Everything Takes Longer Than They Say It Will

While it's only taken two weeks time to tape and mud the sheet rock walls, those two weeks unfortunately, were spread out over a month.

We've tried to peck away at things but nothing so spectacular that it needed blogging (plus the camera battery is barely holding a charge anymore.)


There's not much you can do when there's a 275 lb teddy bear on stilts making orbs in your house.

It's hard to get mad though, because for all the smack we've talked about sheet rockers over the years, and especially since the infatuation with Rammed Earth, it turns out our sheet rocker is a gold mine of advice, inspiration and equipment!


Check out his groovy technique on the bathroom ceiling! Click on the photo to see the detail!


Neighbour Jim has taken the posts we salvaged from the Viera's fruit stand in Osoyoos and is turning them into our banister and railing for the stairs.



I love the smell of fresh cut steel!


Finally mortared these in place. Jim was disapproving of the fact that we did not put our address there. I'm holding out for the day when our address is shortened from something slightly less ridiculous than 36428 103rd St. There's only room for three tiles after all.

We're going to prime some walls this weekend. Once we get the orbs under control.

Are We THERE Yet?

Here are the soffits on the west side of the second storey. Sure, we could have put them in a straight line but Monsieur likes a bit of whimsy now and then. On the next house, the soffit vents will be different sizes and all over the place, the soffits will look like swiss cheese!



This is not bad work for a guy who only ever made a cutting board in 7th grade woodshop.



The sheet rockers continue their work. No sanding yet, but all the taping seems to be done.



We're thinking it's finally warm enough to install some glass block.



Our friend Wilf brought us some nice rich orchard soil yesterday. This will get pushed further up hill so we can have a flat area extending towards the bluff from the dining room double doors.

He Always Did Like the Monkey Bars

The south side is soffitted! The swallows who wanted to live in our soft fluffy insulation will just have to make other arrangements.


It takes more time to set up to install the second storey soffits

than it does to actually install the the second storey soffits.


We might finish this week.



It will take the combined brainpower of several neighbours to figure out how to intall the soffits on the East side second storey.

I Want To Take You Higher

How do you get to that?



Like this!

Let's hope it's not too windy this week.

Soffits for Sophists

A little bit here,


a little bit there.


Finally, the first floor soffits are installed.


On to the same fun and games on the second floor!