Modern 2nd Floor Addition & Garage

[wasfast]

There are bright spots of enjoyment all along the build process but getting to finishes is one of the best. You have done a great job on the design in a challenging lot and will have a showcase at the end based on your progress.

 

[R32Jordie]

You have done a great job on the design in a challenging lot and will have a showcase at the end based on your progress.

Thanks, Its been a long process but it seems to be all coming together now. The finishes will look 10X better once everything is clean and free of drywall dust.

The electrician came by and started hooking up all the various circuits and loosly installing the pot lights. Theyre left hanging until the ceiling paint is completed and then they can be snapped into place. The exterior lights look really neat though, shame they haven't corrected the door colour yet.

The flooring is finished throughout the house now. I am loving the details in the transition between the bathroom tile & flooring

The big task was to get the kitchen setup so the countertops can be measured this week. We opted for an Ikea kitchen to help keep the project on budget. We managed to get it for a killer deal during the kitchen event with free shipping. They also screwed up on various parts of the process which saved us even more money.

First we used the "laser" and tape to mark where to mount the rails. Once the rails go up things move pretty quick!

Next was the task of leveling the cabinets, screwing them all together and locking them to the rails

We went with gloss Blue/Teal fronts but left the film on the front so they wont get damaged. The colour seems much darker in these pictures.

Taadaa, just like that its (mostly) installed

-Jordie

 

[buildingup]

Coming along great! Can't wait to see see it done and cleaned up. For the dog fur and open floor plan look into getting one of those roomba's, cleans up the dog hair without having to do much.

Love the Shiba! Looking at adopting one right now but shes on the smaller side at 13lbs.

 

[jimmie jam]

WOW Jordie!!! Looking fab. I love your flooring pick and the cabinets look good! Can't wait to see this finished...

 

[R32Jordie]

WOW Jordie!!! Looking fab. I love your flooring pick and the cabinets look good! Can't wait to see this finished...

Getting closer all the time. The stairs are getting installed next week so once thats done we are pretty close to move in time. Fingers crossed.

Coming along great! Can't wait to see see it done and cleaned up. For the dog fur and open floor plan look into getting one of those roomba's, cleans up the dog hair without having to do much.

Love the Shiba! Looking at adopting one right now but shes on the smaller side at 13lbs.

Shibas are great! they are very stubborn but are super loyal dogs. 13 lbs seems really small, Akira is 22lbs and even she is on the smaller end of the breed. We will have to look into a roomba, I'm sure she will love when it automatically turns on during the day haha

 

[R32Jordie]

Ha another great weekend of progress on the house.

We managed to get the majority of the work done on the kitchen. All the doors and handles are on (doors could use a bit more fine tuning and alignment) but at least we are getting to the bottom of all our ikea boxes.

We mounted the new low profile microwave and installed/ plumbed the vent fan through the cabinet and out the wall. Its pretty trick, as far as microwaves go. no outside branding and all the buttons are concealed behind the door.

Everyone was kept busy. Akira shredded all the cardboard so it could fit in the bin

Tile work is coming along better than expected. The attention to detail is incredible. If you're in the Greater Toronto Area and need tile work, Nick Mishko of MISHKODDR is your guy!

This week is a busy one too. Countertops are getting installed today, Stairs on Wednesday.

Baseboards and trimwork is also starting today as well. Paint is scheduled to start on Thursday.

Its all coming together now!

Jordie

 

[testwerke]

That hex tile is so cool!

 

[wasfast]

......and so is the slot drain.

 

[ravz]

......and so is the slot drain.

agreed!, tile guy is on point. the whole project is looking great..

 

[R32Jordie]

A little more progress got done earlier this week. We managed to get the countertops installed. We ended up getting a killer deal on some leftover slabs of Silestone eternal calacatta gold which were used in another kitchen reno. Had them installed on monday and they look great!

We opted for 3/4" without a drop edge for a sharp & cleaner contemporary look. The portion of the island with the breakfast bar required a plywood substrate for support which needed to be hidden with the drop edge (which is why it appears thicker)

Pretty hard to photograph due to the white walls but there is a slight grey veining in the slabs.

We also got the stairs in yesterday as well, not much to see as they are all protected and still need to be painted / stained. They are open riser to allow the light from the back windows make its way to the kitchen area and to make the space feel larger.

As discussed with the builders, they are supposed to be centered within the opening and not be mounted to the wall. So the stair installers are coming back to fix that today. I guess the old adage of do it right or do it twice (or three or four times) just doesnt apply many of their subs.

This has been the most infuriating part of this process by far. My wife and I both come from design / detailing backgrounds and if we were to produce work with the same level of competence we would be out of work pretty quickly.

1 More week until move in, heres to hoping

-Jordie

 

[R32Jordie]

A little more progress got done earlier this week. We managed to get the countertops installed. We ended up getting a killer deal on some leftover slabs of Silestone eternal calacatta gold which were used in another kitchen reno. Had them installed on monday and they look great!

We opted for 3/4" without a drop edge for a sharp & cleaner contemporary look. The portion of the island with the breakfast bar required a plywood substrate for support which needed to be hidden with the drop edge (which is why it appears thicker)

Pretty hard to photograph due to the white walls but there is a slight grey veining in the slabs.

We also got the stairs in yesterday as well, not much to see as they are all protected and still need to be painted / stained. They are open riser to allow the light from the back windows make its way to the kitchen area and to make the space feel larger.

As discussed with the builders, they are supposed to be centered within the opening and not be mounted to the wall. So the stair installers are coming back to fix that today. I guess the old adage of do it right or do it twice (or three or four times) just doesnt apply many of their subs.

This has been the most infuriating part of this process by far. My wife and I both come from design / detailing backgrounds and if we were to produce work with the same level of competence we would be out of work pretty quickly.

1 More week until move in, heres to hoping

-Jordie

 

[LNKMK8]

Beautiful finishes! I love seeing the huge shop builds, but really appreciate those who have to work with a small space. The creativity to maximize the space is always impressive. The first picture of your house looks like someone dropped it in the neighbors driveway... totally foreign concept for us who live in the great plains of the Midwest.

 

[R32Jordie]

Beautiful finishes! I love seeing the huge shop builds, but really appreciate those who have to work with a small space. The creativity to maximize the space is always impressive. The first picture of your house looks like someone dropped it in the neighbors driveway... totally foreign concept for us who live in the great plains of the Midwest.

It has been a huge challenge for sure. Designing on the skinny lots was compounded by the fact that the existing house (the foundation for the project) was not built square to the road.

We always said that our existing house looked as if it were the neighbors guest house.

This week we hope to have all the plumbing fixtures in the house. The painting should be done mid week. I was hoping they would get the garage done first so I can bring my car there for storage.

I usually have it stored indoors in a storage facility at the beginning of November but have been waiting because it would be ideal to have it in the garage over the winter and not offsite locked away somewhere. I just hope we can get it home before the first big dumping of snow.

-Jordie

 

[testwerke]

Can the buttons on the low profile microwave be operated with the door closed? I really like the design of that, but wonder if I have to set the timer while the door is open or if it can be done while closed.

 

[R32Jordie]

Can the buttons on the low profile microwave be operated with the door closed? I really like the design of that, but wonder if I have to set the timer while the door is open or if it can be done while closed.

Some of the functions can be accessed with the door closed. I believe you can +30 seconds, turn the fan & lights on ect. Ill confirm once I get to use it aha

Below is the link:

https://www.rona.ca/en/over-the-range-microwave-oven-11-cu-ft-900-w-ss-30005765?viewStore=55070&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI18S90eKX3wIVCkVpCh14_wHKEAQYASABEgKtKvD_BwE

 

[R32Jordie]

Busy weekend lifting and moving things but we are back in the new place.

Had a bit of the time getting the car into the driveway. The soft gravel made me wish I had a GTR

Some playing around with plywood and we were unstuck and sitting pretty

Super stoked to be back home. Just have a few more things to finish up inside before I can start playing around in the garage

-Jordie

 

[nicholam77]

Sweet! Everything is looking great!

 

[Magneto]

Congrats Jordie! Enjoyed following along. You should be very proud of that build.

 

[Balor]

rngr1

 

[R32Jordie]

Thanks Guys, Still some tidying up to do on the interior (trim, paintwork & staining the stairs) but ill post some finished shots once we are more settled.

I just realized I never shared photos with the glass divider panel. Looks phenomenal.

Dog is enjoying the new view too.

The journey is far from over as I haven't even started setting up the garage yet Still need to clear out all the building materials and give it a good sweep before I start getting stuff in there and setup

-Jordie

 

[sponaugle]

This is such a cool build! I really like the modern/contemporary look. I have an R35 and R32, so I really like your cars!

Jeff

 

[kyle@hcb]

You two have awesome taste!

 

[jimmie jam]

Beautiful result!!!! I LOVE the glass wall.....and flooring.

 

[audifirst]

That siding in wood brown texture is this a wood or metal ? Do you have name /company that makes it ?

 

[R32Jordie]

That siding in wood brown texture is this a wood or metal ? Do you have name /company that makes it ?

It is a galvanized steel with a "wood" look alike texture on the one side. we chose this so it would be maintenance free (and I dont want to go up to the peak to sand / stain every couple of years. There are a few houses in our area which used natural wood and looked absolutely amazing for the first year but now look like **** due to the owners neglect.

Anyways the company is called MAC Architectural Metal

http://macmetalarchitectural.com/en/ms-14/

Got the kitchen all setup over the past couple of days. Our old fridge sticks out a little further than I would have hoped. we will have to make sure to get a counter depth one when this one dies.

The raptors have invaded the kitchen again, much to my wifes dismay.

We managed to get a really nice Miele HR1622 Induction range through a friend of a friend who works there. It was a return (for the tiniest scratch in the stainless) and being sold AS IS for 75% off the sticker price. We were originally going to go with gas but couldnt pass this deal it up.

Ive been playing around with the masterchef programs and they seem to work very well. They dont take the fun out of cooking, just to guesswork and dis satisfaction of overcooking.

Cornish game hens? Quail? theres an app for that.


-Jordie

 

[wasfast]

Just piling on the congrats with the others. Really nice place and I'm sure super to be moved in as well as before Christmas. There's always a punch list of small stuff to be done and also unpacking but YOU ARE IN!

 

[onemanarmy]

looks amazing...thanks for sharing.

So just a toilet downstairs in the laundry room and a full bath upstairs? Still 3 beds upstairs?

 

[R32Jordie]

looks amazing...thanks for sharing.

So just a toilet downstairs in the laundry room and a full bath upstairs? Still 3 beds upstairs?

There is two bathrooms upstairs (one guest bathroom and one in the master) as well as the toilet in the laundry room.

Upstairs there is a master bedroom and two spare rooms. One has a guest bed and the other will be an office with a pullout couch / futon to use if we have lots of people over.

Here are the floorplans in sketchup

Main Floor

Second Floor

The Middle bedroom on the 2nd floor is the one we currently plan on using as the office

-Jordie

 

[stillp]

Cornish game hens? Quail? theres an app for that.


-Jordie

Can it cook chickens that don't come from Cornwall?

Pete

 

[R32Jordie]

Can it cook chickens that don't come from Cornwall?

Pete

It will do anything with the exception of the actual grocery shopping

 

[R32Jordie]

So the lights in the garage didn't pass electrical inspection. The electricians installed standard light sockets for screw in bulbs which got in the way of the high mount door. For inspection they just covered the boxes and took the fixtures out.

No lights in the garage was an obvious problem So I did some digging and it seems like many people have had some success with the Barrina T5 Amazon fixtures. Went ahead and ordered these:

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B079FC9T9K/ref=pe_3034960_233709270_TE_item

It ended out being $60 CAD for 2 day shipping to my door and came with a 5 yr warranty.

Got them all setup in a large rectangle in the ceiling. The sides plugged directly into each other. For the ends I needed to extend the harness provided.

It felt like -12c on Saturday so it was a Hasty install. I would like to clean up the wiring when it is a bit warmer. The light output is incredible and they fire right up in the cold.

I will also need to get bulbs with the correct colour temperature in the garage door light, but thats a minor detail.

They even cast a nice bright light halfway down the driveway. Overall I am super happy with the product, Just need to tidy everything up once its warm.

-Jordie

 

[C.L S2000]

So the lights in the garage didn't pass electrical inspection. The electricians installed standard light sockets for screw in bulbs which got in the way of the high mount door. For inspection they just covered the boxes and took the fixtures out.

No lights in the garage was an obvious problem So I did some digging and it seems like many people have had some success with the Barrina T5 Amazon fixtures. Went ahead and ordered these:

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B079FC9T9K/ref=pe_3034960_233709270_TE_item

It ended out being $60 CAD for 2 day shipping to my door and came with a 5 yr warranty.

Got them all setup in a large rectangle in the ceiling. The sides plugged directly into each other. For the ends I needed to extend the harness provided.

It felt like -12c on Saturday so it was a Hasty install. I would like to clean up the wiring when it is a bit warmer. The light output is incredible and they fire right up in the cold.

I will also need to get bulbs with the correct colour temperature in the garage door light, but thats a minor detail.

They even cast a nice bright light halfway down the driveway. Overall I am super happy with the product, Just need to tidy everything up once its warm.

-Jordie

Beautiful car!! what have you done to it ? or have you kept it mostly stock ? I have a 01 S2000 myself so always excited to see another GJ member with the JDM enthusiasm

 

[nicholam77]

Hey Jordie, got any more updates to show off?

 

[R32Jordie]

Not much to report. We have been dealing with plumbing / backup issues sewage issues. A dip in the pipe under the footings for the front wall / garage has reared its ugly head.

We havent ever had issues with plumbing in the past so something happened during the excavation/ construction phase which caused the dip. This has become a very expensive he said / she said.

its a literal Sh*t show

 

[R32Jordie]

Beautiful car!! what have you done to it ? or have you kept it mostly stock ? I have a 01 S2000 myself so always excited to see another GJ member with the JDM enthusiasm

Thanks for the kind words! Its a 1993 GTS-T Type M I have had it for going on 8 years now, (on the road for 3 haha)

4 or so years ago it went through a substantial overhaul. It hasnt been a high dollar build by any means. Most of the mods have been factory upgrades, GTR injectors, bigger turbo form the R33 GTS, 350Z brakes ect.

The full build story can be read here

https://zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=579803

I still need to go through a re link some pictures now since photobucked and flickr have gone

 

[nicholam77]

Not much to report. We have been dealing with plumbing / backup issues sewage issues. A dip in the pipe under the footings for the front wall / garage has reared its ugly head.

We havent ever had issues with plumbing in the past so something happened during the excavation/ construction phase which caused the dip. This has become a very expensive he said / she said.

its a literal Sh*t show

Ugg, sorry to hear that. Hope you can get it sorted.

Such a cool project and would love to see more pics of the finished space when you're done dealing with the Sh*t Show...

 

[JustinS]

Very interesting build!

 

[swflge8]

Beautiful house, and Awesome car!

 

[ddawg16]

I can't believe I missed this thread.

Nice work......and....oooohhhhh....the memories....except we lived in our house while we did our addition.....

 

[R32Jordie]

Well the plumbing work has been done.

They were able to cut the pipe at the centre of the dip and generate enough slope to where it connects to the city line. They did all this work without having to dig through the garage slab which I am pretty pleased with

In the basement they replaced the clay pipe between the front stack that goes to the kitchen and the floor cleanout by the water meter.

You can see the damaged pipe which was cemented over.

]

All this was replaced with PVC, They also added a backflow valve, sump pump and a drain for our water heater. The sump pump and backflow valve can be installed with a full rebate so I am not too sure why it was not originally included. The floor drain for the hot water tank is required by code so I am not entirely sure how it was allowed to be hooked up and passed inspection...

There are still MANY other issues we are working though with our builder, all very stressful. So I took some time to decompress and set up the garage space.

I removed all the building materials left over from the builder and wheeled in my old tool box from the shed and set up a temporary work table. Eventually I want some 2' wide industrial racking that can double as a work and storage area but this will do for now.

First off, for $60 these amazon lights are amazing.

I managed to get a few little things done to the car too. I replaced my aging ignition system to work with LQ9 Truck ignition coils. Budget me got them from the local U Pull yard. Igniter, aging harness and coil packs all get replaced with the stuff on the right.

Its a night and day difference over the stock system and runs so much better now

I also upgraded my rotors from 11" 300zx to larger 12.75" 350Z units. This means its back to the 18in wheels for now.

It feels good having a nice place to work