Things move fast now

So we're coming down to the wire. In just over three weeks, we MOVE IN. It's more than a little hard to believe especially given the work left to do. But Duncan is convinced they'll get it all done before then.
And the truth is the work is happening fast and furious now. Or at least that's the illusion. Much of the big work, stripping and rebuilding walls, wiring, plumbing...a lot of it's unseen so it can look like nothing much is happening for weeks. But the work they're doing now shows fast, immediate results. Dry wall going up, doors put in place, tile work and so on.

Outside, the deck is close to being done. And as our neighbours enthused, "It's a work of art!" It's former grandeur is being restored.

The rear border and sills have been painted to match the window frames.
Much cleaner now.

 You may have noticed a new detail in those last two photos above. The door. Here is what we had before. I found this great photo of Jada and the house. It shows off the original door really well...and it's a damn cute picture of Jada --

And here's the new french double doors. Jennifer picked out a perfect blue that blends so well with everything on the deck. She has such a great eye for this stuff. There's still some clean-up that has to be done on the framing but the main thing is they're finally in.

The view from inside:

BEFORE



AFTER

A small bench has been added to the front entry and the floor will be heated.



New doors being added upstairs.

Graydon's room has new hardwood floor. He seemed pretty chill in the space...though that may be because he was surrounded by construction tools. Pure heaven for Grady.

The claw tub's been painted to give it a nice pop in the family bath--

Detail on the tub bottom: From June, 1929 (is that June 19th, 1929?)

The family bath had heated floors added (the yellow heating strips below) and Tony the plasterer started prepping the room --

Then the tiles were laid --

 The same for the ensuite bathroom although these tiles were much harder to work with and have taken signifcantly more time to finish. But it's worth it. The tiles are beautiful --

That nook on the right is to be our glass shower with a rainwater showerhead.

Opposite angle.

The basement's getting the plaster done, the beam's been boxed in and the stairs are being finalized. Donny's been meticulous with them and my god they're beautiful. We're going to hate the upper steps after these --

Plastering the basement which acts as a makeshift workbench area.

The new stairwell. The last one was ripped down completely.

Basement beam is framed in with drywall.

Tony working away on the basement walls.

Lots more happening this week. The front deck will be finished this week, tiling in the bathrooms and front foyer should be done. The counter tops arrive. So I'll have another update mid-week.

Everything but the kitchen sink

The kitchen cabinets went in yesterday. We went to visit the designer at Vima way back in May. Jennifer worked very closely to plan it out, pick the cabinets, the colours. All this long before we picked a contractor or even started any demo work. And now, almost 7 months later the kitchen is in place. There's still another day to come in and do the final touches. Handles, centering the island, laying on the countertops. But our big empty kitchen/dining room has been laid out.

The white was the perfect call by Jennifer. It helps to keep the room feeling nice and big. I think a darker colour would have shrunk the room very quickly.

The island without appliances or kitchen sink.

Our master bathroom had the floors laid for heat today. Perfect for those mid-winter 3AM visits.

The upstairs office had new floor laid today. Very quickly, the house feels like it's all coming together now. After 16 weeks ove renos, suddenly the changes are quick and bold.

Next entry will focus on the deck.

The deck - grander by the day

Over the last few weeks, Mike and his co-worker Mike (yes that's correct) have been crafting the deck. Tearing down the old one and gradually building a newer and vastly improved deck in its place. So at last I've got a series of photos that will get us all up to speed on where the deck is at. And it's stunning. This house is going to go from "scary neighbourhood house" to the most beautiful house on the block.

The original pillars were preserved but everything else has been built from scratch.

Beautiful stain on the deck ceiling. Jen picked that out. She's got a great eye for that.

Mike's taken great care to cover the drill holes ---

And cap them. After a coat of paint, you'll never know they were there...
unless you read this blog.



Posts added up top...railings still to go in obviously.

Mike, the craftsman behind our beautiful deck.

Mike again.

And there it is...I've actually caught up to date on the house progress. All posts from here on will be real time. Amazing how a trip to Africa can just throw your whole schedule out the window. Next post will show off the new kitchen.

Dry walling continued

In the last post, I talked about the dry wall that's started in the basement and top floor. On the main floor, the dry wall was put it and there was a major push this week by the team to finish plastering and the hardwood floor because our kitchen is going in on Monday.

Our new hardwood floors

Old and new floor

 The dining room/hallway floor needed serious work. There used to be a wall here and when it was removed, we realized how uneven the floors were. But Marco and the team worked the floor and made the rise so slight it won't be at all noticeable for anyone who doesn't know.



Laying the floor in the dining room/hallway

Teri and Marco work late to get the floor ready for the kitchen delivery

And there it is done.

Looking from the dining room straight onto the kitchen.
That cut-out on the left has allowed for a deeper fridge.

Appliances have arrived!

 On Monday, this space will have shelves, cabinets and an island.