I spent February 12 and 13 working on the guest cottage. I typically got started around 10:00 in the morning, when it got light enough to work and it warmed up a bit. I usually worked until about 4:30 or 5:00, when it starts to get dark.
Saturday February 12th was another very warm day and the temperature peaked at about +12C. It was not windy this time, so it was a very pleasant day to work outside. I decided to leave my interior work for another time and take advantage of the mild temperatures to do some outside stuff. It got very muddy by late afternoon as there is very little snow left, and lots of exposed dirt on the construction site.
I drilled through the new siding and put a PVC conduit into the basement. I pushed through the ground cable that I had previously roughed in and connected to a ground plate before the backfilling was done. Then I cut through in three locations and put in electrical boxes for exterior outlets. I had previously roughed the wires in to the general location of these boxes. I connected the receptacles and put the weatherproof covers on.
Then I moved some plywood into the cottage. This will later be used as backing behind the kitchen cabinets and behind the shower in the bathroom. Finally, once that was all done I laid out a pattern for the enclosure that needs to be made to box in the plumbing vent stack. By this time it was beginning to get dark, so I packed it in for the day.
My neighbors were out with a big bon fire and had some other neighbors over visiting. It was a beautiful evening and by 11:00PM it was still around +5. We all visited around the fire through the evening and shared a few snacks. I was finally able to pass on one of my calendars to a neighbor that I had not been able to connect with for a while.
I am currently doing the Dry February challenge and not drinking any alcohol for the month. It was kind of fun to sit around the fire and watch everyone getting plastered on beer and rum and tequila shots while I just sipped a couple of cans of Coke.
I'm sure they were all nursing the infamous Nordegg headache on Sunday morning. I've done that myself on more than one occasion, but not this time.
It wasn't quite as warm on Sunday, but it still made it up to about +5. I didn't even bother lighting a fire in guest cottage on either day, as it was warm enough to work without one. One Sunday I got started at about 10:30 and spent the entire day on a whole bunch of little projects.
I started boxing in the plumbing vent stack at the south gable end. I put some balsam trim up at the gable end, where it meets the high ceiling. I put a section of balsam ridge trim in from the gable end back towards the center of the cottage. I properly strapped the horizontal vent pipe that connects from the bathroom vanity to the main stack. I installed the pot light in the small loft. I fitted the trim around the chimney of the wood stove, where it meets the ceiling. I put vapor barrier up on the west wall and part of the south wall. Then I ran out of material and couldn't finish the last 30 feet on the south and east walsl. I also took detailed measurements and photographs of the door and windows so that I can order the rollshutters.
By the time I finished all of this, I was getting pretty tired, and it was beginning to get dark. So I packed up for the day and headed back next door to make dinner for myself. I felt quite a sense of accomplishment after getting so many things looked after.
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