In 2022, we bought land for ourselves in rural Nova Scotia. Our intention was building a home in 2023. Flash forward to April 2023 and we’re clearing that land. We’ve decided to only build a garage at this point. Currently we’re living in our 25-foot Flying Cloud Airstream trailer (which we call the “Clutterbug”). Our plan is to live in it inside the garage during the winter. I wrote a blog at the beginning of this process which you can read by clicking here. It’s now two months later and I’m coming at you with a progress report for building a home in 2023.
The Initial Plan
Our initial plan was to begin building in May. We hoped to be finishing it by mid August, or at least be close to finishing. This is when we would begin filming season two of our Eastlink show ‘Trailer Travels‘. That’s not what happened.
Why so long for a garage? For one, the garage is huge: 29′ x 48′ to be exact. It has to house the trailer and our vehicles. We also decided to add two rooms at the end instead of having a basement. The other reason is because Tyson was primarily building it himself. He very much enjoys the process and wanted to tackle this project.
Summer of Rain
In May there were historic wildfires in Nova Scotia. In June, it started raining and didn’t stop for almost 45 days straight! That meant excavators couldn’t go on to the land. It also meant concrete couldn’t be poured. Our timeline was pretty much shot to hell right out of the gate. It was July 28th by the time we were able to start framing which is obviously much later than we planned.
Well, the rains continued well into August. While we did continue building in the rain, during the many lightning storms or torrential rains we could not. Suddenly it’s the middle of August and it’s time to start filming which means we’re away for long stretches of time. As we got closer to September, which is when we expected to be moved in to the garage, we knew we were going to have to hire someone to finish this project.
Know When To Ask For Help
It broke my heart to have to hire someone because I knew how important it was to Tyson to build it himself. The weather had also pushed around our filming schedule to be gone most of September, and Tyson was also going back to school. The odds were stacking against us for completing this project before the temperatures dropped too low to comfortably live in the trailer. Maple Ridge Carpentry stepped in to pick up where Tyson’s hard work left off.
If I can segway here for a moment – I’m not handy and pretty scared of power tools. BUT my want to get this project done any bit faster was greater than that fear. I learned how to use a staple gun, nail gun and the tool de resistance, a circular saw (see proof of this here) 🙀. I’ll hold for applause. 😏
Almost There
It’s now the first week of October, and this is a big week for the garage build (yes we’ve named our garage. That reveal will be coming later…!). The doors will be going in and siding on this week! I had the hardest time choosing a siding color and profile – there are so many choices!! Did you see the post of the 9 combos we narrowed it down to? You can see that by clicking here.
So far we haven’t killed each other. We haven’t had any divorce-threatening fights. We have most definitely had frustration, but that’s to be expected. Part of the reason it’s been so easy is because of Jim and Chris at Timbermart. You see, we have very different opinions when it comes to the aesthetic of the garage which we want to match the house. Meaning Tyson does not care at all about the look of anything and only the functionality. I, on the other hand, care very much. Jim and Chris are able to show us options that make us BOTH happy!
I dare to say the worst is over for us when it comes to building a home in 2023, but we still have to survive moving into the space, and you know, actually living in it. Stay tuned!
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