The things that make us happy

Oh the joy, the rapture!  Today I washed a load of dishes in a DISHWASHER and did a load of laundry in my WASHER and DRYER.  Doesn't get any better than this for a day's work.  Actually, it could be just a bit better...let's try having 4 burners on a stovetop and a sink in the kitchen!

Anyway, the day also included doing tiling in the laundry room while Len worked on things in the kitchen.

Here are the pictures to prove it!

The subfloor is in

Light in the laundry room

Laying tile

Towels in the washer

The washer and dryer

Len cutting subfloor for the powder room - tomorrow's project to tile

Tomorrow Len will continue on the kitchen and will put in a temporary countertop of plywood so the sink and stovetop can go in and be used until we get our final countertop.

Cath

Spend time on an island she said

I knew that today would be complicated so I got at it right away with a trip into 100 Mile to get some ABS fittings and vacuum fittings. Code says that since my dishwasher is in an island and doesn't have access to a vent stack I must install a special unit called an air admittance valve to allow venting in the cabinet.  We also decided to install a kick plate vacuum unit which took some doing to figure out the installation without our flooring in place.  This and all of the water stuff for the dishwasher including power, had to be in place before the island actually got set in place.

Vent in the foreground

Dishwasher gubbins and vacuum unit

 I secured the island to the plinth and then it was time to put the top on. Luckily Pat, from our bluegrass band, came by and I solicited his help in moving the top from the shop to the house. This sucker is heavy.

The top in place

A finish strip is still needed around the plinth.

I ran the dishwasher through a cycle and it seems fine.  Looking forward to having a place to hide dirty dishes.

Len

A plinth by any other name

The kitchen progress is going well as I have completed the plinth (Swedish for base thingy) and set the lower cabinets in place.  We have had some issues with switches on the wall and a counter plug. I did have to modify the sink cabinet by removing 1 inch in width but it won't affect too much except the doors.

Plinth with cutout for heater vent

Fitting the units

Pantry, microwave and oven units

Corner cabinet with pull out shelving

Modifying the sink cabinet

All cabinets in place

 Today I started on the island which has many issues.  There is a plug on the south side, a central vacuum kick unit on the cupboard side, plumbing and drain for the dishwasher as well as power. I will have to go into town for some fittings tomorrow to complete the install.

Island set on it's plinth

Fitting the dishwasher

  More exiting kitchen details tomorrow.

Len

Starting the Kitchen

The drywall is ever so close to being totally done.  Norm did the repair on the wall next to the vacuflo and  is going around looking closely for touch-ups.

Repair

Norm up on the scaffold examining his workmanship

Len had this idea to finish all the painting and then start the kitchen.  Hmm, I don't think so!  And being the good guy he is, he agreed to let me continue painting when the drywall is 100% done and in the meanwhile he will start the cabinets.

The start of this part of the project involved much measuring and then dragging the cabinets out of the garage where they were filled and or buried beneath boxes and "stuff".

Out from the garage

Measuring and leveling

A start to the plinth

We have to do a little de-construction to make the cupboards fit perfectly and so the sink will end up under the window.  These cabinets were made back in Kelowna over a year ago before there were any walls up inside, so it was a bit of a gamble.  Looks like everything will work out pretty well.

Painting and more painting

Today was a painting day.  Len spent the whole time cutting in and I did the rolling.  This is because Len can actually paint a straight line whereas I can not.  We put a nice long handle on the roller so no climbing up on a ladder or chair for me.  Reason number two to do the rolling.

The kitchen completed - the white part is behind the cupboards

The lower half in "Florentine Plaster", the upper yet to be finished

 After we finished the dining room, kitchen, laundry room, powder room, back hall, front hall and the lower half of the great room, we did some serious clean up.  We took the protective wraps off all the posts at last.  Then we prepared the stairs for the drywall finishers to go up and down.  Len also did a repair of his boo-boo.

Len's repair of the vacuflo.  Has to be mudded and painted. 

The base (foot) of the stairs

Paper on the steps to keep them a bit cleaner.

It was a beautiful day and so of course Banjo and I enjoyed a couple of walks as well as a bit of time in the garden at lunch time.  I see something has been nibbling at my rhubarb.  I thought the leaves were poisonous.  Well no dead deer in the yard anyway.

Back to work tomorrow and Norm and Lynn will be here to finish the drywall.
Cath

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!" He chortled in his joy.

Well today (Saturday) was momentous in a couple of ways.  The primer coat was finished for the main level, except for where the drywall finishers aren't done yet (Master Suite).  Even got some of the finished colour on the wall behind the stairs.

Did I say STAIRS?  Yes, we actually have some lovely, hand-crafted stairs in place for the loft!

Kitchen primed

Back hallway

 Here is a little review of the stair construction, which took place over one long day, once the parts were milled and finished.

Step one, get the stairs into the slots on the stringers

Here all one side is attached, you can see the slots for the other side

Once they were in place and secured with lag bolts, Len added the finishing touch of oak pegs

Laying over the stairwell - don't ask how we got it there, but we did.

First lift, up onto the lower sawhorse

Len cleverly lifting the stairs onto the next higher sawhorse (he reports it is heavy)

Lifted to this height - sketchy

Out comes the jack and no more brute lifting

Ta da!  Happy Camper

The wall Len is sitting next to is painted the final colour which is sort of the colour of the drywall before it was primed (grey-green-beige)  I think it is called Florentine Plaster.  Hmmm.

The only big issue is that we miscalculated and have partly buried our vacuflow outlet behind the stringer.  So Len's job tomorrow is to cut a hole in the closet in the office (yes, already primed) and figure out a way to move it.  My job will be to do the painting on the main level.  This is getting exciting!  I can see a kitchen in my future!
Cath

Finally some rail progress

I have been concentrating on the loft rail today. I created a drilling jig for my forstner bit to cut square to the face for proper alignment of the oak pins that I will use to attach this post and the rail above it.

The jig ready to go after it is screwed down

The post ready to accept the pins

The post glued in place

Three posts, the middle one shorter

Prepping the rail

A dadoed slot for the spindles

The rail in place

Tomorrow I will attach the ends of the rail to the corner posts.  The drywall is complete in the kitchen, laundry, office and powder room so lots of painting to get done.  Cathryn will be back from a work trip tomorrow but too late to do any painting.  I'll keep her busy on the weekend.

Len

Posts are in

Today I spent time installing the two end posts for the loft railing.  They have to be in first before I can work on the flooring up there.

This is the post by the front entrance

Looking from west to east

From east to west

I went into town and got a 14 foot piece of fir from Joe Manette.  He is the guy who milled all of our trees into useable pieces.  I don't have anything that long so I got one from him for the top rail which will go from post to post. I am going to install the rail so I can put the center post under it and have it fit nice and level. I put another coat of varethane on the stair treads, only one more coat to go.

The kitchen area is almost ready for paint as is the laundry and the back hall.

Len

Stairs and rails, drywall, dogs and dinner

The drywall continues with Norm and Lynn giving it their best as you will see. Norm says that I should be able to paint the wall where the stairs will be and the kitchen area by Thursday. They are doing a great job and quite quickly as far as I can tell.

Norm and Lynn hard at it

I can't put varathane on the stair treads during the day as I have to wait till drywalling is done when Norm and Lynn head home. This being the case I have started on the railing for the loft area.

These are some of the timbers that were milled from trees on our property.

I am going to use them for corner posts on the rail 

The planer is getting a workout

I have my big vacuum set up and it sure saves the dust quotient

Lots of sanding as well but they look great

Finished sanding

I will be milling the bottom of both of these posts to fit into a square hole at the top of the timbers

Here is one o the holes 

And here is the other

Everyone has left so now I am on to the varathane. I am using the stair stringers for support as I won't be putting any varathane in the last 1 inch.

Set up and ready to go

All done and time for a dog walk then dinner.

It's 8:30 sounds like a pizza night.

Len