Tag:Easterday Construction
Garage Remodel
PreConstruction South Facade
We were recently commissioned to renovate an old garage in Culver. There is nothing more “green” than repurposing an existing structure. Plus in this case the existing structure sits on the property line, so to maintain the current access and location, it had to be remodeled rather than be rebuilt. The existing structure had two walls bowed to the point of being nearly off the foundation. The entire structure was out of plumb in at least two directions, one by approximately 5″ in 7′! It was a rather sad structure. In its pre-renovation condition the local squirrels were getting more use out of it than the property owner. New concrete walks, aprons and a new concrete floor were completed in conjunction with our work by another contractor.
Preconstruction North & East Facades
This structure was not the best built in Culver when we arrived at the site. It appears that it was not originally built “square”. We tackled it with the intention of making the best of what was available. We started by grouting the block cores full in the foundation wall where the bottom plate had moved. The allowed us to pull the wall back into position and anchor the wall to the foundation in the correct position. We then reconnected the tie rafters to square the top of the wall. We were only able to partially achieve this goal as shelving had been added which held the wall slighly out of plumb.
At the corners we pushed and pulled them back to as close to plumb as possible. Sheets of OSB sheathing were installed on the inside of the walls at the corners to provide diaphragm framing. This diaphragm framing held the studs in place at their corrected locations.
New South & West Facades
The existing windows had been installed without headers. We reconstuctioned these openings with headers and installed new windows. The existing entry door was replaced with a standard door size. The existing sliding doors were replaced with sectional overhead doors. We also added new electrical wiring, replacing the old knob & tube wiring. Electrical wiring was brought underground from the house connecting to the existing electrical panel. GFI duplexes (inside and outside), interior lights and exterior wall sconces were added.
New North & East Facades
To finish out the exterior cosmetic changes we installed new siding, new soffit, new fascia and new architectural shingles. The resulting facelift was a phenominal improvement. Our client should take up a collection! I think the whole neighborhood has been improved by this renovation.
The owner is pleased and christened the renewed structure by camping out in it with her children the first night it was complete.
Website Updates this Week
Several months ago I mentioned that we had changed our website to a WordPress base. I have mostly been pleased, though I’ve noticed it is a little slow. This was also pointed out offline by one of my lurkers.
I’ve put off adding to the site as it has required some research into the new features. (You’ll notice the use of slide shows in the new pages.) I finally bit the bullet and have worked on a few things this week. This has resulted in some misfires and redundant work, but some of it is coming together. You might notice that there are some additional “Testimonials” in the rotation on the front page. Thank you to our clients and associates that have stepped up to provide these. I also have added a couple of pages in the website. I tackled two of our library projects (Monterey Library and Logansport Library) where I had a significant number of pictures. These were completed as stand alone web page entries.
Following up on the previous entry on Heritage Park, I plan to do some additional “Blast from the Past” entries in the blog. Where appropriate, those will be linked to the project section of the main website. The Blast from the Past items will be a little more conversational in the blog format. Hopefully that won’t be too disconcerting to those visiting our site looking to hire us, but I think it gives a nice flavor of what we have accomplished. That’s not to mention that fact that it took hours to put together each of those pages on the libraries. Making blog posts do double duty would appear to be a more efficient use of my time. This also goes back to the speed issue. The site has gotten large with all the pictures I have included, so by allowing posts to double duty helps by not requiring repetitive entries.
I am also considering how to incorporate current projects such as Culver Garden Court where I have made multiple blog entries documenting progress. Currently Culver Garden Court has a place holder in the main website, with a link to a Culver Garden Court search in the blog. They will probably get stand alone pages as time allows.
If you have thoughts on this, let me know. Here or offline…
Kevin
Heritage Park
The above picture in a recent Culver Citizen caused a “blast from the past”, reminding me of our work on Heritage Park when it was first constructed back in 1997. We were commissioned to build the trellis panels and the arbor. The design was created by Mark Holeman (Mark M. Holman, Inc.) and was all custom sized and dimensioned. Mr. Holeman even custom sized the lattice which was constructed in a square pattern in lieu of the standard diagonal pattern. This was our first project with Mr. Holeman, but we have since worked with him on several projects around Culver and in other locations.
Richard Fisher of The Antiquarian and Historical Society of Culver coordinated various contractors to complete the park, so we were only involved with the carpentry. At that time our best carpenter for this kind of work was Ansel “Uncle Bud” Cripe. He was semi-retired and only working on custom woodworking projects such as cabinetry, railings and such. He was in his late seventies, turning 78 in September of ’97. He mumbled and groaned about the project, shaking his head, uttering an occasional signature “lawzy!” as he went through making patterns, gluing multiple layers to create the curved tops on the trellis panels and working through the intricacies of mounting the circle within the custom lattice for the arbor.
Per Mr. Holeman’s specifications, all of the wood used was redwood. Also per specifications it was all #1 clear redwood. This made the material costs high. There was no margin for error! Fasteners were non-staining, exterior grade. The glue and fillers also had to be exterior grade. Everything was built in sections at our shop. One of our crews assembled the pieces on site under Uncle Bud’s direction. Throughout the entire project, Richard Fisher was never far from the process. He came to our shop to review the progress and was also on site when the assembly was completed.
As with most carpenters, Uncle Bud loved working with high quality wood and he treated this project with reverence and respect. He spoke of it with pride in subsequent years, though he could never understand why they took that beautiful clear redwood and painted it green! Sacrilege! Particularly after he had carefully fit joints and hidden fasteners since the original plan was to only apply a clear sealer.
If you would want to support Heritage Park through the purchase of a commemorative brick, the Antiquarian and Historical Society of Culver has them for sale here. Bricks are available in single and double sizes. You can find a map of brick locations and a copy of Mark Holeman’s original site plan here.
Unfortunately both Uncle Bud and Richard have passed away. They are each unique characters from our past that are missed.
Congratulations to Leroy and Margaret Bean
Anniversary Announcement from the Pilot News, Wednesday, July 17, 2011
All of us at Easterday Construction Co., Inc. would like to congratulate Leroy and Margaret Bean on 50 years of marriage this week. Leroy and Margaret were part of the Easterday Construction family for over 40 years when Leroy retired. Leroy started here October 1st, 1961 as a truck driver and retired as a Site Superintendent demonstrating the potential for advancement in a Merit Shop company. We’ve been proud to watch Leroy become an active community volunteer in his retirement, working dilegently with the Lions Club, the Grace United Church of Christ and recently serving on the Culver Park Board.
Best wishes to Leroy and Margaret for many more happy years! There will be a reception for Leroy and Margaret at the Vandalia Railroad Station in Culver on July 30, 2011 from 1 to 5 pm.
Just for fun, you can see a reprint of an employee profile on Leroy from The Easterday Parade, our now defunct company newsletter here. This profile appeared in the Vol. I, No. 6, October 1990.
Culver Garden Court – Kiwanis
Reverend Liechty and I were the speakers at the Culver Kiwanis meeting last week. We were asked to give an update on Culver Garden Court, a little about the project and a little about the Garden Court organization. I spoke first and gave a brief run down on how long it took to make this project happen in Culver, the problems with finding a site, and the cooperation we received from the Town.
I discussed our progress on the project. (Framing has been completed, roofing is underway, rough-in of plumbing & electrical is underway.) I also discussed the schedule moving forward. I also told them of the other Garden Court projects we have completed in Argos, Bourbon, Knox, Plymouth (Fairfield), Mentone and LaPaz. There is one planned for Napannee if the funding comes through.
Reverend Liechty then spoke on how Garden Court began with their mission to provide affordable housing that they “would be willing to put their grandmother in”. He spoke on their constraints and their plans for the future.
Everything was well received and there were good questions as we went along.
As a quick status update, as of yesterday the windows are installed. Shingles are being installed and were approximately 15% complete yesterday evening. Internally the draft stops have been installed in the attic. The electricians and plumbers are working on their rough-in.
With the completion of the framing, we will be looking at beginning some of the initial site work finishes such as curbs and walks. Asphalt for parking and drives will follow the walks. We will delay the landscaping until later in the year to get out of the extreme heat.
See Jeff Kenney’s reporting on this presentation in the Pilot News here.
