Wall Panels Arrive

This afternoon the Thermapan Structural Insulated Panels arrived. This is what we will be using to make the basement and main floor walls. They arrived on a flatbed and the driver had a very cool forklift that came off the side and placed them on the site for us.

The panels have foam insulation between OSB sheets, and go into place much quicker than stickframe construction. And there is no need to vapour-barrier, and your siding goes directly on the exterior, and drywall directly on the interior.

Here is a link to the official site where there are videos of them being installed.

Hole Drilled

My Dad used a heavy-duty rented drill to make us a new dryer vent hole through the 12 inches on concrete wall--as we have to relocate the washer and dryer in the basement because they are where the new door to the new basement has to be.
It took a couple hours to drill the hole.

Concrete!

This morning the cement truck came. Tom and my father, Arnie, making sure the concrete filled the forms. In the background, you can see the neighbour's fence got a little wrecked.
Now we will have to wait a few days for the concrete to set.

Form Work - Day Two

On the next day PVC pipes were put in the forms to allow for future drainage from under the addition's basement floor slab. Wire was put in for the support of the forms, and rebar for strengthening the concrete.

Form Work - Day One

Today the forms for the basement foundations were put together by my in-laws (Tom and Ruth) and my lovely wife, Tracy, while I was off at work. We will be doing the rebar tomorrow, and pouring on Friday.
You can see here, Tom and Ruth are working on where the future wall will cut off the corner of the house, to avoid going too close to the property line.

Excavation!

This huge machine arrived this morning, shaking the house as it moved. In three hours, the huge hole was dug for the basement. The operator did a great job of removing the earth from around the natural gas line. The basement walls and foundation are in great shape, and it appears that the clay weeping tile was installed in the Seventies. No going back now!

Laundry pole removed.

The first scoop.

Almost done the excavation.

...and all finished.

The big hole in the yard.

Gas line supported

Only a little bit of the earth left behind. Six loads removed.

Yardworks

This past weekend we moved the shed out of the way and removed some of the fence so that the excavator could get in to dig. We also removed the canopy over the back door, and knocked off some of the stucco, and hand dugout the gas line. We had my brother Greg, and a friend visiting from Finland, Eero-Pekka, got roped into the shed moving as well.

The exposed gas line. Tom rigged up the pipe support for when the earth is excavated.

Section of fence along laneway removed.
Shed tiles we pulled up later.
Shed partially moved.
Shed now beside house, with tiles stacked.
The back of the house.

New Windows

As our existing windows were old and leaked cold all winter, we replaced the windows on the three sides of the house that were not being added onto. We discovered large sections of wall around and between the windows that were completely open. As you can see, we filled those areas with expanding foam insulation. This house is much quieter now, and we can open windows we never could before because the storm windows were caulked and painted shut.

My father-in-law, Tom, removing existing windows.
New windows in and foamed around to fill in the air gaps.
Tracy caulking the frame for a new window to be installed.
New windows installed and framed and waiting to be painted.
Removed windows.
Benjamin looking cute.