The Dream has become a reality! The footings are in...

I went up to the Lot today for two reasons. First reason to was to take yet again more stuff from my just sold and vacated home up to store in the sled on the Lot. My most eager reason, however, was to see the progress of Doug on putting in the foundation.

Doug started earlier in the week, on Monday, and was hoping to get the foundation walls in. Rain and other issues meant he didn't quite get that far.

But I was elated!

Seeing the hole dug for the foundation and the footings in meant that my dream was finally happening. After walking around, on and over the footings I was finally able to spot pinching myself. As you can see from the pictures in the post the footing are there as well as the drainage system around the outside of the footings.

The footings are on two levels as the cottage is being built on the side of the hill. So the foundation is not a simple 'box'.

What amazed me was the awesome amount of sand that was dug out. There was almost not enough room on the rest of the lot to place the sand temporarily. Obviously some of the sand will be used to back fill the foundation and to create a grade up to the cottage, but I hazard a guess that a good portion of the sand will have to be trucked away.

ASIDE: The sand, as the septic engineer mentions in his report (see upcoming post), is absolutely the best material for the septic system. It percolates very well.

The plan calls for the foundation walls to be poured this upcoming week, followed by the piers (sonotubes) for the deck supports.

My status update and next pictures of the foundation will be a few days after my next trip up there which will be June 6-8th - when we build the lake side wall of the basement and install the engineered floor.

In the Beginning: Clearing the Lot

I purchased the lot way back in November 1989, and was full of energy to get the project started. The cottage project that is...

First came the clearing, which took a full summer of off and on. There seemed to be a lot more black flies then...

I had purchased my first chainsaw - I own two of them now!

Then hockey happened! With two sons in competitive hockey, a growing career and the dream of the cottage took the back seat.


It wasn't until ten years latter that the project got started again. Of course the lot was overgrown again by then so more clearing needed to be done. With a spot cleared, at the top or as I call it 'on the edge' then I hired a feller with a bulldozer and a dump truck to cut a driveway in from the road, and to clear and level where the cottage would go.

And the first thing I bought and built for the lot... You guessed it -- a picnic table!

More stories from the beginning, coming next!
(I have to fill the time while I wait for quotes, estimates and that darn snow to melt!)

Finding a Backhoe, is becoming a problem...

The plan is to do as much of the construction as possible to keep the out of pocket cost for labour as low as possible. I am fortunate to have three strapping adult sons, two of which have significant experience in construction.

My eldest in fact is a heavy equipment operator. So I thought I had the perfect solution for excavating for the foundation and the septic system. However, I am encountering some obstacles.

1. All equipment like backhoes must have a vehicle license and plate in Quebec - so I can't bring one from Ottawa, Ontario
   
2. The distance from Ottawa to Otter Lake (where the cottage lot is) is about 125 km
3. I can't find a local backhoe that doesn't come with an operator (hence labour cost)

So it looks like bringing a backhoe up from Ottawa is not going to happen, and getting a local backhoe without and operator is looking to be difficult. I can get a backhoe (sans operator) in Hull, Quebec and have it delivered but the cost of renting the backhoe and the transportation to get it up to the lot is turning out to be more than the cost to get a local backhoe and operator.

So it looks like if I wish to keep close to the budget then I will likely have to use a local backhoe and operator.

Stay tuned I am still investigating.
;-)

Is the snow going to end?

I am in the planning stages! The preliminary schedule is based on breaking ground on May 10th. However, with over 350 cm of snow on the ground and as much as 40 cm more to come this weekend, I am beginning to be concerned that the start date may be in jeopardy.

The reason is there are some critical requirements. The key one is getting the building permit... and that is dependent on getting an engineering report for the type and placement of the septic system. Each of these steps requires time... anywhere from two to 4 weeks for each. Working back from May 10th, let's assume best case for each... say 2 weeks for each. Then that means the engineer needs to survey the cottage lot the first week of April.

It gets ugly... With near 400 cm of snow so far (to March 9th) - right now there is well over four feet of snow on the ground up at the cottage lot, is that snow going to disappear? ...and the ground frost be out by the first week of April?

If I was a betting man... I would say not!