Roughly Going

Bosch RedZone unit. We originally planned and budgeted for in floor radiant heat. However when the final hvac quotes came in from subcontractors  they were two to three times higher than the original budget. This meant we had to forego the radiant heat and use a forced air system. To make matters worse, a regular forced air system could not be used. We had to opt for a medium velocity system with smaller ducts. This was more expensive than the original hvac budget even. 

That said, there are a couple of advantages to the new system. It includes air conditioning (which we originally skipped for cost savings, planning to go with a wall mounted mini split system later) and a HEPA air filter that will improve air quality compared to a radiant system. It also gives us a few more options for flooring and simplifies (and hopefully speeds up) the construction process.

The basement has been mostly cleaned up and frost walls were framed up. Upstairs is mostly unchanged.

Since the beginning of the month, with everyone back from holidays, things have been moving along and we're starting to see things taking shape with the interior mechanical systems: plumbing, hvac and electrical. The rough plumbing (short of installing fixtures) was completed about two weeks ago, and the hvac duct work was roughed in about a week ago. Electrical was to be completed today but due to unexpected calls the electrician was only able to start today. 

The week of delays hurts us a lot because we can't just extend our lease for a week and we will end up paying another months rent in our temporary accommodation. Considering we're already four months behind our original schedule this is a hard pill to swallow but there's a chance we might make up for lost time if the drywall can be completed quickly.

The real hold up at this point is windows. Dalmen Windows and doors is the manufacturer of our custom Windows. They're a local manufacturer, and I like keeping our business in the Ottawa valley. Their product is nice looking, too. Its a hybrid window with aluminum exterior and vinyl interior. This makes for a really nice looking frame and it can be painted any color on both inside and out. The simulated divided lights are used to keep costs low and they look quite good. Unfortunately the manufacturer seems to be having trouble delivering on schedule, as the windows were supposed to be here this week, but are now scheduled to be delivered February 3rd.

Here's Rob the electrician going through to see where to put the wires.

Without windows some snow and ice have gotten in but now plastic is over the window openings to provide a bit of protection from the elements and there are propane heaters inside that have started to dry things out a bit.