Week 4

Well week 4 is coming to an end. It has been a pretty busy week so it just flew by!

I would like to dedicate this week to Orcas. Yes, Orcas lol. My sister and I are clearly building a house right next to one another, we work together and we spend a lot of our free time together. Someone told me this week that female family member orcas usually spend their whole lives within 10 meters of each other. So I guess in a way we are like Orcas! ;)




Apparently I need to learn how to wear a heard hat-I'd say mines a little high.

As for the property-this week we had to make some decisions on the back yard. We need a rock retaining wall so we had to decide the layout of it. It isn't finished yet but so far, this is what we've got!








This week they are pouring the concrete for the floor of the garage/basement.






Until next week!

-Posted by Jess

Week Three

Today is Remembrance Day. I get to join my Grandpa, Grandma and brother in law Nathaniel and honour them and their fellow military service men and women who have served throughout history.

There has been a little progress on the house this week. The concrete is poured for the forms and the house has a but of a shape to it now.






The picture above is the garage.

I was surprised at how big the footprint looked but I think once we get three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a family room, etc into that space it won't feel so big. But hey...I'm not complaining!

I had a chance to stand up in the back yard on Sunday. I was worried that it was going to turn out small. Part of the reason I was drawn to this property was because I wanted a decent sized yard. Once I got up there, I was really happy with the size. They still have to put in a stacked rock wall so we will see! The picture below should be pretty close to what our view from our living room will be.




On Sunday my father in law Don, my husband Ian and myself installed the perimeter drain. Don has done this lots at work. We worked for over 7 hours-digging, carrying pipe, glueing, sawing and hauling rocks. I of course stopped to take some pictures and had some visitors stop by.













It was hard work-we have sore muscles and blisters and I'm pretty sure I got sick from the tar fumes but we had a great time on Sunday. We created some great memories and it was pretty neat to be involved.

Apparently they are pouring foundation next week so I'll be back then with an update.

Posted by Jess

Week 2

Welcome to week two of 'The House of Cameron' build. Well...it's more like week 13. But we will go with week two because it took that long for us to see any action.

The first 12 weeks consisted of getting an engineer sign off, applying for permits, a lot of waiting, getting an arborist out to come up with a 'landscaping plan' (one of the city's requirements), and then some more waiting. During this whole time we were gathering as many quotes as possible, arranging financing and insurance, creating a budget and signing our builders agreement with Mahoe Properties. Mark Marley, one if the owners of Mahoe is a friend and will be our general contractor.

Luckily we have quite a few friends and family in the trades which really helps. My father in-law was able to arrange the excavation. It was pretty special having him be a part of it all. And my friend Ryan from Mijo Construction is doing our framing.

Last week Ian and I loaded a power pole, yes a power pole, and a generator in his truck and drove it out to our lot. It was as you would expect, heavy! Let's just say I spent the whole truck ride staring at the pole, holding my breath, praying for a strap not to break and the pole to go flying.




This week they have completed the 'footings'.






Now that there is a bit of a structure up, I am beginning to be able to visualize what room goes where. These photos are taken from what would be our back yard.

We spent a few hours at Rona and End of the Roll yesterday looking for tile and flooring options. I love the price of laminate but really want to stick to natural products. The first of many dilemmas I am sure.

I mentioned last week that we designed our house and the layout ourselves. I will be honest and say that this was not an easy process for us. My sister over at Painting The Roses White had no troubles at all. She had created her home before Ian and I had even drawn our garage. Before the opportunity to build came along, we thought we were going to buy a house (and possibly renovate). During our house hunting I came across one house that I fell in love with. It was over priced and by the time they lowered their price we had missed it. But it was one of those houses that I couldn't stop thinking about. So...I basically copied the floor plan right from that house. So unoriginal, I know! We made the alterations to it and voila, house plans done!...Well, not so fast- we worked with David from Mesa Designs and he created the plans for us from our chicken scratch drawings.

Here is the drawing of our house from the front.




I will try and post once a week. If I don't-it's only because I'm busy building a house ;)

-Posted by Jess

Hi...anybody?

Hi! Hello?...hello...

Hi everyone! Or anyone? I realize it has been over three years since I last posted. I am sure I have lost all my cyber friends out there. Heck, I would have disowned me too!

Lots has happened over the past three years. I will try and sum it up in a few scentences and some pictures...

I became an Auntie x2 (will be x3 in May when baby Jones is due )






I got engaged. I got married.






My sister and her family moved home.






We sold our condo. And we bought a property! ...right beside my sisters property.






We have designed our own house plans and will be making all of the design decisions along the way. Eeek! I've decided my blog would be a great way to document our journey!

Here is the property this week.













I'll be back next week, hopefully with some foundation!

Jessica


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