Half Century Award
I received a notice yesterday that we have been selected to be part of the the IEDC’s 2o18 Century and Half-Century Award Class. Figured I’d better go ahead and apply now since the award may not be around in 10 years when our Century in business rolls around. Plus I probably won’t be here to fill out the paperwork in 10 years! (I need to change our tagline on the home page! We’re at 90 years now!)
It’s particularly remarkable for Easterday Construction to make this milestone as a family business. Very few family businesses make it past the 2nd generation, let alone into the 4th as we have. I’m sure that Great Grandpa Easterday didn’t plan for this since he didn’t even bother to keep the records of our actual start date!
Those of us working here now can only take a little of the credit, as we’re standing on the shoulders of those that came before us. I will be honoring them when I accept this award.
So I get to go down to the Statehouse on April 11th to receive the award. Maybe I’ll get a photo op with Governor Holcomb… or maybe Henry! I’ll report back here afterwards.
Sand Hill Farm Apartments Update
Second Floor Exterior Walls going up at the southeast corner of the building
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.
Sand Hill Farm 3D
The First 3 wall panels installed February 16, 2018
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.
Fire Hydrant at the Southwest corner of the Building
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.
Community Building
History Corner from the February 2, 2018 Culver Citizen
It’s always been kind of a joke that I don’t know how old Easterday Construction is. I tell people that Great Grandpa (Russell) Easterday was too busy running a new business to worry about commemorating business milestones. I’m sure, like all small business owners, at that point he was just concerned about keeping it in the black. He wasn’t thinking about any kind of legacy. We’ve done a little better with that regarding Becky’s new business, Berger Audiology. Chances are it won’t be here 85 years from now, but I’m sure that’s what Russell thought too!
Dad used to tell me he thought the company began in the 30’s, but on a walk to lunch I happened to notice the concrete marker on the Elementary School Gym named us as the contractor when the “Community Building” as it was known then, was dedicated in 1929. (Hard to read, but I’ve included a picture below.) That moved the date back to at least 1928. So the History Corner in the Culver Citizen last week qualifies as a Blast from the Past project. I’m assuming that this was one of the first large projects completed by Easterday Construction, though I can’t say for certain. Our current office is across the Slate Street to the west, but at that time the property was still part of Russell’s farm and was only used as staging for equipment and supplies. The current office wasn’t built until the 50’s (again history is sketchy), while in the beginning the offices were on the second floor of the State Exchange Bank Building (currently First Farmers Bank & Trust).
Dedication Marker on the south side of the Culver Elementary School Gym
Easterday Construction has been involved in several additions and renovations at the Culver Community Schools over the years, so there s a lot of history there. Dad played high school basketball there. (He still blames getting thrown into one of those block walls just off the court for his reoccurring back problems.) When I was in school, that was the Jr. High School Gym. I had gym class there and played (briefly) on the Jr. High basketball team before acknowledging that growth spurt didn’t translate into talent.
It’s always interesting when ties to the past like this come up. It usually results in conversations with those with memories of those times. Unfortunately those of that generation are getting fewer and fewer.
Thoughts on Murphy Doors
Murphy Door from themurphydoor.com
I ran across an ad for Murphy Doors that I thought was interesting. I liked some of the pictures of doors to secret rooms hidden behind bookcases a la Batman… and Richard Ford. (Richard had a hidden bookcase door that took him from the the kitchen to the bar in his lake cottage.) And anyway, I’m always intrigued by anything with the Murphy name on it as always reminds me of my grandfather.
The first thought that came to mind was that it seems like a natural fit for a “Tiny Home” solution too. (Yes, despite generally dispising most of the home improvement shows, I do watch that one occasionally.) Few of them seem to use the Murphy Bed solution opting for low-headroom lofts, but any double purpose installation seems to be fair game.
I was particularly intrigued by the idea of using these as a pantry solution. We have pantry cabinets in our home, but without exterior shelves. The idea of a combination of interior and exterior shelves would make that installation more aesthetically pleasing while increasing the functionality.
I was concerned about the hardware strength, but it looks like what they provide is substantial and should do the job. I’m not sure how comfortable I would be installing one in a retrofit situation where I didn’t know how the door framing was completed, but it should be perfectly fine in new construction or in major remodels were the framing could be beefed up or at least verified.
I think the Murphy Door can be a cool solution for the right application and actually become a conversation piece in some locations. Great idea!
