June 13, 2008 Progress Report
Items Accomplished
We thickened the columns and added arches
around the covered area of Gallatin’s rooftop patio
GT Builders
Continued to work on pickup framing and design details added by the Camel Committee. We’re not letting a single wall or room go without the same attention we would give a living room fireplace wall. Every corner matters. Every doorway is important. Every ceiling is looked at and the question is asked: Is this the very best we can do here? Each time someone walks through these homes, we want the “WOW” to be continuous, from the very first step. That said, we’ve incorporated some varying ceiling heights, lowered doorways, “tricked-out” powder rooms, arches and barrel-vaults, thickened columns and fireplace surrounds. We’ve added a couple of extra chimneys (definitely not just a tall box up on a roof). We’ve moved a couple of walls just enough, making sure we maximize every inch of space. Several other miscellaneous architectural details have been added, and the refining touches continue to bring us closer to our finished product.
Flathead Masonry and Tile
You might notice we’ve added “and Tile” to the contractor’s name here, showing the proper full name and keeping things accurate for what’s going on now. We have a whole new crew of workers here, starting all the prep work for the showers and tub surrounds in Boulder and Yellowstone. They’re setting the backer board (“wedi”), and upon selection of the tile in the coming days, will be able to begin laying tile very soon. Nearly finished with all their work on the rooftops (with the exception of the chimneys that flank the outer perimeter of the five- plex roof). The concrete caps have been poured on two of the brick chimneys, which has only whetted our appetite for how the rest of them are going to look.
Began laying stone on The Flathead. This stuff looks amazing. The combination of different types of stone gives such a fantastic look, and until now, we didn’t think any stone work could look as good as what we have on Yellowstone. This new stone easily looks as good. It might even look better.
Rainmaster
The Old World Slate on the Flathead and Swan
will give them their own character
unique to Bear Dance Village
Installed copper on the eyebrow on the roof of Yellowstone (the eyebrow that hides the intake vent for the attic’s ventilation). This copper will patina over time to make a perfect combination with the metal on the Yellowstone roof.
Arctic Heat
Worked on rough-in of Swan and Flathead. Should be finished with both by early next week, then starting work on Missouri.
Touris Plumbing
Working on rough-in plumbing and gas lines in Missouri.
Beginning to set up boilers inside the “root cellars” (concrete vaults with stone veneer, and old-looking door on the face, and dirt on top) that will support our radiant snowmelt in the driveways.
JK Electric
Working in The Swan to button up all last-minute items before the urethane foam insulation gets sprayed in next week.
Met with Carol Nelson to walk through Madison and come up with a lighting plan. Expecting these guys to start setting cans, switches and boxes in Madison next week.
United Drywall
One of the new chimneys on the south
face of the five-plex – wait till you see
the masonry work!
Hanging drywall in Yellowstone. This one has been a challenge, with the reclaimed beams radiating from the steel hub over the dining room table. Each piece has to be cut in a wedge shape, then filed down on the back side to fit above the reclaimed beam, but not before cutting a custom block to fit between the trusses – with angled cuts on either end – so the drywall will have a solid surface to attach to. These guys are really earning their paycheck on this one!
Ganz Soda Blasting
Finished all their work on The Swan and Flathead, then moved up to the five-plex. Blasted all the interior beams – Big Horn, Ruby and Missouri – as well as some of the exterior beams. Expect the coming week to consist mostly of exterior work, since the weather will likely be better.
Smith Painting
Provided samples to assist in the decision process for colors and finishes of our wood siding on the south face of the five-plex. We’ll be using different colors – all with an aged look – to keep the feel of evolution of the building itself, as if it was built in stages over several generations.
Stained the exposed timbers and circle-sawn soffit on The Swan and Flathead. The dark color we’ve picked really looks fantastic with the stone below and the slate above, and with the beams having been soda-blasted, the look is perfect.
CM Quality Insulation
Finished up the final touches on insulating Yellowstone. The products and techniques we’re using for these homes is truly top notch. When giving a tour one Friday afternoon and standing in the living room of Yellowstone, it was quite evident how much the insulation has muted the echoes and sounds both inside and outside. There was a compressor running wide open in the Boulder next door, and it was almost impossible to hear it, even without front doors or garage doors installed. This bodes very well for sound insulation for the homeowners once they move in.
Riverside Window & Door
These skylights in the Gallatin stairwell bring
a terrific natural light to this area
J&J Carpentry
Continued to work through the five-plex, planing all the interior door openings, checking all exterior windows and doors for operation and spacing, and covering the wood windows and doors with visquene to protect them.
Home Technologies
Installed all the security, low voltage and sound wiring for Swan and Flathead, based on the specifications and walk-through with Carol Nelson and Marilyn Olson.
Ron Incoronato & Co
Worked with Rainmaster to help stage materials and plan for the installation of the slate for the Flathead and Swan.
Invited a representative from Workplace Incorporated to train each of our workers in the safe and proper usage of the man-lift that we’ve rented for the job site. This allows us to not only utilize this equipment in compliance with all OSHA regulations, but we’re also ensuring that each worker stays safe and knows how to operate the lift in an efficient manner, saving time and money over having to use ladders and scaffolding on such a large project.
Had several meetings with Rocky (The Metal Connection) and The Camel Committee to determine styles and options for the decorative steel light fixtures and design elements he’s going to be commissioned to build on this project. The hub over the dining table in Yellowstone will have a custom chandelier hanging from the middle of it (Rocky will design and build that, with input from The Camel Committee). The light fixture over The Swan dining area was also a topic of discussion on multiple occasions – we wanted to make sure we were going with the most economical option while accomplishing the overall look to keep with the theme. We also wanted to make sure we weren’t getting carried away with the overall weight of the fixture; steel can get heavy, and even though we have a 20-inch tall timber to hang it from, we don’t want to over-do it!
Worked with Water Well Services to hook up the old submersible pump that once serviced the old Bear Dance vacation cabins for their irrigation needs. By using this pump, we’ve given ourselves a water source that will keep us from having to drill a well for irrigation. This will result in savings of several thousands of dollars, and since the pump was already approved by permit for this same property, it didn’t require any coordination for a new permit.
Coordinated with Northwestern Energy and Rocky Mountain Contractors to finish all our underground gas lines on the property, taking them to their termination points where they’ll be hooked up to the meters.
Met with Arctic Heat owner Mat Jaeger and crew foreman James to walk through Missouri and decide on locations for downstairs air conditioning units. As mentioned in the last weekly report, we were working with Arctic Heat to determine locations that will work with the unexpected size difference. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to go with Plan A (install a system that will work in a dropped closet ceiling), so we had to come up with a Plan B. The good news is, we’ve come up with a fairly easy solution by making a small framing change, which will allow us to use the original units already purchased.
Gave a few tours over the past couple weeks.
One tour involved special guests of the Olsons (potential buyers?). The next one was June 12, to a couple who has shown interest since last fall; this was their third visit to the village, but the first since any work has been done on the five-plex. Weren’t they in for a pleasant surprise! In previous visits, they had had trouble deciding whether they liked Boulder or Yellowstone more. After this visit, they now are unable to decide on a favorite among all seven available residences!
The most recent tour was just this past Sunday, to four interested individuals who have observed some of our progress, but not yet having received a tour firsthand. The response was tremendous and effusive. Some of the regular comments were, “This is the most amazing building I have ever seen.” “These are not condos; these are custom homes.” “I knew this place was special, but I had no idea it was this impressive.” “I can’t believe how much space there is in these things!” It’s probably safe to say they were impressed. They were excited by the size of the guest suites (several times they commented about the potential for multiple master suites) and how the layout so effectively disguised the long, narrow footprint of each unit. The size of the kitchen areas drew a lot of praise, especially for a condo project. And when they saw the base and individual pieces of the street lamp that will stamp the center of our common area, they simply gushed.
Next Week’s Agenda
This picture isn’t one of Bear Dance Village,
but it was taken during this reporting
period…and can you blame us for loving the
Flathead Valley?
See above section for agenda items under each subcontractor.
Selections/Decisions Needed
New: Need to finalize colors and stains for the interior of Boulder and Yellowstone. Fontecilla Custom Interiors will be starting in here in the coming weeks, and once they’re finished, we’ll be ready for paint and stain inside.
Old: Need all tile selections made for Yellowstone and Boulder bathrooms – especially showers and tub-surrounds.
Old: Need to finalize the style, species and size of the wood flooring for Boulder upstairs, as well as getting bids from several wood floor installers to ensure we get the best product at the best price.
Old: Need to pick the stone types for the entire five-plex ASAP. With summer coming up and demand being high, we need to maximize this large masonry crew we now have and get the material ordered.
Old: Colors and finishes for units in the five-plex have been discussed, and we have a good start and direction now. Our meetings in the coming weeks will focus on ironing out all those details. Also will go through the five-plex and, using these decisions, pick out trim styles and sizes, flooring styles, and any final design details.