Dans les semaines qui ont suivi la construction de notre rallonge, on s'aurait cru dans une vraie ruche !! Les plombiers, les électriciens, les charpentiers...ça y allait !! Je n'avais pas réalisé combien il fallait défaire pour pouvoir refaire...on avait des trous partout pour pouvoir passer les tuyaux, les broches, l'isolation... mais on m'assure qu'après, ça va être facile de boucher les trous.
Stepping out of the new and into the old. Now that the new sun porch is in place it is time to focus on the renovations needed inside the older part of the house. It is time to make ready to bring in everyone from the carpenters to the electricians to the plumbers. This includes some still needed demolition and still more wall paper to remove....yes more wall paper!
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Let the construction begin
Hey, hey...we are back!
It has been just a little over a month since the weekend which the house was lowered onto the new foundation. On the following Wednesday construction began. Our new sun-porch / entry / mudroom was the first thing to go up (in two days) followed the following week by finishing the basement. We have a crew of three guys doing the carpentry; Carol, Gino and Marc-André. They work like a superstorm; three independant twisters massing together to converge as a category five storm....it seems like that there is nothing that they cannot do!
The second week of construction brought in the crew from Levesque and McIntyre Electric to start the arduous task of fishing wire through the maze of walls and floors and the many fire stops hidden in the old walls.
As the addition was placed onto the back of the house, the old cedar shingles were removed from the outside wall to reveal the massive lumber which the house is constructed. One inch thick boards, some fourteen and sixteen inches wide, covered by a second layer of one inch boards...all covered by a layer of birch bark!! The original vapor barrier!
We have been very busy as of late and are sorry for not being as up to date with our photos....but stay tuned, we have more to come. Again, thanks for following!
Oui ! On est de retour....Depuis que la maison est revenue sur la terre ferme, tout va très, très vite ! Les charpentiers ont construit notre ralonge/ nouvelle entrée en deux jours seulement ! On découvre les dessous de la maison : du bois, des grosses planches, de l'écorce de bouleau...vraiment impressionnant !
It has been just a little over a month since the weekend which the house was lowered onto the new foundation. On the following Wednesday construction began. Our new sun-porch / entry / mudroom was the first thing to go up (in two days) followed the following week by finishing the basement. We have a crew of three guys doing the carpentry; Carol, Gino and Marc-André. They work like a superstorm; three independant twisters massing together to converge as a category five storm....it seems like that there is nothing that they cannot do!
The second week of construction brought in the crew from Levesque and McIntyre Electric to start the arduous task of fishing wire through the maze of walls and floors and the many fire stops hidden in the old walls.
As the addition was placed onto the back of the house, the old cedar shingles were removed from the outside wall to reveal the massive lumber which the house is constructed. One inch thick boards, some fourteen and sixteen inches wide, covered by a second layer of one inch boards...all covered by a layer of birch bark!! The original vapor barrier!
We have been very busy as of late and are sorry for not being as up to date with our photos....but stay tuned, we have more to come. Again, thanks for following!
Oui ! On est de retour....Depuis que la maison est revenue sur la terre ferme, tout va très, très vite ! Les charpentiers ont construit notre ralonge/ nouvelle entrée en deux jours seulement ! On découvre les dessous de la maison : du bois, des grosses planches, de l'écorce de bouleau...vraiment impressionnant !
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Step one.....check!
Finally, after many sleepless weeks, the crew showed up on Saturday (two weeks ago) to lower the house down on to the new foundation.
After the foundation was poured it was suggested to allow the concrete to cure for at least a week before setting the house back down. It was an extremely cold and windy day but the crew from Victor Godin House Movers did not let that get in their way from doing their ''thang''. Super professional bunch of guys. After it was down and the beams removed, another seperate crew set in to put in the drainage around the foundation and ready it for the backfilling.
What a crazy few weeks! Later that day, I took Margot and Sarah down to Moncton for a quick two day trip; as Monday was a holiday for us, for some shopping and get-away- time....they deserved it for putting up with my hysteria during this part of our adventure.
Enfin, après quelques (longues) semaines notre maison allait redescendre. Il faisait tellement froid pendant toute la journée, mais l'équipe de Victor Godin était concentrée à la tâche....une chance ! J'ai seulement pu rester quelques minutes pour voir la maison redescendre. C'était un peu dur sur les nerfs...penche par en avant...penche par en arrière... !
Finalement, tout s'est très bien passé et oui, on méritait une belle fin de semaine à Moncton ! :)
After the foundation was poured it was suggested to allow the concrete to cure for at least a week before setting the house back down. It was an extremely cold and windy day but the crew from Victor Godin House Movers did not let that get in their way from doing their ''thang''. Super professional bunch of guys. After it was down and the beams removed, another seperate crew set in to put in the drainage around the foundation and ready it for the backfilling.
What a crazy few weeks! Later that day, I took Margot and Sarah down to Moncton for a quick two day trip; as Monday was a holiday for us, for some shopping and get-away- time....they deserved it for putting up with my hysteria during this part of our adventure.
Enfin, après quelques (longues) semaines notre maison allait redescendre. Il faisait tellement froid pendant toute la journée, mais l'équipe de Victor Godin était concentrée à la tâche....une chance ! J'ai seulement pu rester quelques minutes pour voir la maison redescendre. C'était un peu dur sur les nerfs...penche par en avant...penche par en arrière... !
Finalement, tout s'est très bien passé et oui, on méritait une belle fin de semaine à Moncton ! :)
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Vraiment...un ouragan...vraiment !! Really....a hurricane...really!!
C'était déjà assez stressant de voir sa maison se tenir debout sur des petits blocs, trop semblables au jeu Jenga. Il a fallu que quelqu'un creuse tout le tour et surtout en dessous pour préparer le terrain pour la fondation. Comme une cerise sur le sundae, on ajoute l'ouragan Sandy qui se dirigeait vers chez nous et surtout qui rencontrait une autre tempête...question de redoubler, voir même «retripler» notre niveau de stress. Deux semaines de nuits blanches : les vents vont-ils faire tomber notre maison ? La pluie torrentielle va-t-elle causer des glissements de terrain ? La pluie et les vents...
Finalement, Sandy aura été bien sage pour nous. La fondation pouvait donc être coulée avec un peu de retard, mais quand même coulée. C'était assez impressionnant de voir les gros camions se promener sur le terrain (très, très vaseux) tout près de la maison qui semblait si fragile.
Malheureusement, on a dû sacrifier quelques arbres pour les deux gros camions de ciment. RIP mes deux beaux lilas en arrière de la maison. Ça m'a fait de la peine, mais entre deux arbres ou pas de fondation, le choix n'était pas trop difficile...je me suis fait dire : «y'en a trois autres des arbres de lilas dans notre cours» !
En quelques jours, l'aspect de notre nouvelle maison a beaucoup changée...
Take one very old and heavy house, lift it five feet in the air, place it on blocks to play ''Jenga'', excavate all the earth around it to essentially make it ten feet in the air, now add one post tropical hurricane Sandy and what do you get.....about two weeks of constant worry and very little sleep!!
After the wow and cool factor of lifting the house, the realization of having our house supported on just a bunch of blocks of wood becomes all consuming; every other thought, morning, noon, and night....especially the night! I kept waiting for that early morning phone call....''Mr. Perry, there seems to have been an incident with your house...''. Now throw in for ''fun'' some post tropical hurricane Sandy winds and drenching rain for about three days! Talk about good timing to jack one's house in the air.
Two days after the initial lifting the footing was poured. We were hoping that the foundation would follow a couple of days later but there was a conflict in timing with our concrete guys. This is when Sandy rolled into town. They were able to put up the forms during the storm but running the concrete was impossible. That Wednesday night (Halloween), right after work, as the storm was fading, I headed down to the house to try and pump some of the three feet of water out of the hole and the forms. Stayed there into the night to try and ready it for cement the next morning. Everything went well except for a major house fire that I was called out to with our fire dept. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to choose your priorities in life; so to all my brothers and sister in the Charlo Volunteer Fire Dept.....I am sorry for not making it to this one.
The foundation was poured first thing the next morning.
Finalement, Sandy aura été bien sage pour nous. La fondation pouvait donc être coulée avec un peu de retard, mais quand même coulée. C'était assez impressionnant de voir les gros camions se promener sur le terrain (très, très vaseux) tout près de la maison qui semblait si fragile.
Malheureusement, on a dû sacrifier quelques arbres pour les deux gros camions de ciment. RIP mes deux beaux lilas en arrière de la maison. Ça m'a fait de la peine, mais entre deux arbres ou pas de fondation, le choix n'était pas trop difficile...je me suis fait dire : «y'en a trois autres des arbres de lilas dans notre cours» !
En quelques jours, l'aspect de notre nouvelle maison a beaucoup changée...
Take one very old and heavy house, lift it five feet in the air, place it on blocks to play ''Jenga'', excavate all the earth around it to essentially make it ten feet in the air, now add one post tropical hurricane Sandy and what do you get.....about two weeks of constant worry and very little sleep!!
After the wow and cool factor of lifting the house, the realization of having our house supported on just a bunch of blocks of wood becomes all consuming; every other thought, morning, noon, and night....especially the night! I kept waiting for that early morning phone call....''Mr. Perry, there seems to have been an incident with your house...''. Now throw in for ''fun'' some post tropical hurricane Sandy winds and drenching rain for about three days! Talk about good timing to jack one's house in the air.
Two days after the initial lifting the footing was poured. We were hoping that the foundation would follow a couple of days later but there was a conflict in timing with our concrete guys. This is when Sandy rolled into town. They were able to put up the forms during the storm but running the concrete was impossible. That Wednesday night (Halloween), right after work, as the storm was fading, I headed down to the house to try and pump some of the three feet of water out of the hole and the forms. Stayed there into the night to try and ready it for cement the next morning. Everything went well except for a major house fire that I was called out to with our fire dept. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to choose your priorities in life; so to all my brothers and sister in the Charlo Volunteer Fire Dept.....I am sorry for not making it to this one.
The foundation was poured first thing the next morning.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
The big dig....after the big lift....
Now that the house is in the air, the next step is to dig underneath and around to prepare the area for the forms for the footing and the foundation. The day following the lift the crew showed up with the shovel and the bulldozers to get the job done. Luckily the ground underneath was dry and just that; ground and no rock.
Sorry for the delay with this update but life has been very busy the last two weeks, but do not worry, there will be more to come very soon...thanks for following!
Enfin la maison est dans les airs ! Mais il y a tout un autre travail à faire : creuser sous la maison pour pouvoir installer les formes pour la fondation. Pas mon genre de travail du tout...oufff ! On était (et les travailleurs aussi ) bien content de savoir qu'il n'y avait pas de grosses roches, mais seulement de la terre.
Les dernières semaines furent très occupées, mais tout devrait entrer dans l'ordre...les autres photos devraient suivre plus rapidement...merci de nous suivre !
Sorry for the delay with this update but life has been very busy the last two weeks, but do not worry, there will be more to come very soon...thanks for following!
Enfin la maison est dans les airs ! Mais il y a tout un autre travail à faire : creuser sous la maison pour pouvoir installer les formes pour la fondation. Pas mon genre de travail du tout...oufff ! On était (et les travailleurs aussi ) bien content de savoir qu'il n'y avait pas de grosses roches, mais seulement de la terre.
Les dernières semaines furent très occupées, mais tout devrait entrer dans l'ordre...les autres photos devraient suivre plus rapidement...merci de nous suivre !
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
The BIG lift
Difficile à croire que des si petites machines hydroliques ont réussi à soulever une si grosse maison ! Oui, en quatre heures les poutres vieilles de 150 ans ont revu le jour !! Encore une fois, j'aimais beaucoup mieux ne pas être présente pour cette grande étape. Heureusement tout s'est bien passé....comme Eric le mentionne, l'équipe de Victor Godin était excellente. À la fin de la journée, c'était impressionnant de voir cette grosse maison dans les airs, mais ce qui impressionnait le plus Sarah c'était de jouer aux archéologues et de fouiller la terre pour des trésors...de la poterie, un petit bout de pipe, des journaux...
When last we left you; we posted that last Thursday, the holes were dug, the blocking layed and the beams were placed and ready to go. On Monday the crew showed up to put the house in motion! After approx.150 years the house was free from it's Earthly restraints and raised towards the heavens....Two large trucks were used to power the hydraulic jacks; one truck in the front and the other in the back. A shout out to the three man crew from Victor Godin House Movers and Victor himself as they were super and made it look like child's play; it took about four hours with steady hands on the controls and many checks with the levels and tape measures to take it up. A quick check inside after it was all done proved that their smoothness payed off as there seemed to be no damage! There will be many more photos to come but these are a small bit to show the day.....
When last we left you; we posted that last Thursday, the holes were dug, the blocking layed and the beams were placed and ready to go. On Monday the crew showed up to put the house in motion! After approx.150 years the house was free from it's Earthly restraints and raised towards the heavens....Two large trucks were used to power the hydraulic jacks; one truck in the front and the other in the back. A shout out to the three man crew from Victor Godin House Movers and Victor himself as they were super and made it look like child's play; it took about four hours with steady hands on the controls and many checks with the levels and tape measures to take it up. A quick check inside after it was all done proved that their smoothness payed off as there seemed to be no damage! There will be many more photos to come but these are a small bit to show the day.....
Monday, October 22, 2012
You want to do what with this house...?!?! / Vraiment ?!? Vous allez faire quoi ??
After a crazy two weeks of packing, cleaning, painting, being sick and finally moving out of our house....
On Thursday; the day before we are to officially become «of no fixed address» and just because we did not have enough stress at this point...the crew shows up early morning to prep the house to be lifted early next week.
Highlights : Nice dry ground, easy digging outside and underneath the house, everything seems to be sound and of no rot, two days work accomplished in one!
Lows : Never felt more stressed in my life !
Pauvre Eric, oui c'est vrai qu'il était vraiment stressé...pour ma part, je ne voulais juste pas voir ou savoir ce qui se passait. Le stress de vendre notre maison prenait 100 % de place dans ma tête...mais finalement la curiosité l'a emporté. Tout semblait tomber en place...juste des bonnes nouvelles : rien de pourri, belle terre... :)
On Thursday; the day before we are to officially become «of no fixed address» and just because we did not have enough stress at this point...the crew shows up early morning to prep the house to be lifted early next week.
Highlights : Nice dry ground, easy digging outside and underneath the house, everything seems to be sound and of no rot, two days work accomplished in one!
Lows : Never felt more stressed in my life !
Pauvre Eric, oui c'est vrai qu'il était vraiment stressé...pour ma part, je ne voulais juste pas voir ou savoir ce qui se passait. Le stress de vendre notre maison prenait 100 % de place dans ma tête...mais finalement la curiosité l'a emporté. Tout semblait tomber en place...juste des bonnes nouvelles : rien de pourri, belle terre... :)
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Une autre découverte / Another discovery...
Cette page de blogue est dédiée à ma soeur (et François aussi) qui sont venus de Moncton pendant la longue fin de semaine pour nous donner un coup de main.
Ma soeur a découvert «l'enlèvage de tapisserie» et je crois qu'elle y a pris goût (idée de cadeau de Noël) ! C'était difficile de l'arrêter. Je dois même dire qu'elle a eu des ampoules...une autre blessée à la maison !?!?!? Hihihi...
Ma soeur a découvert «l'enlèvage de tapisserie» et je crois qu'elle y a pris goût (idée de cadeau de Noël) ! C'était difficile de l'arrêter. Je dois même dire qu'elle a eu des ampoules...une autre blessée à la maison !?!?!? Hihihi...
Ils ont surtout travaillé à enlever la tapisserie dans la salle à manger. Maman et Matante Léonie avaient débuté le travail et Karine et François ont terminé. En dessous des nombreuses couches, le plâtre d'origine est peint et on peut y voir des «stencils» décoratifs...c'est tellement beau !
A big thank you to Margot's sister Karine and her partner François for coming up from Moncton over Thanksgiving to help with the wallpaper in the dining room. What a pleasant surprise to find under the layers of wallpaper that the walls had originally been painted with beautiful stenciling all around.
Voici le produit final....
Monday, October 15, 2012
Old and tired...rediscovered hardwood floors...or Margot and Eric
We have spent the past two weeks moving and cleaning our current house to be sold this Friday. We have been sick with flu and colds during this time, hence no more creativity...so just check out the hardwood floors that were hidden under two layers of plywood, various types of flooring and about a million nails.
We promise to be in better form soon.
Ça fait maintenant deux semaines que l'on nettoie et déménage afin de préparer notre maison de la rue Simon qui sera vendue ce vendredi. Malheureusement, Mme la grippe et le M. le rhume se sont joints à nous pour nous rendre la tâche un peu plus difficile...notre imagination d'écriture est donc assez limité cette semaine ! Alors, voici donc les planchers de bois franc qui étaient cachés sous plusieurs couches de matériaux et, selon Eric, de million de clous !
Oui, nous serons de retour en pleine forme très bientôt ! :)
We promise to be in better form soon.
Ça fait maintenant deux semaines que l'on nettoie et déménage afin de préparer notre maison de la rue Simon qui sera vendue ce vendredi. Malheureusement, Mme la grippe et le M. le rhume se sont joints à nous pour nous rendre la tâche un peu plus difficile...notre imagination d'écriture est donc assez limité cette semaine ! Alors, voici donc les planchers de bois franc qui étaient cachés sous plusieurs couches de matériaux et, selon Eric, de million de clous !
Oui, nous serons de retour en pleine forme très bientôt ! :)
Sunday, October 7, 2012
And you thought your house was dusty...? / Partout, partout de la poussière !
In our reno project, we are looking at redoing the entire kitchen. As 150 or so years have not been too kind to some of the plaster walls and ceilings, we decided to bring on the hurt to these poor structures. Bring in myself, brother in law Tony and a big welcome back to Margot's father Jean-Marie. As «safety first» has become our new motto, we decided to use some respirators and for Jean-Marie : Angus' old hard hat from the mill.
The old plaster was made essentially from lime based mortar, sand and horse hair. Much more dense than modern dry wall and much more dusty. With the aid of Jean-Marie's ice chopper it came off pretty well, and with the use of the snow scoop, it went out even better. Behind the plaster, the entire walls and ceilings are lined with one inch laths, all hand nailed using little square nails.
De la poussière partout, partout, partout...! Le plâtre de la cuisine devait être enlevé pour refaire la cuisine au complet. 150 ans passés, on n'avait pas le même plâtre que maintenant...celui dans notre maison est mélangé avec des poils de chevals !!
On avait bien pris la peine de fermer les deux portes de la cuisine (bien pratique, les vieilles maisons ont des portes dans toutes les pièces !), mais la poussière du plâtre nous a trouvés dans le salon...et mes allergies qui recommencent ! Maman, Sarah et moi on a fait du ménage et on a préparé la vente de garage. À la fin de la journée, on avait de la poussière partout, partout, partout !!
The old plaster was made essentially from lime based mortar, sand and horse hair. Much more dense than modern dry wall and much more dusty. With the aid of Jean-Marie's ice chopper it came off pretty well, and with the use of the snow scoop, it went out even better. Behind the plaster, the entire walls and ceilings are lined with one inch laths, all hand nailed using little square nails.
De la poussière partout, partout, partout...! Le plâtre de la cuisine devait être enlevé pour refaire la cuisine au complet. 150 ans passés, on n'avait pas le même plâtre que maintenant...celui dans notre maison est mélangé avec des poils de chevals !!
On avait bien pris la peine de fermer les deux portes de la cuisine (bien pratique, les vieilles maisons ont des portes dans toutes les pièces !), mais la poussière du plâtre nous a trouvés dans le salon...et mes allergies qui recommencent ! Maman, Sarah et moi on a fait du ménage et on a préparé la vente de garage. À la fin de la journée, on avait de la poussière partout, partout, partout !!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
une, deux, trois...douze couches de tapisserie ! Back to the bathroom...
Check out the rainbow of colors and designs found in the twelve layers of wallpaper in one of the bedrooms.
Au début de la journée, on a choisi par quelle chambre on voulait commencer. Sarah et moi on a choisi l'ancienne chambre à Angus; Maman et Matante Léonie ont choisi de travailler dans le corridor. Pauvres elles...mauvais choix ! Dans le corridor la tapisserie avait été peinturée, c'était extrêmement long et difficile à enlever; tandis que dans notre chambre, on pouvait enlever plusieurs couches à la fois ! Malgré tout le travail et les bras endoloris à la fin, on a eu une très belle journée.
Eric de son côté avait décidé de s'attaquer à la salle de bain...En enlevant le vieux bain, les armoires, le plancher en vinyl...il a découvert des petits trésors : un plancher en bois franc et encore de la tapisserie !
After Margot's father's experience in the bathroom left him with several stitches, it was left to me to complete the job. After ripping out some drywall, 2x4's and finally the tub, what a «pleasant» surprise to see the old mactac stick-on wallpaper that Theresa loved so dearly. Even more of a surprise was the original hardwood floor hiding beneath several funky types of flooring. Even though there is a bit of water damage and missing pieces, we should be able to restore this «lost» treasure to a new glory.
During my attack on the bathroom, Margot, her mother, her aunt Léonie and Sarah decided to start removing the wallpaper upstairs. They started in Angus' bedroom and then moved out into the hallway. Our intention is to work through the many layers, some that are painted, some that are 12 layers thick to bring the original plaster hidden for so many years back to the light.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Take one day off (Thursday), add one old 4x4 truck, one electric chain saw and 3 rednecks...
Another part of our reno plan is to build a combination entry, mudroom and sun porch on the back of the house. That means the old 1980's porch has to meet it's maker...literally ! Brother-in-law Tony built it and was brought in to remove it; along with his old 4x4. Along with myself, Margot's father Jean-Marie, a couple of reciprocating saws and a long sling attached to the 4x4, we were ready to tackle the porch. Thanks to Angus and his little electric chainsaw which helped big time in the crunch.
After several attempts with the 4x4 literally coming off the ground, the many five and six inch nails gave up their hold on the house and gave way to freedom for the porch. Also seeking freedom that morning was one of Tony's abdominal muscles in way of a hernia. He promptly left once the porch and he had their final words.
This left Jean-Marie, Margot's mother Diane and myself wondering what to do next. Well after the porch, the next room in is the kitchen...off with the old cupboards ! I am sure my sisters would have clapped with joy seeing the old, really way-too-short counter and sink come out after the many years of bending over washing the dishes. This went rather quickly so we moved into the bathroom to finish off the early 1980's cabinets, tub and shower. However, one piece of the cabinet did not want to go that quietly. It decided to fall onto Jean-Marie's head; along with it's many nails, gashing him enough to send him with Diane for some stitches.
Then, there was only one; me...... I called it a day.
Ce n'est qu'après l'école que j'ai su que mon Papa avait été «attaqué» par une planche et des clous !! Ce soir-là, c'était notre rencontre de parents et ce n'est que très tard en soirée que j'ai pu aller voir mon père et ses points de suture ! Heureusement, il allait bien !! Oufff....
After several attempts with the 4x4 literally coming off the ground, the many five and six inch nails gave up their hold on the house and gave way to freedom for the porch. Also seeking freedom that morning was one of Tony's abdominal muscles in way of a hernia. He promptly left once the porch and he had their final words.
This left Jean-Marie, Margot's mother Diane and myself wondering what to do next. Well after the porch, the next room in is the kitchen...off with the old cupboards ! I am sure my sisters would have clapped with joy seeing the old, really way-too-short counter and sink come out after the many years of bending over washing the dishes. This went rather quickly so we moved into the bathroom to finish off the early 1980's cabinets, tub and shower. However, one piece of the cabinet did not want to go that quietly. It decided to fall onto Jean-Marie's head; along with it's many nails, gashing him enough to send him with Diane for some stitches.
Then, there was only one; me...... I called it a day.
Ce n'est qu'après l'école que j'ai su que mon Papa avait été «attaqué» par une planche et des clous !! Ce soir-là, c'était notre rencontre de parents et ce n'est que très tard en soirée que j'ai pu aller voir mon père et ses points de suture ! Heureusement, il allait bien !! Oufff....
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Vive la démolition ! / Let the demolition begin !
Pour cette longue fin de semaine de septembre, nous avions décidé de s'attaquer à une très grosse partie de notre rénovation : enlever la cheminée ! Il faut dire que pour moi, cette tâche semblait presque impossible car la cheminée passait en plein milieu de la maison. Lorsque Sarah et moi sommes arrivées à la maison, Tony, mon beau-frère était déjà dans le toit (dans le trou de la cheminée !). Nous avons donc (Sarah, Maman et moi) décidé de s'attaquer à autre chose : le ménage !!
Après plusieurs heures à classer, ramasser, jeter...on a trouvé des outils pour démolir des vieux garde-robes...on se croyait dans des émissions de rénovation ! C'était beau à voir...ça n'a pas pris longtemps avant qu'on prenne le tour avec les outils ! Plus tard, on a donné un coup de main à Eric et Papa (qui étaient couverts de suie) pour enlever les briques de la cheminée et les lancer par les fenêtres pendant que Sarah prenait des photos... Que d'accomplissements en deux jours !!
Finally, after the many months and weeks of planning, discussions, ideas and yes, confirmation of the sale of our house (which we built seven years ago) it was time to put up...or shut up ! Cleaning the basement was one thing...but if we were actually going to do this project; beginning with the lifting of the house for a proper foundation, the chimney would have to come out. The only problem : the chimney runs through the center of the house! So, on September 1st, our little plan took a big leap foward. With some help from brother-in-law Tony and a random friend to be named at a later date, off came the chimney and on to repairing the roof. A big thank you to the many trees in the backyard for providing excellent coverage of our covert mission.
Once the roof was repaired, it was left to Margot's father, Jean-Marie, and myself to find a way to remove the rest of the chimney hidden within the walls of the house. Starting up on the third floor, we removed a small section of panelled wall to access the brick. We hammered them off and carried the bricks in buckets down to the second floor and out a back window. We continued this process all the way down to the kitchen where we gained access through the pantry. We finished up the next day, Sunday. It was a big weekend with Margot, her mother Diane and Sarah cleaning, packing, organising and doing their own demolition work. We removed the chimney, but the marble fireplace will be staying put in the living room.
Après plusieurs heures à classer, ramasser, jeter...on a trouvé des outils pour démolir des vieux garde-robes...on se croyait dans des émissions de rénovation ! C'était beau à voir...ça n'a pas pris longtemps avant qu'on prenne le tour avec les outils ! Plus tard, on a donné un coup de main à Eric et Papa (qui étaient couverts de suie) pour enlever les briques de la cheminée et les lancer par les fenêtres pendant que Sarah prenait des photos... Que d'accomplissements en deux jours !!
Finally, after the many months and weeks of planning, discussions, ideas and yes, confirmation of the sale of our house (which we built seven years ago) it was time to put up...or shut up ! Cleaning the basement was one thing...but if we were actually going to do this project; beginning with the lifting of the house for a proper foundation, the chimney would have to come out. The only problem : the chimney runs through the center of the house! So, on September 1st, our little plan took a big leap foward. With some help from brother-in-law Tony and a random friend to be named at a later date, off came the chimney and on to repairing the roof. A big thank you to the many trees in the backyard for providing excellent coverage of our covert mission.
Once the roof was repaired, it was left to Margot's father, Jean-Marie, and myself to find a way to remove the rest of the chimney hidden within the walls of the house. Starting up on the third floor, we removed a small section of panelled wall to access the brick. We hammered them off and carried the bricks in buckets down to the second floor and out a back window. We continued this process all the way down to the kitchen where we gained access through the pantry. We finished up the next day, Sunday. It was a big weekend with Margot, her mother Diane and Sarah cleaning, packing, organising and doing their own demolition work. We removed the chimney, but the marble fireplace will be staying put in the living room.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Step 1 : Attacking the basement / Étape 1 : On s'attaque à la cave
One of the biggest part of our reno project will be lifting the house. For 150 years, this three story house has sat on a field-stone footing and a partial cellar. This has always left the cellar; with it's dirt floor, damp and musty and prone to partial flooding. We want to jack the house and make a proper basement !
In order to do this, the basement has to be emptied of everything. From Angus' tools from the mill, to old tables, windows, full bottles of 20 year old Baby Duck and most importantly, the many pairs of skis and sleds from our youth that Angus hid on Theresa; never telling her the difference as year after year she cursed him for throwing them out.
C'est donc par une très, très chaude journée d'été qu'on a commencé notre première étape de nettoyage. La journée d'avant on avait essayé (Eric et moi ) de commencer un peu, mais j'avais dû arrêter à cause de mes allergies (une chance...parce que les bibittes cachées dans la cave me faisaient peur !!).
Très tôt le matin, Tony, Debbie, Papa, Maman, Eric, Sarah et moi sommes allés à la maison. Les hommes ont donc commencé à vider la cave et nous sommes allées commencer le ménage dans les chambres du haut. Avant le diner, la cave était déjà vidée !!!! Que de découvertes....des vrais trésors : les anciennes portes de la maison, des vieux outils, une vieille bicyclette, des tables, des vieilles valises, une très vieille bouteille de «Brunswick Soda» encore pleine (qui semblait très appétissante avec toute cette chaleur)...
In order to do this, the basement has to be emptied of everything. From Angus' tools from the mill, to old tables, windows, full bottles of 20 year old Baby Duck and most importantly, the many pairs of skis and sleds from our youth that Angus hid on Theresa; never telling her the difference as year after year she cursed him for throwing them out.
C'est donc par une très, très chaude journée d'été qu'on a commencé notre première étape de nettoyage. La journée d'avant on avait essayé (Eric et moi ) de commencer un peu, mais j'avais dû arrêter à cause de mes allergies (une chance...parce que les bibittes cachées dans la cave me faisaient peur !!).
Très tôt le matin, Tony, Debbie, Papa, Maman, Eric, Sarah et moi sommes allés à la maison. Les hommes ont donc commencé à vider la cave et nous sommes allées commencer le ménage dans les chambres du haut. Avant le diner, la cave était déjà vidée !!!! Que de découvertes....des vrais trésors : les anciennes portes de la maison, des vieux outils, une vieille bicyclette, des tables, des vieilles valises, une très vieille bouteille de «Brunswick Soda» encore pleine (qui semblait très appétissante avec toute cette chaleur)...
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Welcome to our reno project - Bienvenue dans notre projet de rénovation
About two years ago, my brother Donnie called us to ask if we would be interested in having our old homestead. After growing up watching : «This old house», the seed was planted. A year ago, we started making this project a possibility. We created this blog to share with you our journey...
Depuis que je suis toute petite, je rêve de vivre dans une vieille grosse maison... Quand Donnie nous a demandé si l'on était intéressé d'avoir la maison, c'était très facile d'accepter...et commencer à rêver ! Nous avons donc créé ce blog pour partager avec vous notre aventure...
Depuis que je suis toute petite, je rêve de vivre dans une vieille grosse maison... Quand Donnie nous a demandé si l'on était intéressé d'avoir la maison, c'était très facile d'accepter...et commencer à rêver ! Nous avons donc créé ce blog pour partager avec vous notre aventure...
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