Garage Part 2 : October - November 2019

September proved to be a beautiful month on the mountain and work on the garage progressed well. The insulated walls were put up in a few weeks and the trusses which had been delivered earlier were secured to the walls once the crane arrived from Sherbrooke. The slab for the carport where the camper would be placed was poured, the 6x6 treated support posts installed and the two headers were lifted in place with the help of the crane. Charles and Mathieu do wonderful work - they are meticulous and precise and obviously take great pride in what they do. They currently have three projects ongoing on the Domaine and, although we wish they were here more often, they ensure me everything will be done (except the shingling of the roof and the cedar siding installation) before winter. November looked promising at the start but after a few days of warm, rainy days it turned much colder and we had over 3 inches of snow on the 6th. Installation of the roof membrane was held up once again. And now as I write this it is near the end of November, one side only of the membrane is on, the stairs to the loft aren't built and the garage door, windows and doors are yet to be ordered. Although I managed to take off the truck camper and put it in the carport we have a garage we can't use. Stay tuned for what I'm sure will not be good news as winter is on us and the chance of warm days to do any more outside work are getting slimmer.   gws

Carport insulation in place and pad framed, ready for pour

trusses delivered

first wall section going up

hole cut in OSB (Oriented strand board) for window

Amy and William visiting at Thanksgiving

Miss 'Plywood', 2019

cement pour for carport

Canac weatherproof sheathing installed over OSB 

carport slab ready

garage door header in place

trusses going up

approaching end of September, leaves mostly off, roof mostly on

2nd floor loft plywood being put down

door to access carport

roof going on, getting colder

Garage Part 1 : May - September 2019

After finally deciding to begin construction of our much discussed and much needed garage this year we began the arduous task of establishing and preparing the chosen location - the largest, flattest spot we had where the cabin had stood for 10 years. This entailed moving the small tool shed and the cabin on that area below the solar panel array before work could begin to level the ground - breaking rock, bringing in tons of earth and gravel and cutting trees. We went with a local, upcoming company, Chalets des Appalaches, formed by the son of the owner of the Domain and his partner to do the work, with subcontractors leveling the site, supplying the gravel, pouring cement and a crane to lift the trusses and headers. We had met up with Mathieu and Charles in 2018, agreed on a tentative plan and date and early this year drew up the final blueprint. After a few misunderstandings and delays some prep work got under way in early July but it wasn't until September, after we had returned from our two week vacation in Ontario that we actually got the footing done. Work started in earnest then and, as fall approached, we began keeping our eye on the calendar, aware of how much was yet to be done before the cold weather became a factor. Now the question was would we get it completed before winter settled in? Check out part 2 to find the answer!   gws

moving shed to make room for garage in May

moving cabin to make room for garage in July

breaking rock

bringing in truckload after truckload of fill in August

placing plywood and insulation

ready for construction of slabs

laying slab insulation

Marie thinking, "finally!"

view from house, fall not far off

pouring cement for footing

sand and leveling begins

September and fall quickly approaching

PEX placed for radiant flooring

floor cement being poured

first slab done, weather getting cooler

Visit of Lyn and Don

On the 27th of August my sister Lyn and hubby Don arrived for a week's stay. Amazingly it was Don's first visit ever to any of the places Marie and I had lived over the past 35 years and it was a very special moment to see him coming up our driveway! They had flown into Portland, Maine to see a friend nearby in 888. The weather was amazing during their stay and we had time to explore the Domaine and take a trip into Lac Megantic. Unfortunately during their visit tropical storm Dorian forming in the Caribbean had rapidly strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane and had begun churning it's way towards Florida. They thought it best to cut their trip short, cancelling a visit to New Hampshire after leaving here and instead head home to prepare for the worst. Luckily the hurricane just grazed Florida (although it did unimaginable damage to the Bahama islands) before heading back out in to the Atlantic. It was a good visit none the less and although Marie ( staying with Christina to help her through the birth of Declan ) didn't make it back from Ottawa to join us I think both Lyn and Don enjoyed their time up here in the Great White North. Now lets hope it wont be another 35 years before we see Don up our way again!   gws

Don and Lyn, Piopolis, Quebec

me and Lyn, Lac Megantic

me and Lyn, Lac de la Passe

Don, backyard fire

me and Don, Piopolis

me and Don, Lac Megantic sports centre

Lac Megantic

Declan Antonius Claessen

Declan, a much welcomed brother to Damien, was born on the 20th of August, 2019 at Montfort Hospital in Ottawa. The before and after pictures tell it all. We were all happy he was born healthy, alert and a robust 7 pounds, 8 oz. Declan seems a contented and secure little boy who will be much loved and will surely live up to his name, 'full of goodness'. Congratulations to Christina and Alex! And of course brother Damien!   

 gws