Days 54 to 56 - Tiles and Glass Blocks

So I worked on tiling the shower basin and curb over the weekend and I think it's going to look really good. I had to mask it all of so the white mortar form the glass block doesn't drip into the cracks between the tiles. I'll be grouting all the tiles with grey -sorry- silver coloured grout after the glass blocks are finished.
I got the all-important first row mortared level and spaced properly. The second row is to insure everything stays together. I'll let it sit overnight and I'll finish it up tomorrow!
This is one of the more enjoyable parts of this project and so to balance things out I've also been raking out rocks from the yard a bit each day.

Day 52 & 53 - More Loose Ends

Mom and Dad painted the whole place over the weekend and it looks great. I probably should have cleaned up a bit for the photo, but you can still get the idea (none of it is my mess anyway).

The past few days have been getting many of the little things done: I finished off the new access hole to the basement, put down subfloor and layed out the heating pad in the main bathroom, poured the concrete base for the walk-in shower, installed all the screens on the windows, finished drywalling behind the shower, and I finished off the fence in the front yard, just to name a few.

The next few days I will be concentrating on putting in the tiles. I'm eager to get going on the glass blocks (watch for the time-lapse on that one) but have a few stages of preparation left before they can start.

There is a lot going on with the electricians all over the house and insulators in the crawlspace. This is the base for the shower. as you can see the evening sun beams through the windows and through what will be the glass blocks. I think it'll look cool. I might have to try it out when it's done.

Day 51 - Finishing the Fence

We finished the fence in the front yard on Thursday. Here is a link to the short video of it's construction: http://photos.imageevent.com/tosoworks/videos/Fence%20build_0001.wmv

Day 50 - Retaining wall and Fence Posts

This morning we finished digging all the post holes for the fence and filled them with posts and concrete. After lunch we loaded up my van half full with fifty landscaping ties and started the retaining wall in the front yard. We are creating two parking spots (one potentially for an RV) by putting in the retaining wall, and the fence on top will give the house some privacy from the busy Peterson Street. The trickiest part (besides digging the friggin holes) was getting the ties level and solid. We got the first few of (maybe) ten rows completed this afternoon. We should get the remaining ties down by lunchtime leaving the afternoon to finish up the lingering half dozen loose ends.

Days 48 & 49 - Exterior work

It looks like a house!

The electricians, plumbers, and insulation guys have all come and gone while I was away and the drywall is currently being finished. Dad and Gustavo finished putting up all the siding.

As we couldn't work inside while the drywallers do their thing, Ryan and I built the deck out back yesterday,

and here is Ryan fighting the rocks to get the first posts in for the fence/retaining wall in the front yard.

We can see the light now!

Hiatus

I have been on a hiatus from the project to allow time for the subtrades to come in and do their thing. We got some of the siding up before I left for the Big Smoke, and Gustavo and Dad have been finishing it up in the past few days. I am currently in Tofino helping my sister Sarah and Dave with their suite over Dave's shop. I'll be heading back up to Campbell River Tuesday or Wednesday to see how far the drywallers have gotten as I would like to get started on the glass block shower. Ryan will be returning for another week and hopefully he can take a huge bite out of the flooring job. We are leaving for my next project in Kyuquot on the 24th of May so time is winding down...