Aug 09

Summer Update

I think it’s fairly obvious by now that updating this blog has become a little more difficult. In between balancing work, family and of course the home construction I’ve found little time to update it. Sincere apologies to those who come back looking for updates often. I took some photos over the past few days and thought I’d quickly post them to Flickr so you can see for yourself some of the progress we’ve been making.

We’re pretty much in the finishing stages now; painting, cabinetry, lighting and plumbing installation are the bulk of what’s required for the interior. The exterior still requires cladding and landscaping. Currently, the guys are hard at work to create a retaining wall and ramp system at the back of the house.

You can check out some photos here.

Posted By: melissa in: Construction
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Jun 05

A spring update

It’s been months since the last update. We’ve found it tough to find time to keep the blog up while juggling everything else. Hopefully we can do a better job as we get closer to the finish.

Plenty has gone on since the winter. The roof is complete, some exterior cladding and all the doors are now in place. The floors have been poured, in addition to all the electrical, mechanical and plumbing. The elevator has been installed and apparently works great, though I’ve yet to see it in action.

Currently we’re working on drywall, which will wrap up next week. From there we move on to floor finishing, cabinetry and tile. I uploaded a new flickr gallery and posted a video walk-through so you can get a sense of some of the rooms. You’ll be able to see how the elevator meets with the stairs, some of the wider doors and hallways.

It’s been just over a year that we started battling our previous councillor (yes, that feels good to say). It’s incredible how the time has flown by. We were hoping to get in the house for June or July but it’s likely going to be August at this point. We don’t mind – it’ll be well worth the wait.

Photo Gallery on Flickr

A quick (and rough) video walkthrough of the progress to date

204 Beech: June 2011 from Geoff Teehan on Vimeo.

Posted By: melissa in: Construction
2 Comments
Jan 16

Winter, windows and more work-to-date

It’s been a long time since the last update and there has been a good deal of work that’s been completed. Windows were installed while we were away on holiday, though we’re still waiting on a couple of large lift-and-slides doors in addition to our front door. We’re really pleased with how the place is starting to look. The windows really give shape to the structure.

The dining area and the glass walls look fantastic. We were going to opt for curtain walls for that area but budget restrained us to large simple glass panels. We’re really happy with them and we desperately needed to say no to something when it came to budget. Our default answer has been “Yes.” a good deal of the time.

The windows were installed just before the snow started to fly, which is good since we wanted the place to be fully enclosed before mother nature took over. Being fully enclosed also meant we could start running all the duct work, water lines, drainage pipes, data and electrical wiring. It’s great to see so much progress but the heat is on for us to start looking at finishings. Hopefully the next post won’t take us so long. Happy new year everyone.

(The staircase in the photos is just temporary)
More pics here.

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Posted By: melissa in: Construction
14 Comments
Nov 13

Giving the Family a grand tour

I made a quick stop at the house this weekend the see the fruits of last week’s labour. The framing is now 95% complete with only a few more details on the second floor to finish. Walking through the skeleton of the house is an amazing thing. Last weekend I brought Melissa and the kids over for our first interior walk-around together as a family. Melissa and I made our way upstairs to the catwalk and looked down to the kitchen and dining area with a clear picture in our heads of what the final product will look like. The boys came up after giving the first floor a thorough inspection – They were ecstatic to see their rooms. We moved to the master bedroom to get a feel for the space it provided. The master was the one room we felt a little unsure about because of the space we lost to achieve the double-hieght ceiling over the kitchen and dining room. To compensate for that, the second floor has been cantilevered on three sides. We’re really happy with the way the master has turned out – the extra width makes it perfect for our needs.

Things will likely seem to slow down a bit now as we move into plumbing and electrical. I’ll still make my morning visits and will try to post a little more consistently.

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Posted By: Geoff Teehan in: Construction, Framing
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Oct 21

Second Floor Framing

I popped by the house quickly yesterday to check out the progress. It’s at the point where we can walk on the second floor. For the first time we can see what the views will be like, how big the bedrooms are and we start to get a glimpse at what the final exterior shape will be. Exciting times.

One feature we can start to see take shape is the catwalk that over looks the kitchen and dining room – I love how inclusive the open layout has turned out to be, even from the second floor. We lost some space upstairs to accomplish it but we gained a bit of it back by cantilevering out three sides of the upper floor. Upper walls come next.

A few more pics here.

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Posted By: Geoff Teehan in: Construction, Framing
11 Comments
Oct 17

Thank you

For those that have been following this blog you know we had our share of issues getting this project started. We had help from a great number of people that I’ve blogged about in the past but they’re worthy of another mention: Our architects, lawyers, media, co-workers, colleagues, family, friends, neighbours, the Beaches Lion’s Club and even complete strangers provided help and support at every turn. We’re eternally grateful to you all.

We also had some much needed assistance from a couple of people in the political arena – no, not Sandra Bussin. Rocco Rossi provided guidance to us as did a fine gentleman by the name of Bruce Baker. He’s running for council in ward 32 in October. Bruce went out of his way to inform us of the inner workings at City Hall and provided us with details about some of the shady dealings that were going on behind the scenes. He was always honest, up front and helpful in getting our project moving. For that we wanted to thank him publicly on our blog. We’re wishing Bruce the best of luck on October 25th. If you’re in Toronto, get out there and vote for who you believe in.

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Posted By: Geoff Teehan in: help, News
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Oct 11

First Floor Framing

With the bulk of the foundation work complete the crew is beginning to move to framing. We all went out to the site this weekend to check it out. The boys are pretty excited for the basement. My father and I will be doing the finishing work there and we have a couple of surprises planned for the them. I’ll go into those details much later since we likely won’t be tackling that until next fall or winter.

The first floor is looking spectacular. We’ve only made a few changes along the way. We switched out one deep wood beam at the front for a shallow steel beam – so that we can have shallow joists under the ensuite shower. Essentially so that the shower floor is depressed and we don’t have a curb, making it much easier for Mel to transfer into the shower.

The other beam is over the large sliding door at the rear of the house so that we don’t cut into the 8 foot height of the door.

More photos here

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Posted By: Geoff Teehan in: Construction, Framing
8 Comments
Oct 06

Birthday wishes to a best friend

Dearest Sammy,

8 years ago today you came into our world and changed everything. As the fourth member of our family we were finally complete. Cole had a little brother to play with, laugh with and occasionally beat-up on. Mommy and Daddy had another son to love, nurture and raise. You make us all laugh and smile every single day Sam. We’re proud of you buddy, you’ve grown up beyond your years.

It’s all happened faster than we could have ever imagined. We both look forward to watching you grow-up, and we’ll keep savouring each day along the way.

With all our love,

Mommy and Daddy

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Posted By: Geoff Teehan in: News
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Oct 04

The final footprint

Early this morning the crew finished putting down the floorboards on the main floor. Walls come next. We’re really excited to see them go up. As good as the 3D models are nothing really gives you a sense of the space until you’re standing in it. When I first stood in the basement I felt the house was going to be really crammed. Then, when I stood on the floor at actual grade level, it felt proper. When I explained this to the architect he laughed and said EVERYBODY goes through the same thing. He went on to say “At some points it will feel small, others large but that in the end, it’ll feel just right.”

As good as the 3D models are nothing really gives you a sense of the space until you’re standing in it.

I also met with Motion Specialities, they’re the guys responsible for the elevator. We’re not in a huge hurry for this since they like to do the install post drywall but we still had to make some decisions around materials. I’m super stoked about the model we got. It looks far more commercial than the other retirement home style ones we thought we’d be going with. As for material choices, they’re pretty much endless. We’ll likely go with less costly finishes and may just end up getting it unfinished so we can match the finishings with the rest of the house (so long as the cost is less).

Few more pics here

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Posted By: Geoff Teehan in: Construction
5 Comments
Sep 25

Finished Foundation

Finished Foundation

Things have been progressing rapidly. In just a week and a half we’ve gone from a hole in the ground to a fully formed and poured foundation. The concrete pad for the elevator has also been poured. Next week they backfill and start on framing out the first floor. Our contractors are scheduled to have the full structure framed in about 7 weeks.

Even in this early state, with only a few clues as to what the interior space will feel like, we can begin to comprehend what it will be like to live there. We’re elated with the progress.

More pictures can be seen here.

Posted By: Geoff Teehan in: Foundation
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