I think I can almost see the end .. or is that the start

I was so close to getting started.  I thought everything was in order, I just had to measure my windows for the plan.  I didn't bother with this earlier because I just assumed people put windows in that would be to code.  Seems I was incorrect in that.  So more changes to the plan and a bunch of calls out to get estimates on cutting in new larger windows to the basement.  It'll be interesting to see how much sunshine you can buy for $3000.

So we'll see if we can start next weekend or not.  We need to get home to Medicine Hat to visit and make spaghetti sauce, and we need to get to Edmonton to visit our new niece Madeline (arrived Oct 18 at around 6:30p), and Nicole wants the baby's room painted.

Side note:  I've been Edmonton free for almost two weeks.

And it starts

And so it has started.  After an entire summer of not doing it.  Then a couple months of planning it.  Now I have probably gotten really close to starting to get ready to develop the basement.

I got the plans finalized and drawn up on Friday.  Purchased the, what I hope is the correct amount of, wood and moved most of the basement into the garage. Now I can started looking at my schedule to figure out when I can spend half a day at city hall getting my building permit.

The plan was to have Warren and family join us this weekend.  Averley and Nicole were going to take the girls to the zoo and Warren and I were going to start the framing.  Unfortunately both Warren and Nicole weren't feeling well plus the girls were just getting over a cold as well.  So in the end, it didn't really matter that I didn't have my permits yet.  So we pushed the work weekend off a week.  I think we're ready now though.  It should be a good time (or something).

Here are your before pictures, because that's always fun.  

You'll also notice the nice new shelving that made for a lot of extra room.  This side of the basement isn't getting developed.  The ceiling is too low to really make it worth while.  It sounds like a fooseball table is going here now.  Seems you don't need a tall ceiling for foose.

Pass the turkey please!

This past Thanksgiving weekend we had my family come down from Edmonton for Thanksgiving dinner.  Mom and Dad, and Mamie and Pepere arrived on Saturday.  We spent the day visiting and watching Dad and Ryan tear the house apart while planning the basement.  Why we needed to tear bits and pieces of my ceiling upstairs to better prepare ourselves for renos in the basement, I don't really understand.  But they seem to have come up with a plan and that is all that counts.

Sunday we had Nat and Rob, Jen and Kerri and the two girls, my Uncle Pat and Julien join us for Thanksgiving dinner.  Ryan and I put together a wonderful meal that included turkey (of course!), mashed potatoes, vegetables, stuffing, gravy, buns and a homemade butternut squash soup.  Oh and there were five pumpkin pies in case we each wanted a half.  Thank you Mom and Dad! 

There may have been a moment or two of panic while trying to time everything perfectly (we put the turkey in a few hours too early and then everything else needs to be made in the same last half hour before dinner!) but I think our first Thanksgiving dinner in Calgary was a success.  People did say that they would come back if we hosted again.

Thank you to everyone who made the trip up from Edmonton or Medicine Hat to spend Thanksgiving with us.  And thanks to those who travelled from the far south side of the city as well! ; )
See the rest of the pictures here.