A lot has happened in the last week on the Sand Hill Farm Apartment project. The first floor walls of the apartments have been placed, the second floor deck is nearly complete and they have started the installation of second floor walls. It’s great to see some blue skies today. That will make a big difference in moving things forward.
With all the wet conditions in Marshall County, we’re glad we chose the site we did. “Sand Hill” is not just a catchy moniker, it’s descriptive for the site. Part of the hill was sacrificed for backfill and it’s provided a base that has drained well in this wet period. That’s not to say our hearts don’t go out to those hurt by Mother Nature this past week. We hope everyone remains safe and the appropriate steps can be taken to prevent the stormwater events of the past week from being repeated.
As we all know, this winter has been challenging to say the least. Four 50+ degree swings so far this year. Despite that we’ve muddled along and made some progress at the Sand Hill Farm site. Most of the work has been underground, but as of last Friday, wall panels have begun to stand up on the building pad. We;re now in 3D! The erection crew worked over the weekend and about half the first floor is framed. At this rate they will make quick work of things and we’ll be weathered in before we know it.
In the picture you can see that the first three panels at the Southwest corner are in place. The panels are 2×6 framing with OSB exterior sheathing. The 2×6 framing allows for additional insulation. The 2×6 studs are on 24″ centers to reduce the areas of heat transfer for energy efficiency. California Corners (Green That Saves Green 101) were used to increase insulation as well. The window and door openings are pre-framed, so once the panels are up and the house wrap is installed, the fenestrations (our big word of the day) will be filled quickly too.
Note the fire hydrant in the lower right of the picture. The main water lines are in place as well. We have a fire hydrant waiting on the Town to bring water to it. My understanding is that the street and utilities project should go out for bid within 2 weeks with bids due in around 6 weeks. We’ll be needing that soon! They’ve promised installation by the 1st of June.
The building will be sprinkled, so we already have the riser in place in the maintenance room for fire protection. Rough-in for that will begin once framing is complete so we can get things placed prior to drywall installation.
It’s great to see things coming together after some of the earlier struggles.
I used the new Sand Hill Farm Logo today in a post to Town, Gown and Lake about the Habitat for Humanity site at Sand Hill Farm. (If you’re not on Town, Gown and Lake and and want to read that post, I’ve included it below.) I chose to work with Shelly Schrimsher of Unlocked Creativity since this is a local project. I’d seen her work through her assistance to the Town on the Stellar projects and the new Town Logo. She helped me work through some of the ideas I already had and I think the collaboration resulted in something versatile that I can use for years.
I wanted to include a graphic that brought the sand hill and associated woods into the logo. She did this in a creative way bringing the curve of the hill slope into the “s” in sand. I also asked for the graphic to be independent of the words to make it more versatile and she was able to to do that. And finally I had a vision of the entry sign made from rusted, cut, multi-layer metal on a gabion base/background to carry through the Culver Charrette field stone theme. From several examples I showed her, she was able to provide a mock-up capturing the concept. Now I can show the fabricators what the goal is – which makes it more likely they’ll achieve it for me. This is out for quotes now.
Overall this was a good experience and I am pleased with the results. You’ll be seeing the logo show up more and more as the project moves forward. Give Shelly a shot if you have similar needs.
I have always had a plan to include a Habitat for Humanity site at Sand Hill Farm. I recently met with representatives of Habitat for Humanity of Marshall County and the Town of Culver to discuss this. They were excited about the opportunity and were happy to provide additional information.
If you’re interested in possibly participating in a Habitat Home at Sand Hill Farm, I encourage you to look at the information on their site and fill out an application. Copies of the application can be found on their website here and can be picked up at the Town Hall in Culver. The plan would be to offer a home in late 2018 or sometime in 2019. Once accepted, an applicant must put in 100 hours of service before the build starts, so the sooner you start the process, the better.
Habitat for Humanity is always looking for volunteers, so if you would like to volunteer you can check out those opportunities on their website here. If you would like to contribute, they accept donations directly at: 116 South Walnut Street, Plymouth, IN and for convenience, you can also contribute to them through Marshall County Community Foundation where they have an established fund. The Community Foundation site accepts credit card donations.
We received a very cool Christmas Card (right) from our friends at SRKM Architecture. They used an elevation from Sand Hill Farm apartments as their cover picture adding a couple of wreaths on the door. A great idea to memorialize the project this way! We really appreciate their efforts and can’t wait to see if the building looks as good in person as it does in pictures. Thanks guys! Merry Christmas!
Sand Hill Farm Apartments are moving along. Footing and frost walls have been poured. We’re taking advantage of this week’s warm spell to get the perimeter insulation in place and complete the backfill. Installation of interior underslab infrastructure will begin Thursday. We hope to be pouring slabs next week. Things are moving forward!