Work continues...

I really do get my hands dirty, too. Yes, it looks like Iain is doing all the work all the time, and, well, for the most part that's true; but I'm helping when I can. He's the one with the hunky muscles, though, and digging is just... not my thing, okay?

This is me, helping with the digging!

 Now that the forms were in, the insulation and rebar had to be put in. So GreenR sent up their guys to work on it. Unfortunately, these lads didn't know how to read the blueprints.


The lads putting in the insulation etc.

It was a big job, and they did try to do it right.

This is Marie, the building inspector.  She wasn't impressed with the work done.

The building inspector called Iain after she had been in to check things out.  The work had been done so poorly, she couldn't possibly pass it.  So, Iain had to go up the next day and tear everything apart (again, with the help of Carl and Roger).

Iain working on dismantling the insulation and rebar.

GreenR sent some lads back the next day, and with Iain explaining to them what needed to be done, they worked with him to fix it up.

It would have been easier to do it right in the first place, yes?  But they didn't have the guidance from their boss that they should have.

Finally all done correctly!  Ready for concrete.

Third week of August

The next step:  installing the concrete forms.  It didn't take them long to do it:

Here are the Greenwood guys starting to put in the forms.

The were finishing up 3 hours later.

Mark and Susan, our plumbers, came in and put down their pipes.  Friends watching reported that they were hard workers!

They started one day, and finished the next.

Packing up; work done for now.

When we came up for the weekend, Iain got to work early Saturday morning.

Working on the water feed line.

And we put in some electrical conduit (this is before they were cut to length, of course).

And then it was martini time; we didn't work all weekend, you know.

Cat pictures!!!

When we saw the gang in Ottawa a few weeks ago, I promised Jenny I'd post a pic or two of Onyx.  We had all the cats at the lake during our holidays, and though they didn't get to go outside (except for a few strolls by Jezebel), they had a pretty good time.  Sad to say, there were no mice entertaining them this year (as far as we know).  The chipmunks nesting under the kitchen cupboards did hold everyone's attention now and again, however!



Onyx is doing his impression of a panther. He looks pretty tough!

There are actually four cats in this photo:  Onyx, Jezebel, Snaps and ... hiding beneath the covers... Stitches.

Week Two

So, the 2nd week of our holidays saw more big machines and busy work!

The first load of "A" gravel, which will form the base of the cement pad.

The gravel is spread and packed.  Amazing to watch Ralph at work; he is an artist with the backhoe!  He smooths it out bit by bit, and forms an almost perfect rectangle, just using the bucket very skillfully.

Jean Paul is an excellent worker!  Here he runs the packer.  Not an ounce of fat on this guy.  He just goes and goes and goes.

And then Iain spoke with the slab guy, who, it turns out, has his own way of doing things, a way inconsistent with nicely prepared "A" gravel.  He waned to put the forms on top of this gravel, not dig them in like every other slab layer in the area would do.  Not that he would bother to explain this BEFORE all the work was done on the base.  So then, Iain (with Jean Paul's very necessary assistance) had to dig out the trench for the forms.

Iain and Jean Paul posed when they stopped for a quick break.

There were so many large rocks in the gravel, that a pickaxe had to be used to chip away at them before digging them out.  This had to be done for just about every shovel-full of dirt.

At the end of the first day, Iain was so exhausted he could hardly move!  After two days of work, they were finally done preparing the gravel bed.