The last room to undergo renovation - the bathroom!

Even before we moved to Nipigon in 2009 I had begun the long process of renovating the house Janice had grown up in by making it more energy efficient and updating things such as floors and cabinetry. As of January of this year pretty much all of the main floor has been redone except for the bathroom. As Janice planned to be away for a couple of weeks visiting friends and family out west I figured this would be a great time to tackle this last project!

Prior to beginning the demolition we settled on replacing the bathtub with a walk-in shower. Since neither of us like taking baths but prefer showering and as we get older gaining access to a shower is a lot easier. So I bought a shower pan, glass doors, waterproofing supplies and plumbing supplies. In addition we ordered a custom vanity cabinet with a one piece counter top.

So beginning mid May Jordan and I began work by first removing the old fixtures then stripping the walls to the studs so that everything that needed to be replaced was, including the vent stack up to above the highest drain and replacing the insulation in the outer wall.

First, here is how it started out looking:

Removing the old tub was quite the chore as it was made out f cast iron so was very heavy! We got it out and then after placing a rug underneath dragged it to the front door and down the ramp.

As Janice asked me to save as many of the old plastic tiles as possible and salvage as much of the old vanity as I could the job started out being more time consuming than a regular demolition. Based on the experience with the kitchen I had learned that when the house was built expanded metal lath had been used in all the corners. So rather than ripping them out and pulling down the plaster on both sides of each and every corner I bought a brand new oscillating tool with metal cutting blades. I did not want to damage the ceiling and this made that aspect much easier to accomplish.

Once stripped to the studs the work began for the actual rebuild beginning with adding screws to each and every sub-floor plank to reduce squeaking. We replaced all of the copper water lines with PEX, replaced all of the copper drain lines with ABS, and in the case of the shower resized the drain line to 2". The outside wall was insulated with fibreglass bat insulation and 3/4" foam board since the studs are a full 4" deep. We installed the shower pan on top of a mortar base, after using self-leveling cement to provide a flat foundation. Then I installed Kerdi Board around the full shower niche to prevent any future moisture problems.

The rest of the walls were covered with mould resistant gypsum board then painted. I then tiled the shower using large tiles that Janice had selected.

Then it was time to install the new vanity and top. This is where I discovered an error on behalf of the shop we had ordered the cabinet. It was too deep! In fact it had the same depth as the top which would have resulted in no overlap and left no tolerance for fitting the top to the wall. In the end I got a partial refund and came up with a fix; as the vanity had full panel backs I just cut them out which reduced the depth by almost 3/4 of an inch. A positive fallout was that this now made installing so much easier in that I didn't have to worry about getting holes cut in the right locations for the drain and water supplies. In addition to the vanity we also got two new wall cabinets to go either side of the new mirror. We also bought new elegant LED lights to go on either side of the mirror.

Other than a bit of a screw-up in my tile job in one corner (a little bit of a stagger between two columns of tiles) it turned out really nice. Both Janice and I are very pleased in the final product!

This was the very first wall tiling job I had ever tackled! While not 100% it turned out not too bad. Next time, if there is a next time, I now know what to watch out for! Even so, finally the main floor is done! The only major project I have for the house now is to replace the roof with steel but that can wait until next year! Time now to enjoy the summer!

Our "Bunkie"!

As indicated in my previous post, while I haven't posted much of late it is not that I have been idle and the adventures continue!

Last year (2016) Jordan and I completed the first major project out at the camp we have at Firehill Lake. Actually it was two projects but the venue was the same!

As we enjoy guests and like sharing our "wilderness experience" with all who come to visit (hint hint if you ever find your way to our neck of the woods) I decided what was needed was a sleep camp or "bunky" as they are sometimes regionally known. In simple terms just a simple accommodation building for guests who wish to spend the night, especially since our camp is not very large.

In practicing how to use the sawmill that I bought through my company a few years back I had accumulated enough lumber to build a basic structure. A single room building 16' square and utilising wherever possible recycled materials left over from our house renovation, such as a door and windows.

Work began by leveling out an area close to the main camp but still out of the way. Then holes were dug into the clay, down about 5' and round cement forms put in place, backfilled and then filled with cement. This is where I made the one goof of the whole project; I set the forms 8 feet on centre when in fact it should have been 7'7" (I used 10" diameter tubes and should have measured from outside edge in). As a result I had to use two sets of 6'x6' square timbers to bring the outside edges in for the floor, each with tapered ends so that the bottom is fully supported by the posts but the area supported by the top of the beams measures 16' by 16'.

In the long term I want the sleep camp to be insulated so it can be made comfortable come winter time use. In addition I did not want critters having easy access to the under floor insulation. So the floor was built as two panels: 8' by 16' using 2" by 8" boards. Once framed and squared they were covered with thin plywood to both reinforce but more importantly seal the bottom side. The panels were then flipped over, shifted into place and then attached to one another. Then the cavity was filled with fibreglass insulation, covered with heavy plastic vapour barrier and then covered with 5/8" tongue and groove sub-floor.

With the floor now done the next task was to build the walls, this time using 2' by 6" lumber from my stock pile. Once they were squared they were covered with plywood and then lifted up into place and then secured. With all four walls up and a top plate installed engineered roof trusses were put in place followed by a plywood roof deck (while chip board is cheaper it is less structurally sound nor can it stand up to weather like plywood).

As described in a previous post my siblings and I had redone the roof of the house our mother lives in several years back using steel panels. That was a great learning experience in that while the steel panels are about 30% more expensive than high quality shingles installation time is far less and the panels will literally last a lifetime. So I got enough steel roofing panels to do the roof of the bunkie as well as replace the roofing of the main camp and the large storage building, both of which the asphalt shingles were very close to end of life. Replacing the roofing on the camp and the storage building was the second project by the way!

Once the roofing was done then we put up soffit and facia, installed the windows and the door plus flashing around the door and all windows. Jordan then applied a solid wood stain to the outside wood surfaces. We then built steps to gain access, installed some basic furniture and then were ready for our first guests, Peter and Karen Gobeil!

Home Renovations - still a work in progress

While I haven't posted anything for some time it isn't because I have not had any adventures to report on. The last several years I have been involved in an ongoing "adventure" that is reasonably close to completion and that is the renovations of our house in Nipigon.

The house was originally built back in 1961 by my in-laws, Ralph and Elma Kriff, and was the house that Janice lived in from the age of 7 until she started a new life that included me. While we were still in Thompson, Manitoba, Janice's mother passed away in 2003. Her father wanted to leave Nipigon and move closer to as many of his daughters as possible but couldn't find a buyer for the house so Janice and I bought it from him in 2006 and he moved to Dawson Creek.

After taking possession of the house one of the first things I had done was the building of a garage in 2007. As time was limited since any work had to be done while I had vacation from work in Thompson, I settled on constructing a metal building. From start to finish, including site prep and the pouring on the concrete pad, it took a week to complete. Here are some pictures as it went up:

The pad has been poured and the concrete is setting

Family and friends helping erect the steel arches.

The arches are bolted to metal plates which in turn are fastened to the concrete pad.

And all is done including installation of an insulated garage door.

Once I retired and moved to Nipigon, beginning early fall of 2009, I started work on the house with the objective of making it more energy efficient plus addressing some structural "issues". The first task was excavating around the house, applying new moisture barrier (a product called Blue Skin), putting in weeping tile to improve drainage and then applying an outer layer of 2" foam insulation board.

So this is what we started with.

After excavating down to the footing the concrete blocks were cleaned, a primer solution applied and then the Blue Skin membrane applied to above grade. Then all was covered with 2" foam insulation board.

Last step of this phase was to cover the foam board that is above grade with pressure treated plywood and then everything was back filled.

And that was the end of the 2009 construction season. As I don't like things looking unfinished I made sure that metal flashing was applied to cover the top of the foam insulation and the lower part of the wall where the vinyl siding had been removed.

In 2010 I began the next phase. This involved removing the old small, uninsulated porch and replaced it with a larger, fully insulated mud room.

And here it is as the 2010 construction season drew to a close. Later in the fall I added a deck and stairs.

Between 2011 and 2012 all of the old siding was removed, the foam insulation carried up to the top of the walls and clad with plywood followed by replacement of all of the old windows with more energy efficient triple pane windows. The house was then wrapped in a wind barrier film.

2013 was a quite year, on the outside. Outside work, as previously reported, involved fixing up my mothers house instead. But inside I laid down bamboo flooring through the living room, bedrooms and the main hallway.

Last year, 2014, I made a big push to try and get the outside finished by installing new vinyl siding. Here we are part way through.

And a view of the finished result from the west side.

And from the east side. One change completed since this picture was taken is that I eventually had to reconsider the kitchen exhaust fan vent as I tried to utilize the existing opening but it wouldn't work with any microwave oven that included an exhaust fan. Oh well.

This past winter, Jordan and I attacked a major project that I had been putting off for several years- renovating the kitchen. As Janice was gone on a trip we gutted the kitchen right down to the bare walls, re-insulated, including a layer of 3/4" foam board on the inside (the walls are rough 2" x 4" and fibreglass insulation is designed for studs only 3 1/2" deep. Then we put up drywall and painted. In addition we contracted a local cabinet builder to make a set of custom built natural maple cabinets.

Here is the kitchen after installing the new fibreglass and foam board insulation prior to being covered with plastic vapor barrier.

And now the drywall.

And here is the kitchen after the new cupboards were installed. I haven't even taken off the plastic protective film from the new dishwasher!

So there you have it. Other than replacing the main roof, with steel, and updating the bathroom, the end is pretty much in sight! It has been a major challenge but we are enjoying the almost finished product!

And all good things must come to an end.

For our next to last day in Oahu Linda, Susan and Sarah had pre-booked a trail ride on horses at a nearby ranch. Since we had cancelled the day trip to the Big Island I decided I may as well join them, if I could. So I drove them over to the ranch and then enquired if I could join the group. As they limit each session to only 10 riders and as they already had all spots booked I was out of luck. But then a woman who had booked taking part had since then discovered she was pregnant and one of the riding rules is no pregnant women are allowed on any horses so I was offered the spot. In addition, since it was already pre-paid, I got to go along free! Bonus!

Of the four of us only Sarah has ever ridden on a horse before. One uncertainty was answered the moment we arrived in that they had sets of stairs to assist people in mounting. I had hoped to try mounting on my own but never got the chance. Here is a picture of Linda and Susan mounted on their horses while waiting for the others to mount up:

As the horse Sarah was riding was one who did not like being behind others she got to be at the front of the troop with Chris, our main tour guide.

The other tour guide, Amy, brought up the rear. She and I got to talk to a bit as early on in the ride the horse I was on, Apollo, decided to stop a couple of times to relieve himself, plus he was not much for walking fast so that quickly we ended up being second last in line. No matter how hard I kicked he just didn't want to increase his pace. So after a bit Amy grabbed his halter and led us back to being 4th in line and then got me a crop from Chris. Using that Apollo became much more responsive and no longer held everyone else back. In fact, going up hills he wanted to go faster than those in front in line resulting in him having his nose practically in the tail of Susan's horse immediately in front of us.

Chris led us at very leisurely pace. The ride took about an hour and a half and we were back at the corral by noon. There I dismounted without any issues on my own and did not use the stairs that were provided.

After our return to the house we all went for a swim. On the beach, if you watched carefully, you could see Pallid sand crabs as they would excavate their tunnel holes above the surf line.

 

Here are Susan and Sarah enjoying the water followed by Sarah and Janice coming out.

Yes, the water is mighty fine there! While the snorkelling was not as good as in past trips I did see fish every time I went in although not in as abundant numbers.

The next day we got in some more swimming and then packed for our departure late that evening. We took advantage of the time for the girls to spend some time at Hilo Hattie's in Honolulu as well as a visit to a shopping mall to see a bronze bust of Jack Lord of the original Hawaii Five Oh TV series. I stayed in the van reading and keeping an eye on our luggage.

So, we are all now back in Canada. The trip was great and we all had a great time and have even talked about doing another trip in a couple of years! Time will tell.

This afternoon Janice and I are off to Kamloops for a few days visiting James, Courtenay and the girls.

Mele Kalikimaka!

Christmas day turned out to be a lovely one, although it did rain in the evening but by then it no longer mattered. Susan, Sarah and I went for a walk along the beach in the morning This time I wore my water shoes so did not aggravate the blister on my big toe! Afterwards the girls spent a few hours on the beach and swimming while I kept guard at the house and just relaxed reading and watching a bit of television.

The owners of our accommodation were nice enough to put up a real Christmas tree for us, including decorations! Most of the decorations are various types of  fishing floats. And it is capped off with a tiki statue.

After they got back from the beach the girls relaxed on the deck chairs on the patio for a while.

Then we went for a walk to La'ie Point, about 15 minutes from our residence. There we had an unobstructed view of a near shore island through which the surf in recent years has knocked a hole through creating an arch.

Upon returning, and after showering, everyone changing into their Christmas best.

We then had a small gift exchange then relaxed before sitting down to a baked chicken dinner. All in all, we spent a wonderful Christmas day together enjoying the best of what Hawaii has to offer at this time of year! And on that note we wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Part 2 of Christmas in Hawaii

The girls have all gone on a walking tour of the local shopping centre in Laie, which is only about 10 minutes from our rental. So I am going to take advantage of the interlude to add another post.

Yesterday morning I began the day by going on a walk along the beach in my bare feet. While it is a great feeling to have the sand between your toes I have discovered that being shoe bound all the time has made mine way too soft such that, believe it or not, I got a blister on one of my big toes! While it didn't stop me unfortunately I will have to start wearing water shoes when taking any more long walks along the beach. Bummer!

After, we all went touring to the southwest searching for surfers. Being a weekday the number of people at the local beaches is way down so no where as crowded as they are on the weekend. Our first stop was at Sunset Beach. While the surf was way up there was no one out surfing so we continued on to Pupukea beach.

This one is rather unusual in that there is a natural lava break wall that protects a large pool. While the waves crash into, and over, the break wall, by the time the water gets into the pool much of the force has been spent and the waters are relatively placid, although there is quite the flow out the side into "shark cove". Still, while there were some people swimming and snorkeling in the pool, there were no surfers.

Our next, and final stop, was the beach at Hale'iwa. There were several groups learning how to surf, so no experienced surfer dudes but at least we got to see some people standing on their boards and taking advantage of the surf!

We then drove back to the house and had lunch before heading over to the Polynesian Cultural Centre where they have displays of various Polynesian cultures including Hawaiian, Samoan, Tongan, New Zealand, Fijian and several other cultures. One show involved a series of rafts coming out on a central canal with dancers representing a specific Polynesian culture. It was very entertaining!

We then had a Luau supper that included traditionally steamed pig where the pig was slow cooked over hot rocks and wrapped in banana leaves until very tender. Also included was some poi (taro root paste that is very bland in flavour but was the traditional source of starch) as well as buns made from poi. What is unique about poi is that it is purple in colour and so the buns too are purple! Hawaiian's traditionally used poi to soften the taste of any strongly flavoured food such as salty fish. I didn't mind it although the colour and texture ( a thin paste) can turn one off.

After the luau we then attended a two hour show that again accentuated the different dance styles and other cultural characteristics of the major Polynesian groups. The main underlying theme (the circle of life) reminded me a lot of the Lion King. It was a very entertaining show and none of us were disappointed!

A "Where's Waldo", or in this case "Susan, Sarah and Linda" question! Can you find them in the last photo!

Christmas in Hawaii

Well, here it is, Christmas eve and Janice and I along with her sisters Susan and Linda, along with our niece Sarah are enjoying the pleasures of Hawaii! I have to admit that it could be nicer (it is raining right now) but the coldest it has been since we got here this past Friday is about 18 degrees Celsius.

The first couple of days the weather was pretty nice and so we stayed close to home enjoying the amenities of the house we are renting while here. It is right on the beach although there is coral reef just off shore that makes swimming difficult directly in front, but we do not have to walk too far down the beach to find better swimming conditions.

One affect of the nearby reefs is the constant roar of the surf as it crashes over them. But that is a white noise that masks much of the traffic noise as the inland side of the house is right on he local major highway.

Here is a picture of the street side of the house showing the van we have rented to get us around.

Monday we had planned to make a day trip to the Big Island of Hawaii but the tour group I booked us with couldn't accommodate us so we ended up cancelling. And it was a good thing as this wet system arrived that day and it was showers all day. So we made a trip into Honolulu to see Waikiki beach, tour the Iolani palace, home of Hawaiian royalty until a coup d'état in the late 1800's by American business interests supported by the US government of the time. And Canadian Indians think they have been treated badly!

 

And here is a picture of the girls in front of the statue of the first King, Kamehameha I.

 

That's enough for now as we are about ready for breakfast! I will add more a little later!