Ventiliation, Electricity and lots more happening on the construction site

It has been a while since I updated everyone on how the construction is going. A few reasons include:

• We are now working on the non-sexy part of the house, namely the guts. A lot of work goes into it but at the end of the day there is not much to photograph and talk about
• Perhaps the main reason for not blogging as much: I have gotten the knitting bug. I am now obsessed with knitting, organizing my books and yarns. Basically, I am having too much fun

Chulita inspects the maple treads

Anyways, life at the house is moving along smoothly. There have been some big advances in the past few days. I will try to capture them all.

• Ventiliation: Previously, I discussed the insulation of the house and someone commented that it was like putting a layer of Gortex all around. It was an accurate description. But, we all know what happens with Gortex since it doesn't breathe. To avoid the sweaty, smelliness of a house that doesn't breathe, we had to add the lungs/ ventilation system. We chose a Venmar air exchange system. To learn more about the benefits and what it actually does, click on the link. It was not hard to install, but there were lots of pieces that mad it a bit time consuming. We also had to install vents to the outside to allow for the air exchange. Lots of "tapponage", to use a good Quebecois expression.

 

Venmar Air Exchange System - The lungs of the house

The white vent which is connected to the Venmar system

The outdoor vent

• WIRED: The exciting news here is that the house is now fully wired for electricity, cable, phone, internet and speakers. It looks a bit messy, but once the drywall is on, it will be perfect. One cool thing is that the generator will be housed in the shed (don't worry, it will be well ventilated). So, if the electricity goes out we can still keep the heat on, the fridge going and a few other critical pieces.

• Stairs: We received the stair treads that will go from the first floor to the second. They are made of Maple and are solid hardwood. BEAUTIFUL!! Also, it looks like I might be getting a promotion. Instead of being the expert cleaner/ sweeper of the construction site, I will get to varnish these babies. Tomorrow, I start my new position. Hopefully, I can live up to the expectations ;-) Once the drywall is in, the treads will like they are suspended in the wall.

 

• Drywall: The drywall was delivered last Monday. While this may not be exciting to most people, we were quite thrilled. The driveway leading up to the house is a bit tricky when there is lots of snow. The last time we had a delivery from Rona, the truck could not make it up the driveway and Gilles had to carry the stuff up to the house. Well, with a few warmer days and the snow melted completely from the driveway, we took advantage of the conditions to have the delivery. They came on Monday. Unfortunately, the truck got stuck and had to get towed. Gilles was getting worried. Unlike last time, he would not really be able to carry it up. 2 sheets of drywall weigh about 170 pounds. The other option they gave him was that he would have to remove the windows on the West side to get them in. Gilles was not thrilled with this option since the windows were already sealed. The next day, they came back with another truck and like magic, they got it in on the first shot. Now, the drywall is in, dry and awaiting the visit of Steve on January 22 when he comes back for another stint of habitat for Sutton. We can't wait for his visit.

• Kitchen Cabinets: On Wednesday, they came to measure the kitchen cabinets. The delivery date will be March 15. By then, the flooring, drywall and painting will be done. I will be ready to move in once they are in. Not sure if Gilles will let me since there will likely be lots of little finishing things to do. We'll see.
• Plumbing: On Monday, the plumber is coming and it should take 2-3 days for the rough in.
• Hardwood Floors: Yesterday, they came to measure the space for the flooring. We will have maple hardwood floors throughout including the kitchen and bathrooms.

Boy that  is a lot to write about. I hope you enjoy reading and keeping up. In the meantime, I will get back to my knitting. If you are a knitter, I recommend www.ravelry.com. Look me up. I am tejedora99. So much fun to be had.