Winter is Slowly Coming to an End

Still a construction site, but we are making steady progress

The mini daffodils are out

Full size dafs are everywhere now.
This old rock wall was built - not by the Romans - but by Urs
in the early years, the 1990's.

A female Anna's Hummingbird

A tiny tree frog. It is about the size of half my thumb.

We also hear them calling vigorously in the forest.

Progress with insulation and vapour barrier. Kitchen

Bookshelf bumpout

Window bench bumpout

Desk bumpout

Bed bumpout

Details around a door:
Yellow - low expanding spray foam to insulate the gap between door and framing
Blue - Blue skin foil around door opening to keep out moisture
Black - Accoustic sealant to seal vapour barrier to wood
Clear Foil: 6 mil vapour barrier to keep moisture from getting into walls from the inside
Red: Duck tape to seal overlapping parts of vapour barrier

Life in a Cloud Forest

After many days of tedious work, the insulation and vapour
barrier in the ceiling and walls of the crawl space have been
substantially completed.

It has been raining cats and dogs.

All the moss is the freshest green imaginable.

Our moss garden in the fog-shrouded forest.

The inukshuk and Buddha don't mind the rain.

The house in the fog.

The arbutus tree behind the house.

A giant arbutus farther down along our driveway.

Next to our driveway.

Moss, moss, moss on the north side of the hill.

Almost everything is covered by moss.

This arbutus tree is just outside our house.

The colours glow with intensity in the rain.

The on-going cycle of old bark peeling and
fresh bark appearing.

When not helping with insulation, Judy is working at landscaping.

Getting Ready for the Electrical Inspection

Old electricians never die - they just get re-wired.
Wiring the main electrical panel.

From this.....

.....to this.

Whites and ground wires done.

Coded as per wiring diagrams.

Most wires are coming in from the
crawl space below the panel.

In the crawl space below the panel.

Inside a junction box.

All wires connected in the junction box.

A hummingbird found a handy perch.

Winter at our Construction Site

The ground is frozen solid. The water barrels at the cabin are frozen.
The hoar frost seems to be growing day by day.
We keep warm enough and continue working in the house
at interior finishing tasks.

The Year 2015 in Review

February - the crew working on the roof.

February - very nice post and beam work.

March - details in the loft.

March - windows installed, front.

March - windows installed, back.

April - standing seam steel roof.

June - covered veranda.

July - in-floor heating

July - freshly painted joists over the veranda.

July - installation of the concrete pad over the in-floor heating lines.

August - painting at the front of the house.

August - painting at the back of the house.

September - Urs high up on the ladder.

September - Judy stays closer to the ground.

October - installation of the boiler for heating and domestic hot water.

October - view coming up the driveway.

October - a relaxing happy hour at the end of the workday.

November - less pleasant - dealing with the problems with the cistern.
"I hope she does not pull up the ladder and close the lid"

November - electrical wiring.

November - Urs working at electrical wiring.

November - a fully insulated camper van.

November - Urs installing rock wool insulation.

November - Judy installing rock wool insulation.

November - should be cosie when all done.

November - the window bench in the living room.

November - view from the window bench.

November - we have a temporary wood stove to keep us warm.

November - details of electrical wiring.

November - details of electrical wiring.

December - temporary work bench in the kitchen.

Occasional visitors: a tiny tree frog.

Occasional visitors: a family of deer.

Occasional visitors: Annas Hummingbird.

Occasional visitors: a pair of bald eagles.

Occasional visitors: a couple of deer just outside our bathroom window.