As I read through the previous blog entry, I was once again surprised at just how much work was completed on the house in the past few weeks. Lately, we have been living and breathing nothing but "windows" and I had totally forgotten that at the end of the last blog we still did not even have the house wrap on!
The weather has not been kind to us; the temperature kept dropping and there was little sign of any sunshine. As much as we kept hoping for a reprieve, it didn't happen and Rob kept working despite the cold and snow - he just bundled up in more and more layers of clothes and did his best. But nothing could keep his hands warm. Gloves just don't help much when you are handling metal scaffolding and whenever more dexterity was needed, the gloves had to came off. Keep warm became a mantra. With Christmas approaching I was working more hours at the store and away from home more often, so I wasn't always there to keep him stoked with hot drinks and warm food while he worked. I found myself stocking the freezer with numerous lunch-sized containers of hearty homemade soups and these helped to warm him up each lunchtime but he was also clearly burning up much more energy than he could possibly take in and his weight was actually dropping - and there wasn't a lot there to start with! Despite it all, the housewrap went on and the windows got flashed (a photo of Rob "flashing" the windows was not available)....
Rob put plastic around all the window openings in an attempt to keep the house a little less drafty and to keep it sheltered from the rain and snow. Each time he worked on a different window frame, he had to remove the plastic covering and then install the flexible flashing that protects the rough opening and wall. It was difficult to keep everything dry so that the flashing would stick. If it was cold then it was usually snowing and the snow slid off the roof and onto him and the window opening. If it was warmer, the water from the melting snow dripped onto him and onto the frame as well. He was unsure what to wish for and I could see his patience was wearing just a little thin (luckily, he has absorbed a little yoga through Elizabeth and I so all was calm)!
We had a few delays in the arrival of the finished windows and missed a little "window of opportunity" (no pun intended) when the weather warmed up briefly and the snow melted. It sure would have been a good time to get the windows in! But they didn't arrive and the weather turned colder. There were days when we began to wonder if we would ever get them in this year. Finally, the first delivery arrived - and we were pretty glad to see them!
We couldn't wait so I helped lift and fit the window on the east side of the bedroom (one that was manageable!). We were pretty excited to do this first one.
By now the sun was setting (i.e. it was dark) so we could not actually finish the installation and had to wait until the next day. Unfortunately, I had to work and missed all the excitement of seeing the first one truly installed - but I did get a photo of it later on!
We had another delay in receiving the second batch of windows - pretty normal for this type of thing. We can't thank our friend Bob enough for coming out on the cold, cold days and moving the scaffolding around, only to have to go back home when the delivery was cancelled.
Needless to say, it ended up being a cold day when they finally did arrive but Bob came back to help again. In the end, all the frames were installed but some were missing the glass due to an ordering mix-up. These were temporarily filled with plywood to keep them square and the company will come back to install the glass later on.
It's quite something (for me at least) to go from seeing building plans on a computer screen, to seeing things actually in place. For example, I couldn't really picture how the kitchen window would look once it was installed so I couldn't wait to see how it turned out! I have always admired the kitchen at my brother and sister in laws' mainly because I loved the big windows in front of their sink - I definitely wanted something similar in our house. Now, as I stand inside the new house and imagine prepping food or doing dishes, I look up and can see trees and sky and river.... it's perfect.
The dining room has two sets of windows. One faces south which allows all that lovely warm winter sunshine in (with the same view of the trees and sky and river that the kitchen has), and one faces west with a view of more trees and more river (the river actually flows around the corner of the house).
Below is a view of the dining room window - but from the outside!
The big living room window went in last. Rob had worked hard on the living room window designs. He changed the shapes, the layout, the size etc. so often that I could hardly remember what the finished design was. Rob wanted a seamless window above and below the beam with something to complement the timber scissor brace - and I think he got it right !! We'll know for sure once the final pieces of glass are in - but so far everything looks wonderful.
The north corner window (the one on the right below) faces a rather special area that attracts a lot of wildlife. We are really looking forward to curling up in a chair and watching whatever goes by!
The bedroom (below) has less glass but we included the same type of upper peaked window as the living room (there will be glass in it eventually).
There are no interior walls yet but this shows the mudroom and the bathrooms - and an upstairs window.
As soon as the windows were installed Rob cleaned up, took the scaffolding down, tucked things away, and installed a temporary door at the entrance to the mud room. More snow was on the way and it was pretty clear that the house is as closed in as it is going to be for this year.
Despite the lack of insulation it already feels warmer inside (especially on a sunny day). When the sun comes in to the dining room, I can feel myself basking in the light and watching the river flow (well it's flowing right now but that is only because we had a thaw at Christmas - normally at this time of year I would just watch the river ice!).
This November photo is more normal for this time of year - the river is slowing, filled with ice, and the hoar frost coats the trees at the river's edge.
But on Christmas Eve the fog arrived, a sure sign of warmer weather.
A few days of above normal temperatures, (seriously - it was much warmer than we had most of November!) and the river bank was clear of snow again with just a narrow band of ice at the edges. Sadly this won't last though, as colder air will be arriving in time for New Year's.
December is always a reflective month for me. I'm not sure why - perhaps it's the absence of bird song, the stillness and quiet all around us. We spend more time in the cabin, as we ready ourselves for the winter ahead. As Christmas approached we reminisced about Christmases long past - the late night drives home while listening to Christmas stories and songs on the car radio and the times we had visiting family and friends - eating, drinking, gift exchanging..
This year we talked too about Christmas future - when we look forward to being in the new house, with room for a Christmas tree, and some of our old familiar Christmas ornaments strung up, and a place to put some of our Christmas-themed stuff. This was our third Christmas here in the cabin, and I suppose we are missing some of the things we used to do ... The first year we were here we pulled out some of our decorations and tried to tuck them here and there amongst the boxes and things we have piled here. Packed them all back away a couple of weeks later. This year we opted to just wait until next year.... Unpacking in the new house will be like an entire Christmas in itself!
We are reflective too as we look back over the past year, and take time to think about all the work that went into the new house. This time last year we had barely finished the concrete pads, and covered them all up with straw and plastic before they were buried in snow. And they remained that way for far longer than we had imagined! We can't help but hope that spring arrives earlier in 2015 than it did in 2014.
But spring is still a bit of a ways off. And we are pleased with our accomplishments, and trying not to wish that we had got more done. We walk to the house several times a day, and go inside, walk around and talk.... plan....and dream. We've been so close to the project that I think sometimes we forget just how special this place is. When the two people delivering the windows arrived and one went into the house, I don't think I'll ever forget hearing his voice exclaim - "come see - you won't believe this place - it's incredible!" And it is .... absolutely lovely and incredible indeed.....
For the next couple of months, the physical work on the new house will largely cease. Rob is already busy looking at plans for building his own doors, and researching wood stoves, chimneys, concrete stain, types of gas stoves, wood boilers, solar designs (batteries, chargers and you-name-it) . He's been redoing the workshop design, and finalizing the interior house designs. I think it will be a busy few months! But we are also taking some time to relax, read a little, and enjoy the warmth of the wood stove. Taking our cues from some of our four legged friends....like GB
and Jet (he of course is an expert at finding his own comfort wherever it may be)!
