Spring is mud time and other progress

Here's a job messy enough to appeal to the patriarch. This is coat#1 of what he says will be at least three and probably more coats necessary before sanding and painting of the walls can happen. But this is the most labour intensive, with the application of tape and corner pieces. He watched a video on line first so we know it's the most up-to-date technique.

In other news, we have purchased 2 what-passes-for-gallons-these-days of primer for the walls, ready for after the sanding phase. This is a way down the road since there is still more drywalling to do, finishing the walling in of the "privacy room" and also the south wall.

The pkgs of tongue and groove paneling of creatively measured size await installation on the ceiling(s). (See previous post).

Stair railings have been installed and pronounced sturdy, and good looking too. A lot faster to write it than to do it.

 Done!

Looking forward to the work weekend in a couple of weeks with AKM and the McC's and then the following week a few days with DTSJ for whatever tasks or activities appeal -- great to have it all ahead of us with the summer weather so perfect now!

When the skating rink appears, can Spring be far behind?

The snow is almost all gone, the surface of the ice on the lake has been melting and with the dip in temperatures last night we are surrounded now by a huge skating rink - but our skates are in Winnipeg! This is the view today from the deck of the bunkie. Inviting, no?

 

 Even more inviting inside - 12 bundles of pine panelling ready for the nail gun and eager installers:

 

Yesterday was an exciting one as we traveled back and forth in Kenora from Home Hardware to Mc Diarmid - and back to HH, and back to McDiarmid, comparing sizes and prices and and.. It got very complicated but finally we went with the brand we had used last year even though the fancy new labels have raised the price from $6.99 a bundle to $12.99. Printing is expensive apparently. Cf last year's label (right) and this year's (left, still inside pkg.)

 

 Much of our confusion and indecision revolved around the dimensions - would the new match the old? It all depends - are we metric or imperial in the bunkie? We decided we were imperial for the thickness (both 5/16", but 8 mm last year and 7 mm this year - I guess inches have gotten bigger over the winter). Width is more complicated - 3 1/2'' last year, 3 9/16" this year, which for old school arithmetic mavens is easily calculated to be 1/16" wider this year. But not to worry because the metric width has gone DOWN from 92 mm last year to 90 mm this year - so you see we decided it all averages out so we just bought the darn stuff - at least it's still 8' long!

 

 So now we await the builders - when will they get their skates on and get over here?...

Waiting...

Adam's Flickr set Bunkie Build 2009

In the interest of full disclosure and also to expand our range of Bunkie Blog features, here is a link to Adam's Flickr set Bunkie Build 2009. The photos cover the process from choosing the site in mid June to the weekend of the drywall in late October.

It wasn't all labour

Labour Day weekend was not all work and no play. Some members of the party in fact did no labour at all, while others spent time watching the non-labourers and called it labour, since it was their contribution to the work bee's task of finishing the bunkie. Of course there was also some R&R and washing off of sweat in the lake.

Here are some pictures of the non-bunkie building activities of the weekend.

Acting in loco grandparentis, Arthur the elder accompanied the two youngest members of the work party as they went on a hike over the trails. Maps and notebooks were involved, hence the need for backpacks.



Lots and lots of beach time. First good swimming of the summer. Very nice to know it wasn't wasted - the two here covered all the basic beach tasks.




Heard many times on the beach: "Adam can skip THIS rock".

And he did!


Hard work but someone had to do it! K and I volunteered...


Ahhhhh! Not too sorry we ran out of material about 1:30 Sunday afternoon.




Good work by one in full snorkel gear means we now have not one but two marker buoys on the water pump. Thanks Arthur! Also for removing the offending fishing lure which was found on the buoy rope. The buoy is meant to say "you might not want to fish right here" but hey - could be interpreted as "here there be fishies" I guess...

The work bee

Finally I'm posting on the blog David set up in July. I hope this cuts down on the nagging and exasperated sighs to which I've been subjected.I'm going to do this in reverse chronological order until I get back to the beginning.

Here are pictures from a most successful work bee last weekend. Insulation and vapour barrier complete. Ceiling complete in loft, almost complete in main part and in "bathroom". Summer R&R activities also took place including more swimming than in all the rest of the summer combined, since the water was several degrees warmer than it had been all summer. Thanks to Arthur and Laurie and Quinlan and Aidan for joining Adam and Kristine (and the senior Arthur, master sawyer) for a most successful, productive and enjoyable weekend.


Bunkie with essential air compressor ready to go - couldn't have done it without you! Second photo taken during one of very few breaks.


Kristine and the tuck tape. We used a lot - K had to make an emergency run to Kenora with Quin & Aidan to resupply!


Day 2: They look happy but it was HOT up there!


The middle was the tricky part


And so was the bottom


Using up ends in the bathroom


Arthur and the tuck tape before it fell on his hirsute arm. ow.


Almost finished product

Watch this space for more of the R&R part of the weekend and also for the events of the weeks leading up to this weekend.

Bunkie

We are building a bunkie! The cottage has, from time to time, approached maximum capacity and what with children appearing left, right and centre, more space will be needed. This space will contain photos, updates and general musings about the construction (and possibly inhabitants) of the yet-to-be-unnamed bunkie. Name suggestions to comments, please!