The House Week 2
December 14, 2012 So. I mentioned a few weeks ago that we're building a house.
Not much to report except this ...
(Yes, Canadians build houses in the snow.)
We are the proud owners of a great big giant hole in the ground.
In case you're wondering why, it gets so cold here in the winter the frost penetrates 4' (1.3m) deep into the ground. So according to the law here, a foundation/basement needs to be at least 5' below grade.
What's a basement, you ask? I'll show you when we have one.
Also, if you don't know what a basement is, consider me jealous because that means you live somewhere warm.
On the other hand, we don't have poisonous insects & reptiles here ... I've never seen a cockroach or a rat or a salamander in my life.
Like ever.
Sigh. I guess that's what you might call a silver lining. But if you can see a palm tree outside your window, please go give it a hug from me.
Reader Comments (27)
Basements are the best and WAY better than bugs and lizards crawling around in a hot florida house :)
Oh, dear. I can see already that this wonderfully documented adventure of yours is going to make me want to move even more than I already do!!! Anyone who lives down here has personal cockroach stories of terror. And, yes, in Texas I have multiple snake stories as well. Blech! I'll take the basement ANY day! Ha! And thank you for answering the question of whether or not you can build a house in snow. I had no idea. Yay for you!!! :)
Hmmm, frost or salamanders? I'll have to give that one some thought! ;)
Happy weekend K,
V xxx
Basements are really great ... extra storage room! I think qor weather conditions are quite similar but we have (harmless) blind sneaks. And I'm with you: I wanna have my own palm tree, too. Perhaps global warming will help us there;-)
Have a wonderful weekend, Hildy
As a fellow Canadian, I just have to say I LOVE all things winter :) I wish I lived further away from the Great Lakes so that there was guaranteed snow!! I hug pine trees and I have seen salamanders (used to catch them as a kid) and poisonous snakes here too ... just saying ... but you have to be out in the woods to be lucky to see those :) But a basement?! Hmmmm we have only half a basement (the other half is called our garage), and we're always short on space. I'm so glad for you and your new home project ... enjoy the journey :) Wendy
I would love a basement! And... we do have to deal with cockroaches... you aren't missing out on anything - ICK! I JUST HATE THOSE THINGS... Yay for new house construction beginning!
If construction doesn't happen in the winter it would take us Canadians 5 years to build a house!!
I live in southeast Texas, and although most people and business do no have a basement, ... it will be in my blueprints to have one if we get the chance to build from scratch. Soooo many options there. Man cave, sewing room, kids play area, storage, storage, teenager apartment. Cockroaches,especially when you live in the piney woods area, are huge here and make this *snap*crackle*pop* sound when you step on them accidentally ... in the dark ... at night ... barefoot. Feel lucky.
At least you don't have humidity either (just guessing). Yay for basements. I would love one myself. Can't wait to see the progress.
I spent 22 yrs in Alberta and I loved not haveing the bugs and snakes,,and the dry cold is not as cold as the damp cold here in WI..enjoy your new basement..and home!!!
How exciting!! I am so jealous that you have never seen a rat!! Oh, how I wish we didn't have them here in the states! Oh, I also loved all your beautiful tags, too!! Happy weekend! xo Heather
I'll take the roaches, rats and other assorted critters. I can't take the cold.
I am smiling because 43 years ago when we built our house (the year before we married) I use to come to the country on weekends and I would say AT LEAST THE HOLE IS DUg. Now you can say it. I too am a Canadian so we have a basement.
I'm tempted to move to Canada just to avoid the cockroaches. I HATE them!!! The cold is so much better than the big bugs down in TX.
We built a new home about 10 years ago,basements are just wonderful!!!! Builtding a home is a process,enjoy each step,just as in quilting!
In my mind I thought, "there are people who don't have basements?!?!" but then I thought about flooding in Louisiana and went, yeah, no basement on a flood plain...
I think that yellow fence needs a customized tag. Just so everybody knows that it's your space!
Congratulations on your new home and basement! It's evening here, but in the morning I will give our palms a hug for you. We're just at the start of summer, so hard to imagine how cold it is where you are.
Michelle in Oz.
I'll hug a palm tree for you next year! ;p Baby, it's cold outside! ;p
How exciting to be building your own home!! I so look forward to hearing about the progress as it happens :) Keep cosy!
Helen x
Thank you for explaining this mystery of some people's fixations about basements. I remember going into the wilds of New Guinea, and for some reason, the Americans we met were horrified at the thought of houses without basements. (Many American houses had basements there). Personally, I think they would be an excellent breeding ground for bugs, mice, rats, and snakes in the tropics - and fill with rainwater at every passing wet season shower (I think we once had 600mm in 12 hours). I would do without, although somewhere to put bikes and scooters other than in the sitting room would be nice.
Palm tree duly hugged. Good luck with your build.
I have a basement here in coastal BC, but I really shouldn't. Unfortunately my 50 year old house has a basement that is lower than the ditch out front. That of course means my basement is the lowest point and all the water for miles around comes to my place for a party. Yeah. I call it my in house swimming pool. Not awesome ;-)
I'm looking forward to seeing your progress. I grew up in Calgary and miss some things about it quite a lot. Like dry basements......
Oh, really big hole!!! Keep smiling, it will be OK. Really! :-)
And yes, I see little salamander each summer in our garden :-) But I see snowy garden in this time too :-)
Have a good time!! Jolana
Gosh. Then I think you need to spend a little time in someplace like... oh, I don't know... maybe Houston, Texas. You could see a cockroach, salamander and rat without ever leaving the living room couch. In the space of a half-hour. Been there, truly saw that.
I'm enjoying the build so good luck and thank you for the vicarious adventure. :)
And if I forget to say it later - Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Happy New Year!
Kristyne... I love your hole in the ground and I am so happy you are selling books on AMAZON! How cool is that! I am hugging the palm tree in my front yard for you! We just moved to Florida!!! Enjoy the winter! Kathi
I will absolutely hug a palm tree for you! Here in California, we had some crazy rain storms, and the next day I was driving with my sunroof open. I know it's a strange place to live, and I've never even been IN a basement in my (47 year) life. I think it would be awesome to have one, but I have to admit I kind of like salamanders. I am very grateful to not live in a place with cockroaches though! Nasty things.
Want some creepy crawlies? Come live in Australia in the summer. We've got lots of poisonous, bitey, scary creatures that live in our back yards! I must admit though, not as scary as Florida and those rogue gators eating up little pet dogs! :(