Move in!

We had seven more bodies in the house as of today!  With a couple of small items remaining (a very delayed sink order!), and an expired rental house, the family was happy to move in today and enjoy their brand new space!

(almost) Ready for move in

 More hard work this past week at 45 Monkton.  Finally, Friday, the countertops arrived (for the most part - we're still waiting on a fancy sink!).  The bulk of the "move in" items arrive tomorrow, followed by the family on Tuesday night.

Finishing craziness

The last 2 weeks as been crazy at 45 Monkton.  There was a week and half delay with the kitchen and a landlord that wasn't too flexible on granting 3 extra days rent, which meant my camera stays in its pocket and I essentially set up an office onsite to supervise.

On any given day over the last 2 weeks, we've had 6 to 8 trades, representing 10 to 15 people at the house on a daily basis.  If there was no referee there (me), chaos would reign.  However, with professional guys and a little organization, things move smoothly.  It's at these times that I'm really glad I've found great trades, and jack-of-all-trades guys that can handle responsibility like Mike (my painter) and Juvee.

The madness continues tomorrow...

Structural and HVAC Inspections

Our friendly neighbourhood building inspector swung by today to go over the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) rough-in and extraction inspection and the structural framing inspection.

It's always nice to catch up with Mohammed - he's a very nice guy and I always get the sense that he appreciates seeing a face he knows.  In this super hot real estate market, there are so many new "builders" and DIYers that demand a lot of the inspector's time (yet, they pay the same amount for their permit that is supposed to cover the costs of the inspections), and I think the feeling is mutual that it's nice to see a familiar face in this business.

Meanwhile, Bob and Simone have been narrowing in on their plumbing selections (I have issued a few late slips :-)), but the order was finally placed today.  In other news, the stairs should be in next week.  That means we have the plumbing rough-ins to do when they arrive, a day of rough-in carpentry after that's done and we're good to insulate and drywall.

Cold wall plumbing

One of the worst things you see when doing demo on an old house that has experienced many iterations of minor and major renovations, is the way they sometimes sneak plumbing into the cold wall with no insulation.  Usually, this is a ticking time bomb in our climate - eventually, those pipes will freeze and cause a major problem. 

Even in new house construction, people try and fudge it by putting the pipes "really close" to the face of the wall and sneaking some insulation in behind.  The reason?  It's a bit of pain in the ass to do it properly... adding insulation, drywall (water resistant!) and another framed partition in front of the cold wall means doing things a little out of sequence.  Luckily, I have Mick or Juvee - guys I can call who can competently do small jobs like this on very short notice.

Central Vac

Bob wasn't too keen on installing central vac.  I urged him to at least consider roughing it in (ie putting all the pipes in the walls, in case he wanted it later)... but he decided it was a "no"!  Later that night, I got a message from Bob - "my mom insists we install a central vac, so... you win!".  Too funny.

So George from AIM Security arrived today to install not only the alarm rough in, but the central vacuum pipes as well!  It really is a great system for a new house.  Not only does central vac have much greater power than most conventional vacuums, but I love the floor sweeps in dirty areas like the kitchen and mudroom.  Thanks Bob's Mom... can I get your number for future decisions? :-)

Basement framed, kitchen lay out, HVAC starts

A busy day at 45 Monkton.  The boys were in to complete the basement framing...

...I marked the kitchen layout on the floor for the benefit of the owners and the HVAC, plumbing and electrical trades...

... and the HVAC guys started their rough-in on the second floor.

Boarding up

Mick was nice enough to help seal up the fireplace wall with concrete board, being sure to caulk all of the wood to wood joints with mastic to prevent air leakage.

After that, he put the temporary front door on, so once we have the windows in, we'll be nice and secure.

Carpenters... back at it?

The carpenters now have the site back in their possession, but for how long?  This month, as you may or may not know, is one of the key, once every two year events, that slows down a lot of construction in the city.  It's Euro Cup time (World Cup is also every four years, next scheduled for 2018).  If your trade is Portuguese, he's not suddenly sick today at 11:30, he's going to watch the crucial third game of the preliminary round.  I guess as a builder (and owners would maybe feel the same), I should hope they lose today to avoid further "breaks", but it's fun to see their enthusiasm for their home country, so... go team go!

Anyway... we did actually get some work done this morning!

Footings Repinned

A lot of builders don't bother getting the "footings repinned".  

Normally, the surveyors mark out the locations of the corners of the house using pins or stakes, then the footings are poured and you hope that either the footings are in the exact correct location, or that the pins are sticking out high enough to show above the concrete of the footings AND they haven't moved at all.  

What's the big deal?  Well, if the "as built" survey showing the actual wall location is off by as much as an inch, it can be a serious problem.  At best, the site can be shut down and we visit Committee of Adjustment - at worst?  Let's not think about that.  

So I always have the surveyors come and set new pins in the solid concrete footings for the exact location of the walls - a simple, cost effective step that can prevent a lot of headaches!

Project Launch

Welcome to the 45 Monkton Avenue project site by TPM Custom Homes.  This year, we will be building a brand new, 2 storey home on this great property that is steps away from Bloor Street near the Bloor/Islington area.