Recent content by the lab

It has a compression release lever, which definitely helps. I've got used to the kickstarter now. Sometimes it takes a few kicks, especially if it's been sitting for a few days, but I'm totally fine with that. It's all part of the experience. I'd love to add a Honda XR600R to the garage one day...

I like how it looks on paper too. Now let's see how close we can get to the vision.

Last year I got my motorcycle licence, and this spring I picked up my first bike - Yamaha XT500. I have heard all the horror stories about the legendary "ankle breaker" kickstarter, but so far we've been getting along just fine. It usually fires up without too much drama. At first I was...

I'm not 100% sure if I'll ever live there full-time. The idea has always been to create a place where my family can disappear for the weekend, get away from the city, and have somewhere to bring everyone together. The location is what really sold it for me. The building sits within a national...

It's been a while since my last update, but I haven't disappeared. Over the past few months I've been busy working with an architect, refining the exterior design and planning the interior layout. I deliberately decided not to continue with the rebuilding until I had a clear vision of what the...

Love proper cold winters. We had a real one this year - freezing temps, plenty of snow. Even got out on the frozen lake with studded tires and spent an epic day just driving around. Nothing beats it.

Not much happening during the winter, the Lab is in hibernation. We’ve had a great winter with proper freezing temperatures and quite a bit of snow. With the foundation and roof now fixed, I’m hoping the cold has also helped draw some of the moisture out of the walls. I’ve been slowly working...

I’ve paused all the car projects for now. I’m focusing on finishing the garage first and then I’ll get back to the cars. Otherwise everything just moves too slowly and it feels like none of the projects are really going anywhere. Sometimes you just have to pick one thing and push it to the...

This is where The Lab stands right now. Rainwater pipes are installed, the foundation has been repaired, and water is now being drained away to the creek instead of sitting around the building. The water line is already run inside the house and ready to be connected to the hydrant when I’m...

Thanks! Yeah, I’ve definitely been lucky with the weather last fall, heavier snow would have made things a lot harder. Getting the roof and the footings done was a big milestone, so now at least the building is protected from above and below. These photos were taken back in December (film takes...

Thanks a lot! I mostly shoot on Kodak color film, especially Portra 400, but I do enjoy black and white as well from time to time, usually HP5 or Delta. There’s just something about film that digital can’t really replace, whether it’s color or b&w.

I’ve ripped out a few doors and sections of walls as part of a renovation, but I’m not at the stage yet where I can install the new ones. With winter approaching, leaving that side of the house fully open really wasn’t an option. In the end, I decided to close it off with plywood for now. It’s...

Really nice house, some seriously cool rides, and it’s great to see the steady progress you’re making. Always cool to follow a project where you can tell a lot of thought and effort is going into every step. Looking forward to seeing what’s next.

Not sure I’ve ever mentioned this, but there’s a decent-sized basement under the house. Most of the foundation work was pretty straightforward… until it really wasn’t.. Had to dig deep to get the isolation membrane around the basement foundation. Add nonstop rain, mud everywhere, not exactly...

Haha, thanks! 😄 When you spend enough time knee-deep in mud and concrete, even a foundation starts to feel like a character in the story. Not the most glamorous part of the build, but probably the most important one. Glad it came across!