Log Cabin Move

Well tomorrow is the big day when Jim Tedford arrives to start the moving of the cabin onto the new concrete slab. This shifts the building about 10 m (30 ft) to the north. I got the hydro lines disconnected from the cabin yesterday and cut down the old hydro pole that was at the back of the cabin next to the woodshed. I also wired up the water pump with a switch and plug so it can be connected to an extension cord from the neighbours when we want water at the site.

Tedford will be removing the addition from the site so by the middle of the week the new house site will be cleared of buildings and ready to start digging and putting in the foundation for the house. That will happen later in June as we are still chasing design drawings so we can apply for the house permit. I will be meeting with Brian Basterfield on Wednesday and with Viceroy on Thursday with hopes of getting the design finalized.

Pouring Concrete Slab for Log Cabin

Yesterday, May 23rd was a busy day with Carter Concrete arriving early, getting the wire mesh down for the floor nd the concrete truck arrived at 9 am.

Finishing and sealing was done by early afternoon and today Murray and Steve got the forms off, Heather and I finished loading the container with cottage furniture and Hydro disconnected the overhead wires. We will be using the Vervoorn's outside plug (next door neighbours) until a temporary service is installed for the construction period.

Surveying Day

The holiday Monday was a day for doing some surveying on the site. Jeff helped John Corless to shoot the road and side property lines and establish reference locations on these lines to locate the out buildings on the site. This included locating formwork for the relocated log cabin concrete slab and the new well. We also staked the new double garage on the site. John brought a survey transit and 100 ft tape to accomplish this.

Then it was time to shoot reference grades for the new slab, top of well, out buildings and the septic system. John also brought a surveyor's level and rod so we could do this part of the work. I can now pass this information on to Brian Basterfield so he can determine the foundation grades for the new house.


At the end of the day Jim Tedford arrived with a large container so we can store all the cottage furniture until it is time to move into the new house. Now Heather and I have the job of moving everything out to the container. We had moved it all into the addition because of the fireplace and partitions being demolished in the old log cabin. Now we get to move it again. Are we having fun yet???

Preparing for the log cabin

We have had a few busy weeks with the stone chimney and fireplace being torn down, roof patched and connection between the log cabin and the addition removed. We also had the Fleming College drilling and blasting class here to drill a new well. The students moved wood, carried the woodshed across the yard for me to demolish and drilled the well. I've got permits filled with ORCA, the Health Unit and Douro-Dummer. I've been working with Brian Basterfield on developing the site plan and Viceroy in getting the plan for the house close to a final stage.

This week has seen lots of progress at the cottage. Monday we had the Drain Bros. backhoe there and it took out all the stumps, relocated the old bunkie and excavated for the new cabin base. Tedfords were here also doing the bunkie relocation with the help of the backhoe. Drains trucked away all the debris and Lorne's stone slinger was there before the end of the day to put down the stone. Tuesday, Murray and Steve got the forms in and braced. Wednesday was a rain day so I was chasing permits and design work. Thursday we got the rebar laid and the stone brought up in the centre of the slab. Carters will be here Tuesday or Wednesday next week to pour the slab.

This is the long weekend here and on Monday John Corless is going to help me with some surveying layout and shooting some grades. John was a big help a few weeks ago helping me remove a lot of cedars that were in the way of the log cabin relocation.

Jeff.