Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Big year!

The cottage really took shape this year! It is amazing to see the progress we made on such a colossal undertaking built on blood, sweat, tears, beers and advil. I am very proud of what we accomplished and very thankful to everyone who helped throughout the year with special thanks to...

Contractors - Sam, Chris, Tim, Tom and Joe
Neighbors - Chris, George and Capt Ron
Friends and family - Brad, Scott and Matt

Big shout-out to my uncle, Al Stenger! Thanks for multiple trips up to the island, tons of quality work, good advice, good times and lots of laughs.

It's hard to believe we went from this...
August 2010

To this...
November 2012

In 27 months! Sheez!

To my wife Bonnie, who shares the dream of our Kelleys Island cottage with me, none of this would be possible without you taking care of business at home while I spend hours and hours and weekends and more weekends working on this project. I love you!

Monday, November 12, 2012

Last working weekend

Made it up to the island last weekend for the final closing ceremonies of the season. Totally lucked-out with great weather. Also, pleasantly surprised by how dry the property was after Hurricane Sandy and a week of solid rainfall.

The plan was to insulate the water tank and build the frame around the insulation in preparation for future vertical (decorative) decking. Uncle Al came up Saturday and installed all of the outdoor receptacles, wired up the water pump, and installed a switch plus two overhead lights in the crawlspace.

I also finished hanging drywall in the master bathroom. Unfortunately, because of the size of the room and the lack of lighting, I couldn't snap any usable photos.

Onto the progress...

Water tank wrapped with 2-inch foam board insulation and framing underway

Water tank receptacle mounted to framing

Water tank insulated and frame finished

Next year (Spring 2013) I will hang vertical decking around the tank framing and install stairs on the north side. Then back-fill the gap with pea gravel to let rain water drain through and provide a nice finished look on top.

 Receptacle wired up

Big Al installed this receptacle to be used for either the water pump or heat tape, depending on the season. This electrical box also feeds the outlet on the water tank, nice. In preparation for the coming winter cold, I wrapped the water line with heat tape to prevent freezing. 

Crawlspace light switch and water pump wired up

Thank again to Al, there is a light switch directly inside the crawlspace entry door that can be reached from the outside. This is super convenient to be able to switch on several overhead lights in the dark crawlspace. Also, the water pump is wired up and ready to go for next Spring. Lastly, notice the white pex tubing, this will be used for the water main line that will be connected from the water pump to the pex manifold.

Inside progress looking towards the back door slider

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Election Day

Today is election day for the US President. I voted on my way into work this morning. Anxiously awaiting the results this evening. Other notable items, the US is recovering from hurricane Sandy. The east coast was absolutely hammered with storm damage... I am wishing them a quick and safe recovery.

Planning to venture up to the island for the last time this year. The weather is forecast-ed to be clear and dry all weekend. Just perfect for final work efforts and closing-up for the season. I hope to finish drywalling the bathrooms and insulating of the water tank.