Trim - 29 February 2012

If the frame is the body and the roof is the hair on the building, then interior trim must be the make up you put on right before you go to a party.  You just look finished once you put your make up on.  The upstairs looks finished now that it has its trim.  Well done, Colin and Brad.  Of course, it still needs some caulking and it will need some touch up paint, but you cannot deny, it looks great.

And, oh yes, all of the storm windows are painted and ready to go back out to the Firehouse. Yippeee!

Mudding and Trim Painting - 28 February 2012

Colin and Brad spent most of the day mudding all of the drywall on the main floor, while I painted storm windows inside the house. This afternoon, due to a snow day, they had a new assistant.  Lily did a great job of painting trim.

Doors, stairs & mud - 27 February 2012

The final work was done today on the main doors - the stops around the western door were finished.  Colin did lots of sanding on the stair treads, while Brad did the mudding on the main floor.  This afternoon, the newest team member, Mark Fleming arrived to join in with the work.  He was immediately put to work painting trim pieces.

More from 24 February 2012

I hand't realized that I had taken a picture of one door and then the other, but nothing showing how great both of them look installed.  Will took this and reminded me of it.

We've already had several compliments about how polished it looks and how elegant the colour combination is.

Main Doors - 24 February 2012

All four parts of the main doors are now installed.  At 200 pounds for each section they are not the easiest to work with and because of the curve on the top, trimming can be a challenge.  But, Brad and Colin have managed to get them fully installed. They look great!

Michael has been painting the interior doors and then he and Colin sanded all of the stair treads. Somewhere in the midst of all of this the upstairs floor also got sanded and another coat of urethane.

I spent the day painting storm windows. After 9 hours of straight painting I have managed to do one coat on one side of 17 of the 19 windows.  And my back knows it!

Finally and most importantly, today was Michael's last day with us.  We are going to miss him a lot.  His great sense of humour, willingness to put up with everyone else's demands on him and desire to learn everything has made it a joy to have him working with us since last July.  Take good care, Michael and come back soon to visit.

Doors - 23 February 2012

All kinds of doors were being worked on today.  The side door got a brand new handle and lock set.  We had another one that we thought we could re-purpose, but alas, it was not to be.  There were missing parts.  So Will did his very best shopping and got us a new one that looks great.  Colin and Brad did a lot of work with the main doors today. The eastern side is almost all done, but it just needed a bit more work.

I finally have all of the storm windows ready for painting.

Doors - 22 February 2012

Happy Thinking Day everyone!  Today has been the day to see the doors start going in.  How exciting! Not so much perhaps for the guys, though.  Those doors are super heavy and they have to be seated so precisely. Plus, sizing them means putting them in and taking them out several times.  There are going to be some sore muscles tonight, I'm sure.

Other activities for the day included more cleaning and prepping for the storm windows, painting of the interior doors and a first coat of urethane on the upstairs floor.

Doors and Floors - 21 February 2012

Well, its Mardi Gras, but the heritage carpenters weren't eating pancakes today.  They were sanding the upstairs floor and working on all the doors.  Meanwhile, I have been in the house, preparing the storm windows for painting.

The molding around the main doors was scored today to prepare for the installation of the hinges.  Don't the hinges look good on the doors? Of course, they are just being sized at the moment, but soon they will be added to the doors.

Doors - 20 February 2012

All of the doors were being worked on today.  The interior doors were being painted (and some parts still being primed), while the side door was being installed. The main doors now have all of their paint, so this afternoon the guys started preparing them for installation.

I think the red door really compliments the tan walls and cream trim.  Don't you agree?  The official Benjamin Moore colours are Dinner Party (the red), Weimeraner (the tan) and Mascarpone (the cream).

Flooring - 15, 16 & 17 February 2012

I had to go away for three days, so you haven't seen a blog for that period.  If you think it was hard for you, you can only imagine what kind of withdrawal I was going through.  I have become so used to taking pictures every day (or convincing Will to do so) and then writing the blog each night. I missed the engagement in the Firehouse and writing the blog.  I especially missed knowing what was going on.  I knew the guys were starting on the upstairs floor, but I really had no idea what kind of time was required to lay a floor.

Will kept me up-to-date, so I knew they had finished the floor by Friday afternoon.  And then Saturday night, within minutes of my getting off the airplane, he showed me these great pictures.  These are beautiful pine floors from Amos Millworks - Logs to Lumber.  The floors are made even more beautiful by using old-fashioned, repoduction square head nails.  Wonderful!

I'm just sorry that I missed out on the nailing party. I'm glad that Will got to do some hammering so that he could be part of the flooring.

Painting - 14 February 2012

It was a year ago today that Colin and Brad gave us the designs for the Firehouse and we submitted our application for a development permit to the Town of Lunenburg's Development Officer.  So much has been accomplished in that year that its amazing to realize the changes that have occurred.

Today, we have lovely ivory paint in the upstairs bedroom and bathroom  and a stunning cream in the collection room (Benjamin Moore's Ivory Tusk and Rich Cream, to be exact).  Many thanks to Micheline and Katja for sharing their painting experience and skills with me and for being such great company in the painting.

Painting - 13 February 2012

While Michael worked on the details on the interior doors and Colin and Brad were elsewhere, working on other projects, Will did the final two coats of paint on the main doors. 

However, the real fun was going on upstairs.  Micheline and Katja joined me today and we three painted like crazy.  So far, we have primed everywhere and put two coats of ceiling paint on to the upstairs ceiling. 

For some reason, the rollers we were dealing with splattered a lot more than what any of us are used to.  Micheline has proof positive.  Thank you, Mich, for sharing this wonderful picture you took.  Its a winner!

Doors and Walls - 9 & 10 February 2012

The main doors have two lovely coats on them, although so far only on the one side. These guys are big! See the staging and ladder? We have to go high to get these doors painted. Will painted the body of all four of them, while I trimmed the caulking off around the windows and then painted the window trim.

Colin finished five storm windows that we need for the house and has been working on the internal doors for the Firehouse.

Brad spent the last two days sanding the walls and ceiling upstairs. The bedroom, bathroom and the ceiling of the collection room are completely sanded. He looked like a ghost, he was so covered in fine, white powder.

Main Doors & Storm Windows - 8 February 2012

If you are a carpenter, plumber, electrician or, in fact, any skilled tradesperson, the last thing you want is a home owner who gets in your way. On the other hand, you probably like having home owners who are genuinely interested in what you do and who respect your knowledge and expertise. Hopefully, you also like it when home owners pitch in and do work that is within their level of ability in order to allow you to do the specialized work that you, and only you, are capable of doing.

As home owners, we are lucky to have heritage carpenters who believe the above and who teach us, show us and lead us along in getting the kind of building we all want.

Today, Will is the official painter of the main doors. The first coat is on one side and don't they look great!?

Storms for the House - 7 February 2012

Work continues on some nice storm windows for the Floral Cottage. Plus, just a little bit of work on preparing to paint the storms for the Firehouse. My back is starting to improve and I am feeling guilt laden for not working these last two days.

The Floral Cottage - 6 February 2012

This was the backyard last week, but now it is clear again. We even have some Robins in the garden, although a horticulturist friend tells me they are likely "Labrador Robins". Apparently, Labrador Robins fly to Nova Scotia for the winter, thinking it is balmy here. Their Nova Scotia cousins, knowing better, fly further south in search of even warmer climes.

Storms for the House - 6 February 2012

The team is taking a short pause from the Firehouse in order to help us put a couple of extra storm windows on the house. While Michael is away this week, Colin and Brad are building the five windows that we need.

I should be painting the main doors and finishing the trim for the side door. However, I had a fight with a laundry basket yesterday - the basket won and my back lost, so I am laid up for a couple of days. I think Will will become the painter.

Drywall - 3 February 2012

Drywalling done - check. Taping and mudding done - check. What a good time to take a break for the afternoon - check.

Drywall - 2 February 2012

Not quite, but almost done the drywalling. All the finicky bits around the main floor bathroom were finished today and the last remaining wall. There is just a bit more to do inside the bathroom and where the boiler will sit on the wall.

Drywall and Painting - 30 and 31 January and 1 February 2012

I've been going crazy for the last three days! The computer was acting up, so I couldn't download photos and post anything to the blog. I've become so used to blogging everyday that I felt completely out of sorts.

Of course, my enforced inactivity was not reflected in the work in the Firehouse. While Brad is shushing down the ski slopes, Colin and Michael have spent the last three days hard at work. Or perhaps I should say, at least Michael has been hard at work, but then even when he is not here, Colin's supervisory presence is known and felt. On Monday, Colin and Michael drywalled the ceiling on the main floor. Or is that they dry ceilinged?

On Tuesday, Colin had other commitments, but Michael carried on. He painted a ton of molding and then did all of the finicky bits of paint removal that were still left on the interior doors. I must say that unlike his colleagues he is very prompt at coming to the house when called for snacks.

Today, with Colin back on site again, the two of them were able to drywall the walls on the main floor. When I peeked in at 4 pm, they were almost done, so I'm not sure if they were able to finish or not, but if they didn't they will be very close.