Easterday Construction

Charley Creek Inn Ribbon Cutting

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Ribbon Cutting for the Courtyard – May 5, 2017

I’ve been a little slow getting things up on the site this summer. There’s been a lot going on. Thanks to the Wabash Plain Dealer for the picture from the event.

Howard Kaler, General Manager of the Charley Creek Inn, tells me that the Courtyard has been an enormous success. There are already over 20 different events scheduled in the Courtyard in July. We’re pretty proud of it. You can see additional pictures here. There are some additional pictures elsewhere in the blog showing the construction.

I recommend that you check it out if you’re in the area. Heck, personally I think it’s worth a special trip!

Why it’s Important to Hire a Professional Construction Company

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Guest Writer, Sam Socorro submitted this article. Thanks Sam! – Kevin

Whether you’re planning to build your home, a shop, garage, business or if you’re planning on renovating, you might be tempted to save yourself some money by doing the work on your own or with helpful friends and family.  If you’re a skilled tradesperson, this idea can actually benefit your savings account in the end, but if your expertise lies outside of construction, you could be setting yourself up for disaster.  When building or handling a renovation, there will undoubtedly be interruptions, issues and unforeseen complications that the average person isn’t equipped to handle efficiently.  Skilled tradespeople are worth their weight in gold when it comes to having a project done properly, up to code, and within a set budget and time frame.  Here are some reasons why researching and hiring a local construction company can be your best bet.

  1. You can see examples of their work

Most construction companies can show you examples of projects that they’ve completed in a book or online, but if your company is local, you have an even better way of determining that their work is up to your standards.  Ask them what projects they’re either working on or have completed that you might be able to take a gander at.  You can ask them for references as well, and talk to their customers who can give you advice on what they wish they’d known before starting, or about what they loved about their chosen construction company.  Doing some background digging can reassure you that hiring a professional is the way to go for your building project.

  1. Communication is key

With a professional construction company, you’re more likely to have information before or when you need it, and you’ll be kept in the loop throughout the project.  A good crew will be able to answer your questions or direct you to someone who can, and that person should be regularly available to you.  They’re going to be busy, but you should anticipate having your messages returned within 24 hours.

  1. Your project can be completed on time

Hiring out your job means that your time can be spent at your regular job and your vacation time can be just that; vacation.  A construction company will have the knowledge and experience to complete projects in a timely manner and that will ultimately save you money in the end.  Hiring professionals means that your project will be completed far faster than if you attempt to tackle it yourself.

  1. Your crew will have the expertise to deal with problems

If you haven’t had the experience working in this trade, running into even a common problem will in all likelihood completely derail you.  A professional, by comparison, will have run into similar problems during his or her years of employment and will quickly and efficiently come up with a plan to correct any issues and get the job done in spite of setbacks.

  1. A professional will understand building codes

Even if you do understand the ins and outs of your project fairly well, do you understand the local bylaws and building codes?  Doing a project that doesn’t fall within the guidelines of your county can cause you to spend a lot more time and money on the project than you originally budgeted for.  A professional construction company will have a good grasp of what falls within the county guidelines and can help correct your plans so that there are no future issues with your neighbours, town, or MD.

  1. Professional expertise is at hand when its needed

You may be a jack of all trades and fairly handy, but hiring a professional construction company means that you gain the expertise of a variety of trades.  The construction company will have access to electricians, plumbers, dry wallers, painters, carpenters, and any other industry tradesperson who is required for the job.  Even if they don’t retain people in every trade on their payroll, they will have far easier access to retaining these people for the job when the time comes for their particular skills.

It makes good sense to hire a professional construction company for all of your building needs to save you time, stress and money in the end.

This article was written by Sam Socorro from Steam Shower Store. Sam has been writing articles for over 10 years and is a commanding voice in the health and fitness community with her articles high in demand.

Pony Barn

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SE View (Before)

Unless you have worked at Easterday Construction, you probably don’t know what the Pony Barn is… The offices of Easterday Construction are on what used to be Russell L. Easterday’s farm. We’re still technically at the west edge of Culver, but there used to be a bit more of a development gap! When I was growing up, my great grandparents lived in the brick house on the northwest corner of Ohio & Cass Streets with nothing blocking their view of the lumberyard site.

SE View (after)

The Pony Barn is the only remaining structure from when the property was a working farm. Some of the other buildings have been built on the foundations of former farm buildings and there is still the vague remains of a cattle barn in the woods at the back of the property, but that structure has mostly collapsed and rotted away. My great grandfather continued to do some cattle farming as a side venture, but he moved his farm up to northeast corner of School Street and Hwy 10. The barn that stood on that site has been gone for years, but I can vaguely remember that before the high school was built, Great Grandpa Easterday’s Herford cattle grazed on that property at the end of Slate Street.

SW View (Before)

The Pony Barn has remained as a viable structure for shade and shelter over the years, though it’s been more of a home to wildlife in the past few years. We store some miscellaneous shingles, pipe fittings and forming materials in it. The interior has the original framing and you can see the stalls with the nawed boards from when farm animals were housed there. There are the remains of nearly petrified straw and hay in the corners, but they are so old that even the mice aren’t interested in them.

SW View (after)

The original tin roof has had some damaged patched here and there over the years, but this past winter’s wind storms did a real number on it. Patching was no longer an option. Fortunately, we had enough left over VSR roofing to reroof the entire building. And what do you know? It was Easterday Green!

I have no idea how old it is. It has to be one of the older structures in Culver. It still needs some work, as many of the siding boards are failing. I intend to do some additional minor patching to keep the structure “alive”, for the memories if nothing else. It remains an interesting reminder of times gone by and of my great grandfather.

Charley Creek Inn Dedication Plaque

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It’s fairly timely after my January 9th post regarding the Plymouth High School dedication plaque that the dedication plaque for the Charley Creek Inn Expansion project was installed. It was discussed last Fall that having a plaque to dedicate the expansion to Richard Ford, since this was one of his last visions. I’m sure he would be proud that his nephews followed through on this vision and made the project possible. The plaque was produced for us by Vanadco in Argos. Easterday Construction Co., Inc. and SRKM Architecture participated in this plaque for the honor of having our names included.

The plaque is Bronze relief with a dark brown mottled background. It was placed on the northeast column on the front of the courtyard where it can be read from the street. It was mounted to the brick using concealed fasteners. One of those nerve wracking installations since it involves drilling holes into the brick without causing spalling. It was also critical to get the mounting correct so that the plaque sat level and centered on the column when the installation was complete. John, Scott and Zack did a nice job with this installation.

Some of my lurkers know that I serve on the Marshall County Community Foundation board of directors. At the last meeting, the board president asked each of us to name a couple of individuals that were an influence on my life. This past year working on the Charley Creek Inn expansion, Richard has been in my thoughts and I want to do my best since he’s watching. I named him as one of the people who was an influence on me. He is an endorsement on our website. I will never forget when I asked him if he would endorse us, he said, “Of course. My father told me never to pass up a chance to do something good for someone.” I know that Richard took those words to heart and they have influenced me as well. I was fortunate to serve on a philanthropic board with Richard and learn from his generous donation of time and energy. This also influenced me on my decisions to serve on other boards and give back to the community.