Irregular project updates

Once the initial site-work for the project was underway (as documented in 4. site-work, I started emailing updates to the project team. I'd planned to do this weekly, but did't quite get around to it as much as I should have.

The following are extracted from the emails I sent.

Subject: Grove project update 2017-8-27
Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2017 16:23:21 -0400

Here's a summary of recent activities.

  1. A decision has been made about the W2 window issue. We'll change it to match the W4 window (center slider), and add a couple of electrical outlets to compensate for the loss of wall outlets.
  2. Martha and Trevor visited the door vendor and had a good discussion re multi-point locks, double-door weatherproofing, etc. The decision was made to go with a single 42"x96" with matching sidelights and a "new technology" multi-point system that overcomes some of the awkwardness of previous systems. The attached gives an approximation of the look.
  3. We visited the site in Friday. The columns are almost complete, and backfill is scheduled next week, with framing to follow.

-trg

Subject: Grove project weekly update 2017-9-4
Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2017 23:07:32 -0400

Highlights from last week and plans for this week.

  1. Foundation work continues: last columns forms installed, basement prepared for concrete.
  2. Decisions made:
    1. Window quote from INLINE finalized and order in progress. A 9 to 11 week delay is anticipated. We decided to change the W3 to match the W4 and leave W3 as is. The openings for W2 and W4 will be on the right (viewed from outside) per recommendation from the INLINE rep.
    2. Front door selected, along with other utility doors.
    3. Electrical plan and revised mechanical spec received.
    4. Updated plan sets delivered to Grey Highlands Building Dept (electronic and two paper copies). Trevor provided a brief summary overview of changes to the inspector.
    5. Upcoming this week: prepare for backfill and other sitework (trenching), scheduled for Sept 11. Trevor to move existing cedar fence by then.
    Longer-term decisions are pending for electrical fixtures (other that pot lights) and plumbing Fixtures. Martha and Trevor are working on these.

That's it for this week.

-trg

Subject: Grove project bi-weekly update for 2017-9-17
Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2017 00:50:50 -0400

Hello all. Here is a summary of the past couple of weeks and the plan for the next couple of weeks.

  1. Backfill completed. It took close to 500 cubic yards of fill from the farm plus another 20 (?) loads of sand and gravel to finish the site rough grade. The crew worked from Monday to Friday around noon. Martha and I last saw it on Thursday afternoon.
  2. Trenching and conduit for hydro and gas completed. Concrete was poured for the gas-line from the propane tank and for the hydro from the road. On Friday the trenching for the gas from the garage to the house and for the last electric line across the driveway was to be completed.
  3. Plans for this week. Nothing planned this week. Framing is to start next week (25th) (hopefully).
  4. Other notes:

For pictures of the footings, foundation and backfill, see: 4. footings-foundation. It's in a strange order so you have to scroll through the whole page to see every stage (my webmaster ;) will be working on that soon). Click on any picture to see the full-size version.

-trg

Subject: Grove residence -- midweek update 2017-9-27
Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2017 00:47:23 -0400

I didn't get this out on Sunday. Better late that never (?).

  1. last week:
  2. this week:
  3. next week:
  4. Changes:
    1. The garage window on the north side (facing the road) has been eliminated. There were problems with required clearances for gas and electric along the outside north wall (basically 10' between each, 10' from the door and then another 10' for the proposed generator location) (we're considering adding back the generator).
    2. The specs for the garage windows above the ground-floor were fed into the manufacturer's configuration software, and it came back with three-pane windows instead of two panes (we presume because of the width). This change was accepted.

-trg
http://grove.ca/trevor/and-now/misc/house/house.html

Subject: Grove residence project update for 2017-10-9
Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2017 01:23:18 -0400

Last week:

Next week:

That's all for now.

-trg
http://grove.ca/house

Subject: Grove residence project update for 2017-10-16
Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2017 05:51:55 -0400

Activities:

-trg
http://grove.ca/house
Attachment: West Grey-20171014-00623.jpg

Subject: Grove residence project update for 2017-11-9
Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2017 22:58:59 -0500

Hello all.

I see that I'm overdue for an update.

That's it for now. I'll try not to delay so long for the next update. The website has latest pictures: grove.ca/house.

-trg

Subject: Grove residence: update for 2017-11-22
Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2017 22:41:32 -0500

Hello all.

Things have been progressing nicely in the last 10 days. We have two teams working on distinct activities:

The garage exteriors should be done this week, and the team will move to working on the house. I visited on Monday and Martha and I will be going back Thursday the 23rd. Aaron's site visit will definitely not be next week (week of 27th); we'll see how things go. I expect we'll be looking at later in the week of Dec 4 or the week of Dec 11.

That's all for now.
-trg

Subject: Grove residence: update for 2017-12-7
Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2017 00:13:35 -0500

Hello everyone.

There's been lots of progress since the last update. Highlights:

Other items completed on the house: House upcoming: Aaron's site visit is scheduled for the 14th but we'll have a conversation (offline) as to whether or not this is too early.

I'll be onsite next week Tuesday and Thursday, the latter to meet with a satellite guy to discuss dish locations (in advance of pre-wiring).

That's all for now.
-trg

Subject: Grove residence: update for 2017-12-23
Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2017 00:13:35 -0500

Hello all. Merry Christmas and Season's Greetings!

Work on the house is forging ahead. I visited on the 14th and the 21st; see the photos at 5. framing/house/2017-12. The video clip MOV_20171221_1334017-web is just 68 seconds long and not too bad for streaming online. It gives a nice sense of the space.

Highlights of the progress:

The site will be shut down over the holidays, with work resuming on January 2, 2018. Upcoming priorities in January include: Discussion points:

That's all for now. Happy holidays, Happy New Year and see you in February.
-trg

Subject: Grove residence: update for 2018-2-5
Date: Mon, 5 Feb 2018 03:02:38 -0500

Hello all. Much progress has been made since the last update. Framing is substantially complete, the roof is weather-tight with some steel installed and windows are starting to be installed. Most of the interior framing is done (as much as can be done before the concrete slab is poured). It's really beginning to feel like a house.

First of all, Aaron visited the site on Thursday (Feb 1). He has circulated his report already. In summary, there were a couple of minor comments and some suggestions. I'll re-iterate some these here to give my perspective. As usual, the latest photos can be seen at 5. framing/house/2018-1. On my next visit I'll try to do another video walk-through.

Upcoming activities:

So by Feb 19 or so, we should have all the windows installed and all of the rough-ins in place to do the slab pour.

Decisions, clarifications and changes: over the last month, several decisions and clarifications changes have been made. Aaron has already commented on some of these. I'm repeating the ones that impact appearance or design. These are not in any particular order.

That's all for now.
-trg

Subject: Grove residence: update for 2018-2-19
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2018 03:49:16 -0500

Hello all. It's been a busy couple of weeks. Work has progressed at a good pace (details below). We've made final decisions about flooring and interior doors, and have made some finish changes along the way.

Note that I've reorganized the photos on the website. It was getting too complicated to use the functional organization (framing vs interior), so now it's just organized by date. You can start at: http://grove.ca/trevor/and-now/misc/house/library/toc.php?path=5. construction. The latest video of a walk-through is at http://grove.ca/trevor/and-now/misc/house/library/5. construction/2018-2/MOV_20180205_1419059-web.mov.

Accomplished:

Plumbing details:

Decisions and changes: we've made decisions and changes as follows:

Upcoming activities/to do list:

That's all for now.
-trg

Subject: Grove residence: update for 2018-3-2
Date: Fri, 2 Mar 2018 01:20:10 -0500

Hello all. Here is a short update with the latest project news. The latest photos are at: http://grove.ca/trevor/and-now/misc/house/library/toc.php?path=5. construction/2018-2/house.

In progress and recently completed:

Upcoming activities:

That's all for now.
-trg

Subject: Grove residence: update for 2018-4-5
Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2018 01:06:24 -0400

Hello all.

It's been a busy month since the last update.

The weather did not co-operate with getting the ground thawed enough to pour concrete, so work continued on the exterior roofing, siding and soffit/fascia. By the week of the 23rd the ground was OK so the concrete went in on Monday and Tuesday of that week. It had a couple of good days above 0 to cure, running the salamander at night.

This week, the framing for the interior walls was completed and so the electrical rough-in has started. The plumbing rough-in continues. Exquisite Design was onsite Tuesday to do final measurements for the kitchen. We had to move the electrical outlets above the kitchen and scullery counters because there isn't space between the countertop and the window sill. A couple of switch locations had to be changed because they ended up in the middle of posts. In the guest bathroom one set of the switches ended up inside the bathtub so it's been moved to be outside the bathroom (on the sitting-room wall).

I had planned to do the media cabling myself but because of timing constraints and my relatively slow pace I've asked the electrical subcontractor to take care of it. We had a discussion about what I would like to see done.

Van Dolders delivered the doors. The front door is huge and looks great. I eagerly await it being installed.

The mason will be onsite next week (week of the 9th) to start getting organized. He has to get the block-work done before the exterior siding can be finished.

Other than that, the plan is to finish the rough-ins over the next 10 days and then start insulating.

The latest photos are at:

That's all for now.

  -trg

Subject: Grove residence: update for 2018-5-29
Wed, 30 May 2018 03:41:29 -0400

Hello all. I've not done an update for almost two months (since early April), so I thought I should summarize what's been going on.

Upcoming activities: some of the planned activities over the next few weeks include

The latest photos are at:

There are some video walkthroughs in the latter that give a better sense of the space than the still photos. However, be aware that they're each about 45Mb so you might not want to look at these on a phone.

A friend of ours, who is a pilot, over-flew the area recently and snapped some photos:

That's all for now.

  -trg

Subject: Grove residence: update for 2018-6-30
Sat, 30 Jun 2018 01:33:19 -0400

Hello all. As we come to the end of the 13th month on the project, we can see the end in sight!

In the last month, we've mostly finished the outside work on the house. We've very pleased with the way it looks. Still to do is the outdoor room (which has been measured and is ready to go once things quiet down -- we don't want to risk damage while there is still lots of activity), and the concrete work for the front, side (east elevation) and rear walkways and the walk between the garage and house. While interior work is continuing, the forms for the concrete pour will be built, and the heating loops installed.

The drywall has all been installed, and the taping is almost complete, including all of the z-channel trims around the windows and doors:

(full size) (full size)

Mudding and sanding is next, probably lasting until the second week of July.

The stairs have been installed! Even in their semi-finished, unpainted state they really change the perception of the space:

(full size) (full size) (full size)

The stair railings are being made now and will be installed once they are ready.

The plumbing crew has spent a few days onsite. We now have running water (in the basement only, at the pressure tank) and the heating/DHW boiler has been installed.

The saga of the satellite internet service seems to have ended -- we now have internet service. It's a few months ahead of schedule, but it needed to be installed before the service provider change their product definitions. Again.

Following the drywall, the summer schedule looks something like this:

That probably takes until the end of August. We're on track for the appliance installation and the barnwood door installation around Sept 1.

That's all for now. Lots of pictures at http://grove.ca/trevor/and-now/misc/house/library/toc.php?path=5.%20construction/2018-6.

 -trg

Subject: Grove residence: update for 2018-8-15
Wed, 15 Aug 2018 01:33:19 -0400

Hello all. It's hard to believe that it's already the middle of August, and it's been six weeks since the last update.

Since the beginning of July, things have gone smoothly:

As space opened up in the garage, we took the liberty of emptying the storage containers with our furniture and storing everything in the workshop side of the garage. This has the added bonus of providing a working refrigerator.

Upcoming:

There are lots of pictures at

Here are some highlights:

Painting:

(full size) (full size)

Outdoor heated walkway (before and after concrete):

(full size) (full size)

Flooring:

(full size) (full size)

Kitchen:

(full size) (full size)

That's all for now.

 -trg

Subject: Grove residence: update for 2018-8-29
Thu, 30 Aug 2018 00:11:59 -0400

Hello all. This is just a short update to show some of the work that's happened in the last couple of weeks.

Basically:

Upcoming:

There are lots of pictures at

Here are some highlights:

Kitchen:

(full size) (full size) (full size)

Bathroom wall & floor tiling:

(full size) (full size)

Flooring:

(full size)

That's all for now.

 -trg

Subject: Grove residence: update for 2018-9-17
Mon, 17 Sep 2018 00:57:59 -0400

Hello all. This is just a short update to show some of the work that's happened in the last couple of weeks.

Done:

Upcoming:

There are lots of pictures at

Here are some highlights:

(full size) (full size) (full size) (full size) (full size) (full size) (full size)

That's all for now.

 -trg

Subject: Grove residence: update for 2018-10-8
Tue, 9 Oct 2018 00:37:29 -0400

Hello all. As we enter the home stretch (pun intended) for the project, here is the latest update:

Done:

So, it's pretty close to being "livable" at this point. There's a couple of items required for the occupancy permit, notably the interior glass railings around the balcony/bridge and the exterior glass railings for the deck.

In progress/upcoming:

We're looking at getting the occupancy permit for November 1. There may still be some details to complete, but we can start planning a move-in before the snow hits.

There are lots of pictures at

Here are some highlights:

( full size) ( full size) ( full size) ( full size) ( full size) ( full size) ( full size)

We were visiting in the area last weekend and drove past the site in darkness. As we'd never seen the place in the dark, we took the opportunity to check out the lighting at night-time:

( full size) ( full size)

That's all for now.

  -trg

Subject: Grove residence: update for 2018-10-24
Wed, 24 Oct 2018 22:42:48 -0400

Hello all. Well, we're almost done: this will be my last in-progress report. The next one will be the occupancy report.

The only critical work in progress at the moment is the interior glass railing. It's started, and should be done this week. Next week there will be some touchups and minor work:

We think we can apply for the occupancy permit next week.

There are lots of pictures at

Here are some recent highlights:

Barn doors and barn-wood features:

( full size) ( full size) ( full size) ( full size) ( full size) ( full size)

I should note that the shelving and headboard were created by Ari, our lead carpenter, who did a fantastic job with the left-overs from the door manufacturer. Not shown are the shelves that will be installed into the downstairs bathroom.

Lighting:

( full size) ( full size)

Sunroom:

( full size) ( full size)

Interior glass railing:

( full size) ( full size)

That's all for now.

  -trg