It was way back in mid November when we started work on the garage. We had already had the footing poured, and made very quick progress in building the frost wall out of polystyrene blocks. We really started to wonder why we hadn’t built the entire basement that way. We had something of a reality check the day we poured the concrete when, just as we were finishing the job, one of the blocks broke and we experienced a tsunami of concrete from the bottom of the wall. Lea threw herself heroically at the hole to try and stem the flow, and we managed to patch it, but neither of us are too keen to work with concrete any more.
After giving the concrete a few days to cure we set about knocking up the garage walls. This was pretty straightforward, but our next problem arose when we realised we had to find a way to get the 18 roof joists into place. As luck would have it, one of the neighbours had a forklift which we were able to borrow for the job, and Stan brought a huge floodlight home from work (saving the day again!) so we were able to work into the night to get the joists into place.
By this time we had also moved out of our flat in Saskatoon. At the start of the build we had visions of moving from our flat straight into the house but this didn’t actually turn out to be the case. Instead we moved into the basement at Stan and Nicole’s place. This turned out to be a great move for us as we were able to spend much more time working on the house, only having a 2 minute journey home instead of half an hour.
The end of November also saw out last major piece of work outside, as the driveway was built up. Luckily this happened just before the ground froze up, and before we had any snow. As it turned the old driveway has spent the whole winter covered in snow, while our new one has been clear of snow pretty much the whole time. We haven’t had to plow the drive at all, although there was one day where the drive was indistinguishable from anything else due to a blizzard. Lea managed to safely negotiate down the drive in the car, but drove into the ditch once we got onto the road! In her defence she did dig the car out herself, and there was no harm done.
Meanwhile inside the house, our staircase had been delivered, and only needed to be installed. The staircase was a welcome addition as it would mean we could finally get rid of the step ladders which were our only means of accessing the basement or the first floor. Having no idea how to install a staircase I was a little nervous about having to do it myself, but it was actually far easier than I expected.
With the arrival of the staircase, and the completion of the papering and strapping of the outside of the house, we were finally able to start the mammoth task of insulating the house. The delivery of insulation comprised 600 bags on 50 pallets, which were all dumped outside the house. Once we started to carry the bags into the house I started to wish we had built a house with one layer of insulation in the walls instead of the three which we had chosen. However, it was too late to change the plan so whole days were spent just moving insulation into the house and carrying to the appropriate floor. Once the insulation was in the house, the process of inserting it into the walls was pretty fast and easy. It was also a surprisingly efficient way of keeping warm when temperatures, inside and outside, never really rose above -20.
During the insulation of the roof we decided to hang a pair of shoes in the rafters. This may seem like an obscure thing to do, but since Andy and Lizzie had discovered an ancient pair of shoes in their new house a few years back, we decided to follow suit. We can only hope the high quality shoes which we used will last as long.
As Christmas approached Stan and Nicole and the kids left for 3 weeks to go on holiday leaving us to house and pet sit for them. The worst part of this was that this coincided with a very long very cold spell where the temperature was in the minus 30s for what seemed like the whole time. One night I noticed that the temperature had dropped to -50, while Stan and Nicole were enjoying +30 in Roatan.
During this cold spell we tried to get work done outside where we could, but work was only possibly in 15 minute shifts, followed by 30 minute warm up breaks. As the temperature inside the house was the same as that outside the warm up breaks weren’t hugely effective, but at least allowed us to get out of the wind. Eventually we developed a system where we didn’t even bother going to the house if the temperature was below -30, between -30 and -25 we would discuss whether or not we felt like working, but anything warmer than -25 we had to just suck it up and get to work.
During this cold spell we tried to get work done outside where we could, but work was only possibly in 15 minute shifts, followed by 30 minute warm up breaks. As the temperature inside the house was the same as that outside the warm up breaks weren’t hugely effective, but at least allowed us to get out of the wind. Eventually we developed a system where we didn’t even bother going to the house if the temperature was below -30, between -30 and -25 we would discuss whether or not we felt like working, but anything warmer than -25 we had to just suck it up and get to work.
Over Christmas Lea took two and a half weeks off work, but we ended up spending more than half of it confined to the warmth of Stan and Nicole’s house. We spent Christmas day working on the garage roof as it was a balmy -18, and we couldn’t afford to waste a day of such glorious weather! The wasted days weren’t entirely wasted though. I bought Lea Rock Band for Christmas, so were able to practice rocking out. We also had a visit from Simon, Arin and the kids just after Christmas, and Rock Band proved quite a hit with James.
Since Christmas things have continued in much the same frantic manner as before. Following my health scare last year Lea decided to get in on the action. She was sent for a heart scan as the doctor though he could hear some strange noises. Luckily the results of the scan were clear, but she was told in hospital that the noise may have been a result of her being so tiny! Hospital staff must be very good at putting people at ease!
We have had the plumbing, wiring and geothermal installed over the past month, and have even had our solar panels put up too. This week we finally got the well pump hooked up and now we have running water in the house. We are currently flushing the well so that we can have a water sample analysed. We are expecting to need a hi tech (and expensive) water treatment system, but have decided to have our own analysis done before we have the salesman try to sell us a system.
We have had the plumbing, wiring and geothermal installed over the past month, and have even had our solar panels put up too. This week we finally got the well pump hooked up and now we have running water in the house. We are currently flushing the well so that we can have a water sample analysed. We are expecting to need a hi tech (and expensive) water treatment system, but have decided to have our own analysis done before we have the salesman try to sell us a system.
With all the trades being in the house recently there has been progress happening very fast. We are trying to maintain this progress as much as possible. Lea is now only working 4 days a week, and I am still not back at work. I did have a return date of Feb 1st, which was pushed back to Mar 2nd, which was then pushed back again to Mar 9th and once more to March 23rd, so I am still not too sure what the future holds for me. During my time off Wardrop has been bought out, and I am feeling a little unsure about my employment future.
Anyway, all the time off means we are getting lots done. We are currently trying to get the vapour barrier in so that we stop losing so much heat from all the drafts in the house. We have nearly finished upstairs, and today the temperature reached a tropical 19 degrees, something we haven’t seen since about October last year. Obviously we still aren’t living in the house yet, but at least now we can see that it might not be too long before we are able to get out from under Stan and Nicole’s feet.
In immigration news, we have booked a trip to Las Vegas in March, so on our return we should have our permanent residence activated. We are both looking forward to the trip, as I realised that we haven’t really left Saskatoon/Grandora in almost a year. I think a break from the house will do us a lot of good and maybe even energise us for a big push to get to a stage where we can move in. As another step in our integration into Canada we bought ice skates. We have been down to the local rink a few times, which has natural ice, and is nicknamed the Shiverdome. By some wonder of architectural engineering the temperature inside always seems to be about 10 degrees colder inside than it is outside. This can seriously impair enjoyment when it is -30 outside! We have also had our first experience of competitive curling. Apart from the falling over twice it was pretty good fun, and even ended with a tie, rather than a loss which was what we expected (and what Stan and Nicole had managed in every other game with their regular partners!)
Finally, and it seems like a long time since the poll was posted, I can confirm that the winning names for the fish are Cheezy and Peas. This was suggested by Wendy, so congratulations to her. Sad news though, Cheezy and Peas are no longer with us! It was a very sad day, but they will live long in the memory. Fear not though, Cheezy II and Peas II will be the first fish in the house once we are finished building, and we will tell them all about their previous incarnations.
Hopefully the next update will not be quite as delayed as this one was. No doubt all the stories about hookers in Vegas will be so exciting that we’ll have to tell you all immediately.
Until next time,
Lea and Rob
Finally, and it seems like a long time since the poll was posted, I can confirm that the winning names for the fish are Cheezy and Peas. This was suggested by Wendy, so congratulations to her. Sad news though, Cheezy and Peas are no longer with us! It was a very sad day, but they will live long in the memory. Fear not though, Cheezy II and Peas II will be the first fish in the house once we are finished building, and we will tell them all about their previous incarnations.
Hopefully the next update will not be quite as delayed as this one was. No doubt all the stories about hookers in Vegas will be so exciting that we’ll have to tell you all immediately.
Until next time,
Lea and Rob
