Cement, dirt and big boy machines.

I won't apologize for the lack of posts. We had to prioritize and holy has it been busy.

In the last post, we showed you the finished driveway and we were in the process of finalizing the grading plan. This was all in preparation for us applying for the permit with the City of Ottawa. At the same time, we were running around trying to get quotes for everything so we could apply for the mortgage.

So here's an overview of what happened since then:

• We cut down a lot of trees. I bitched about it. Francis laughed at me. End result is a lot of firewood.

• We figured out where we would put the well and the septic. (well to north, septic to the south to clear a southern exposure)
• We finalized the grading plans and floor plans and got our permit. The total fees were around 15 000$. Expect to pay about that amount for any house you build. 
• We got all the stumps pulled out to get ready for the excavation. That was a weird transition. It went from forest to clumps of dirt in a few hours. 

• We put posts down where the house would sit so that we could excavate. High school geometry and algebra came in handy.
• We had to perform a second soil test (by engineers this time) to determine the footing size. We had a bit of a problem there. What happened was that we were told due to the soil capacity that we could only put 4 feet of normal soil above the existing grade. In our case, that didn't work at all because it wouldn't have given us enough foundation to meet the frost line requirements. SO....we had to hire an engineer to design the footing size and we had to modify the plans slightly. Basically, we lowered the garage a bit and lowered the grade around the house. This means the garage ceiling will be 12 feet or something. Francis is happy. I'm just happy we figured it out.
• We excavated and the surveyors placed the pins for the footings

• We had the footings poured and cured and the drain tile was formed. At this point, a first inspection by the City of Ottawa is needed. We had to provide him with papers the engineered stamped but it went well. He gave us the go-ahead to do the foundation walls.

• We had the walls formed....

• Then poured....then cured.
• Then the forms were stripped, the foundation was waterproofed and patched.

• We visited Pro-Pin for the second time and marveled at their pine floors and stairs. We decided we'd go with pine after all. We know it's not as "classy" but we are not going for "classy" anyway. We are going for the rustic but clean look. I don't mind nicks and scratches on the floor, I think it makes it look cozy.
• Before being able to backfill, we need to inspect once again. That was done this morning, and we passed.
• They spent the day backfilling. It's nice to not have to use a ladder to see into the basement anymore.

• Today we also ordered our windows (we are REALLY late on this one...we couldn't decide on the brand and colour but finally did with the help of an interior designer that my Mom recommended). We went with Andersen 400s but I don't want to reveal too much about them until they are installed. :)

And there you are, all caught up with the latest news!

Next up on our to do list: 

• We are meeting with Hydro One tomorrow to figure out where we will put the meter and dig for the cabling
• We will need to call our lumber supplier to make sure the floor joists will be there first thing next week so the framing can begin.
• We will need to order our entry doors and garage doors in the next week. I have sent a few companies email because I can't find what we want in the catalogs.
• Dig the well in the next week or two
• Get the septic system installed so we can move the 5th wheel trailer on top of it (soon to be our home)

More to come later...when we have time.