Monday, November 22, 2010

A Busy Month & a Half...

The 100-year-old building facade retains its original brick
made at Toronto's Don Valley Brickworks. Cut into the face
of the building are three vertical openings which house new
mahogany thermal pane windows, and a custom door, all
dressed in limestone. The original cornice beam, covered in
plywood during construction, will be capped in stainless steel.
The walkway entry will have a new mahogany gate.

The rear of the house has custom mahogany windows and
a 17 foot sliding glass door with stucco surround and
limestone sill.

The atrium, cut out of the original part of the building
now features eleven mahogany windows which bring
light into almost every room in the house.

A contemporary solid mahogany door leads into the open concept
kitchen, dining and living space.

The view along the walkway shows the stucco

extension wall and the atrium garden area, now covered

for construction, which will be planted with trees.


Studio building with stucco and steel finishes. The area between
the windows will be trimmed in cedar when complete.

Interior view of primed living room from master bedroom.

Master suite dressing area and hallway.

Main floor open concept kitchen, dining and living room area.

Master bathroom view.

Master bathroom view.

Guest bedroom view.

There's never a dull moment on this project! We arrived one
morning to find some local wildlife had gotten into serious trouble.
A frequent visitor to the job site over the last year, a 30 lb.
male raccoon had slipped and gotten himself wedged between the
buildings and couldn't get free.

The guys from SWAT arrived quickly and gently snared the big guy
who seems no worse for wear.

A local business, SWAT gets calls from all over the city. They're
now on their way to the northern outskirts of the city where they'll
release our friend in greener pastures.

The tile setter has begun the installation of
Italian porcelain tile for the studio shower
and floor. The low profile shower pan is
designed to sit almost flush with the
finished tile floor.

Taping, mudding and sanding drywall.

Studio view of kitchen and stairwell.

Studio view with three piece bathroom area at right.

Drywall continues in the studio.

Drywallers at work on the main floor study.

Drywall arrives.

The solid mahogany front and side doors arrive.

Studio building second floor (south view) ready for drywall.

Studio building (north view).

Main house with insulation and vapour barrier.

At the front of the building, Enbridge Gas stops traffic...

to install a new gas line.

Inside, pipe threading for the HVAC system is underway.

Everyone helps to secure the door frame.

Manoeuvring the door into place.

The mahogany sliding door is seventeen feet wide.

The specialty door from
Bauhaus Fine Windows and Doors arrives.

Atrium wall with final stucco application.

Interior view of stucco team putting the final touches on the south wall.

Attention to detail is important along the crisp window outlines.

The wet stucco sets quickly. To create a polished, unified, final result
the teams must work the entire surface in one application.

Over large and detailed surfaces the men work quickly
as a team for smoothness and accuracy.

A skilled hand ensures a smooth
application of the wet stucco.

Scaffolding wraps the west wall and south wall.
The blue tarps were used to protect the undercoatings from rain.

Tradesmen from HK Stucco Inc. set up their scaffolding
to apply the final coat of the custom-mixed colour to the
rear and side of the building.

Studio building clad in cement board prepped for
undercoating and stucco.