Easterday Construction

End of an Era

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Damaged "Green Doors" on North Drive

Last summer when we had a big wind storm come through Culver, the doors on what we call the North Drive were a casualty.  (See picture at the right.)  We have patched and repaired them for years, but this time the mortise & tenon connections were broken in multiple places.  Their structural integrity was shot.

I tend to be sentimental and nostalgic about things at times and this was one of them.  I had some difficulty making the decision to get rid of them, but cost and safety factored into the decision to remove the old doors and replace them with an overhead door.

New Overhead Door on the North Drive

This area of the building is unheated storage.  It is mainly used to house our forklift and provide storage for deliveries before items received are transferred to the site for installation.  The new door will serve the purpose adequately, but without the sense of history associated with the old doors. 

Great Grandpa Easterday was always the pragmatist, so I don’t think he would be too concerned about the decision.

Pioneer Award

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Hey, I’ve received the Pioneer Award from Andrea Cook at iHEARTgreenmedia.  All right, all right, hold down the Oooo’s and Ahhh’s…  It is always nice to get noticed.

Andrea is a friend with whom I’ve been working on several projects, not to mention the fact that we continually cross paths in our volunteer lives.  We just recently debated Lurkers on her LinkedIn Social Media page.  I had previously discussed my thoughts on Lurkers here. 

Andrea is very active in the community and is doing good things for Culver and Plymouth through her iHEARTculver and iHEARTplymouth sites.  Check her out.

Bass Lake Shore Club BZA Hearing

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The Shore Club LogoWe have been working with the new owners of The Shore Club to reopen the restaurant on the north end of Bass Lake.  I remember going to The Shore Club for years and I’m excited that we’re involved with its rebirth!

Last Thursday evening we appeared before the Starke County BZA to request a Conditional Use Variance to allow the restaurant to reopen.  It was heartwarming to hear the reminiscences from those there about past good times at The Shore Club.  There was even one unsolicited audience member that we didn’t know who stood up and voiced her support!

The Variance was required because of the gap in restaurant use between the time the restaurant closed and now.  The property is in a Residential District.  The Variance was granted unanimously.

The new owners look forward to reopening the facility as a restaurant and banquet center.  We will be doing interior remodeling and some minor exterior remodeling to bring it into line with ADA standards.  The interior will be updated and modernized.  There will be revisions to increase the parking for the facility as well.  We are excited to be involved with this project.

Historic Renovations

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We have completed many historic projects over the years.  If you are considering a historic renovation project a 20% tax credit is available as an incentive to encourage you.  The first step is to see if your proposed project qualifies.  Here are the Secretary of The Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation:

  1. A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building, its site and environment.
  2. The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved.  Ther removal of historic materials, or alterations of features and spaces that characterize a property, shall be avoided.
  3. Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place and use.  Changes that create a false sense of historical development shall not be undertaken.
  4. Most properties change over time; those changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained and preserved.
  5. Distinctive features, finishes and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a property shall be preserved.
  6. Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced.  Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture and other visual qualities, and if possible, materials.
  7. Chemical or physical treatments, such as sandblasting, that cause damage to historic materials shall not be used.
  8. Significant archaeological resources affected by a project shall be protected and preserved.
  9. New additions, exterior alterations or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property.
  10. New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that, if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.

Historic renovation is also one of the most green forms of construction.  Finding a new use for a historic building may well save the structure from the landfill.  Careful analysis should be conducted, though.  Old is not always historic.  Historic structures are notorious for construction cost overrun issues as well as operational costs that exceed those of new construction.  As the project is considered, it must be determined if the project is being approached altruistically or for profit.

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