Electrical Continued

June 19 & 20th, 2006
David and Kyle re-wire the entire basement as it unexpectedly had knob and tube. They also installed a new electrical outlet in the basement bathroom. They re-route some wires in the kitchen and install the bathroom fans.

All the electrical work is complete except for the downdraft vent from the stove. This will be installed once the kitchen cabinets and appliances are in.

Irit & Avi

June 18, 2006
Irit uses her handy skills to frame the powder room ceiling. The former ceiling was slanted, so it is now level and ready to hang the drywall. Avi comes by to do some last minute hammering and uses his muscles to help us move some drywall and backboard from the garage into the house.

The Dads

June 17, 2006
The Dads come over to help out for the day. Athol goes to work framing. With his lovely assistant Deborah, they put up the half-wall by the front door, and a 2x6’ post by the dining room pillar. After a short lunch break, they frame the stack in the bathroom and build the bathtub ledge.

Fred and Andrew measure and prep for the installation of some new bathroom floor boards. Then while Andrew heads to Home Depot for some supplies, Fred re-routes the wires for the kitchen light. Fred then installs the new bathroom floor boards and Andrew starts to frame the main floor outside wall for foam insulation.

Wire and Pipe

June 16, 2006
A quiet start to the week lead to a busy finish with the majority of the plumbing and electrical work complete. Except for the basement, the knob and tube re-wiring is done. David will return on Monday afternoon to finish up the wiring and install the bathroom fans.

James has roughed in all the drains and water pipes and installed the bathtub set in cement. We realize our water pressure is pathetic despite a 3/4 inch feed pipe. We will address this issue with the city (as it seems to be a problem on their end) once the majority of the renos are complete.

James will return to finish the water pipes for the kitchen sink and dishwasher when the cabinets are installed, as he will drill in from under the kitchen floor to ensure no water pipes are set on exterior walls. He will also move the basement laundry, and install an outside faucet for watering the garden.

Fred swings by and assembles the lawn mower. He cuts the (long overdue) backyard lawn and brainstorms with Andrew to figure out some issue re: re-routing of the ducts.

Dumpster #4

June 11, 2006
We are no up to our fourth dumpster. By this time the neighbours have become very comfortable with our regular dumpster delivery, and ask to load a few things in. We decline offers of money, but are showered with bottles of wine in thanks.

We remove lath by the front door in prep to build a half wall. Andrew removes lath from the kitchen ceiling and bathroom wall and is covered in dirt. We then proceed to remove all the nails in the ceiling and studs that we intend to drywall over.

Since some of the bannister had to be cut away to install the ceiling header, we remove the it in prep to build a new version. The stairs look great without it, but unfortunatley due to safety reasons, we'll need to intall a new one.

The rest of the weekend is spent cleaning up and dumping as much as possible in the dumpster before it is removed. We have certainly lightened the load of the house with somewhere between 3-4 tonnes of debris being trucked away.

With all the material gone, the open-concept layout is in clear sight. The plumber and electrician will be finishing up by the end of this week. We are anxious to get drywalling over the weekend.

Solid Structure

June 8th & 9th, 2006
The contractors return to complete the rest of the structure work. They install a triple header in the ceiling by the stairs and joist anchors as this area carries so much weight. They dig again in the basement to install a post that will support the triple header. They also install a double beam in the ceiling at the bottom of the stairs. They realize the wall between the dining room and kitchen runs from the main floor right to the roof. To allow us to take this wall out, they install another double beam.

By the end of the second day all is complete and they are outta here!

Water & Gas

June 7, 2006
City of Toronto came by for an estimate to disconnect the downspout. They will replace a few eves troughs and drain the downspout into the garden. They will do this all for free in about a month.

The bathtub gets delivered and James and Michale go to work to install it along with loads of other plumbing work.

Michael R. (the gas guy) comes to pipe in the gas for the kitchen stove and the gas dryer in the laundry room.


June 6, 2006
James (the plumber) arrives with his apprentice Michael to begin the plumbing work. They take out the entire cast iron stack and replace it with a new plastic version. His roofer comes to install the stack and bathroom vent covers that will be vented straight up through the roof.

In the evening we tackle the daunting (and much avoided) task of removing the plaster ceiling in the kitchen. It was messy (to say the least), but all the plaster is off and the plumbing and gas hookup will run thro complete.

Macho Marsha

June 4, 2006
Marsha (Andrew's Mom) comes by to lend some muscle. We count the kitchen cabinets to ensure everything was delivered as per the order sheet. Amazingly enough, everything was there and accounted for. Andrew pulls up the rest of the plywood from the bathroom floor and removes some rotting wood and wet disintegrating bricks from either a leak in the stack or a leaky window. We then all pool together and pull up all the parquet flooring on the main level in preparation for laying new hardwood floors. Marsha works like a maniac pulling up the parquet pieces. She is determined to get the job done.

Danny (along with his father) came over to throw a few things in our dumpster from their current house reno, and were very impressed with our determination and ambitious project. It was another very productive day.

Beam Up

June 3, 2006
Frank calls to confirm starting the job today. His crew arrives and immediately get to work. In a flash, they take down the ceiling beside the stairs. They then take down one side of the wall beside the front door and begin jack-hammering the basement floor to lay concrete for the post.

One side of the wall is exposed and we run into a few glitches. There is a duct supplying the second floor, a return vent, and a lot of wiring, so the wall will remain. The ceiling beside the staircase poses a new dilema. There is no header holding it up, so they will have to insert a double header (two 2x10" beams). We will have get creative and slightly divert the vent suppying the third floor.

By the end of the day they have dug the hold in the basement, poured the cement to set, and installed the beam held up by a few temporary posts. They will return on Mon/Tues to install the permanent post holding up the beam, and put in the double header by the stairs.

While they are taking care of the structural stuff, we take down the rest of the drywall in powder room, remove old insulation, and start to take up the old plywood that will be replaced.



June 2, 2006
Frank, the contractor recommened by the Structural Engineer, comes by (on time) to give us a quote for the job. We are impressed by his knowledge, no bull-s*#t, action-oriented attitude. They will install a post dug out from the basement to the ceiling of the first floor that will anchor a ceiling beam leading to an outside wall. They will also install new anchors to the joists beside the stairwell and take down the wall on the left as you walk in the front door. He says they can start tomorrow and will call to confirm in the morning.

Plumber Bummer

May 31, 2006
Our plumber James informs us he'll begin the plumbing on June 5th. It's a few days delayed, but it allows for some extra time to clear out the remaining insulation, drywall, and purchase a new bathtub to install. He sends one of his guys to disconnect the clawfoot tub and cap the pipes. We call Addison's to see if they want the tub to refurbish it. They happily come and take away the heavy monster within an hour!

We receive the report from the Structural Engineer, call up the contractor and schedule a quote for June 2nd.

Stud Removal

May 28, 2006
Andrew removed the studs between the living and dining rooms. In the upstairs bathroom we took off the drywall where the wall tiles were, removed the toilet and tried and clear out as much other debris as possible. We even fixed the clogged drain in the basement bathroom. Oh how handy we've become!

Structural Assessment

May 25, 2006
The Structural Engineer, recommended by our friend (and Architect) Danny Bartman came by for a consultation re: the load-baring walls. Turns out that the East-West wall (running parallel to the stairs) has become a significant structure holding up the second floor. In order to take down this wall, the engineer suggested we put a beam on the ceiling of the main floor held up by two posts anchored from the basement. So we will be left with two pillars on the main floor,
but the rest of the area will be open concept.