Hi, We've been so busy over the last month that we haven't had any time to update about all the highs and lows of this project. Currently we are finishing up wiring and insulation:)

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Excavation & Foundation & Backfill Long overdue for an update... People keep mentioning the blog or that they stopped in to take a peak so I felt it was only fair to keep up to date with this stuff. While Jen (my sister) has been kicking back in Australia on a 6 month work contract, here in Ottawa we’ve been taking care of business and making some good progress... We had a brief scare right from the get-go with the excavation as we had a 'missing in action' excavator for two days! I played detective for about 30hrs and eventually tracked him down at his house banging on his door...

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So we've haven't updated in a while but a lot has happend. 1. Our appeal was dropped. We lost a little bit of time and money on the mater but we are still thrilled we didn't have to go to the OMB. 2. We realized the importance of reading every word of a contract while dealing with our architect. Moving forward we will be thinking about payouts, terms of completion and tasks and comparing several bids for each stage. 3. In the past month, we have: - cleared the lot - shut off all the services - hired an engineer - had some smaller trees removed - applied for demolision...

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Once the appeal period expires, the following conditions need to be met to obtain severance: Appeal period has expired with no appeal. All structures removed or demolished Cash-In-Lieu of Parkland is paid to the city for creating a second lot *** Appraisal will be needed from city Grading and Drainage plan submitted Evidence submitted that all services are independent and do not cross any property line (I believe this is the lot survey/grading & drainage plan?) Draft R Plan Filing the "Electronic registration in preparation documents" for conveyances for which the Consent...

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Before you can get your fiancing approved, you will need to come up with the following documents: a) Copies of full building plans/sketches b) Breakdown of cost estimates c) Contracts d) New Home Warranty Program contract registration - if you have a GC who is Tarion registered, he can take care of this part. e) Appraisal as complete including land value f) Building permit g) Building plans h) Name of contractor Courtesy of our Mortgage Broker: Steve Cochrane

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So the plan continue to roll out despite the delay in digging the whole. We met with our design team this week to go over preliminary ideas for interior decor. It is a good idea to get some feel for your design style and final outcome when choosing finishings. From day one, you want to make sure the house you've designed fits your lifestyle. We were able to find some great design students from Carleton and Algonquin that are helping us out with furniture layouts, finishings choices, colour schemes and more. Final designs still to come but here is a sample of some up to date ideas.

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At the beginning of May we went to the committee hearing at city hall with our plans in hand and city planner by our side. Having paid some good coin and put in a decent amount of time, it was good to finally pass this hurdle. Although there was prior word that one resident in the neighbourhood (who had protested just about every development plan in the area) was coming to protest our severance, we were not prepared for the unrelated arguments we were about to hear. Everything from "lack of parks in the neighbourhood" to just wanting to keep a "campus style area" or the best one, "I just don't...

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By Steve Maxwell, The Ottawa Citizen May 12, 2011 Concrete floors have always been a part of modern homebuilding, but changes in subfloor products and underlay now offer faster, drier, more comfortable and more reliable starting surfaces for finished flooring over concrete. There are two new options that I know work well. Hardwood Faster Than Click Flooring A 10-year-old European product that’s new to Canada makes both traditional hardwood and engineered flooring easier to install over concrete (or any other surface) because it eliminates the need for nails while also ensuring a permanently...

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I recently took a trip to Bali and the Gili Islands for a little R&R. I was overwhemed by the Beauty in this part of Indonesia. Not only do they have some of the best restaurents, bars, shopping, and spas I had ever been to but they also have a strong creative arts and design community. With the furniture and fixtures being dirt cheap, I was stuck wondering how I was going to get everything back to Ottawa. Unfortunately, it is too soon in the game to buy all the finishings, but with shipping costs being $110 per cubic meter, it is still an affordable option for the future. Here are some of the great...

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So we finally submitted the minor variance and severance applications. What the city neglected to post on their website was the fact that all the fees went up on April 1st. Great! 3 days later, our application cost us an extra $355. Our city planner as well as our real estate lawyer were not aware of the double severance process. Thank goodness our surveyor knew all the advantages of doing this at the same time and let us know how the process worked. When you have one lot and you're dividing it into two, you can sever part A from B and B from A. In doing this, it does not matter which lot you sell...

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