Power

Our 'spark' has come around to walk us through where all the light switches, electrical outlets, cable, and light fixtures should go. Basically I have very little idea about any of this so just kept agreeing with him. But he's got great ideas and a lot of experience, so I don't feel anxious about it. He's going to put an outdoor light shining up into the main eaves that you can switch on from the front door (that will be gorgeous) and a plug outside for christmas lights (good thinking!). Here's the first installed socket, in the suite's kitchen. Very exciting.

Getting all cozy for winter...

Stef has the stove installed! This is excellent news. Not only does it look great and throw a lot of heat on his frozen fingers, but Oni says you can also make really nice coffee on it.

Here's Oni, our friend from paragliding circles, who's been Stef's right-hand-man for the past few months. Not only is he good with a hammer, but he has also equipped the house with a bar fridge, temporary dining table, 2 chairs, and a host of other comforts. That was probably my job. Thanks Oni!

Most of the windows are now in (a few are still being repaired by the company; they had broken 'flanges' -- the bits that hold the window to the walls -- so the company is replacing them).

The doors have been ordered, though they're not here yet. The sliding doors for the balconies (all 3 of them) are coming from Builders' Doors, stained the colour 'autumn gold'. This should roughly match, or at least go with, the colour of the front posts (which is Rona Stain Exterior, semi transparent, traditional cedar CD037-851... colourants S-red oxide 040; X-brown oxide 040; Y-yellow ochre 080). We decided that would be nicer than having them match the dark 'architectural brown' of the windows, especially since they're the same colour on the inside as the outside. The front door, and the door to the suite, are coming from Wood Doors Vancouver, and are shown to the left. We'll have to stain them to match too.

Finally, you can also see in these pictures some white stuff that the house has been wrapped in. This is not frost, nor Christmas wrapping paper. It's a gore-tex-like layer that allows moisture out but stops moisture from getting in. I've been contemplating making a poncho out of it for rainy days. Notice the fantastic Dupont slogan on it :)

The funny thing about the progress at this point is that everything (plumbing, wiring, window installation, exterior painting, wrapping, a few last interior walls, etc etc etc) is getting done in bits and pieces instead of batched. This is for logical reasons -- you do the work that you can reach from the scaffolding wherever it happens to be before you move it. And you can't install windows that haven't arrived yet. But it makes for somewhat frustrating work, as nothing ever gets ticked off the to-do list. It will be nice when we hit 'lock up' stage -- when all the windows and doors are in. Not only will it be warmer inside (and more secure, though that doesn't seem to have mattered at all so far - only in Pemberton can you leave tools lying around on site!) but it will also be a really nice landmark of progress.

In the meantime we have to train our cat Floosie not to munch on door frames, as she has recently taken to doing. That's fine for a rental suite, but not for the new house.

First snow

We've had our first snow flurry in Pembie today, leaving Stef anxious about the bits he won't be able to do... but I reckon there's a few weeks yet of rain mixed in with the snow. It'll get done.

Sleepover

We're invited to a Halloween party 3 doors down from the new build, so have decided this is the perfect time to spend a night under our new roof. We park the car in our driveway with sleeping mats and bags, then stumble over (as a witch and 1980s ski bum, guess who was who) to the party. Our hosts went all out -- a graveyard out front, spooky noises and dry ice fog. The dips were served out of cauliflower heads (looks remarkably like brains) and the punch held bobbing apples carved to look like skulls. Seriously. After energy ran low we wandered by foot back 'home' and spent the night curled up in winter bags, toasty warm. It's probably the last night we could have managed to do that -- it's just going to get colder now. Listening to the rain pour down on the roof was magic.

Wood, wood, and more wood

Stef has bought a trailer for the car and a chainsaw, and has been having fun playing lumberjack in the woods, collecting firewood for our soon-to-be-installed stove. He reckons he has gathered four 'cords' over about a month, and is very, very proud of his woodpile (as men tend to be). This photo was taken in November, but it gives you an idea of it... this is about half of the total I think.

Turns out that wood gathering is a fine art. You have to know where to go (Stef aimed for abandoned logging sites, where the companies have left logs lying on the ground or in piles), and what sort of wood to get (I think fir was best? I'll have to ask Stef to remind me). Green wood won't burn, wet wood will hiss. Some wood burns too fast, some too slow. Some of it coats your chimney with soot, so you have to burn a different sort afterwards to clean out the pipes. All unexpectedly complicated.

First window

The first window has been installed! Apparently this is a difficult thing to figure out how to do. BC has a new 'rain screening' rule and regulation, which requires that a house hold up to the rain a little better than previously required. But every company that sells products for rain screening has a different methods for doing it, and they only advise you to use their products (surprise), most of which you can't even buy in BC.

Stef decided in the end to (surprise) use common sense. He's refusing to tell me the details because he wants to relax... admitedly well deserved :) The important thing is that our suite's bathroom now has a window in it. Nice!

It will also shortly have a toilet... for obvious reasons, there's a desire by the workmen (aka Stef) to have a toilet on site.

Waterproof

The roof is finished! Well, I say it's finished. It looks finished. Stef says it isn't, but I suspect he'll keep saying that till we move in, and possibly afterwards. The tiles are on, the skylight installed, and when it rains it stays dry inside. So that's done :)

In this pic: Eric Jandciu visiting for the weekend.