And God said unto Noah, who was Canadian. "Hey, buddy, you better build an ark I think there's a storm acomin'."

The same storm system that hit Calgary and Southern Alberta last week hit us in SE BC as well. We didn't have it as bad as the Albertans but, people are still talking about it. We had three inches of rain in less than 24 hours and I watched the bank down to the lake from the cabin and the basement quite closely. I am happy to report that both the cabin and the bank came through it all without any damage which, was a bit of a relief.

Unlike some in the path of the storm we have flood controls here that prevented serious damage on the scale that they had in Alberta but, nevertheless a few unfortunate souls were unlucky enough to have their homes either flooded or, worse, washed away. Mud slides closed several roads including major arteries and at one point the whole area of SE BC looked like it might be isolated, at least from the rest of Canada if not the United States.

The lake rose about 6 - 10 feet in 48 hours and we now have a full lake adjacent to the Development with the prospect of it rising to record levels again this year. The water is still very murky and I suspect it will be a week or two before the silt settles. Still, that hasn't stopped people taking to the water, albeit in wet suits.

Murky waters

The rain interrupted work on the outside of the cabin and I took the opportunity to get a few things done on the inside, including making a start on some plumbing. But, the fortnight started with getting the gas line put in and I made it by the skin of my teeth.

The trench that I had prepared the previous week would have collapsed into itself if it had not been filled in before the storm hit. I would have lost all my sand and it would have been expensive to re-dig the trench.

Bob, the plumber and heating technician, arrived mid morning on Monday and set straight to work on getting the gas line into the trench which I had bedded with sand. 

As he went along I followed, putting another layer of sand on top of the pipe and then ….

…. filling in the trench by hand.

By the end of the first day I had got most of it covered but, I was completely exhausted and so left the last 5 or six feet until the following day.

A couple of hours the next morning saw it all done and ….

…. I had even got the forth side on the tank screen done and put the gate on it. That night the storm hit .…

…. and forced me inside for the next three or four days. With advice from Bob I set about doing some planning for roughing in the outflow side of the plumbing and ….

…. Bob bought the materials at a cheaper rate than I could get them. 

I also built some stud walls in my bedroom and the en suite bathroom to help position the shower, toilet and hand basins.

This will be a cupboard for towels etc in the en suite.

Meanwhile, Bob got on with finishing the gas lines. 

He put in the regulator and feeds up to the main deck outside the kitchen door and onto the North Wing Deck, both for BBQs - of which more later.

He also installed the gas fired water tank and …. 

…. the furness for heating the main floor. In case you are wondering, the Building Code in BC, if not for the whole of Canada, requires two heating systems in case one fails during the winter and wood burning stoves are not allowed to be classified as the main heating system, only a back up system. In practice it will actually be the other way around, only we aren't allowed to say that.

When the storm finally abated I was able to get back outside and continue the work of finishing off the deck steps.

about a dozen more spindles had to be made in addition to the 93 made the previous week because I had failed to take into account the fact that I had stretched the distance between the upper railings to match those on the deck and a few proved a little too short.

Apart front taking the sticky stuff off the windows and getting the fascia and soffits done the lake side of the house won't change much now. I still want the step posts to dry a little more before staining them and I may put an angled cut on them to match the slope of the steps.

The North Wing steps are also now complete and there are only a couple of small jobs on the deck itself to do before this whole area is finished. 

With the step spindles in place, I continued work on the soffits and fascia, although this particular dormer was actually completed a couple of weeks ago.

I have now completed it to the end of the garage and ….  

…. around to the front porch, ….

…. which I have now also finished, bar the railings and spindles. I am really pleased with how the porch is developing and hope to have the railings and spindles all in place by the time of the next posting.

The front of the house is now beginning to look quite special and I hope to have it done within two weeks.

With some gas now on tap, I thought it might be a good idea to invest in a small BBQ.

So today, instead of working on the cabin, I put it all together .…

…. and then put it out on the deck by the kitchen door.

It has been eventful couple of weeks and we are forecast to be on the tail end of the heat wave currently sweeping through the US. Temperatures as high as 38c are forecast for the coming week. I shall soldier on and as much as I am defining this house, it is defining me. Working on it has become a lifestyle for me and one that I am not uncomfortable with for the time being.