Dig it!

Literally

Then more digging

Which resulted in

The side yard was excavated, a retaining wall will be put up and there will be enough parking space for the truck (or boat).

We are continuing with the application of the siding and J and R will be continuing with preparations for installing the deck surface and rehabilitating the area around the back deck which is quite lumpy with sections of concrete, gravel and dirt.  Cedar has been primed, ready for installation of the deck roofs and soffits.

Meanwhile

A bit of weather

A  bit of foliage

The back garden is beginning to look respectable.

I have been walking up and down hills and the journey has become easier and easier.  Today I am walking way down hill to try a yoga class down at the very local gym.  I have a seven day pass and will try out the various classes.  Hopefully I will make it back up the hill (a big one) without having to resort to a phone call for a ride up.

Applause please!

Forty-one years today!  (and still living in a basement suite)

Progress report

A new angle on today's weather.

From where I park my car.

The window trims have been done upstairs as far as they can go.

We have a new front door.  It lets in so much more light.  This morning I was laying in bed and could see light shining through the bedroom wall at about bed level.  Peeping toms!  Actually the hole had been there for quite some time, but the extra light just brought it to "light".

The new front door.

Notice the reflection of the view.

J hired some guys to do the siding.  He got a good price, and they were willing to start immediately.  They did a job up the road from us, and did a really nice job.  They have been moving along nicely.

This is the work that is happening on the outside.  They are putting up rain sceen and bug screen.  This allows for ventilation and drainage behind the siding and away from the house.  The bug screen keeps the bugs out.  I don't know if it will work for ants. 

The window trims have been added as well. 

A close up of the bug screen.

Well, first the peeping tom hole in my bedroom wall and now this!

An assault on my personal space starts this morning.  A condition of getting the siding guys going, was that we needed to get in the windows in the lower level in as soon as possible.  Most of it will be realively easy except for the window in the living room area which will be considerable larger and will need some support built into it.  Of course, as soon as you start poking around under previous construction, you get some surprises, like a distinct lack of construction strength.  The area where this window is going in was once part of a carport, and the walls built were quite flimsy.  Thank heavens that it is a nice day and J knows what he is doing.  It is Saturday but Ronnie is working today and that will be a help.  If he has nothing to do on Saturdays, his girlfriend and friend want him to go shopping.  He is quite opinionated on his desire to hang out in ladies wear departments looking at lingerie. 

John's day off

Today's weather.

The weather has been gorgeous here for the last few days, and the forecast holds for a few more very sunny days.

Yesterday's first order of business was (I had to stop and take a second photo, because the first picture looked like we had finished off half of the product already)

Several weeks ago we went to one of the local u-brew stores and had them start three wine kits for us.

Yesterday we went out to bottle the wine, which is the only thing that we have to legally do.  It was a really good experience, with both of us bottling and labelling it took about two hours to make up 90 bottles of wine.  The equipment is much more efficient than our equipment at home.

After that it was lunch in Ladysmith and back to Nanaimo. 

Next order of business was talking toilets ( and all related bathroom fixtures).  We firmed up our choices in that department.

Next it was off the finagle with the flooring people on our flooring decision.  We have decided to use a good quality laminate flooring in a medium, golden brown colour.

I have spent the past week getting granite samples and chose the tiles for the kitchen, and bathrooms.

Nothing way our, just plain neutral  colours.  J is off today to finagle with the tile people.  I am not good at bargaining, but J does a really smooth job on that. 

Granite sample and cabinet door.  The cabinet door was in Lethbridge and I was having a great deal of trouble making colour choices because beiges, vanillas, taupes  or whatever you want to call them can be so different.  Once I had the door sent here by courier, the choices were much easier to make.

I supposed you have taken notice of the background in this last picture, YES, we have the first coat of paint.

The fireplace has basically been untouched, the tile is pinkish and it is a big clumsy akward lump of brick.  We will be taking off the high hearth, and installing a gas fireplace.  The frame will be some combination of wood and tile or rock

This week will see the installation of rain screen, the finishing carpenter will be in here to start on the window casings, stair rails and doors when they come. 

Moxie and Ronnie have been working on the garden.  The pond has been cleaned out, the grass has been cut (entirely with a whipper snapper) and raked.  We are down to a clean slate out there now.

AA-aaa-rgh

Yesterday the drywall guys finished and exited at noon.  Shortly thereafter the painter started asking for colors.  This was the scene yesterday.

Confusion, decisions, oh my god.

Closer

Painter comes, only needs ceiling and trim colour.   Now I have more time to stew on my decisions.  Lighter, darker, moving samples from one room to the other.  The colours will be quite similar to the house in Lethbridge, because I love the light and airiness of it.

We have had more colder than normal weather, kami kazi rain and hail.  Today is a beautiful sunny day.

I haven't shown the house for awhile.  It has completely been covered in paper, and will shortly be stripped with rain screen in preparation for the siding.  J has been busy doing soffit and facia  work this week.  More cosmetic work, without much bang.

The old geezer working away.