Certainly one of the more complicated aspects of our project was the stairs.  They serve a fairly critical function in a 3-storey house with a roof deck on top, but they are also the primary architectural element on the interior.…

In earlier posts we explained that we were using re-claimed Ash for our flooring, window sills, and steps.  We just wanted to post some pictures of the install in process, and the final product.  We have 4 widths and random…

Following the fire, life became overwhelming – insurance companies, more construction delays, additional specialty contractors, kids back to school, temporary housing, etc., etc., etc.  So, updating the blog dropped off the priority list.
However, the project is now pretty much…

We were feeling very close to the finish line a week ago.  The reclaimed Ash floors were being finished with a beautiful coat of AFM Safecoat Natural Oil and Wax (see http://www.afmsafecoat.com/downloads/acjyox4016%20Naturals%20Oil%20Wax%20Finish%20data%2008.pdf)
This product is primarily linseed oil, and the…

The finish carpenters are now hard at work.  Crafting Visions is doing this work for us  - and they have been terrific. (See www.craftingvisions.ca)  They built all the rooftop planter boxes, the balcony deck, and roof deck.  Indoors, they have…

We won’t dwell on the negative, but the stairs on this project have been a serious challenge.  They are not complicated, nor expensive, but they are “out of the ordinary” enough that we had no end of problems finding a…

The exterior of the house is done, except for a handful of touch-ups and the balcony railings.  This process took the contractor almost twice as much time as he had anticipated.  Putting 4” of polyiso on the outside of a…

We specified reclaimed Ash flooring, stairs, and window sills, to be milled from old barn beams.   We had some serous trouble with the supply chain on this one, but in the end the wood arrived from a Mennonite sawmill operation…

Chris Weissflog (EcoGen Energy) has competed the solar thermal installation, but we are yet to do the final commissioning.  At the moment, the glycol loop to the evacuated tubes is still full of water.  The hot water gets flushed through…

We did a huge amount of research and analysis to figure out how to light the house.    Like everyone, we had a budget and a style we wanted, but coupled with that was a need to get high quality light…