Plumbing, Electrical, Carpentry and Landscaping - 30 November 2011

Oh my, it was crowded and busy here today. Pete Langille was back and was able to complete the plumbing rough-in. All the pipes and stacks for the sinks, toilets, bathtub and in-floor heating are installed.

Mike Knock and his assistant Seth were also here and they completed the electrical work for the main floor. The switches, light boxes, and wiring, are all installed and the fuse box is ready to go.

Pam and Gordon Baltzer were here to discuss some landscaping possibilities, although we won't get to this until at least next spring. Nevertheless, its good to plan and nice to dream.

While all of this was going on Colin, Brad and Michael continued working on molding and storm windows. The large elephant tusk molding got sanded, primed and painted and it looks great. The storm windows are really looking good to look through and to look at.

November Flowers

This will likely be the last posting for monthly flowers until sometime in the spring of 2012. I had expected that October's flower posting might be the last, but the little Geum's by the back door surprised me by coming back into bloom. Given that it was 16 degrees celsius (62 farenheit) today it is no wonder that the flowers are still blooming, even though you would think that the snowstorm we had a week ago would have put the brakes on.

The other flower in these pictures is an indoor one, a lovely little African Violet. My mother, Ina, always kept African violets and she was a master of them. She had hundreds with all the colours and all the types (single, double, varigated, etc.). When she moved to the seniors' residence in 2005 she took a few of her favourites with her. By 2007 when she moved to a nursing home, she had just one left. In January of 2010, Mom passed away and this last African Violet came to Ottawa with me. Last year when we moved to Nova Scotia, we brought it with us. Its bloom this week is the first one it has had since my mother died. I think it is telling us how much she likes the house, the gardens, the town and the Firehouse we are building. I know Mom would be right in her element here and she feels close.

Plumbing, Doors, Molding, etc. - 29 November 2011

Pete Langille was here today to install large parts of the plumbing system. We have lots of new pipes throughout the building. While he was doing that and Brad was working on the molding, Colin and Michael cleaned up the wood pile and gave us lots of kindling to keep the home fires burning this winter. They also worked on the doors and we determined whether we had enough door knobs, lock sets and hinges. The outside side door got another coat of paint, as well as some caulking, to make sure it is weather tight.

Molding Man! - 28 November 2011

With Colin working elsewhere and Michael still away, Brad was holding the fort down on his own today. He worked on molding all day. He has done so much molding that I think we should call him Molding Man and give him a cape. He's already got the mask. Its pretty detailed work, but we're glad he is doing it.

Windows - 25 November 2011

This is like having Christmas a month early. The windows are all in! These are the windows that were largely re-purposed from old windows, so there was a lot of variation, although they all seemed to be the same size. A lot more challenging to install than perfect, brand new windows. But don't they look great?

Windows and Molding - 24 November 2011

If you are following our blog and you are in the US, then Happy Thanksgiving! It just wasn't as much fun today, as Michael headed out for a long weekend in the north-east of the province. He is always in such a good mood and more than willing to do whatever is needed to be done that he is a good guy to have around.

It didn't stop Colin and Brad from making lots of progress on the stuff they were working on, though. Colin continued working on the downstairs windows and Brad is working on the molding for the outside of the Firehouse.

Firehouse in the First Snow - 23 November 2011

We were blessed with about 20 centimetres (6-8 inches) of snow today when we got hit with not only the first snow of the year, but the first blizzard. The Firehouse weathered the storm with no problem and looked angelic in its snowy robe. Colin, Brad and Michael were off to an auction further down the shore (risking life and limb driving through the driving snow), so we kept the downstairs windows toasty warm inside so that the putty could dry. They, like we, were cozy in front of the wood stove.

Doors and More - 22 November 2011

The side door was one of the items worked on today, but so was the interior framing, the main door and still some outside molding. I know the downstairs windows are placed in front of all of their openings, and I know that it was so cold today that the guys would love to have all the windows and all of the doors installed so that they could get some heat. Of course, the in-floor heating isn't hooked up yet, nor are the electric baseboards installed upstairs, so its still going to be a while before they can get warmed up. They'll just have to keep working hard so they stay as warm as possible.

Internal Framing and Main Doors - 21 November 2011

Brad has continued working on the pieces that will be combined to make the main doors. There has been lots of whining from the router. If I was out there, I would have whined, too, it is so loud. While he is working on the doors, Colin and Michael have been doing all of the internal framing. It is amazing how the 2 x 4s give such a clear idea of the side and shape of rooms. Now, it is not just imagination and blueprints, but the actual shape of the bathroom, bedroom and collection room. Downstairs, the washroom under the stairs is visible.

They work even into the darkness and the Firehouse looks warm and inviting.

Stairwell - 18 November 2011

We have a stairwell that goes all the way up. Oh, and good thing, too, it also goes all the way down. Stairs are not easy to build, but the guys have done an excellent job - as they always do.

Stairwell - 17 November 2011

The guys were busy all day building a stairway to heaven. Its not done yet, but progress has been good. Meanwhile, all the downstairs windows have been painted and are now drying.

Typically, the Gen (contractor and Chief) writes this blog. Being the overly modest M'am she is, the story of her amazing ability to organize and manage the entire project is hidden in the background. So too is her tireless work on each aspect she can lay hands upon.

Although I tell her how much I love her and appreciate every darn thing she is doing, it only seemed fair for me to acknowledge to the wider community both how much I love her and give thanks for her constant toil to make my life fun!

So my dearest M'am, Thank you and I love you...no ifs ands or buts.

Windows and Stairwell - 16 November 2011

The rest of the windows went in to the second floor today. You can already feel how much warmer it is on the second floor, even though there is no heat - its just that its now protected from the wind. As Colin says, the upstairs is no longer a tree house, now you can really smell the sawdust and it seems like a true workshop. At least, for now. I'm still painting the windows for the main floor, so they won't go in until I get them all done.

While they are waiting for me, the guys started building the stairwell. It seems strange to see framing for the stairs and the washroom taking up space on the main floor. Strange, but good.

Windows - 15 November 2011

Well, its been exactly one year since we moved to Lunenburg and 145 days since we started building the Firehouse. We've accomplished a lot in a very short time and we are so pleased with the progress. Working with great people makes a huge difference.

Today was definitely a day of windows. I cleaned and painted windows for the main floor all day, while the guys worked on more upstairs. The first of the windows on the second floor went in to the Firehouse today. Don't they look great? This will really help for making the building easier to work in as the weather gets worse.

Storms x 2, caulking and molding - 14 November 2011

Friday's storm deposited lots of water onto the Firehouse floor. Luckily, the masonite and cardboard that we had down to protect the floor absorbed most of it. Today, Colin has been busy making storm windows. Michael finished all the caulking of the outside. Brad worked on moulding. You'll notice the curved piece for the main doors. It isn't just the Bluenose that can have great wood made into curved pieces!

Storm Windows and Golf - 10 November 2011

Well, the guys did several hours this morning working on the storm windows, but then they took off for a well deserved round of team building. Also known as golf.

I think they left just in time, too, since it started raining at the end of the day. I asked them to do me one favour while they golfed; just to take one photo and send it to me so that the blog could give a fair representation of what they were doing. I haven't seen any pictures, so I just had to go with the graphic illustration of what they likely looked like while golfing today. I'm pretty sure the one with the pink socks is Colin.

Caulking and Making Doors - 9 November 2011

Colin and Michael continued with caulking all of the screw holes and any cracks they could find today, while the weather held with sunshine and relative warmth. Brad has been making curved pieces for the main doors.

Its interesting to see this in the process. He starts with the large piece of wood, then cuts it into several narrow pieces and then clamps the heck out of them to make them curve. Too bad you can't change people's minds, attitudes or behaviours just by putting them under constant and consistent pressure!