Unfolding Eve

 While the the rain clouds linger and deliver their payload to areas to the west, we are expecting minimal precipitation today. That will help dry things up in the backyard in preparation for tomorrow's unfold of the north and south portions of the studio building. 

This 900 square foot structure will be the second completed by SEED Homes based in southeast Calgary. It will contain a 340 square foot in-law suite that we are calling the "Bird's Nest", a tiny apartment that will feature a full bath, Murphy bed, and full bathroom. 

The building will also contain my office which will also serve as our Ideal Protein clinic. With a client access door adjacent to our backyard parking spot, it will be easier than ever for clients to pop by for their appointments. 

Finally, the building will be the new home of Birdsong Studio 3.0. The first edition was a repurposed carpentry shop in our backyard in Fort McMurray. The second was our triple car garage in Okotoks. This final version will be just under 400 square feet and feature high ceilings, slatted display walls, large windows allowing in north light, and a dedicated washroom. 

The forecast for the unfolding days is perfect: warm, dry and calm. Those conditions are necessary because of the building's proximity to overhead power lines. The SEED Homes crew will need to be extra ginger with the lowering of the north half. They will be using two telehandlers to make it happen. 

With wind gusts of up to 90 km/hr yesterday, the tarp protecting the structure from the elements became untethered. Within minutes it was flapping in the breeze and on the ground. This meant that several holes in the shrink wrap (made necessary by the crane needing to tie-on during install last Monday) were exposed to the rain for about half a day. While all efforts were made to re-tarp the structure, the winds made things too difficult and too dangerous. We were told that the construction foreman is not overly concerned about the risk of damage from the moisture. Heather and I are crossing our fingers that he is right.

With that preamble, tomorrow and Friday are going to be a rabbit's warren of activity in our backyard. By the time the weekend rolls around, the second building sitting at the back of our property - approximately twelve feet north of our house - will be unwrapped, unfolded and topped with its roof panels.

The other thing that will happen while the SEED Homes team is onsite is attention to the small number of tasks needed to be completed on our house. On that punch list are things like tightening up the bamboo floor, installing window screens and hardware, and various other bits and bobs. We have happily held off insisting that these items get done in favour of waiting for the efficiencies of having the work done when the team members are here for the installation and completion of the second building.