Insulation progressing well

We have been working hard installing the insulation over the last few days. We have all the main and upper floor walls, the 2nd floor ceiling and some of the big main floor vaulted ceiling complete - about 75% of the job done. The basement has barely been touched, but we still need to get the wiring done down there and inspected so we can cover it up. It will be a challenge to coordinate the insulation/vapour barrier inspection so we can go ahead and start drywalling. The main floor bath tub goes on sale today so we will be picking that up. We have the moisture and mould resistant drywall for the bathrooms at home already and will be pushing to get that in right away. We have Superior Propane scheduled for Monday. They are bringing the 500 gallon "submarine" tank to install behind the house and will be providing and installing the water heater and gas lines for the stove and dryer. That will be great news! Hot water and a working stove/oven will be a wonderful luxury after the last few weeks. We hired Eric Chipperfield's crew to come out and dig the trenches for the gas line and the generator wiring so we'll be ready for Monday's gas install.

I have been energizing a few of the simple circuits on the main electrical panel to try and reduce the number of extension cords we have snaking around the place. Everything is going well on that front. Over the last weekend we managed to bring the satellite tv and cell booster equipment from the Knutsford house so we have our TV and internet connections up and running. The place is starting to feel a bit more like "home".
We received a call from Home Depot that our kitchen cabinets will be ready on November 4th - yikes! Oh well, another couple of weeks without cabinets is the least of our worries.
We are hoping that we can have the insulation and vapour barrier finished up this weekend.
The 10kW diesel generator from Aurora Generators arrived on Tuesday. Brian, our neighbour, came out with his big tractor and unloaded it from the back of our pickup - it weighs 1,300 lbs. We have set it up just behind and to the side of the house so we can access it easily from the  back door. After installing the antifreeze coolant, engine oil and fuel we are ready to start testing it. Roll on the shorter, darker winter days!

Ben, enjoying the warm spot in front of the fire.

Pudding!

I know...that's kind of a cryptic title for a blog post that only a few days ago was talking about wood stoves and chimneys. But it fits, as in "The Proof is in the Pudding". With the weather having taken a turn for more normal, fall temperatures over the past few days, we would have been very chilly if we didn't have our wonderful wood stove to keep us warm! It is working very well, even better than we had expected. I guess that's the difference when you start with a high quality stove. We can attest to the fact that it will burn all night if loaded up when we go to bed, which is precisely what we wanted. And, if I do say so myself, it looks great!

Slate hearth is finished

Steve and James from the Fireplace Centre are here installing the chimney and stovepipe as I write this post. They arrived about an hour ago, shortly after I managed to move our Regency F2100M wood stove into position on the slate tiles. Last night I worked feverishly to grout and finish the tiles in anticipation of today's events. I am very pleased with the result!
I vacuumed out the stove, replaced the firebricks, and cleaned and polished the exterior. It looks great sitting ready to heat our little place.
We learned that in spite of our best efforts, we will have to have a 4 inch "kink" in the stovepipe to accommodate positioning the chimney correctly between the rafters.
I will update with more pics later as the chimney installation is completed.

Busy times

Alex and Beverley are gone now, back home in Markham, Ontario. We had an awesome time with them, taking in the sights, sounds and vistas around Kamloops. It was great to have you guys, and we hope you'll come again when the house is in a more finished state.
With fall and the accompanying cooler weather quickly approaching, we have lots going on. While rushing to get the insulation in all the wall and ceiling cavities, we are having to find time to finish the fireplace hearth and pad before the Dustin's gang from the Fireplace Centre comes out on Tuesday to install the chimney. BTW, for any of you considering a wood burning stove, be advised that the stovepipe and chimney installation will set you back as much as the best stoves on the market, and several times the cost of less expensive stoves. We were stunned to get estimates in the $2.5k-$3k range for our very straightforward install!
The folks at Superior Propane are coming out sometime in the next few days to view our site and help us choose the best location for the 500 gallon tank that will have to be installed. All our gas appliances will have to be in place before they do the actual installation. Finances have dictated that we will have to forgo the tankless combi water heater for the time being and will instead be renting a high efficiency tank-type from Superior.
Carol ordered the kitchen cabinets and counters last weekend, taking advantage of a 25% discount offered at Home Depot. They will arrive around the middle of October.
Yesterday, we ordered our diesel generator - a 10kW "silent" unit from Aurora Generators in Ontario. These run the same Chinese-made, 3 cylinder engine that is in our little tractor. Although these generators have had some reliability issues in the past, most if not all of those problems seem to be long gone and the more recent word is that they are an excellent choice for our application. I guess we'll find out, one way or another! Delivery time is estimated at around 10 days.
We have also ordered our TED 5000. No, it's not some reincarnation of the computer in "2001 A Space Odyssey" (the HAL 9000 IIRC), but is an acronym for The Energy Detective. TED monitors power generated and consumed, maintaining a detailed log and helping eliminate electrical power hogs. The 5000 model also allows online, remote monitoring via the Internet. Hmmm, we'll have to see how feasible that is in our situation, but stay tuned for the URL if and when that happens.

Work goes on... hearth and insulation

We've been having a great time doing all the "touristy" things with Beverley and Alex while still putting in the time at the ranch. The good folks at Home Hardware gave us a great deal on all the thermal and sound insulation, and even delivered it up here on Saturday morning. Thanks, Shane and Carlene. It's hard to believe that all these batts are going to fit into the walls and ceilings!

The other project we're working on is the hearth for the wood stove. In order to satisfy the safety requirements, it must sit on non-combustible material and be specific distances away from adjacent walls. We decided to cover the pad and surrounding walls with black slate. It looks great, in our opinion, and will act as a storage medium for heat, radiating warmth even after the fire has gone out. Our stove sits central to the house for a variety of reasons, so that puts it right in front of the staircase leading to the second floor.
We first had to create a slightly raised platform for the slate to sit on, so that it will be above the finished floors once they are installed. There was no need for structural reinforcement of the flooring as the wall below it is very beefy, in that it also supports a large beam in the basement. This makes the floor very solid. We then installed Durock, cement backer board on the wall surfaces that would hold the slate. This stuff is very hard and inflexible and makes a great base for the thin set mortar. The floor received a sheet of 3/4 inch plywood cut to the shape of the hearth.
We had previously sorted through the boxes of slate picking the more interesting pieces to go on the walls. We snapped string lines creating a grid that the tiles would approximate when finished, allowing us to keep them all level and plumb - or at least as level and plumb as natural stone can be. Every piece is a slightly different size and thickness so the grid was only a guide. Starting at the bottom of the back wall, we spread out only enough thin set mortar for one row at a time, making sure to "comb" it out with the trowel. We "back buttered" the slate tiles before setting them in the mortar, giving them a little "shimmy" to ensure a solid bond. Between the tiles, we inserted 1/4" spacers to allow an even space for the grout.
The job went fairly smoothly, with the help of a wet saw to make the cuts on edge tiles along the stairs.
Once the back wall was almost done, we moved to the floor, repeating the process. We like the result so far and can't wait to finish it up over the next couple of days.
We have also begun insulating, starting with the upstairs (since we sleep there and it's been quite cool at night). It is a little challenging because of the vaulted ceilings requiring at least one cut piece at the top of every void being filled with the fluffy, pink fibreglass batts. It's a nasty job requiring a respirator mask and full coverage clothing to keep from becoming too itchy from the fibreglass. It really feels like we're making some progress with the inside now, though, so that spurs us on.