Building Ryan's House

Virtual Tour

2007-07-23T22:32:00.001-07:00

Take a virtual tour through the completed house:

http://photos.imageevent.com/tosoworks/videos/643%20Petersen_.wmv

enjoy!

This may be my last post for Ryan's house. I am now building another two houses in Kyuquot. I've got my good friends Nolan and Don helping me out and so far we have one nearly locked up.

2007-07-08T23:40:00.000-07:00

Ok so I have been neglecting my blogging duties... I have been pretty busy and mostly away from a computer. We have finished Ryan's house completely and it has passed the final inspection. Now I have started another big project building two more homes way out in Kyuquot. Kyuquot is a small native village on the west coast of Vancouver Island. We are building two houses for the school board for teachers to live in. I also just finished carving another log for the annual chainsaw carving contest. I'll have pictures on my website next time I have a few hours to edit and upload them. Unfortunately we won't have access to the internet while in camp so it might take me a few weeks or maybe even months...

Day 64 - Finishing Touches

2007-06-08T18:52:00.000-07:00

There are still many little things to be done to this home before it's ready to be moved into, but we are getting very close. Today we had the last of the trades in to finish up the plumbing and electrical (they both still need to come back for a few minor details). The place is looking better and better everyday. I think I might want to move in!

Glass Block Shower

2007-06-08T09:33:00.000-07:00

I finally have the time lapse animation of the glass block shower assembly! Check it out: http://photos.imageevent.com/tosoworks/videos/Glass%20Block%20Shower.wmv

Day 63 - More Tiling

2007-06-07T00:02:00.000-07:00

Here is the almost finished bathroom; it just lacks the toilet, the sink, and the showerheads which the plumber will install on Friday. I will have the time lapse of the installation of the glass block wall just as soon as I get a few hours free time. And at this stage I have very little free time left (we are leaving for Kyuquot on Sunday to build two more houses). Dad has been working on the countertop and it looks great! We'll hang the upper cabinets tomorrow and install the doors and drawer fronts. Then we can move in the fridge, stove and dishwasher as they were delivered yesterday and are sitting in the garage.
I tiled the floor in the laundry room. More grouting for tomorrow...

Days 57 to 62 - The Home Stretch

2007-06-05T23:23:00.000-07:00

I've been working long hours and thus have neglected my blog duties.

I finished the glass blocks for the shower and it looks awesome. I put together a time-lapse movie of the process but have yet to finish it up for this blog. It's coming...

In the mean time we've got lots done in the past few days.

Don helped us out for a few days installing the bamboo floor and assembling all the cabinets. The reason he looks disembodied in the photo is because it is I stitched two photos together to get it all in but Don was only in one of them.
We've been working on getting the cabinets ready for the countertop so the plumber can install the sink.
And here is the main bathroom floor with its tiles, ready for cabinets, sink, and a toilet. I've been working on the master bathroom for the past few days and will photograph it when it's all done. It's going to look pretty cool.

Days 54 to 56 - Tiles and Glass Blocks

2007-05-28T23:37:00.001-07:00

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

2007-05-24T22:49:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-21T12:26:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-16T22:59:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-15T18:10:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-06T19:16:00.000-07:00

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...

Day 45 - Hydro and Gutters

2007-04-18T23:59:00.000-07:00

Phew! Busy day today. The gutter guys started in the morning. Then BC Hydro stopped in to switch over to our buried cables for power and install the new meter. The plumber was in and out throughout the day. And Gustavo, Dad, and I worked on getting all the necessary little things done in preparation for the siding.
As you can see we got all the strapping on except for the front gable end (above the garage door). Tomorrow we put on our first piece of siding...

Day 44 - Almost there

2007-04-17T23:18:00.000-07:00

We are getting close now! We are nearly ready to start putting up the siding. And, the interior framing is 99.9% complete (I have a handful of pieces yet to be cut and installed). The plumbers and electricians are doing their thing inside while we work on sealing up the envelope.

I installed the remaining windows and doors today...

...while Gustavo got almost all of the strapping up.

Days 42 & 43 - Loose ends

2007-04-16T23:21:00.000-07:00

As both Friday and today (Monday) it was raining pretty hard, I spent most of my time indoors tying up loose ends. I got all the backing done on Friday (and a bit on the weekend) and today after framing the skylights, I crawled down into the crawl space to finish nailing all the cross-ties between the joists. I also spent some time cleaning up the jobsite. It's starting to look good in there!

Here you can see the three skylights and the vaulted ceiling are going to open up and add a lot of natural light into the main part of the house.

Day 41 - Lock up!

2007-04-12T19:55:00.000-07:00

We are officially locked up! You can see the front door directly behind my van which we hung at the end of the day today. Obviously the garage is still open, but we threw up some drywall on the back wall and closed off the entry so with all the windows and the front door in, we are locked up!

We put up the paper on the east wall but ran out of time to strap it properly, so I had Gustavo tack some straps on to keep the paper from blowing away (we are supposed to have another storm roll in overnight). I guess he decided to get creative.

Days 39 & 40 - Strapping and Windows

2007-04-11T22:26:00.000-07:00

Today we got a good start on the strapping in preparation for the Hardie-plank siding. We are using the 'rain drain' system which is now the code in BC, where we run vertical strapping under between the siding and the tar paper. This 3/4" space allows any water that might get behind the siding to run down the paper and /or dry up.

Here Ryan is preparing the window openings for the window installation. We now have seven out of eleven windows installed and sealed tight. We should get the remainder in tomorrow. We are hoping to have the house locked up by Friday.

Day 38 - Interior walls

2007-04-09T23:22:00.000-07:00

So here's what the house looked like when I got back from my trip to Vancouver. Ryan is back for the week to help us get a jump on the siding. Today we mainly worked inside getting the remaining interior walls put together. The vaulted ceiling made things interesting but in the end it'll be worth it the time it took.

The Roofers Were Here!

2007-04-09T23:15:00.000-07:00

After the snow melted, the roofers came and indeed slapped on the shingles. They arrived at 8:30 am and were done by 2 pm!
They did a great job.

Days 37 & 38 - Finishing off the roof

2007-04-09T23:06:00.000-07:00

This is what the house looked like Thursday afternoon, and I forgot my camera on Friday. In this picture it looks like we're almost done, however the whole back and north side (above the garage) has yet to be done, but with the help of Dave and Don, we managed to finish sheathing the roof by lunchtime on Friday. It's now ready for the roofers to come in next week and slap on the shingles. I am taking a break from the project once again to head back home for a week.

Day 35 - Sheathing the roof

2007-03-28T17:54:00.000-07:00

Here I am yesterday working out the gable end trusses over the master bathroom. Unfortunately, Gustavo had to leave early as he had six sheets of plywood fall onto his leg and he hurt his knee. Hopefully he'll be better soon.
Dad helped me out in the morning and we got a good start on the three sides of the roof. Once we lay out the first row all the way around the house, it shouldn't take long to finish it all up. We've got a roofer coming next Wednesday to put on the shingles.
I'll be heading home to Vancouver this weekend and I won't be back until the following weekend so I can get some projects I've been delaying done. Also Ryan and Shannon will be here that week and we'll most likely get the siding started.

Day 33 - Starting the Roof

2007-03-26T20:52:00.000-07:00

Well we waited for the rain to stop and stop it did. After a beautiful sunny weekend I got to work in my t-shirt once again!

I got a few more pieces of the puzzle put together today, you can see the 'valley' directly above my van in the photo where I was able to start the sheathing and with help from my dad I got the 'gable end' over the master bathroom in place. Gustavo should be back helping me tomorrow and the rest of the week so we should get all the sheathing done and maybe some windows in by the end of the week.

Day 32 - Garage Trussed

2007-03-22T23:15:00.000-07:00

We got the trusses on the garage and Gustavo sheathed the remainder of the house on Tuesday, then Wednesday morning we tried working for a few hours but had to stop as the rain/snow/wind combination was a bit too much for both of us. Considering we were climbing in on and around cold, wet slippery trusses we thought it best if we take the rest of the day off. Unfortunately today, Thursday was no better. Dad had a few things we could work on indoors and I always have projects on the go so after getting Gustavo set up building a wall in the RCMP building, I went down to my dad's shop to work on the picture frames I am making from an old table leaf from my late great-aunt Bernice.
Hopefully tomorrow's weather will be a little more forgiving and we can get some sheets on the roof so the last few pieces of the puzzle can be set in place.

Day 31 - Four Corners

2007-03-19T23:09:00.000-07:00

The light from the sun was dazzling as it seems it's been awhile since we last saw such a sight. Today was another good day greatly assisted by the sun.
My latest helper Gustavo and I got quite a bit done. He nailed on all the "Hurricane Anchors", which is a tedious chore, while I pieced together the four corners of the truss work.

Like Gustavo said today, "It's like a giant Lego set". It's pretty exciting to see it all come together.

Day 30 - Spreading out the trusses

2007-03-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

That's me standing on the beam and that's my dad inside stabilizing the trusses as they go in.
Ryan and I are on each end as we slide each truss into position, but as this ceiling is vaulted, the trusses are very top heavy. Dad built a clever tool to help keep the trusses from flipping over as we dragged them across the walls.
My feet were getting tired from balancing on the slippery walls.

And here it is, the house is starting to look more and more like a house! We got all the big trusses spread out and into position. There are still many pieces to the puzzle to go, but for now it's time for a weekend. Monday we'll continue putting in bracing and other required pieces to keep everything solid, and then we can start sheathing the roof.

Day 29 - Trusses arrive!

2007-03-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

Our trusses arrived right on schedule and we set them on the walls approximately where they'll go. They come in bundles and it'll be our job in the next few days to spread them out and put them in there respective locations. Each piece is unique and labelled and we'll be solving a giant puzzle in getting them in the right spots.
After all the trusses are set on the walls, we braced them well for the night as another storm is blowing in. We've been pretty lucky with the weather this week. It sure

slows things down when it rains. Or snows...

Day 28 - Finishing the walls

2007-03-17T13:24:00.000-07:00

Here's Ryan putting together the wall that will divide the master bedroom from the main living area. Today we focused on completing all the interior walls in preparation for the trusses which will be delivered tomorrow!
We got the beams installed yesterday (the big "T" in front of the main door and the one that spans the garage door opening). We are almost ready for trusses...

Day 27 - Digging the Trench

2007-03-13T21:43:00.000-07:00

Ryan is here for the week and it's a good week for him to be here. Lots is happening this week. Yesterday we put up a few more walls (in the garage area) and today we had the excavator in to dig us a trench. The trench is for the 'Teck' cable to supply the house with underground power (the black line in the above picture), the (white) water line, and the (orange) pipe for the telephone and cable. We discovered that the neighbour's water is connected to our shut off valve so after interrupting his shower (!), we had to get the city involved and with the city inspectors and plumbers needing to be on site, it ended up taking all day!

The excavator got the new power pole installed, the trench filled, and cleaned up the whole front yard. He did a really good job. Ryan and I also snapped all the lines inside the house where the interior walls will be. Tomorrow we need to sheet the rest of the exterior walls and get all the interior walls completed as the trusses will arrive on Thursday.

Day 25 - End of the 5th Week

2007-03-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

Well we finished off our 5th week by (basically) finishing all the exterior walls. A few more adjustments and tweaks and they'll be done. We are geared up to have the excavator come in again to dig our trench to lay in out power, water and utilities probably on Tuesday. Now it's time to head back home to Vancouver for the weekend to see my girl...

Day 24 - Theft!

2007-03-08T22:42:00.000-08:00

Well after a mere 4 hours sleep, I arrived to work to find out that some idiot broke into our shed and walked away with over $2000 worth of tools.

Great way to start the freakin day.

The biggest thing that was taken was a rented air nailer, along with my circular saw, my good wrecking bar, my dad's shop vac, and a bunch of other hand tools.

After giving the police report and renting another nailer we went right back to it. We lifted the south wall.

Up...

and away!

We are almost ready for the trusses, which is good as they arrive next week!

And Ryan will be arriving early next week just in time to help put them up.

Day 23 - More Walls

2007-03-08T22:32:00.000-08:00

Here I am heaving the great north wall. It's actually pretty easy with the jacks we borrowed from Brad. You pump the handle up and down, and the jack inches it's way up a 2x4 anchored to the floor.
We're making progress! This is the most enjoyable part of building a house. And the nice weather helped. It makes me think I should do this for a living.

Day 22 - Our first wall

2007-03-06T20:46:00.000-08:00

We hoisted our first wall up today. Day 22, not bad.
With the help of Brian, my dad, and his newest carpenter Gustavo we lifted the 45 foot long wall into place with no problems. You can see in the first picture the jacks we used that crawl up 2x4's. Then it was just a matter of levelling and bracing the wall and it is now in place.
The next wall is put together (you can see it on the floor in the second photo) and Brian and I will lift it up in the morning.

Day 20 - Snow Day

2007-03-02T23:51:00.000-08:00

Well it dumped a few inches of snow last night which prevented us from snapping our lines to lay out our walls, so we took the afternoon off. I went home to try and sleep away the persistent cough I've been enduring for the past two weeks (I also went to the clinic and got some antibiotics). We'll finish off the floor on Monday and start framing up the walls. The trusses are scheduled to arrive Wednesday of the week following next, so we've got our work cut out for us...

Day 19 - Crazy Weather

2007-02-28T19:49:00.000-08:00

The first picture above was taken right after lunch and we can see Brian installing the cross-bracing and we can also see that it was bright and sunny as it had been all morning. Then around 2 o'clock a big black cloud rolled in and by quitting time, 4:30 (see second picture), it was snowing!
We got a good start on laying down the floor after spending the first part of the day installing insulation around the perimeter, backing along the west wall, levelling the interior joists, and installing the cross-braces. We should be able to glue and nail down the remaining sheets tomorrow, and depending on the amount of snow that accumulates overnight, we could start marking out all the walls onto the floor in the afternoon. The materials for the walls will be delivered tomorrow morning...

Day 18 - Starting the floor

2007-02-27T20:17:00.000-08:00

Today we got all the floor joists in place and secured down (this picture was taken at lunchtime). It was nice having Brian helping me today as we got a lot done. Tomorrow we should get most of the plywood down and I will be ordering the material to build the walls! Things seem to be moving along now...

NB: the reason the pictures are sometimes warped as is the one above is that they are made up of 5 or 6 different images and I stitched them together on the computer.

Day 17 - The Swimming Pool

2007-02-26T21:51:00.000-08:00

The 2 x 10's for the floor were delivered along with the plywood, but first I had to pump out around three inches of water that covered the entire crawlspace!
Tomorrow, I will have someone helping me so we should get the floor in pretty quick. Hopefully he will be able to continue helping throughout the framing process. I hope have the framing done, including all the walls, by the middle of March because that is when the trusses are scheduled to be delivered.

Day 16 - Pouring the skim coat

2007-02-24T12:09:00.000-08:00

The skim coat was poured into the crawl space on Friday without any problems. The guys who did it did a good job and had obviously done this before. Just as they finished it started to rain and hail. Luckily it didn't effect the concrete much, but as it it merely the crawl space it wouldn't have really mattered anyway.

Monday morning I will start framing in the floor, and I won't have to wear my rubber boots anymore! (And I'm not even a poet...)

Day 15 - Pumping water

2007-02-22T22:59:00.000-08:00

After a frustrating morning of trying to pump out all the rain water that has collected over the past few days, I finally was able to put in the remaining 'pony wall' and lay down the poly in preparation for the concrete skim coat which will be poured tomorrow. We've got a crew of concrete finishers who will come in the morning and pour both the skim coat in the crawl space and the slab in the garage. But, of course, it will depend on the weather. Meanwhile, I will be and have been helping out my dad who came home from his holidays to find out both his guys quit on him while he was away! He's been desperate in finding skilled labour with no criminal records. One of his latest jobs is moving furniture in the RCMP building (to allow the carpet layers to lay carpet) and has had five different guys rejected due to past criminal offenses!
So next week I get to finally start framing in the floor. We should see lots of progress from here on in...

Day 13 - Welcome back

2007-02-19T20:27:00.000-08:00

After two beautiful weeks in the sun, I'm welcomed back to the job site with a full day of rain. And unfortunately the concrete did not get poured while I was away due to the soft, wet ground it was to be poured on. I am going to have to pump the water out and compact the ground before the skim coat gets poured, but this has to be done when it's not raining. This will probably set me back a few days as it's still raining pretty hard outside. I did however get the bottom plates bolted to the foundation so I'm into the wood! Sorry, no picture today as it was raining pretty hard all day and besides, it pretty much looks the same as it did when I left.

Days 9 to 12 - Time for a break

2007-01-29T12:13:00.000-08:00

The foundation is complete!
The walls are sealed and the drainage is ready.
The garage is filled and compacted, ready for the slab. The rest of the house is also backfilled and the interior is ready for the skim coat.

This is when I take a three-week hiatus from the project so I can bask under the Mexican sun (and finish up some other projects I've left in Vancouver and Tofino). When I get back from my holidays, the concrete will be done (someone else is pouring the skim coat/water barrier inside and the garage slab while I'm away) and then we'll be ready to frame up the house! We should see lots of progress starting back up on February 19.

Day 8 - Stripping the forms

2007-01-22T21:01:00.000-08:00

Jake and I got most of the forms stripped today and of course it rained all day. It's rained so much in the past few days we've had to rent a pump to drain the swimming pool that has formed within the walls. Just a few more forms to remove tomorrow before we can start laying out the perimeter drain and the rainwater leaders. We rented the forms and they'll be picked up tomorrow.
We've schedule someone to come in and seal the concrete on Wednesday. In the past we've rolled on the black sealant ourselves, but this guy Tim (from Tim's Tar) will come in and spray it all on within an hour. That will save us a lot of time and grief.

Day 7 - The Big Pour

2007-01-21T21:22:00.000-08:00

Well we poured our walls! Besides the fact that we underestimated the quantity of concrete we needed, the pour was a success. It took 25 cubic yards of concrete (not 21 as we calculated) and we were done in about 4 hours. As you can see in the picture we needed the pump truck to reach over the walls to fill all the forms. The rain let up in time for our 11 o'clock pour and didn't return until we were done.
We will strip the forms on Monday and prepare for the backfilling. We'll need to set the perimeter drains to catch the rainwater from the gutters, seal the concrete, and have the engineer give us the next OK first, but that's for next week...

Day 6 - Forming the Walls

2007-01-18T22:08:00.000-08:00

Frantic day today trying to tie up the loose ends before tomorrow's pour. The torrential rains in the morning did nothing to speed things up. We did get a lot accomplished, in spite of being knee deep in mud. We still have a few hours of work before we can pour the concrete, but we've postponed the pump and concrete trucks until 11 so we've got the time. The engineer, Sara, came by and gave us the OK. We are good to go..
So, I am off to bed for our early start and hopefully an early finish to start my weekend...
Kelly's coming up from Vancouver, Sarah and Riley are here right now, as is Ryan. Alana, her two boys and Micca will be joining us all for dinner tomorrow night so we'll be having a nice family dinner tomorrow.

mmmm.... Baan Thai......

Day 3 - Setting the Foundation Layout

2007-01-15T21:45:00.000-08:00

Well we made some progress today despite the chill. We now have all the footing forms layed out and level and we are backfilling and putting in the steel. Unfortunately, the backfill is being drawn from a frozen pile of dirt. So, using a blowtorch and a pick, Ryan spent most of the day fighting to get the dirt from the pile into the wheelbarrow, while I spent a better part of the day breaking away the ice from where we intend to pour our concrete. And now the snow is dumping down so tomorrow will be an interesting day...

Day 1, 2, and 2.5

2007-01-14T13:17:00.000-08:00

In the first few days we've set up the "batter boards" and set the outside forms for the footings level and square.
The batter boards hold up string lines (which I've highlighted in yellow in the picture) which we use to establish the placement of the formwork below.
Monday there will be five of us working on site as my brother, Ryan is flying in tonight for the week, and my dad will be there with his two workers Mike and Jake. We should get lots done and hopefully pour the concrete by the end of this week. Hopefully it'll warm up enough...

Day 0 - Excavation

2007-01-10T20:00:00.000-08:00

Yeah! We finally broke ground! Today I will be calling "Day 0" as tomorrow is when my work begins. Moe, the excavator, dug out the plot for the house and we are ready to start the footings.

The temperature dropped below zero last night and the ground is covered with snow. Whose idea was it to build a house in the dead of winter?

Because of the cold, we will have to wait until next week (when it hopefully warms up) before we pour the concrete so we've decided to pour the footings and foundation in one pour. It'll be a bit trickier to build the forms and set the steel but then we'll only need to have the concrete pump truck for one day (at $500 a day, it'll be worth it).

It's good to finally get things rolling. I've been back and forth from Vancouver half a dozen times in the past month or so and I am looking forward to staying in one spot for the next three weeks.

Post Holiday Blues

2007-01-03T21:56:00.000-08:00

More frustrations as I was called back to the island to help my dad with a job in Parksville only to find out we can't do it for another few days... Unfortunately, I had to postpone a small job in Vancouver to get to the island, and now I have to wait until I go back (maybe this weekend) to finish it up.
So, here I am back in Campbell River still waiting to start building the house on Peterson Road. The excavator has torn down the trailer (YAY!) but we still can't do anything until the trees are down, which means next week... So we wait...

Happy New Year.

still waiting...

2006-12-21T21:54:00.000-08:00

It's frustrating to think that I have been here in Campbell River since early November to build a house and we haven't even broken the ground! Delay after delay we hoped to have had the impeding trailer moved by now, but as it stands we plan to have it demolished next Thursday. Unfortunately, I will still be in Tofino that day so I'll miss the excitement (and the video op), but fortunately I'll be in Tofino. I was hoping to have the foundation in before the holidays but it looks like that won't get done until into the New Year. Luckily, for both me and my dad, I have been busy in his shop building such things as the coffee stand for City Hall and the oil-spill shed for the TimberWest Mill as shown in the photos.

White & Black show tour

2006-12-06T20:24:00.001-08:00


A 'virtual tour' of my recent show at the InterUrban in Vancouver

Still waiting...

2006-12-05T22:15:00.000-08:00

I'm back in Campbell River and we are still waiting to get the trailer moved off the property so we can start building! It turns out there is too much red tape to get through (and $$ to spend) to try and salvage the trailer so we are going to junk it. We still have to wait for the bank to 'release' it so we can destroy it then get going with the excavation. In the mean time I am working for my dad building cabinets and helping him tie up the many loose ends he has going these days.
Last weekend was nice, I met up with Kelly in Tofino for a really nice wedding her good friend had on the beach, and we also got to spend time with my sister Sarah and her family. It was a good weekend.

Waiting..

2006-11-22T18:25:00.000-08:00

I am back in Vancouver listening to the Canuck's play the Red Wings in Detroit (it's a pay-per-view game; whence me listening and not watching).

I took down my show on Sunday and am waiting in Vancouver until the trailer is moved so I can start building the house! I'm told they are very close to getting it moved. Then it's time for excavation. Then I can start with the footings. Luckily, I've had a few days work installing laminate flooring here in the big city, until I get the OK to go back to Campbell River.

November Rain

2006-11-15T23:19:00.000-08:00

So here I am sitting in my parents basement after a day of working for the man, well, my dad, actually. We were just hit with a pretty intense storm with lots and lots of rain, so it's just as well I didn't have to be out in it much today. He has me building some oak cabinets in his shop for City Hall.
I had initilly intended on getting started on the house this week and made the trip to the island to do just that. However, the trailer has yet to be removed from the property and the permits are not yet been finalized. This after being duped into buying a round trip ticket on the ferries thinking I was getting a good deal, but instead I spent an extra $100 and I will have to take three ferries to get back to the mainland. So here I sit.
I will be going back to Vancouver this weekend to take down my show. It's been up since October 27th when we had the opening. That was a lot of fun and I got to see a lot of people I hadn't seen in a long time (including but not limited to: Karen, Jennifer, and Elisa!). It was really cool to see all my artwork in the huge gallery that the InterUrban is. It'll be kind of sad taking it all down. I'm glad my friends got to see it. And my sister, Alana came over last weekend with her man, Micca. We also went and saw the Body Worlds exhibit and were really impressed.

My first blog

2006-11-08T19:57:00.000-08:00

My first blog. Where to begin?
Right here right now.
Wednesday evening waiting for the fish to fry.
I am preparing for my trip to the island to build a house for my brother. I'll be gone for a couple of months so I need to get things finalized here in the big smoke (Vancouver) .
Lots to do.
Let's eat...