November 06, 2007 Progress Report
Winter is on its way, and we’re scrambling like crazy to get as much completed while the efficient working weather allows! On the other hand, it’s been an exercise in patience and self control to make sure the building process doesn’t get ahead of the planning and designing process. Decisions are being made as fast as the carpenters are needing them, and even then, that’s sometimes not fast enough! Nonetheless, the priority is to get it done right, the first time, even if it means slowing the carpenters down just a bit. As we keep telling ourselves, this “problem” is a good problem to have!
Framing
At the beginning of October, the finishing touches were being done on Buildings A and B, and the layout was just beginning on the five-plex. As we conclude the month, the entire first floor of the five-plex has been framed, and the upper floors of the Missouri and Madison units have been completed. Once again, it’s been a chore just keeping the crew of GT Builders busy, as they’ve shown themselves to be not only very skilled craftsmen, but also very efficient at what they do.
In addition to the framing of the five-plex, our garbage shed design and finalized, and the tiny timber frame building was assembled. This seemingly insignificant little building was actually a very key aspect of our infrastructure and hardscaping. The west wall of the garbage shed is the location of all our electrical meters for the 5-plex, and until its construction was completed, we couldn’t place the finishing touches on our thousands of feet of electrical conduit. As shown in the attached picture, everything is now tied together, and we can complete our terraced retaining wall for the upper driveway going to the Big Horn and Ruby garages, just in time for winter! This is also a key component of the objective of making the site look as unlike a construction zone as possible, and more aesthetically pleasing to neighbors and passers-by.
As the framing process has wrapped up on the lower buildings, that isn’t the final step for the framers. As soon as the rooftops were dried-in, the windows were installed, and the character of the project continued to grow. The Old World Theme has definitely been retained in the selection of window styles, and the difference even from framing has been dramatic.
Concrete
Rod Gembala has continued to push his crew and do whatever it takes to keep just ahead of GT Builders. As soon as he clears out of a spot, the framing crew quickly moves in and takes over. Then he’s on to the next spot, taking care of everything from 20 foot high walls to 11 inch high footings. We’re now reaching the point where his responsibilities are running out forBear Dance Village, and it’s amazing to think back on what he’s accomplished! He poured his final wall on October 30th, and with just two more small slabs remaining (upper garages for the five-plex), it’s just the final small step for his crew.
Steel Fabrication
This phase, just underway at the end of last month, is now in full swing. As only a two-man crew, High Ridge Steel has its work cut out in this mammoth undertaking. The structure supporting the Gallatin Unit is only a portion of the overall steel project. Each side of the five-plex has enclosed garages for access to the main floors without having to climb steps from the ground level. To save space, the garages – and parts of the driveways, too – are being built directly above the ground-level parking garages and storage rooms. As you can imagine, it’s no easy task to just pour a concrete slab as the ceiling of a room below! All the concrete must be structurally supported, and this can only be done with steel. Sixteen-inch-thick steel I-beams are the support for a steel pan that serves as a “dish” for the wet concrete. Even the steel pan is a heavy gauge material, and it has to be reinforced during the concrete pour with bracing and added support, until the concrete dries. The concrete itself will have two layers of 3/4” rebar, and once the curing process has finished, the suspended concrete slab will be rated to hold a 40,000 pound vehicle – approximately the weight of eleven full-size pickup trucks!
Another theme that’s being stressed throughout the project is safety, and the steel trade has been no exception. Using his steel structure for the suspended slab as a mounting bracket, John Morris (High Ridge Steel) has also welded temporary posts to serve as safety rails, fulfilling the same requirement applied to the framers as they construct safety rails around all their open areas.
Plumbing
After a few weeks away from working on Bear Dance Village, the crew of Touris Plumbing is back on the job, beginning the rough-in process on the Boulder Unit. With the task of natural gas also on their list for this project, we expect to be seeing Touris Plumbing on this site pretty much throughout the winter months and beyond. Their work will take them from north to south on the site, just the way the framing has gone, and by the time they finish the rough-in of the entire five-plex, it won’t be a stretch to think they’d just leapfrog back down to where they started and begin installing fixtures! Did we say they’d be here through the winter? Better make that fall!
Design & Planning
The start of the plumbing rough-in has reminded us just how much we have to address and how many questions we have to answer! The weekly meetings of the Design Team – Carol Nelson and her staff, Ron Incoronato & Co, and Keith Beck – have been a bullish effort to stay ahead of the subcontractors and the pace they’re setting. This dizzying speed has kept us on our toes in ensuring the overall quality and Old World Theme are still being considered on every level. For more details in this area, please refer to the summary provided by Carol Nelson and her team of talented professionals.
Electrical
Until now, the only involvement in the electrical area was on a consultant level, but with the completion of the garbage unit, we have now begun our initial rough setup work. Now all the housings for the electrical meters have been installed, and after another step or two, Flathead Electric will be able to come in and install the permanent electrical meters for each unit. This will be critical as more subcontractors begin working in different areas of the project and the demand for electricity increases.
We’ve also implemented an idea of Ron’s based on some feedback from the community. Various areas of the Bear Dance project were set up with security lights before construction began, and as the buildings gained shape and character, a few of those lights provided an eye-catching highlight of the project during the evening from across Bigfork Bay. Several locals made comments about the attractive project they had seen as they drove by at night, so we ran with the idea and installed a “security” light under the gable patio of the three main units down on the water. As one of the attached photos shows, the effect is very dramatic, and in the coming month, we plan on participating in Bigfork’s tradition of decorating the village in Christmas lights: The profiles of the waterfront buildings will be lined with Christmas lights for night viewing. And since the northwest Montana winter provides up to sixteen hours of darkness each day, this will be another great way to make our project a point of excitement for the whole community!