projects
Culver Garden Court Framing has Arrived
The framing for this project is all panelized. There is enough duplication between the apartment units that there are multiple walls of the same size that can be constructed more economically as panels in a factory setting. The exterior walls arrive with the exterior sheathing installed. Window and door openings are located and framed as part of these panels at the factory. We have subcontracted with a framing crew to install the wall panels, trusses and roof sheathing. The first of the wall panels arrived today and are ready to be placed. The framing crew will be here tomorrow morning to start installation. By this time next week the building will have taken shape!
St. Mary of the Lake Day Care Sandbox
We were approached for a donation of materials for a cap for the sandbox at St. Mary’s of the Lake Day Care Center in Culver. Apparently they were having trouble with cats using the sandbox as… well… a sandbox. They had tried putting a tarp over it, but that solution proved poor. The various wood materials that were requested though would have made a cap that would have been extremely heavy as well as unlikely to survive the elements for long. We discussed some options and determined that we had better suited materials for the task, but they were not such that the volunteers could complete the installation. We then volunteered to take on the task
The sandbox was a prefab structure in a hexagon shape. Unfortunately it was not constructed “square”. The first task was to reinstall the sides in a true hexagon form. Then a framework of treated lumber was constructed overlapping the sandbox structure. It was constructed in such a way to provide a slope to drain the water that falls on it to the sides. One side was formed slightly higher than the other side to allow it to lap over the center. The framework was then covered with corrugated, galvanized, metal building siding with a factory painted Kynar finish. The edges of the metal proved to be somewhat sharp, so the edges were ground so that they were dull. To further protect these edges, EMT was bent around the perimeter providing a smooth buffered edge and doubling as a handle for picking up and removing the two halves of the cap.
We were happy to provide this service to St. Mary’s of the Lake. We have completed projects for them in the past, including the award winning sanctuary renovation we completed in 2007. We truly hope this donation serves the Day Care Center for years to come.
Outdoor Living Update
Progress is continuing on the outdoor living project previously discussed here. The perimeter walls are going up now. These walls are solid concrete retaining wall block. They are double sided allowing them to be dry stacked vertically and used as both the inner and outer wall finish. A separate cap stone will be installed where the wall serves a a seat wall. Around the kitchen area, shown in the progress picture to the right, a granite counter top will be installed once the stainless steel kitchen appliances and cabinets are in place. The stone floor progress can be seen in this picture as well.
We are currently waiting for the bar stool structures to be delivered. They will be installed using a cantilever support system by Seating Innovations that will be mounted to the floor behind the wall. It will then extend through the wall. The chairs themselves will be aluminum to simulate the stainless steel finish of the cabinets. The seats will be cherry. The seats do not come with an outdoor finish from the factory, so we will be getting them raw and field finishing them with a marine finish. It will require maintenance, but should be good for several years before retreatment.
We’re installing the ceiling at this time as well. We are using vinyl soffit material as the ceiling finish. The flexibility of the vinyl allows it to conform to the wood framework of the barrel ceiling. The ceiling is being installed using screws to allow for future accessibility. This will allow access to the attic area for additions or changes to the electrical system or sound system. Can lighting is being installed throughout along with some ceiling fans and chandeliers. There are also surround sound speakers planned for enhanced television viewing. There will be hurricane shutters that require periodic maintenance as well. When necessary, the ceiling can be removed to access the shutters and actually lower them for service if necessary.
Cabin 2A Opens This Weekend
Last weekend I took some final pictures of the cabin before its inaugural year. We received our Certificate of Occupancy from the Town on the 16th. The Counselors moved into the camp last weekend on the 17th and the first batch of girls will be moving into cabin this weekend. While taking pictures, I was introduced to the Counselor for 2a, who had already moved in. When she was told that I was responsible for building it, she responded, “Cool! You Rock!” I took that as a pretty resounding endorsement.
It’s a little hard to pick out since it has been stained to match the others, but you can see it east of Hwy 117, just across the creek and just south of the basketball courts. You can see some pictures of it under construction in previous posts here and here.
Cabana Ceiling Framing
One of the more difficult parts of this project (previously discussed here and here) was achieving the crossing barrel ceilings. We had hoped that the truss manufacturer could provide the framework for this, but in the end, we only received square blocked out areas. Coming up with a way to frame this and then actually doing it was a challenge. This is the result, looking up at the area where the two barrels cross with the fireplace in the background.
We are in the process of completing electrical rough-in now. Some of the ENT (Electrial Non-metalic Tubing) being used is visible in the picture. Once that is complete, we will be installing vinyl soffit material to form the ceiling itself. Vinyl soffit was chosen due to its flexibility in conforming to the barrel framing and its linear form that will accent the length of the barrels.
