Delays and Christmas

We had our first major delay. It wasn't caused by weather or a shortage of materials. It was caused by the flu. The kids were sick on the weekend and I thought we'd be OK, but early Monday morning I went down. Wes had to stay home and watch the kids as I was too sick. Wednesday he went to work only to fall victim later than night. So little work was done that week.

Christmas also provided a much briefer delay, but we had some great family time.

View of stairs going down and hall to master.

View of dining/kitchen area from entry.

View of dining and living area from entry. (Toilet won't be there always - I promise).

View of kitchen, hall, bedroom, bathroom and entry area.

View of master closet and ensuite area.

The house is coming along and once again we feel so blessed by the weather. It has truly been an amazing fall/winter so far. Today has been positively wonderful. I am so thankful we haven't had a repeat of the bitterness of last winter (well at least not yet).

The interior framing is close to being finished. These pictures show the various areas of the house. It is still hard to visualize though.

I'm hoping to post the before and after plans soon.

The house is a shell

Wes has spent the last week doing touch ups on the exterior framing and demolishing the interior. The pictures are not the clearest, but you can get the idea of where things are at. I am very excited for the next steps, the rebuild and seeing things come together.

This week Wes needs to complete the framing and then hopefully start with the electrical.

The view of what will be the living room (left) and kitchen dining area (right).

View of front entry (right) and office/bedroom area (centre).

View of master entry (left), bedroom (centre) and bathroom area (left).

Dining area. The stairs will be moved and so will the toilet (whew).

The finished house wont be huge, but we are hoping that it functions well and is in essence a smart home.

Windows are the eyes of the home

Trying to make the titles a bit more thoughtful than my other witty ones such as "progress."

We went over to see the house today with Daddy. Wes has been very busy. Windows are going in, Wes only has a few left to place. Some walls are coming down. It seems like very soon it will be more construction than destruction. Very exciting times.

I really like the layout, it is a home that I could see my family being very happy in, and I hope other potential buyers will see it the same way.

I am very anxious to get the framing and electrical inspection so we can insulate and Wes won't be working in the frigid cold. On that note, we couldn't have asked for better weather. With the exception of a couple of cold days we have been very blessed. Whew!

A brief update

Wes has been working hard trying to get the roof shingled. Thanks to the complicated roof this has taken a bit longer than he anticipated. This has actually become a bit of a family joke. I ask Wes if he was happy with what he got done and he says he didn't get done what he had hoped too. Now I've started asking him if he accomplished way more than he imagined.

Wes sat down and made a list of things that need to be done before the ground freezes. We have time lines and then we have "time lines." The big push is usually to do what we can before winter hits hard. This means that things occasionally are not done in the ideal order. But, I am thankful for how creative and hard working my husband is as he tackles these challenges.

He is anxious to get moving on the next tasks at the house and I am busy trying to find good long underwear for him. Warmer socks too.

Not sure the progress warrants new pictures. Once he starts on the interior there will be more pictures. I do promise that there won't be pictures of the long underwear!

The snow finally came

And it wasn't that bad. This week is forecasting just above zero through the day. So still pretty good for November. I figure this must be what farmers go through, constantly obsessing about the weather and reading forecasts.

Our neighbors came with us today and we checked out Wes' progress. The kids haven't been to the house since we first got it. They were pretty confused at first but impressed with the changes.

The roof is about 50% shingled. This week is supposed to be clear and snow free so Wes should be able to finish that part this week.

The addition at the back when I first saw pictures of the foundation looked so small, but as I see it from the inside and out now, it is a nice size.

Looking good I'd say.

A bit more progress

Shingles aren't up yet. But they are on the roof and ready to go. Hopefully tomorrow Wes will make good headway with that. We had a wee bit of wet snow on Monday but it dried up quickly and we are still thankful for the good weather we have been having.

Here is a picture showing the progress of the front. Wes didn't get any of the back. I'll remind him to get some after he has the shingles up, front and back.

I think its starting to look like a real character house.

Wes has been busy

Our camera is broken. So Wes "borrowed" Bronwyn's camera. Just don't tell her or she would freak! He treated it very well and was instructed not to get any dust on it. No evidence!

He has been busy doing all the exterior framing and some sheeting. He hopes to be done that portion of the job by the end of this week and get the shingles on at that point.

I think the pictures look pretty impressive. There has been a bit of interest from the neighbors. Lots of curious on lookers and even a few who have chatted with Wes. These have been positive conversations.

Roof came off

Late last week Wes removed the roof of the house. I started praying for fine clear weather!

Yesterday Wes was joined by Ryan and his crew. They got most of the trusses up. Today Wes is sheeting the roof and finishing the few trusses that need to be finished.

He got a few pictures before our camera broke. I'll let him borrow mine for the next round of pictures, but he better treat it nicely!

Pictures at last

Wes finally brought the camera in. Apparently, it has been in his truck this whole time. There are pictures that span the excavation, the footings, the cribbing for the foundation walls, the foundation walls and the beginnings of the framing.

Wes dismantled the roof on Thursday and Friday (and some clean up Saturday morning). He has a crew coming tomorrow to help him get the trusses up and hopefully do some sheeting as well. Hope to have it shingled and ready for weather by Thursday.

Thankfully the weather has been fine, cool but clear, all weekend. What a relief! What a blessing.

Lots more exciting things to come this week.

Foundation inspection

Yesterday we had the foundation inspection and passed. Yeah! So next steps are, back fill, frame, remove roof and put new trusses on. Lots to do!

I promise pictures. I have started threatening Wes, hopefully he responds to my threats and gives me the camera. I know there are pictures on it, I just don't know where it is.

Busy week ahead. We are praying for clear rain free weather for the roof portion of the project.

Rain delay

So we have had our first rain delay. Wes is working on the foundation and weeping tile and the rain caused a stop on that work. Thanks to the long weekend the delay will be a bit longer than we had hoped, since the city inspection won't happen until early next week now.

We have had a pretty great run though. Almost a month and this is our first delay because of the elements. I still have this rush rush sense since no one can predict when winter will decide to make its appearance and it would be nice to have most of the structural work done before that happens.

Wes has some photos, and I'll try get them as soon as I can.

We are plugging along and making progress.

No photos

I have been holding off writing, waiting for photos to add. But Wes keeps forgetting to take some.

He is working on the concrete forms for the foundation. The work is coming along. I am super anxious to get done everything we need to get done before winter hits.

Thankfully, we are having lovely dry weather. I just keep praying it will continue.

Wes has promised pictures when he has the foundation in and can start back filling. Hopefully early next week.

Breaking ground

We are still waiting complete approval on the plans. But, since most of the outstanding issues are not critical at this stage we have a partial permit. Which means we can start the excavation.

The backyard is being prepared for the addition and there is almost as much destruction in the front yard. For Wes it is a bit of a race with the clock to get as much of the outdoor stuff done before winter sets in.

I will hopefully soon have pictures to share.

Possession day

Today is the day we are to finally close the deal and get the keys for our new house. Now all the worry and concern and planning starts to go into action.

We are nervous but also excited.

Wildwood Property

We have purchased an older property in a great neighborhood. Just up Bow Trail from the downtown, a stones throw from Edworthy Park. A small home which is not unloved, just not updated.

This little house has exciting potential. Plans are being drawn up and discussed. Budgets being evaluated. Busy times.
The goal is to renovate this house into a happy family home. A home that has all the modern conviniences without loosing the character found in this lovely old neighorhood.

Join us on our journey.