Just a small update, sorry to those who want me to be verbose.,  However, time is limited.  The Floor is POURED.  This is a big step forward.  The next big ticket item is to have the power run to the building.  Next week I should be able to start making the side wall workstations that will host the chop saw and the mortise drill press.

Well it has been a while since my last update.  Unfortunately I have not been able to work on “The Shop”  over the past two months.  However, since my as last update I have installed  terrace doors (a great find @ $200) and laid the pex piping for the in floor heat.  Won’t hook up the in floor heat until next fall.

I have arranged for someone to “Float Off Smooth” the concrete.  Doing the finishing work on the floor was something I did not want to attempt myself.  Knowing when to attempt something on my own and when to hire someone is a trait that comes with age (for me).  There was a time I would have just jumped right at it.

Earlier today I got out the camera and a couple of measuring tapes. The reason is I want a reference of where the pex pipe is laid. This is just in case!

Will post an update on Friday, hoping to include pictures of the floor as it is being worked on.

Next on the todo list is to have the Power Commission to run the power feed to the building.

Signing off for today.

Well the shop is coming along.  A little slower than I would like.  The electrical is almost completed inside the shop.  Just waiting for power commission to run power to the building.  Next on the list is to rough in for the in floor heat.  I have designed the pex pipe lay out. I will post the pex layout in the shop pictures section.

Picked up a terrace garden door for the shop.  Hope to have it in later this week.

It has been a while since I have posted an updated.  I have completed insulating the floor.  To do this I had to pull up the plywood floor and add strapping to the bottom of the floor joist. The I cut OSB plywood to fit in between the floor joists.  Next I sealed any gaps to prevent bugs from nesting in the floor.  After this was completed I added the insulation.  Once the insulation was installed I then started to re-apply the plywood floor.

Next on the list of to do’s is to chalk line the floor so I can lay the pex pipe for the in floor  rough in.

I would like to thank Adele for sending me this picture of her Granddad, my father.  It is a picture I don’t ever recall seeing before.  However, I know when he took it.  One of his hobbies was photography.  There was a time in the late 60′s early 70′s he went to night school for film development.  This picture, I imagine, was a self portrait assignment.

His love of music, reading, photography and being a sports fan was past on to his boys.  I remember seeing dad, running from A&A’s to SAM’s the Record Man on Younge street in Toronto.  Under his arm was a stack of LP’s . The next morning I told him I spotted him going to Sam’s last night… he just said “don’t tell your mother”.

Dad loved going through the “deleted” record section of these stores to find those rare overlooked records.  He was a big Jazz fan and would sit in the basement listening to his 78′s or to his reel to reel tapes.

Paul and I started collecting records when we twelve. All he said was “I know where you are spending your money.”  Dad was a manager at a sheet metal plant in Toronto. One day, back in the mid ’70′s, one of his employees was wearing a Jethro Tull t-shirt.  He just walked up to him and said “what are you… thick as a brick!”

Being an identical twin has it advantages.  He loved watching and playing football. Growing up, we would go and play catch in the backyard.   He would stand over the football with one hand behind his back flashing what play he wanted us run.

There was the number Four.  Which was five strides then do a 45 degree angle cut in.

Three was from the line do a 75 degree slant toward the centre  for 5 strides then do a 75 degree slant in the opposite direction.

Two was a five strides then do a 75 slant  cut.

Long One was a straight route down the side line. (the index finger fully extended)

A short one was three strides then look!

Not a moment to soon. With the muscles in my legs and back just begging for R & R accompany that with the wind chill of minus 10.  Along with the pending snow & freezing rain that is being predicted for later tomorrow.

The roof is a 6/12 pitch therefore I was able to stand on roof without using roof jacks. The only challenge I encountered was dealing with the high winds when rolling out the tar paper.  After a few choice words, to the wind gods, I was able to strap down the tar paper before it took flight on me again.

Sound track of the day playing on the  ipod was shuffling through my Beatles collection.  Last year I got the Mono box set to go along with complete anthology set created a lot of repeat tunes.  I enjoyed them not sure if the neighbours  like or dislike it.

Next on the list to do is to complete the exterior insulation.  Hope to have that phase completed my by the end of next week.  All this will depend on the weather and wind conditions.

Today, is an R  & R day.  Snow storm is coming this way

It is the 5th of Jan 2012.  Like all great plans and schedules … Things happen.  I was hoping to have the roof shingled by the end of ’11.  Well needless to say … Everything was on target just before Christmas.  Then we got 4″ of snow that was not predicted along with a couple trips to the hospital, 7 hrs on Christmas morning, and one hour on Boxing day. Followed by a toothache that between Christmas and New Years.  Not much got done.

I am a firm believer that stuff happens for a reason.  So today my objective was to complete installing the rakes on the last gabled end wall. Then I could move on to the shingling the roof of the shop.  That is if the ice and water material came in!  This morning started just a grey day with the odd snow flake.  It was much better than yesterday’s -20c wind chill factor I was working in.  By the time I was finished working on the gabled end wall there was about 2″ of heavy wet snow on the ground and roof of the workshop!

What was enjoyable about the day is that my Ipod was shuffling along (I am a BIG music collector and love listening to music while I work.) Then comes on a tune I had not heard in a few years.   7 minutes and 10 seconds of Tam Lin! Done by Fairport Convention with Sandy Denny on vocals. Well that tune got replayed 3 times.  Could have played it more but I was back up on the staging! Well I did take some time to “Stop and Smell the Roses”. Just standing there on the staging just enjoying the beauty of the large snow flakes with the LaHave River in the background. Whenever I hear that song again, in the future, it will be bring me back this exact moment in time building my workshop.

A couple of songs later, another flashback moment.  I hear the rifts of “My Sweet Lord”. I am thrown back to sitting is a car going to hockey practice back in the winter of 1970/71.  Mr Gowan is driving this night, Larry is in the front, Pat Molloy and I are in the back.  It was a snowy evening that night and My Sweet Lord is playing on the radio.  Who knows why moments in time are capture by a tune.  My Sweet Lord is just one of those  those songs that is generates a Flashback moment for me.  I bet no one else that night recalls that ride except me.  Today, Larry is playing with  Styx’s and Pat is venturing into politics and I am building my workshop!

Here is to 2012

The roof is coming along.  I am using exterior insulation on the roof and the walls.   What this means it that after sheathing the roof, I will then install 1″ thick Earthtek exterior insulation product, then strapping followed by another layer of sheathing.

It is Dec 27th.  I have been able to almost complete the second layer of sheathing on the roof.  We got 4″‘ of snow last Wednesday and along with the Christmas season I have not be able to work on the shop.  Today was another great great day.   All that is left before shingling the roof is cutting the strapping to length and trim the sides of the roof sheathing to an 8″ overhang.

Will add pictures later tonight or in the morning.

The trusses are in place.  It took me a little longer than planned, however, they are in place!  The extra time taken was because it was a solo effort in raising them and setting them.  I spent a couple of hours working out a system that would work for me.  Luckily I picked up 6 lifts of staging last week.  This made the work to come a lot less challenging!

What I worked out on setting the trusses was to add blocking between them as I progressed from back of the building to front.

The weather for the next couple of days is rain and high winds!