January/February 2012

After returning from nearly  a month in the sun and sand in Sarasota, it was time to get back to work.   I laid out my agenda, which included: 1)  complete the stain and varnish of kitchen cabinet doors and drawers, 2) install whirlpool tub in master bath, 3) get and install doors for kitchen pantry, and laundry closet as well as for the entry closet, 4) get and install liner for solar chimney 5) get and install melamine liner in the kitchen and master bath window wells.   I did my due diligence shopping for the right doors, and price so ended up doing a trek across the border to Home Depot and Menards.   Came back with the pantry door, the closet doors, tile for the bathtub enclosure, and white board masonite for the lining of the solar chimney.    Then I got to work.

Installed my whirlpool tub, and tiled the enclosure.

Stepping back a little showing the master bath.

Oak trim installed on laundry closet.

Pantry door installed in kitchen.

Oak trim installed on entry closet.

Folding doors for entry closet.

Finished doors being installed in kitchen cabinets.

Louvered doors for laundry closet.

Kohler cast iron sink installed and tiles on counter top with oak trim edge. Doors and drawers with handles installed.

Door installation in progress on kitchen island.

Finished louvered doors installed on laundry closet.

Finished bifold doors installed on entry closet.

As  I was beavering away at the interior finish stuff, I got an email from my daughter saying that her husband Dean had discovered just the thing I needed.   I must first of all confess that I am an aficionado of VW camper vans, having had several over the years.    He had discovered a 95 Eurovan Camper in pristine condition, but with a broken automatic transmission at an unbelievable price.  They had decided I needed to have it, so now the deliberation began about dealing with the bad transaxle.  Internet research revealed that the Eurovans had a history of problems with the automatic trannies, and getting a good warrantied rebuild was going to cost upwards of $5K.   Dean who is a good mechanic, wondered about switching over to a manual transmission, a task he had done before on a couple pickups.   So again internet research and becoming a subscriber to the Eurovan mailing list and hunting through the archives.   It turns out that it is pretty straight-forward to do the transplant if you have a donor van, so I began the hunt on Craigslist and Kijiji looking for a suitable Eurovan with standard transmission.   After a near success, and one that was way to far away, I found one in Kitchener that met our criteria and was sound and drivable.

Side view of van in its owners garage.

Rear of van.

Interior of van.

Now its ours, at Dean and Alexias place.

November 2011

November turned into a strange month in construction operations. I was preparing to drive to Newfoundland to spend the holidays with my wife, and to bring back a bunch of things for the house which had been stored. So in addition to finishing up the solar chimney facing, and making another increment in getting the kitchen cabinets installed, I designed and implemented a scheme for putting a top, and lockable doors on my utility trailer. This was also season for the various choirs in which I sing to have their final preparations for Christmas concerts so some extra out and about for that, the major one singing Messiah with the London Pro Musica and Symphony London the first week in December. As that approached conversations with Elena determined I was not going to Newfoundland for Christmas, but we were trekking to Sarasota, FL for a “white Christmas”, sand not snow 🙂 The van minus trailer but with a bike rack went South rather than East for sun and fun. Below is what I accomplished before the Holiday exodus. Just to make life interesting in addition to a lot of beach time, we also did a sing-along Messiah in Sarasota…. can’t stop singing!

Finished the paneling on the north face of the solar chimney, with help from my dear friend Don; two old guys fiddling on the roof.

View of solar chimney from the northeast.

Installing the wall units of my kitchen cabinet.

Wall units on the kitchen island.

View of house with breezeway, and solar chimney finished.

Turning my utility trailer into an enclosed trailer for bringing stuff back from Newfoundland.

Trailer now with top and lockable doors.

Southern view of house with trim and solar chimney finished.

First dusting of snow of the year, and also now water in my backyard pond.

Snow on my stockpiles of topsoil, eventually to be used for landscaping.

Looking through the breezeway to the driveway.