Friday 11 September 2015

Dad

Looks like a pretty great spot to read, doesn't it? Here's my dad chilling out in the bay window "room" at the LBH this summer.

We've had a break from renovations, and have taken time to enjoy this beautiful place, as-is. Now that the days are getting shorter and cooler, we plan to get some work done. Of course, there is still a lot to fix!

Sunday 26 July 2015

Saturday 4 July 2015

Moon Window

My dad and my hubby, through the crescent moon.

Friday 3 July 2015

A New Crapper!!

We finally have a new outhouse! It's a beauty, if one can say such a thing about a crapper... Our kids were fascinated when we explained the origin of that word.

It was built by Eldorado Log Builders in Whitehorse, a board and batten design. It replaces our ancient outhouse (aged 100 years??). My husband & my dad towed it to Atlin, with lots of passers by staring and pointing along the highway. 

They moved it into its new home with the assistance of a masterful Kubota operator in town.


They had to winch several trees apart to get the roof through. 
Old and new. Yay! We are so happy that we no longer have to fear falling in...

Sunday 12 April 2015

Old Cafe - Noir

Our eldest child wants to buy the old cafe in Atlin. It's near our LBH, so we look at it all the time. I think it's a fascinating structure, leaning with age, and certainly inhabited by bats and other rodents.

I don't imagine anyone can save it now, but it's fun to dream a little bit. We peek inside through gaps in the boarded up windows, examining the dusty counters, doorways, stairwell and other cafe remnants.

I've written about it before, here.

Although I believe the old cafe is a cheerful building, here is a darker look:

Old Cafe - Noir

Thursday 9 April 2015

Parlour Stove

We have cozy spots for lounging and reading... Our electrician put a separate circuit in for the wee parlour stove. It throws a fair amount of heat, as it has a small fan. The electrician is now finished in the LBH. He did an amazing job. 

Sunday 29 March 2015

Parlour

As we pause with our interior renovations, we figure that we might as well make it comfortable. What do you think?

Monday 16 March 2015

iPhone Rendering

Our eldest child drew the LBH on my phone using a drawing app. I told her I'd post it on my blog. It's dreamy - I love it!

Sunday 15 March 2015

Spring Cleaning

I spent some time cleaning up at the LBH. Here's what the parlour looked like when I arrived. The drywall looks great. 
Here is the kitchen... Yikes! As you can see, it's a disaster. Our contractor will be removing debris and cleaning it up soon; he promised!
Below, you can see the front bedroom after I moved the furniture into the parlour. I cleaned up in there and applied a coat of floor paint. Before:
After:
The parlour has now been scrubbed and mopped. Our furniture is back on there so we can enjoy the room once again. We are going to take a break from our interior renovations for a while and save up our pennies for the next phase. We will focus on exterior painting for this summer. Lots more photos coming soon!

Sunday 1 March 2015

Over a Hurdle

We've got drywall! I can't believe it, but the walls are done. Our contractor has done an amazing job. He finished the last layer of insulation, installed plywood ceilings, drywalled, mudded & primed in the parlour and front bedroom.

Long gone are the days of mouse poo falling on our heads from cracks in the ceiling wallpaper. Ha!

I'm stunned by the result and I feel as if we've cleared a major hurdle. Look!
Bedroom

Parlour and Front Door

Parlour and Bay Window

I just want to enjoy this feeling for a bit. Lots more to do, but I feel happy at how far we've come. 

Wednesday 18 February 2015

Drywall is Going Up!

Here's the parlour with its new plywood ceiling and interior insulation added between the strapping. Our contractor has been busy this week with these additions in the parlour and front bedroom. He's hanging drywall!
It makes me feel as if we are on the home stretch, at least for this phase. After the rest of the 2 rooms are drywalled, he will mud & prime the walls. It'll be warm & useable for us!
I'm going to get measurements for the ceiling in these rooms, and see what the tin ceiling panels will cost. I've got my heart set on them, the pre-painted cream coloured panels are gorgeous & period-perfect... But I'm afraid we won't be able to afford it, especially with the U.S. exchange rate the way it is now (weak Canadian loonie).
We'll see. Worst case, we hang some ceiling lights semi-temporarily and wait a while before we proceed any further. We were going to wait on the wallpaper & refinishing of the fir floor anyways. The coffers are running dry!


Wednesday 4 February 2015

Atlin from the Air

Atlin from my "office" this morning! Tiny town, surrounded by glaciers, mountains and water. Frozen, and frozen in time. Home to our LBH.

You can see the airstrip behind town, which is situated on Atlin Lake, in northern British Columbia. It's a truly amazing place!

Friday 30 January 2015

Electrons

I guess those wee electrons are all corralled in all of the right places now. Man, those little suckers are expensive! We knew that our bill wouldn't be cheap, and I suppose it's about what we expected it to be...

Our electrician said the original wiring wasn't all that bad, which is good to know, but I'm happy it is safe and up to code. He only has a few small tasks left to complete, including wiring the heater in the crawl space.

We now have baseboard heaters in our back bedroom, bathroom and entrance (otherwise known as the grand "foyer" ha ha ha). We've got extra outlets and the exposed old-school wiring in the kitchen has been remedied, I think. We have wiring for smoke detectors in each part of the house, as required by code, all connected together. We have brand-new wiring, including spots for the ceiling fixtures, parlour heater, and lots of outlets in the parlour and front (original) bedroom. Oh, and a baseboard heater in the front bedroom as well.

Plus, we will have a light next to our front door, the original front door to the LBH. I ordered one from House of Antique Hardware, and it's going to look really good! You can see it by clicking here.

The next steps are drywalling, mudding and priming the walls in the parlour and front bedroom. We do not possess the skills to do this well, and nor do we have time, so our contractor will be starting next week. He will also put up the 1/2 inch plywood ceilings that will eventually be covered by tin ceiling panels. Yay! I hope to have some photos to show you soon.

Sunday 25 January 2015

January at the Little Blue House

I thought I would share a few recent photos with you. The LBH is hunkered beneath a small layer of snow, catching rare glimpses of the northern sun.

The Woodshed, Formerly Brothel "Room"
Winter Sunshine
LBH from First & Rant
The Boat Launch

Tuesday 20 January 2015

Light!

Once again, we've lucked out with Harris House Antique Lighting's gorgeous vintage fixtures. I found a circa-1900 two-light fixture that will go in the original bedroom. It's perfect.

The beautiful pendant in the last photo will go in the side entrance of our LBH. It'd be a joke to call it a "foyer," but maybe someday it will look like one. This light will help a lot!

The company is located in Nova Scotia, on Canada's East Coast. They will open a showroom on the West Coast in the near future. Their website is listed here on my blog (the sidebar at right).

More to follow on lighting and electrical. Our electrician is on the job!