this is an April Fools joke or not. There are many different surfaces in the house, including 3 different kinds of artificial wood panelling and a carpet in the bedroom our friend Hamish calls "Dead animal pelt camouflage".
We are now actively ripping out every surface we possibly can hopefully in preparation to renovate.
Mono Cliffs Provincial park is incredibly beautiful and there are several sets of nesting Canadian geese on the pond behind us who honk happily every morning and evening.
Our friend Dan visiting from New York City noted that this really must be the wild because the geese don't swim up to you looking for food.
Today I discovered a small patch of trilliums and the little water fall tucked into the woods just north of us, it's only a matter of time until we turn it into a magical outdoor shower.