Renos Aren't Pretty.

It's been awhile since I posted any updates on the renos around the Little Shack, so I thought I'd spend some time to day bringing you up to speed.  You may have seen my post about the craft room where I was getting stuck into getting it cleared out so we could begin dismantling that roughed in room and begin the basement renos.  I managed to get all of that junque out of there, with tons of it going to the Salvation Army store (crafters would have had a hay day!) and stored the stuff I wanted to keep in my bedroom.  I never thought I'd be thankful for this odd shelf in our bedroom.  The previous owners built the Shack without stairs to the unfinished basement, but decided somewhere later on to put some in.  The stairs were added by taking space out of the master bedroom, creating this awkward shelf thingy above the stairway.  We used some of the space by installing a built in oven and recessing the fridge in the kitchen, which is on the other side of the wall, but are still left with this strange shelf in our bedroom, which is now full of my craft stuff.

Scary, right?

Once the craft room was emptied, we were able to take down the temporary walls we put up when we first moved in and get the space ready to for it's new purpose-Zac's new bedroom!  The first thing after demo-ing was to build the wall over the existing concrete foundation and insulate it.

We also sealed the cement with paint we had leftover from other projects, which explains the lovely colours on the walls.  The problem with this basement is the crap job they did with the cement floor.  It is far from level and has lots of high and low spots.  One of the high ones being the drain in the floor.  Can you say "DUH!"  We want to raise the floor up off the cement for warmth, but having to level the new floor over the old un-level floor has been a pain in the you know what! This has resulted in having to run 2x6es and support them with various thicknesses of wood at various points.

2x6 floor supports and Zac sorting screws for his Dad.

These were all glued to the floor which had to dry, then adding the 2x6es and more gluing and screwing.  We also had to correct some bowing in the 2x6es by wedging 2x4s between the 2x6 and the ceiling as the glue dried.  

          The 2x6es getting wedged down.

 Lots of extra steps in what should have been a basic job of putting down a new floor.  After getting that all done we were able to put the 'chip board' down on top and get it all screwed and glued in place and then gave it a quick coat of paint to seal it. 

The chip board on top of 2x6es.

The brown thing you see in the above picture is the back of a huge cupboard we've been hauling around for the last 3 moves.  It was in a house we bought in Smithers, BC and was such a handy thing we couldn't part with it.  It's been used as a room divider, then as part of a wall we built in the garage of our house in Campbell River to make part of it into another bedroom, and has been my pantry shelves while we've been here at the Shack.  It is now about to be built into the wall between Zac's new bedroom and my new laundry room.  

The shelf side of the shelf.

This will be where I can put sorted laundry and store cleaning products and other items.  What you are looking at here is what will be the hallway into the laundry room. 

Like I said, renos are not pretty, but it sure feels good to be getting them done.  We have begun to dismantle Alley's temporary room now as well, after she very efficiently got all of her things packed up and moved out to the sunroom (a project put on hold until the basement gets done).  This earned her a trip to Campbell River to stay with her Nana!! Or could it be because she doesn't have a room?

We've also relocated the woodstove in the basement to a more central location, and actually got it all hooked up and working again last night.

Needs a good cleaning and a coat of stove black!

The stairway has been opened up on both sides of the landing now.  The original opening will now be the entrance into Zac's new bedroom, and the new opening will enter into an open space where the woodstove is now located and where Alley's bedroom door will be as well as open into the family room.

The landing newly opened up into what was Alley's bedroom.

Here's my rendition of the floor plan for the entire basement.  It might clarify where we're going with this.

It's back to the basement for me now.  My goal for today is to get Zac's room packed up of all non essential toys and misc. items.  We're on a bit of a time limit with this project, as the kids and I will be heading north for my job as camp cook in May and I want to leave hubby with as much of the heavy stuff done.  It would be nice to come home at the end of July to a nice new basement all ready to move in to!