projects
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.
Blast From the Past – Robin Hood
Larry Berger (left) and P.T. McKinnis (right)
Our friends at SRKM Architecture shared a picture with us from the past. We think the project was Robin Hood Leisure Living at Grace Village in Winona Lake. That’s our best guess anyway (per John Singleton). Pictured are Larry Berger and P.T. McKinnis. (Check out that mullet!)
Robin Hood Homes are one and two bedroom duplexes in a condominium setting. They are part of the Grace Village Retirement Community. It is a staged community with several retirement living options.
This was the first project where we put radiant heating into the floor. It was a learning experience… particularly working with the residents to teach them the lag involved with this type of heat. Residents that were used to the instant gratification of forced air heat were often over-adjusting the thermostats. Until they got the hang of it, they struggled with temperature swings due to readjusting the thermostat before it had reached temperature and vice versa when they turned it down.
Thanks SRKM for the picture!
SRKM Christmas ’17
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!
