More Reno’s

This year has been busy for reno’s. Not as expensive as other peoples, but then again we tend to do things as we can afford them, not go into debt for it (at least not for more than a couple of months) and then think about what the next thing is.

While this isn’t a huge project it was necessary. A coat of paint can hide the sins for only so long and then you have to deal with it. We needed to have the roof of the gazebo replaced, but who to call. We made a couple of enquiries, but to no avail. This isn’t a job for the untrained. Hubby called the lumber place that we originally got the gazebo from and they gave us a name of someone to call. We did and boy oh boy were they good.

Allard Renovation came and what a great job. Guy and Luc spent most of the week here, and one day even worked non stop on a rainy day, from 8:30 to 4:00 without even taking a coffee break. The weather was not being co-operative at all, very wet and the surrounding garden area, very muddy and made for having to be ultra careful not to fall. I was so worried they would sail off the roof because it was slippery, but they were okay. But, on the positive side, I would recommend them in a heartbeat for any renovation work. I’ve never seen more dedicated workers to their craft. They were precise, meticulous and took so much pride in their work. We will for sure have them back next year to do our biggest reno to date, which will be the flooring in our liv/dining rooms and stairs. Maybe even the front entrance with get new lino….it’s all about cost.

Here are a few pictures of the new look for the gazebo. It will get a good primer and coat of paint in the spring when things dry out, but for now, I will enjoy looking out and enjoying the patterns in the wood and remember how hard these men worked for this job. This first picture is from a few years ago after a fresh paint job, but since then, not looking so good. Cedar will only last so long and while hubby did paint it and put a sealer in the paint, what it needed was a primer. The original roof also didn’t have tar paper under the boards. Not the fault of the builder, it wasn’t part of the kit we bought for the gazebo and tar paper wasn’t something we knew anything about. Now it does have that, not only on the main frame but under each spine (as I call them).

Look at the big pile of kindling we have to start the woodstove with….NICE !

One thing that delayed the work, was on the Monday night, big big storm blew through. I was sure the tarp they had put on, would not be there in the morning, but it held. At one point the wind really was verging on hurricane force, but that lasted about an hour and then settled in to a regular big wind that we are used to around here, over the fall and winter months. Thankfully the tarp was on, or they would have had to go and get more tar paper as you can see, it was wanting to blow off.

So back to work…..

And by weeks end….the final look. What a great job. I kept watching from the bedroom window to see the progress. I totally enjoyed watching how they worked together (they are brothers) and how accurate they were with every detail, right to the top knot. They spent hours on that alone. Thank you Guy and Luc for a job more than well done….