Been there, done that

Yikes!  Have I gone back in time? Seems to me that we did drywall a long time ago now.  Len is right back at it, this time up in the garage loft.   It has to be in before we can get our final inspection.  We carried up 20 sheets to get him started.

Using the lift means I don't have to help much

First of 50 sheets up

Len is hoping to get the ceiling mostly done before Kyla comes up on Saturday.  The plan is to finish getting the board up while she is here.  She is the drywall queen!  Unlike me .... I hate lifting the stuff!
Cath

Soapstone counters AND sink AND tile

So last night after I finished the blog, I casually said, "it's not too late, let's do the tile too".  So we did.  And then today it got grout and the sink got put in and my oh my, the kitchen is....done!  Except for a floor.  And the under counter lighting.  And a bit of trim.  Ok, so it's not totally done, but close enough.

Tiling queen and her tiara of light

The finished tile and the beautiful stone

My personal favourite piece

You can see the blues and yellows that set off the cabinets so nicely

Sink in place with new faucet

It will be a shame to clutter up these countertops

All that thinking and dreaming actually came to be

Amazing if I don't say so myself.
Cath

Soapstone Counters part two

Sunday we put the counters into place, several times actually, to make sure everything fit.  I did another sanding before we actually set them into place for the last time.  Len cut grooves on the inside joints for the epoxy to really get in there.  Then we set them in place on a bead of silicone.  Then we mixed up the epoxy and black tint and applied it to all the joints.  When all was said and done it looked kind of terrible.  Len assured me that it would look good in the end.

Slots for epoxy

Clampage

We mixed black tint with the epoxy

Epoxy applied to the edges

Looks bad now but wait for it

Getting the seam just right

 Monday am Len started sanding, first with 80 grit, then 120 and finally 220.  The result is really nice.

After all the sanding is done but not oiled yet

Next he fitted the back molding and made a 45 degree cut for the corner.  Then more preparationto protect the counter and then we used silicone and epoxy to set the molding.

A small adjustment to the molding

Tape on the edge

More tape on the ends so the epoxy doesn't make such a mess

Mixing more epoxy

Epoxy mess

The corner put together

Now we wait overnight for the epoxy to harden before we can go any further.  Stay tuned.


Cath

Soapstone Counter part one

On Friday, Len got the small railing done as far as he can go before the floor is in.

Small railing started

Len's patented rail attachment system

Ready to roll

 Remember my comments about the drywall?  Well, here are your pictures.

1/2 in each load

The pile in the living room

Saturday I decided to get the blinds put up in our bedroom

I got all four done "all by myself"

 Meanwhile, the main project of the weekend, the soapstone countertops, was underway.  We had two large pieces of rock to be cut into the various parts of the counter.

Careful measuring - we want to get this right

Using a special blade makes it pretty easy

Much soapstone dust

 After the pieces were of a size to be carried, Len took them outside to cut

Less dust this way

 Then came many hours of sanding - using our orbital sander

 Then it was time to remove the classy plywood counters and everything on them so that the stone could be fitted.

The last look at the plywood counter - good riddance!

One of the smaller pieces being fitted

 When it came to cutting the very smallest pieces - the back molding - Len used the table saw and got a nice straight cut that way

A piece ready to go

Putting an angle on the back molding

Len finished off each piece by sanding it smooth

 For the front edge of the counter, we decided to try the router and it worked fine.

Putting an angle on the front apron

Pieces that were too large to take out were routered in the house.

Tomorrow we should be able to show you the whole kitchen in place.  Then a final fine sanding, cleaning and oiling.  The soapstone turns a lovely dark colour with all the veins standing out beautifully.

Time out

I got home from the lower mainland on Wednesday evening.  The weather was great everywhere except within 5 miles of our house.  I had picked up my new-to-me vehicle, a 2004 Highlander from my sister Elaine, in Vancouver.  Glad to have AWD to feel more secure on the highway and with all this ice.

Len finished the rail and it looks great.  Then he took some time off of house stuff to clean up the shop so that a vehicle (mine?) can fit in it.  He also fixed up the shop big doors to eliminate drafts and added some insulation.  He is actually out there now, finishing up on the insulation of the doors.

This afternoon he took the trailer to the lumber yard for 50 sheets of 8ft drywall to do above the garage.  We carried them in and, guess what, they are stacked in the living room!  Here I thought that those days were over.

Kyla is coming up next weekend and will help with the drywall or whatever is left to do.  Ha ha.  Lots left, take your pick.

Ok, that is your update for the moment.  Do you really need to see pictures of stacks of drywall?  Didn't think so.  If there is something notable happens this weekend, we will be sure to let you know.  I am voting to have the soapstone countertop put in.  If that happens, look for the blow-by-blow pictures.

Cath

Fit it, cut it, fit it, cut it, fit it, cut it.................

Finally got finished the stair rail ro the loft.  I must say that this has used more brain cells than any other project.  There are just too many variables and I didn't want to have to remake anything as it all takes so long to create. I think that I have come up with a pretty good likeness of a stair rail incorporating a handrail and all to code as well.  It is an easy 2 inches from the smoke chamber of the fireplace.

Newel post secured

Rails fitted

Handrail ready for attachment

The handrail attached to the cutdown 2 x 6

Everybody secured together

A completed project

Looks pretty good if I do say so myself

I can now concentrate on finishing the small railing by the stairs.  I'm still not sure what to do with the little space past the post by the fireplace but I'm sure something will come to mind as I work on it.

Len

Range hood is in

More work on the stair railing today including fitting the top and bottom rail pieces and cutting and fitting the first two starter pickets. This gives me an idea of where the lower post will be cut off. Cathryn put varathane on the pickets and other bits so tomorrow I should be able to assemble everything.

Just about time to cut this post to length

While waiting for varethane to dry I took on another project. Since my visit by Todd the inspector I found out that I need to have the range hood finished to pass our final inspection. One more thing to do, so away we go.  We decided to put the venting inside the wall as opposed to inside the cabinet.  This meant a trip up into the attic to cut a hole in the upper double plate for the plenum. This done I was able to lower a modified unit down to the hole behind the range hood.

Prepping the plenum

prepping the wall

 A little wiring and foil tape for leaks and voila.

The finished product

Of course there is the issue of all that insulation we blew in the attic.  I had left it piled high away from the plenum work area.    I had to build up the walls of the attic access hole and pull all that insulation back in place for even coverage now that we won't be up there anymore.

Tomorrow after I drive Cathryn to Williams Lake I will finish the stairway, hopefully.

Len