Snow & Winter has arrived!

I was prepared to be greeted by snow up at the Cottage, but just not so much!

I was expecting four possibly as much as 8 inches of snow, not the 14 or more inches that I encountered when we arrived Saturday morning.

The task for this past Saturday was to take the last two loads of drywall waste to the garbage dump, so the snow had to be removed.

Fortunately I was put in touch to a local snow removal contractor by Brad at Dales RONA Building Centre. Lee Desabais came over almost right away to clear the driveway and 'parking' lot. I have struck an annual snow removal contract with him. Lee will keep the cottage open during the week until the contractors, drywall and electrical, have completed their work. That should be until the first weekend in January. After that Lee will just ensure that it is cleared for the weekends.

It was important to keep the lot open as I need clear access for the remaining contractors to complete their work and to allow access to the porch when the moving truck arrives on January 3rd.

Coming Up:
In the next post I am trying an experiment. I took some video with my camera the previous week. I am going to post one of them.

Related Posts:
he Cottage: Finished for the Winter - Nov 26, 2008

Construction Heating in the Winter - Nov 27, 2008

Heating Tip for Drywalling in the Fall & Winter - Oct 27, 2008

;-)

Insulation Tip: Vapour Barrier Behiond Electrical Boxes

If you are serious about insulating then you are serious about creating a good vapour barrier in the inside of the insulation. The vapour barrier is only as good as long as you minimize the number of holes through it.

All the electrical boxes represent a huge hole in the vapour barrier. It is key that vapour barrier be installed behind every electrical box. The picture illustrates what my electrician did for every electrical box he installed.

When you come to install the vapour barrier, sealing these holes is a snap. All you will have to do is cut a small slit in the vapour barrier, pull the small sheet behind the box through the hole and seal it with acoustic sealant and/or tuck tape.

Again it pays off to plan ahead! Trying to retrofit vapour barrier behind the box after it is in place is near impossible.

Coming in future posts: Vapour barriers for electrical boxes are not the only place to insert them prior to insulating. In future posts we will explore more tricks to make it go smoothly.

3 Tips for Communicating with Your Electrician

My electrical contractor started this past Saturday. It is amazing how fast they can install the electrical!

They began about 9 am and were heading home at 3 pm after completing the electrical for the entire main floor. And that included telephone and cable.

They obviously have done it a few times before...

But I think some up front preparation on my part and great communication with the electrician helped make it easier for them. Here are a few tips I recommend:

1. Be Detailed in your Request for Quote

Good communication starts before the electrician even arrives. In my request for a quote I provided a layout of both floors of the cottage and clearly indicated where things needed to be. And that means everything! Often your architect plans will provide this. I needed to amend the plan however because (a) I am finishing the basement and b) wanted a different layout for the kitchen.

Being upfront means the electrician knows exactly what kind of material to bring including bath room vents, baseboard heaters, pot lights, etc...

2. Label the locations

The weekend prior to the arrival of the electrician, my wife and I did a walkabout in the Cottage, imagining where everything goes and discussing the various options. Once we settled on a location we stapled a label in the location.

This walkabout is particularly important to get the right location of the ceiling fixtures. Only you know where the dining room table is going or the kitchen island. Left to their own, the electricians are like to just centre the fixtures in the middle of the space - perhaps not in the location you would choose.

3. Be there on the first day

Plans are not exact, and the locations you picked may not be optimal or to code so it is important to do a walkabout with the electrician to confirm the locations and make adjustments. It is here where you can share with him why you choose that location. Plus your nomenclature for the labels may not be his - communication closes the gap.

Our electrician was amazed at the labels - I guess he doesn't often get such help from his clients. The walkabout went much faster because of it. He did make a few suggestions, and so we moved things around slightly.

4. Setup Key Plumbing Electrical Fixtures

The plumbing system has a pressure tank with a connection to the pump in the lake, a sewage sump pump, tankless water heater, and a UV Filter. All require 110 volts. It is real helpful to the electrician if these are at least installed in their locations. That way the electrician can install the required outlets in the right locations. Otherwise he may just put them in the 'area' not taking in to consideration the layout of these fixtures.

What other tips can you recommend when dealing with the electrician?

Installing the Septic System - Status

Oh Yes! an Update...

Two weeks ago Doug Zacharias of Doug Zacharias Trucking Ltd installed the septic system. No pictures of the work except for the entry though the wall, but I will discuss the system that was installed in future posts.

Here you can see the 4-inch pipe leading to the septic tank coming through the concrete wall. It is sealed into the wall using a bit of spray foam.

As you know the expression is "Sh#t flows down hit", hence this pipe is not level but slopes down at a rate of 1/4 inch per foot.

Houston, We have a Concrete basement Floor...

When I arrived on This past Friday I was pleased to see that the contractor have poured the concrete basement floor.

The basement floor is usually poured well after the roof is on and the building closed in. This is so the concrete is not rained on or otherwise compromised by materials destroying the nice finish the concrete contractor puts on the floor.

It was kind of a nice feeling having the basement floor in - sort of a milestone of sorts... I could imagine what was to be built in the basement - two bedrooms, a workshop, bathroom and a laundry room, plus another living room area.

The floor is given a nice smooth finish and the concrete sloped, ever so gradually towards the drains that I install earlier. There are two drains. Can you determine where they are in the above picture? A clue -- there are a few water marks that give it away.

In a previous post (see "How to Make Sh#t Flow up Hill"") I described the process of putting in the plumbing under the basement floor. In the above and next two pictures you can see the almost finished product.

The first picture at the left shows, starting in the foreground, the water intake from the lake (with the wires taped to it), the sewage basin, the shower drain and the toilet waste pipe.

Of course these fixtures are not yet finished in that they need to be connected. each will have a specific adapter glued to it. For instance the toilet waste pipe will have something called a closet flange.

In the picture to the left, you see, from left to right, one of two floor drains and the wastes and vent pipe that will be used to drain the laundry tub and the washer.

The pictures don't quite do it justice but the floors are really smooth!

The Septic Engineering Report

The third reason I was up at the Cottage Lot this Past weekend was to meet with the engineer who will be providing the engineering report for the septic system that I require to get the building permit.

Background: The province (Quebec) put in new legislation about a year or two ago requiring a formal engineering report to establish the requirements for a septic system in order to get a building permit. I know this to be a change because four years ago in my previous but aborted attempt to build the cottage I was able to get the permit without the engineering report. The engineering report specifies what kind of septic system, size and allowed location - this is all based on the expected use of the cottage to be built - generally determined by the number of bedrooms (a proxy for the number of people using the cottage).

Peter Macintosh, the engineer, arrived about five minutes after Doug Zacharias, the foundation contractor (see previous post), so it took some juggling. After another round of introductions and chatting among the three of us, I first dealt with Doug and them Peter.

Peter's adult son came to assist him. So as Doug and I were discussing the foundation quote, the two set out to do their measurements.

Fortunately all the lot markers are visible, and had marked out approximately where the cottage was to go, so Peter was able to quickly assess the location.

I was surprised but very pleased that Peter determined that there is enough space for a complete septic system, tank and bed. He also indicated the best location for the well if I choose to put one in (I currently draw water from the lake).

In about half an hour Peter and team were done. He indicated the report would be completed next week (this week) and he would send a copy to Rick, the building inspector in Otter Lake.

The bottom-line:

• A full septic system can be installed
• The report will be done in five days or less
• I should be able to get the building permit during the week of May 6th. Previously the building inspector stated that he can issue the permit one day after receiving the engineering report

So the reality of my dream cottage is happening! I sometimes have to pinch myself...

NEXT: I discuss a neat way to store the furniture that is eventually destined for the cottage.

And the Foundation Contract goes to...

Another reason I was up to the Cottage Lot this past week end was to meet with one of the two contractors I asked for a quote to build the foundation.

In the request for quote each were asked to bid on the following:

• Excavate
  
• Install forms & pour concrete footings and walls per the supplier plans
• Install drainage tile
  
• Install water entrance sleeve (so I can bring in the water line from the lake)
• Install and pour 16 piers for the surround deck
• Pour the basement floor
• Backfill with stone and overburden as required

I met Saturday with Doug Zacharias. He has a company called Doug Zacharias Trucking Ltd and operates out of Otter Lake. I have used Doug previously to clear the lot and put in a driveway from the road. He also installs septic systems but I haven't contracted for that yet as I am waiting for the septic engineer's report.

Doug arrived around noon, and after a chat we got down to discussing the location of the cottage. Doug had some good suggests and recommendations on where the cottage should be placed. The changes were not dramatic if fact his suggest was to pull it away from the lake and towards the road about 15 feet. In doing so the lakeside knee-wall would not need to be as deep and/or high thus saving a lot of concrete.

We discussed the distance of the cottage from the east lot line, about 12 feet, and the potential location for the septic system. As for the septic system, that still needed to be confirmed by the engineer's report, however, having done a few I was sure Doug was right on in his prediction.

One final element was the window in the concrete wall. Doug offered to put these in at an additional $200. I liked the idea - one less thing for me to do - and it is better to embed them at pouring time anyway.

Bottom-line was the quoted price was good, and my past experience with Doug cemented (sorry for the pun) the deal.

To round out some of the logistics we discussed:

• Basement Floor: When I needed to put in the rough plumbing for the basement. This needs to be done prior to pouring the basement floor. His primary concern was that it be done when the cottage was built so the concrete is not affected by any rain and wreak the 'polished' floor. I suggested that right after the floor was put it would work as I intended to cover the floor with a tarp AND that the cutout in the floor for the stairwell would be perfect for access to the basement.
• Timing: I need the foundation to be completed before June 6th, excluding the basement floor. Doug agreed that target would be easily reached.
• Payment: This is still I'll get back to you on, as I suspect he needs to discuss it with his subs. But the last time it was pay at the end of the job. Give the size of the amount I would be prepared to pay in two installments, one up front and one after the job is complete.

So the first phase of the project, planning, is coming to an end, and execution is starting with the foundation going in by the end of May.

Doug can be reached at (819) ) 453-7830 or by eMail.

Project Status

Gee!
There is actually a bunch of people following my blog, and a many of you have asked for an update of where I am at in terms of the project:

The Cottage Plans:

• The plans have been adjusted to take advantage of the unique features of the lot - mostly the slope
• The tentative location of the rooms in the basement have been added to the plans.
• The location of the plumbing necessary for installation prior to pouring the basement floor have been determined.
  

Material Quotes:

• Material list created
• Request for quotes made to 4 major lumber yards and one truss company

Foundation:

• If you have been following my initial plan was to build a permanent wood foundation
• However, the lateness of the snow melting, and a realization that the cost differential is not as big as expected, I am changing back to a poured concrete foundation
• I think this is much to the relief of my sons and wife
• So I have made a request for quote to two local contractors in the Otter lake and Shawville areas:
• Doug Zacharias Trucking - I have used Doug in the past to put it the driveway and clear my lot
• Mickey McQuire Equipment Rentals - who was recommended by the engineer doing my septic system report

The Septic System Engineers Report:

• This is required now in order to get the building permit
• Peter MacIntosh, out of Shawville, has been contacts and faxed with all the particulars
• He and I are now waiting for the snow to melt so he can get on the lot and do his thing
• The snow is reported to still be two feet but Peter hopes to be out there late next week.

Building Inspector:

• I called the inspector on Friday to alert him
• He will be working with Peter the septic engineer
• Rick, the building inspector, stated that he could pretty much issue the building permit the next day after receiving Peter's report.

The Construction Plan:

• I am using a project management software to understand the interdependencies of the work and to schedule the necessary resources
• I have three sons who will be helping so they now know when they will be needed at various stages of the project - and of course negotiate...
• My wife, Lucie, also has been able to schedule me around her Golf
• I have the GANTT chart printed and up on the wall.

There should be a fair amount of activity this week:

• Foundation Quotes
• Material quotes
• Roof Truss Quotes
• and hopefully the septic report!
  

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.
;-)