Countertop and Shower

Yesterday John and I went and picked out our countertop for the island. We had known for awhile that we wanted Vancouver Island Marble but yesterday we actually were able to go to the yard and pick the exact piece we wanted. Isn't it beautiful?

















Our shower is moving along at a quick pace. After I took this picture Tom started working on the floor of the shower. I can hardly wait to check it out tomorrow.






















Here is a great picture of Ella before she stepped in the wet cement. Sigh... Never a dull moment with her! At least it kept her away from the Dogwood tree out front which she loves to climb whenever we aren't looking.

Wow - Thank you!

As we near the end of our house building journey the views on this blog have hit 3000! Wyatt has been anxiously anticipating this event and asking every day how close we were to it. Thank you everyone for continuing to come back and read, even though life has been getting in the way the last few months and my posts haven't been as frequent. I feel like you have all been sharing in our experience and I have really loved having you all involved.

So a huge thanks for making this project so enjoyable just by continuing to come back. I hope you have all enjoyed being a part of our home.

Stone Work and Kitchen Cabinets!

Rob and Ann started putting the actual stones on our home today. The stones are from a quarry on Vancouver Island.

And today Phil came by and put into place the bottoms of our kitchen cabinets! This will make it easier for the flooring in the kitchen to be put down.

There are a lot of pictures of Ella on my blog and I think Wyatt was feeling a little left out. While Ella and I tour the house he is usually outside smashing rocks or cracking hazelnuts open so there isn't a lot of opportunity to take pictures with him in them. He actually wanted his picture taken tonight so here he is modelling some of our bamboo flooring.

Ode to a Father-in-Law

Who has seen my Father-in-Law
with his screwdriver in hand?
For he toils away on ladders
to bring brightness to our land.

You do us so many great favours
those you ask of us are few.
I am so very grateful to have
a Father-in-Law like you.

Thanks Dad!

Busy Weekend

Weekends are usually pretty quiet around Ocean Oasis but this weekend the place was busy. Saturday Rob and Ann started working on the stone on the front of the house. John and his Dad spent part of Saturday putting up lights around our house too.

On Friday more flooring was laid. They are covering the bamboo with paper as they go so it doesn't get damaged. Tom cemented the heat cables into place on our bathroom floor. I don't think we are allowed in there!

Our First Flooring

Here is our very first strip of flooring laid!! We picked out this beautiful espresso bamboo flooring. It is such a rich colour and looks fantastic with the green walls and the white trim and mouldings. It is a shiny finish so it might not wear well, but we are looking forward to our house showing a bit of wear from being loved over the years.






















The heat wires have been placed on our bathroom floor. Next they will be cemented in place and then the tiling should begin. Our shower will have a built-in shampoo and soap area - you can see the beginnings of it installed in the shower wall.

Moulding, Stonework and Shower

Sonny and Pete have mostly finished up the trim around the doors and the windows. Today they came and picked up all our flooring and are hoping to start installing the flooring at the end of this week!

Rob the Stone Guy has put up the scaffolding and is about to begin the rock work at the front of the house.

Tom the Tile Guy is also starting to do all the tile work. The picture below is what our shower looks like now - it will be fun to watch it change over the days. He will also be doing tilework around our tub, on our bathroom floor (they will be heated - how great is that?) and our foyer.

Baseboards and Subfloor

Today the group (Cam, Sonny and Pete) continued work on the trim in the house and installing doors. Baseboard installation was started and the subfloor for the entryway tile was also started. The tile is going to be started next week.

We Have Doors! And Light Fixtures!

Today found doors installed inside our house!

There were also a few light fixtures put up, including Wyatt's. He is a bit of a soccer fan so this new light suits him perfectly. My wonderful Father-in-Law has offered to put up most of the lights in the house (thanks Dad!) so there won't be any more going up until he is ready. We are really excited about this because it will make the house feel more special having family contributing to its completion. We have been saving light fixtures for years for our new house, finding some at antique stores, some on-line and some at thrift stores and storing them patiently in our basement. John and his Dad have re-wired some of the older ones and John has painted some of them. It is thrilling to think of these light fixtures, which we have so lovingly picked out and waited patiently to use, actually installed and working. Yet again this house is feeling more and more like our Home.

When it Rains, It Pours

There are times when it seems like even though there is a lot of work going on, there just ìsn`t much to show for it. And there are times, such as today and yesterday, when it seems like there are huge leaps and bounds in the completion of our home. Today you could see the vinyl flooring being complete, the window trim almost completed (it looks great!), the floors getting sanded preparing for the final flooring and actual light switches being installed. It has been, so far, and will continue to be, a great week at the house, which is really starting to feel like our home.

Put your Sunglasses On

The first coat of paint has been finished. Whoa - it is the first time I have been seriously worried about something regarding this house! All the rooms are fabulous - just what we wanted. Ella's is a lilac purple (you can tell she doesn't like it at all!), John's 'guy' room and our room are a beautiful grey and Wyatt's room is a soft turquoise blue which will go beautifully with his favourite colour yellow. My sewing room and our kitchen though - hold on to your hats! I was trying for an apple green on the lighter side. This colour literally glows - the pictures do not do it justice. You can actually hear it humming in the house. Luckily it is just the first coat, and John and I have some time to contemplate how we want to proceed.

The rest of the house is a silvery white. I am hoping to add some fun wallpaper throughout the house over time to break it up but that is a project that will take some time.