Garage Progress

We've been making slow progress on the garage. Because of the tremendous amount of local housing construction, our little project hasn't been high on our subs priority list. It's taken a few weeks longer than expected, but here's what's been going on...

We had the soil dug up for the grade beam. This frost wall is super important up here where we have lots of freeze/thaw cycles that can compromise the structure. The bobcat accidentally hit the line for our outdoor electrical panel but, thankfully, it didn't do too much damage and was a quick fix for our good buddy the electrician.

Next up, the foundation forms and re-bar for our concrete. Once this passed inspection, we had the grade beam poured.

Next was our garage pad. We had to remove an existing basement window (local code won't allow this opening once the garage is up) and the sill sat below the finished pad, so it had to go. I asked the contractor to give the pad a brushed finish so the epoxy I plan to apply will adhere better. Because the pad was a few inches higher than our patio, they created a rounded transition from the garage door.

The rest of the garage went up pretty quickly. The trusses were delivered right on time and the guys got to work. Before we knew it, we had walls and a roof! This is the point where I got the most excited, it really is going to make an awesome area for my workshop.

The original soffit and fascia on the rear are still in place, and I think I may just leave it. The ceiling will eventually be drywalled so it won't be seen anyway. The existing garage door will be removed and reinstalled at the entrance to the new addition and we'll remove the existing light fixture.

The electrician comes tomorrow to rough in our lighting and indoor and outdoor outlets...time to shop for an outdoor fixture! The original was just too small for the space and really didn't shed much usable light. Because this rear light will now provide light to the east side of the patio, I want it to be more practical.

Our exterior contractor is super busy and is going to squeeze this job in as soon as he can, he's on deck for next week. Stay tuned for more!

When You Just Can't...

Trying to maintain my blog over the past few years has been a real challenge for me. It's gotten harder as my mom, who was battling diabetes, heart disease and kidney failure, relied more and more on me to take on the responsibility for her personal and financial affairs.

It's been a very long road for our family as mom fought these diseases...they are brutal and show no mercy.

Between the day to day of life, and the responsibilities I took on for my mom...there was just nothing left for this blog. I'd try...but just couldn't.

Mom's brave fight for life ended on September 5th, and it's left me reeling. But, it's also released the enormous pressure I put on myself to focus on her needs, instead of my own.

I miss my mom terribly. Those who have been through it can understand that there are no words to describe the emotions involved when a parent dies. But I know that she'd hate for me to dwell on that sadness.

So, I've decided to dedicate this humble little blog to my mom. She always got a kick out of all the crazy projects I had on the go. She was hugely supportive of this blog, and I want to ensure that she stays proud of me for not giving it up.

Thanks for sticking with me!

Garage Addition Saga

In construction it seems that, no matter how much you plan, things will inevitably go awry.

I posted quite a while back about our garage addition and the construction quote I was waiting for. When the quote came in, it was high. Much, much higher than I had hoped. It immediately put this project on hold.

After feeling sorry for myself for a few months, I called up my cousin (a custom builder) to see if he could help me out (or at least call in a few favours with his subs to save me some moolah). I didn't expect him to take on this project himself. He builds very high end homes, and I knew that my little 14' x 19' garage addition wasn't something that he'd likely be interested in taking on.

Much to my surprise, he offered to have his crews complete it for me for less than half what other contractors had quoted me. Yes, you read that right...less than half! The catch was that we would have to find someone to complete the exterior.

Quick like a bunny, our architect complete drawings, the engineer finished the foundation drawings, and I had building permits from the town.

That's when things got frustrating...

The engineer required enormous footings for this addition. Much larger than were required, in our opinion. It almost doubled the cost of the build in concrete alone. It also would have required us to tear out half of my brand new patio and create a huge mess which would drive my neighbours nuts. There had to be another way....

After a lot of discussion with the engineer, he agreed that we could use 3 1/2" x 16' screw piles for the foundation (traditional concrete piles were not an option for us; our soil is far too sandy to drill as deep as we needed, and it still would have been a messy job). We still had to cut the patio, but only 12", I could live with that. Armed with this new set of foundation drawings, I had to submit an amendment to our building permit.

Tick tock.

Thing is, folks, 16' screw piles are hard to come by, and we ended up having to have them custom manufactured.

Tick tock.

Yesterday, these piles finally got installed. It is a slick process. It's super simple, the guys were hilarious, and they had all 5 in place in less than 3 hours. After all the drama, I was so happy to get this show on the road!

 

As long as the weather holds, we can expect the grade beam to be poured next week. Then walls and roof...we could have a closed in garage in less than 2 weeks!

 

 



Main Floor Custom Cabinet

One of the few regrettable decisions I made during the construction of our house was removing a 3-sided fireplace between the living room and dining area of the main floor. The intent was to open up the space but it backfired...now it's too open! The result has come to be known as "No Man's Land".

Right now, No Man's Land is home to a curio cabinet I got from a friend, that's become a catch all for random accessories and books. Needless to say, something has to be done!

I stumbled on a local craftsman who does amazing custom woodwork, and challenged him to come up with a solution to my problem.

His cabinet design is approx. 3' x 5' x 4'. Big enough to fill up this empty space and provide us with storage, but not so big that it overwhelms the house.

I love it and can't wait to see it finished!

More Than I Could Chew

You know that saying? The one about biting off more than you can chew? Yeh, that pretty much sums up my adventures in landscaping.

Last summer, Mr. Mel and I did alot of work, ALOT of work by ourselves. I did my own landscape plan, we hauled, shoveled, lifted, dug, mulched....but there is still plenty of work to be done to get the yard to a place that I'd consider "done".

This project is just too big for me to get done without help, so Mr. Mel and I have hired a professional landscaper to finish what we started. The control freak in my is having a meltdown. But at the same time I think it's important to recognize when we're in over our heads, and to ask for help.

We will still be getting our hands dirty, but I'm looking forward to having a pro fix and problem solve some areas that I lack the knowledge to tackle on my own.

Our front yard has a steeper grade than I realized that must be retained and have levels built in. This is way beyond what I am comfortable handling on my own. The overall design for the front yard will stay as-is, but we will have stone edge installed to hold in our soil and mulch (which seems to run off during every rain) and to provide a finished edge against the sod.

The front patio will be moved further out from the house and will be made about 4 feet larger, and a planter and pergola will be built for shade and interest.

Switzer's Nursery & Landscaping

They'll also be grading near the road to create a more gradual ditch that will be much easier to mow.

Many of our cedars and a few other plants didn't or barely survived the harsh winter (and hungry rabbits and deer), so the landscaper will be replacing some and relocating others.

Our subdivision was pasture land for many decades and, as a result, there are some very stubborn weeds and grasses that will take a few years to permanently kill off. They'll also be hauling in yards and yards of mulch to fill up the beds and help control the weeds.

The backyard will get new brick flower bed edging, mulch, some grading work, and a stacked stone seating wall around the patio and built in bbq area.

For the front and rear yards we'll get detailed planting plans that we can follow over the next few years to fill in our beds as we kill off our wild weeds and grasses.

I'm excited to share photos as this project gets underway.

Finally, Planting!

Okey dokey my blogger friends. Last year I let you in on my master landscape plan. Now it's time to update on what we were up to all summer. What better way to warm up on a cold day like today than to think about landscaping?! ha ha

I started with the trees and shrubs (although other projects seemed to keep popping up). I had the yard graded away from the house for proper drainage (at $85/hr this only cost me $170.00), and had the local utility companies mark any underground gas and power lines.

I placed my order with a local tree nursery so my order was ready for me to pick up. It's a small time saver but it was less hassle than walking through the nursery myself, picking each item. Cause I'm lazy like that.

I made myself a "planting map" complete with measurements from the property lines and the spacing between each plant. Of course, all of these trees and shrubs will grow to be quite large so, the spacing will look a bit odd at first. It's important, though, to make sure they all have room to grow based on their expected spread, or you may end up overcrowding your plants. It's not pretty, (or proportionate ha ha) but here's my map:

As we measured, I marked the location of each plant with marker paint (such a clever can, that can be held upside down).

I bought a couple of spades and Mr. Mel and my strapping nephew, AJ, got to work. It took us a few more weeks to get them all done but we ended up planting 55 trees and shrubs. FIFTY FIVE! That's alot of holes, people!

After the delay of a few weeks due to monsoon-like rain, we were able to get to work on the front yard.

We had the yard graded and had to bring in 20 yards of topsoil to bring up the grade (our yard had to be brought up about 5"). The topsoil was an investment we didn't think we'd have to make right away, but I'm glad we have it done. One less thing to do down the road! The patch of bare ground near the front of the yard is a ditch area where I didn't want to waste $ putting in topsoil for now. The top of the yard, nearest the house, was left bare for my patio block project.

I can't wait for spring to see how many of my plants survived our brutal winter. I also have landscaping updates a couple of projects on deck for the front yard once the snow melts, stay tuned for that!

What we planted: 

• Swedish Aspen
• French Lilac
• Greenspire Linden
• Tower Poplar
• Sugar Maple
• Colorado Blue Spruce
• Brandon Cedar
• Golden Ninebark
• Goldenrod Potentilla
• Little Kim Lilac
• Tinkerbelle Lilac
• Snowbelle Mock Orange
• Red Leaf Barberry
• Thunderchild Flowering Crab
• Autumn Blaze Maple
• Russian Almond
• White Cedar
• Alpine Currant
• Medora Juniper

Spring Cleaning

It's coming! After a long and cold winter, spring is set to arrive March 20th.

I've never been much of a spring cleaner but, let's face it, we overlook things as we do our routine household cleaning and that dust and grime can build up over time. I tend to adopt the "outta sight, outta mind" approach most of the time but, this year, I'm going to get the house ship shape from top to bottom. A clean home will rejuvenate and refresh your mind and spirit, just in time to welcome a change of season and all that spring and summer sunshine.

Here are my room by room checklists to get the abode sparking clean:

Kitchen:

• Dust walls, floor to ceiling
• Vacuum and wipe tops of upper cabinets
• Wipe doors and drawer fronts of all upper and lower cabinets
• Wipe out all cupboards and drawers
• Wash backsplash - sometimes we miss all those little splatters that end up here
• Clean out fridge and freezer - toss all expired items and wash shelving and drawers
• Wash all return air vents and register covers
• Wipe down light switch and outlet covers
• Wipe down light fixtures - make sure they are turned off and cool first!
• Run your dishwasher empty - use vinegar and baking soda to get it extra clean
• Wipe down front of fridge and dishwasher
• Clean oven, stove top and remove knobs, burners and spill catchers and clean
• Wash out microwave - don't forget to the inside top, we sometimes miss this spot
• Wash windows and window sills
• Change or clean and replace grease filter on range hood fan
• Wipe counter tops
• Vacuum/sweep and mop floors

Bathrooms:

• Dust walls, floor to ceiling
• Wipe doors and drawer fronts of vanity
• Wipe out cupboards and drawers
• Wipe down light switch and outlet covers
• Wash all return air vents and register covers
• Clean mirror
• Clean toilet, inside and out - be sure to get the base as we often miss this
• Wipe counter top, sink, and taps
• Clean tub and surround
• Clean shower - use a soap scum/water stain busting cleaner where required
• Wipe glass shower doors - if you use a shower curtain, wash or replace this
• Wipe down light fixtures
• Vacuum/sweep and mop floors

Living Area:

• Dust walls, floor to ceiling
• Dust all wall hangings/pictures/artwork
• Wipe down light switch and outlet covers
• Wash all return air vents and register covers
• Wash and iron all drapes, and rehang
• Wash windows and window sills
• Wipe down all light fixtures/lamps
• Dust/wipe down all knick-knacks
• Vacuum sofa, chairs, and accent pillows - spot clean where necessary
• Dust/wipe down all accent tables and entertainment unit, including stereo equipment
• Vacuum/sweep floors, use Bona cleaner on all hardwood

Dining Room:

• Dust walls, floor to ceiling
• Dust all wall hangings/pictures/artwork
• Wipe down light switch and outlet covers
• Wash all return air vents and register covers
• Wash and iron all drapes, and rehang
• Wash windows and window sills
• Wipe down all light fixtures
• Dust top and inside shelves of china cabinet
• Vacuum and spot clean upholstery on dining chairs
• Clean table and china cabinet with mild solution of Murphy's Oil Soap
• Clean glass in french entry doors

Bedroom:

• Dust walls, floor to ceiling
• Dust all wall hangings/pictures/artwork
• Wipe down light switch and outlet covers
• Wash all return air vents and register covers
• Wash and iron all drapes, and rehang
• Wash windows and window sills
• Wipe down all light fixtures and lamps
• Vacuum mattress and flip over
• Wash all bedding, comforters/coverlets, pillows
• Vacuum accent pillows
• Wipe all dressers, nightstands, accent furniture
• Vacuum side chair
• Vacuum floors - don't forget under the bed!

Misc:

• Wipe down all baseboards and door and window casing
• Touch up paint
• Make a note as you complete each room of any repairs that are necessary. Do these right away so you don't forget, or hire a repairman.
• Clean out that closet! Donate what you no longer need/want, and properly store the rest
• Wipe down all interior doors, front and back

I hope my lists help you as you do your spring freshen-up! Happy scrubbing!