Well, we’re back for another update.  I trust you folks are enjoying seeing some of the pictures and reading about how the Steven Project is progressing.  The house is coming together very well and there has been a number of jobs done since the last update.

…OPEN HOUSE… 

We want to thanks those who have helped with this project so far, and those will be helping to complete the project.  We are hoping to get everything finished up within the next couple of weeks and that should not be too high an expectation.  In light of that we are planning to hold an OPEN HOUSE for all of you folks that have helped to complete this labour of love.  The OPEN HOUSE will be held on Saturday, October 13th between 3:00 and 7:00 pm.  So if you have helped in any way  on the Steven Project; you are invited to come on out to 1171 Rte 620 Hwy (the Royal Road) to join us for this OPEN HOUSE, and see the results of everyone’s part in the project.

…FINANCES…

Some folks have asked about the finances of the project…well here is where things stand to date.  The estimated cost of the project was $120 000.  There have been many donations of: materials, labour, and money all ready.  For that we say thank-you so much.  We are still in need of approximately $55 000.  Sounds like a lot doesn’t it…but just look at how much has been done, over half of the estimated costs have already come in, and we trust the remainder will come in too.

If you are interested in helping out with this project please check out the “Contributions” page on the website (http://thestevenproject.ca/contributions.html).  Your help in this way is greatly appreciated.

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Now for some updates, I guess we should start off outside this time too:

As you an see in the pictures below the deck has been completed including sanding off the handrails.  Aubrey even leveled off the ground leading up to the steps for the deck.  He then spread some crushed rock over it so people won’t have to walk through mud when it rains.  Thanks again Aub.

The Inspector was out and gave the okay to the septic system.  Kim from the Urban Farmer was out and covered it up using their excavator.  Thanks again Kim.

Now for the inside:

Well talk about painting up a storm, there have been many people come out to volunteer their time to help get the painting done.  We say thanks to all those of you that came out to help with this vital part of the project.

Martin’s Home Heating Ltd. were out and installed the Venmar air exchanger system on Thursday.  Thanks again guys…another job well done.

Pat from Bell Aliant was out and installed the phone line and connected the phone and data receptacles.  Many thanks to the good folks at Aliant as they have donated the entire hook-up towards the project; and thanks again to Pat for the high quality and professional job you did.

On Monday, Maritime Flooring delivered a load of laminate flooring for the living room.  It will be laid soon as things continue to move along towards the day the house will become Steve and Lynn’s new home.

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I hope you enjoy the pictures below.

 Sanding the handrail…finishing touches to the deck!

Aubrey spreading some crushed rock on the walk up to the side steps 

The septic system being covered, after the Inspector’s okay

Another job done 

He may be a ”retired” Pastor…but he can paint too 

Hall closet getting painted 

Stairwell getting some paint

Hey, how did she get her picture in here? 

A little help for mum & dad 

 Martin’s Home Heating Ltd trucks on site…Venmar unit is in the pickup

The work is almost completed…finishing touches being done

A familiar scene in the Maritimes, Aliant service truck on the site

Pat’s job, well done…nice and neat

Flooring for living room arrives

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                                                       Hope to see you again soon.

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 Hi Folks,

We’re back with a few updates again.  We started off our last update with the outside of the house so let’s start there again this time:

The driveway: The Urban Farmer graded it and the crushed rock was being spread yesterday.  They also put the large rocks in place to act as a bit of a guard rail.  You can check out the pictures below to see how that was going.

The deck: The deck is coming together very nicely, as you can see below the steps and hand rail still need to be put in and the top rail and post tops are about all that’s left to be done to finish it off.

The septic system: The tank has been placed and leveled and the field has been laid and is ready for the inspector to check it out before it is covered with gravel etc.  You can inspect it for yourself in the pictures below.

Painting: Well the sanding is done and the painting has been started…the rumours were off by a couple of days though; they started painting Friday instead of Wednesday.  There were a number of ladies that came to volunteer their painting skills yesterday…many thanks.  More painting to be done too.  There are a few pictures below showing some of the painters at work.  I also found out that if you stood around in one place too long you might even get painted yourself…oh well! lol

Well, that’s it for now, please take a look at the pictures and enjoy.

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Crushed rock being spread

Large rocks along the edge of the driveway will act as a guard rail of sorts

Almost done with the railing on the deck…but watch that first step!  Just kidding…there really will be a set of steps before we’re done.

Laying out the septic field

Ready for inspection

Now let’s get to the painting…

after all the time spent on crack filling…

and now they’re hiding all that work.  Inconsiderate? Maybe.

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Well I guess that was expected wasn’t it…well until next time: see ya!

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Hi again,

It’s been a while since our last update…I apologize for that.  Last week was very busy and the week before I was away from home.  But now for the important stuff!

Wow, has there ever been a lot of work going on at the job site!  Now where to begin? 

Let’s start outside:

The driveway, The Urban Farmer has got the grading and ditching done and what a difference…you can now see the grade of the slope has been reduced and the landing at road level has been enlarged.  As you can see in the picture below there is lots of room for a number of vehicles to park along the driveway too.

The siding has been completed on the house and soon the metal facia will be installed and that should finish off the exterior of the house itself.  There have also been vents poked out through the walls, and the pipes installed for the bathroom exhaust fan and the dryer exhaust vent.  That took some fancy planning to make sure the vents lined up with the cavities where the pipes were running.

While we’re talking about the outside of the house, now would be a good time to mention the concrete footings and deck.  As you can see in the pictures below the footings have been poured and the rear and side parts of the deck have been started.  I must say this has also taken some fancy figuring for the crew working on them…to make sure everything is plumb and level.

A&P Concrete Products delivered the septic tank and distribution box; thanks Kevin.  As you can see it the pictures you don’t move the tank around by hand…but they do have the technology.  The Urban Farmer has started work on the septic system, including digging the hole for the tank to sit in.  You can see the bottom half of the tank being lifted into place.

Green’s Well Drilling were back and have run the water pipe and wires in the trench dug from the well to the house.  They have also put the submersible pump down about 200 feet into the well and connected it all together with the pressure tank they placed in the basement.  Thanks again go to Don and John. 

Now let’s go from the outside to the inside:

We should  start with the electrical system; The mast and meter base have been installed on the outside wall, and the breaker panel has been mounted inside the basement.  Soon we should have some power coming into the house.

Now that we’re inside we can say thanks to all who have helped with the drywall installation and the crack filling.  All the drywall has been put up and the finishing touches are being done to the crack filling.  They started sanding today…I think I heard something about starting to paint on Wednesday…we’ll let you know how that one works out.

As you can see there have been huge improvements to the driveway.

Fancy ‘foot’ing work…okay no more puns (maybe)

Work started on the rear deck

Kevin from A & P Concrete Products unloading the septic tank using the boom attached to their delivery truck.  Ah yes - the wonders of hydraulic power.

The Urban Farmer digging the hole for the the septic tank

The Urban Farmer lifting the bottom half of the septic tank into place using their John Deere 490 excavator; once again…the wonders of hydraulic power.

Water pipe and power cable running from well to house, insulation laid on top and ready for the trench to be refilled.

John is getting the submersible pump ready to go into the well

Don is lowering the pump into the well…it was put down about 200′…I know I said no more puns…but I just can’t help myself…it looks like another job by Green’s that is well done!  Sorry Don.

The mast and meter base are mounted on the exterior wall

The breaker panel and the pressure tank are in place

Here are a few of the volunteers that have helped with the drywalling and crackfilling

More drywall going on…this is in Steve’s basement office

Taping the joints

The drywall is all up and the crackfilling is underway

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                                                            See you again soon

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http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2007/08/30/nb-homesurprise.html

 Well this is the big day; Steven and Lynn Porter’s 20th Anniversary, and the day set to  hand over the house to them.  Last night they were put up at the Lord Breaverbrook hotel in Fredericton.  They were picked up this morning and figured they were going out to Steve’s mother’s home (which is just a few houses up the road).  They were warned that where they were going, there were going to be a lot of people and media cameras and mics.  Still not sure just where they were going or what was going on they were a little confused.

Meanwhile a crowd had indeed started to grow around the project site.  There were representatives of a number of media outlets including: television, radio, and the local new paper.  By the time Steve & Lynn got there there were over an hundred people lining the driveway and front porch of the house.  They were greeted by this crowd cheering and clapping, and shouting, “HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!”  They still had no idea what was going on…but they were soon to find out.

They were greeted by Steven’s brother Pastor Matthew Porter.  Matthew told them what was going on and I must say that this was the first time in a long while I have seen Steve Porter speechless. 

Matthew read a poem that was written for the occasion and put on a plaque along with a picture of the house.  The men’s quartet from Steve & Lynn’s church came and sang a hymn.  Steven’s brother, Kevin Porter, welcomed the folks that came to help celebrate with them.  Then Mary Porter, Steve’s mum, presented the couple with the keys to their new home.  There was a ribbon cutting, and they went in for a tour of their new digs.

Soon after that a barbeque was started.  The food that had been being prepared from about 11:30 that morning was being served to the folks that had gathered.  There was lots of food and lots was eaten.

Meanwhile, back in the house, Steve & Lynn were surrounded by friends and family, scrummed by media and serenaded by the men’s quartet again (this time with a song written…or is that re-written…for the occasion).  They were also congratulated by friends and family.

 As things wound down, and people were heading back to their day’s schedule there was time for Steve & Lynn to see the rest of their new home, and relax a bit more.  I’m guessing they won’t be forgetting their 20th Anniversary anytime soon.

Then with the crowd gone, the worksite started to sound like one again.  There was hammering going on and soon Urban Farmer got back to work on the driveway.  The sound of their backhoe and vibrations of their vibratory roller filling the air.

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There will be further updates soon.  Here are a few pictures taken today.

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CBC’s Catherine Harrop interviews Aubrey Gaines the Project Coordinator.  As you can see Aubrey was working on the project himself too.  Just about every day from the beginning of the project in fact…including today.

A crowd is gathering…over 100 as the time came for the couple to arrive.

Here they come…still wondering what is going on.

Pastor Matthew Porter reads the peom on the plaque.

The Devon Park Baptist Church men’s quartet sings a hymn.

Steve & Lynn…still in a bit of shock.

Mary Porter hands over the keys to their new home.

The men’s quartet singing “Good-bye Trailer Good-bye”

Time to have a bite to eat too.  In the crowd were LSD Rep Council Chair – Wayne Flinn and City of Fredericton Mayor – Brad Woodside.

Shortly after the celebrations were over, the work resumed.

This is where the driveway is going and as you can see, it is taking shape.  Much better than the work site access driveway was.

And a trench was dug from the well to the house to lay the water lines in.

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The project continues and I would like to say that if you wanted to help with it, don’t  dismay, there is still lots to be done.  You can still contact us and see how you can help us as we pull together to finish up this project.

Thanks again to those who have helped and are helping still.  See you again soon.

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Hi again,

Well it hasn’t been very long since our last update, however a fair bit of work has been accomplished since then.

The upstairs electrical rough in has been completed.  The insulation for the stud walls has been installed throughout the house, both upstairs and down, and the vapour barrier has been installed for the ceiling upstairs…insulation will be blown in after the drywall has been installed on the ceiling.  The siding and soffit instalation has been completed on the front and upper end of the house, and will hopefully be completed on the rest of the house before the hand over ceremony scheduled for noon this coming Wednesday.  Two neighbours also came in and went to work clearing some of the under brush out back so the stream could be both seen and heard more clearly…this will be great for evenings  spent sitting out on the back deck.

There is still work to be done before the house is completed, so if anyone would like to come out to help and have not been able to yet…there is still time and work to be done.

We are looking for a great turn out on Wednesday…hope to see you there!

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Here are a few more pictures from Friday and Saturday:

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Mark still working away at the roughing in…

Insulation has been installed in stud walls

Vapour barrier going up for the ceiling…hot work for a hot day!

Sealing the vapour barrier is a must…and mess if you’re not careful!

This end is almost done!

Let the thinning begin!

Now the brook is more visible and you can hear it more too.

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Well, that’s it for now…see you again soon

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Well we’re back again for a few more updates and photos.

Since our last update there have been many things happen, here are some of the highlights:

Green’s Well Drilling was here to drill the well…and 250′ later they were pulling their drill rod back out of a hole with water in it.  Thanks to Don & John for their part in this project…see the pictures below for a look at them in action and when they were done.

We also had a number of voluteers come out to help with various jobs, including: vinyl siding is being installed, the basement stairs built, framing for the stairwell and entry closet has been installed, an electrician has started the process of roughing in the electrical circuits, framing for an office in the basement has been started, along with many other tasks that have been accomplished.

 Urban Farmer has started to build the driveway that will be the permanent access to the house.  This work will include removing the “working’ driveway that served okay for a site access route from the beginning of the job, but would not be suitable as a permanent driveway.  The new driveway will offer a lower grade to make the slope easier to climb and a landing at the top to make it safer for entering and exiting traffic (especially during the winter months).

 We also have received some of the materials that have been donated to the project which include: drywall donated by Home Depot in Fredericton and insulation from TNT Insulation & Building Supplies in Keswick Ridge.  There have been other materials donated or supplied at considerable discounts from various suppliers as well.  We are compiling a list of all those that have helped out with this project and with the plan being to put that information into a brochure as well as on the blog at a later date.

There is still a lot of work to be done before this project is completed, so if you would like to help out in some way please don’t hesitate to contact us, you can click on the “Contacts” link on the website.  If you are driving by the jobsite why not drop in and say hi and take a look at the progress.  The address is 1171 Rte. 620 Hwy (Royal Road), just outside of Fredericton.

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This Wednesday at 12:00 noon there is going to be a ceremony at which the house will be passed to Steve & Lynn.  Please feel free to come out and celebrate with us.

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Here are a few more pictures to go along with the updates:

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“It seems the harder they work…the deeper they go in the hole”

Yeah, they’ve heard that one before.  Thanks guys.

The front is close to being done…

Over the front deck/porch…a lot of cutting to be done for this area!

Stairs are in…Thanks Keith

…and now the walls are framed

Mark at work on the wiring

Starting on the ‘new’ driveway

Drywall, Insulation, paint…donated by various suppliers!

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That’s it for now…should be more to follow: soon I hope!

Hi again folks,

Well, it has been awhile since our last update…sorry about that.  Much has happened since the 9th.  I won’t try to do a day-to-day update because of all that went on, but here is a brief synopsis of the work so far.

The framing of the main floor has been completed, the roof has been completed, the walls have been sheathed, the front deck has been built except for the railings, the exterior doors and windows have been installed, the basement floor has been poured, and the siding has been started.

Today the crew of volunteers got rained out mid-afternoon but not before they finished strapping the ‘ceiling’ for the front deck and building and installing a false beam that runs the length of the front deck, and putting a good sized dent in the siding job.  There have been many hours of volunteer work put in and there are many more to come.  If you have the ability to and would like to help with this project by all means please contact the Project Coodinator, Aubrey Gaines (click on the “Volunteer” link on the home page for the website).

  We want to thank the crew from Ganong Enterprises for their work in framing the house and getting the roof and door and windows installed.  Their efforts sure helped get this project going.  They finished their work on the 16th of August.

Well now there will be more work being done on the inside as the Electricians, Plumbers, and the Heat and Ventilation crews start their work…not to mention those that will be here to volunteer in other aspects of the work, such as dry walling, laying flooring, hanging interior doors, installing trim and cupboards etc.  It all sounds like a lot to be done and it is, but as the saying goes, “Many hands make light work!”.

 Sometimes there are even breaks from the work to ‘throw on the old feed bag’, thanks to Mary and the other ladies who helped with the coffee breaks and meals.

We have a few more pictures too…hope you enjoy them.  Oh yes, before I finish up; if you are going by and have time to drop in to say hi and see the work please do so.

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Now for those pictures:

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The finishing touches to the roof…ridge cap and vent

Last door/window going in

Leveling the front deck

Pouring the concrete for the basement floor (outside view)

Pouring concrete for basement floor (inside view)

Doing a smooth job in the basement

The finished product…nice and smooth!

Starting the siding…

The siding continues…

Strapping the ‘ceiling’ for the front deck/porch.

Coffee break one morning…mmm…fresh ham & cheese bisquits.

Lots to eat at this meal…and lots was eaten too!

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See you again next time…

I’m sure, S.L., our very capable webmaster, won’t mind if I make a few updates and add a few pictures. 

       -Home Depot has donated 50 sheets of drywall! 

       -Benjamin Moore & Home Hardware in Miramichi have donated 10 gallons of primer!

       -Glenwood Kitchens of Shediac will provide the kitchen cabinets at a huge discount!

       -Calvary Baptist Church received a special offering on Sunday: $2550 was received!

-Volunteers from Calvary Baptist Church in Miramichi install styrofoam insulation Saturday, August 11.

 -A maze of lumber.

-The beautiful banner was provided by River Signs, Miramichi

Hello again.  Now let’s see how things are going at The Steven Project building site since our last update. 

Aug 06th – The Dave Ganong and his crew finished assembling the walls and got them in place, straightened and braced. 

Aug 07th – The partitions were laid out on the main floor and then built and put into place.

                  – The roof trusses arrived this afternoon and will hopefully be put up tomorrow.

Aug 08th – Eldon MacNeill was here bright and early with his logging truck.  He used the grapple on the log loader to lift the trusses up onto the walls…much better than trying to lift them into place by hand; these are quite large trusses.  Many thanks for your help with this big job Eldon.

                  – The Ganong crew got most of the trusses placed and braced before being sent home by heavy rains that we had here in the afternoon.

                  - Ed Stairs of E. G. Stairs Ltd. was on the site this morning to see where things are going to be setting so he can come in to rough in the plumbing in the basement floor prior to the concrete being poured.

Aug 09th – This morning there was a chill in the air and a strong breeze…but a nice and clear sky. 

                 – With the trusses all up the carpenters were able to start sheathing the roof…they also were continuing to frame up partitions on the main level, and a few other jobs that were left until the trusses were up.

                 – Ed Stairs was back today and roughed in the plumbing that will be under the concrete in basement floor.  He also got some of the main floor bathroom roughed in.

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Below you’ll see a few pictures that have been taken of the work done since the last update (Aug 02nd)…

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The outside walls have been built and stood in place.

The partitions on the main floor are roughed in.

Trusses soon will be lifted into place.

The easy way to lift trusses into place…thanks Eldon.

“That’s the one we were looking for…”

They got this far…then the rain was too heavy; Safety first.

Sheathing started on the roof…finishing up on the walls.

Roughing in the plumbing in the basement.

…see you again soon!