This Could Cement Our Relationship With Winter!

On Saturday17 September, as Jim was putzing along getting things ready for the cement to arrive on Monday, the phone rang and we were notified that the cement was on its way. Panic stations!! Luckily, Jim was nearly finished all the prep work..and thus...the floor in the shop has been poured.

At the same time, we had some extra cement added to the driveway as it had managed to subside quite a bit over the years.  By the 15th of November, we should be able to drive on all of it.  Woo Hoo!! Just in time for winter.

Sidewalks, Trees, InFloor Heating, Can It Get More Exciting?

 The basement floor of the shop is already for the concrete. With any luck we can get it poured within a couple of weeks. Once that is accomplished, the shop is ready for the winter.

 We bought a 6' Colorado Spruce from Canadian Tire and added it to our tree collection in the front yard. It's supposed to be very drought resistant...YAY!! Jim has been putting in a front sidewalk of interlocking brick which has turned out very nicely.

Dingo's Aren't Only In Australia

Now that the siding, soffit and fascia are completed, the next step is getting the floor poured in the basement of the shop. Soil has to be removed and then sand added before he can proceed so Jim went to Home Depot and rented a Toro "Dingo". It's a little skid steer which is perfect for this small space job.

A Siding We Will Go, A Siding We Will Go...

 Yep..It's siding time again.  To match the house, we are continuing to use Hardie Board.  Jim is very careful to follow the Canadian installation instructions (flashing behind the seams, caulking the corner seams) and uses the larger headed roofing nails to hold the siding tighter to the wall. This method has been very effective with the house, as we have nothing but praise for this product.

 This is the view from inside the shop looking toward the south-facing back.  The door takes you out on to the deck which is also the roof of the trailer storage area. The roof is an 8-12 pitch which has allowed for a 4-12 pitch ceiling and combined with the 9 foot walls, makes it very roomy.

And this is the interior of the shop facing the front (north-facing). The double doors allow material to come into this upper level which is intended to be for wood-working. The basement area is for machinery/vehicle storage. As Jim doesn't want any sawdust to migrate down, the access to the downstairs is from the outside. In floor heating will negate the necessity for furnace ducting.

The Backyard is Changing

 The backyard is getting some attention this year. Jim muscled some 6x6's into place to create a retaining wall for the back walk out. He used up the left over moisture barrier from the ICF basement walls to provide water-proofing for the wood.

We have also added a few new trees to the back. 4 Evans Cherry and 7 May Day's are praying for rain.  We water regularly but nothing is as effective as rain.

The hill between the house and the shop has been refined to accommodate the garage door into the shop. Jim is on the hunt for rocks to "Rip-Wrap" the bank and prevent it from returning to it's original state. Believe it or not, field rocks are hard to come by...especially when you want them for free.

Not Quite All Decked Out

So...it looks like a deck is being added to the shop.  It also looks like the proportions are just a little bit off. BUT, when all is finished this will be the trailer port...like a car port but instead it will house the travel trailer. If Jim wants to sit out and enjoy the surroundings, he may want to consider using the deck off the house as this "deck" will be covered in rolled roofing.

We Have Shingles!! No! No! Not the Disease...

Jim hired a roofing company to shingle the shop roof. The weather has been so nice that the work he had thought would have to wait until spring could go ahead early.

While the roofer was busy outside, Jim was busy putting up suspended ceiling in the basement. The bedroom and bathroom are now finished.