April 29 - Doors, Boiler and Lunch

Doors, Hanging and In-Process - 
Several exterior doors are installed but not yet operational. They are all wired shut with size large "Do Not Use" signs plastered on the face, so I assume they are not yet operational. Tempted though I was to see if they worked, I resisted and let the doors rest in peace.














Not all the doors are hanging yet. The frame for the main entrance is assembled and on Thursday evening was in quiet repose, propped against the back wall.

On Saturday, Sam was diligently working to install the frame in its final resting place. Sam demonstrated his dexterity by using both a tape measure and a level while standing on a step ladder. I was duly impressed as I dare not ascend such a device without digging my fingertips into the side supports of the ladder. Since this uses up both of my available hands, I am not then able to grip either the tape or the level.  I tend to follow the advice an uncle of mine often gave. "A good eye is better than a bad rule." Well, better Sam than me for this job.



Boilers - 

Thursday evening was cold. Very cold. It was hard to remember that April was coming to a close and May nearly here. It felt rather more like November with the wind racing around the outside and then through the openings in the building. So it seemed like a good time to get the lowdown on the boiler system that will heat the floor and provide hot water for the sinks.
Mark, hiding deep in the hoodie, was giving his best effort to educate the chronicler. If I understood correctly, we will have three boilers on site. Due to some kind of license restrictions, only one boiler at a time will be in service. A second will be available as a standby if needed, and will be put into service when it is time for maintenance on the first unit. The third is to be used for parts if either of the first two blows up.
He added that this is not a direct fired boiler since the fire does not heat the fresh water reservoir. Rather, the fire heats water that is racing through copper tubes that wind through the fresh water tank and then go off to warm our toes through the concrete floor. When that job is done, the tired out, calorie-drained fluid returns to the boiler to get fired up so it can do it all over again.

He further noted that this is a TriangleTube system, which I could have learned on my own had I read the tag on the boiler earlier.

As I have aged, I notice that my memory may be slipping a bit but my fortified imagination is able to fill in any missed data. It is possible that Mark did not say this stuff exactly, but this is the best I remember it.

The Optional Porch - 
The optional porch is shifting from 'optional' to 'here and now'. Thursday evening I saw this plan on the wall, all marked up with red ink. I remember from my school days that when I got a paper back from the teacher with this much red ink, I knew I had to do the work over. That does not seem to be the case here. Instead the red ink appears to be a code that informs the insiders of the construction trade how to assemble said porch. I am trying to learn the jargon to become an insider but am still baffled a bit  by 'BEAR ROOF JOISTS ON BRG WALL, LAP W/ROOF TRUSSES & NAIL W/ 8-10 d x 3" NAILS'. I just need to get the bear out of the woods and the trusses out of hernia protection and I think I will succeed in the construction trade.

One thing I do understand is that Mark brought some concrete mix on Thursday and on Saturday Brent converted the contents into piers that will hold up the roof support posts.







And I have pictures to show the progress.















Lunch - 
Another thing I understand about construction is that about noon on Saturday the lunch wagon shows up. I try schedule my visit so I just happen to be there about this time.
There are workers in various stations both inside and outside the building, some seemingly out of earshot, but when the call for lunch sounds, they all appear in short order. Janelle brought the hot meal Saturday.

The large temporary table in the sanctuary, built for assembling metal door frames, on Saturday served as the community lunch table. I hope the seat that Mark and Brent are using is not 'Pew Concept 2.0'

The younger, heartier workers enjoyed the outdoor picnic area, which also serves as Sam's trailer.

And while the majority of the work force used the large, community table, Merja and Mark enjoyed a quiet, private meal in the dining area.

April 18 - Pouring the Stoops and Other Interesting Sights

The Big Blue Box Revisited -
I was impressed by the vain efforts to move the blue container where it will be out of the way of the landscapers. The tractor, the forklift and the tractor-forklift tandem struggled mightily and vainly to move the box. Friday I was at the building site and notice the doors on the blue box open. Peering inside, I could start to appreciate why the wheeled vehicles charged with making this beast move were thwarted. The box is full of stuff. Heavy stuff. While the in-floor heat tubing is of trivial weight, and the blue duct pieces add very little, the generator and the dirt compactor are somewhat heavier.

These trifling details pale by comparison to the front half of the box. Therein lumber is piled half way up to the top of the box. Seeing the contents makes it a little easier to understand the stubborn resistance of the box. Maybe we have to add the entire congregation tugging on a tow strap attached to the forklift which is chained to the tractor which is finally secured to the big blue box in order to make it move. Whatever it takes, it still needs to move.




The Lift is Repossessed - 
Steve Redman apparently needs to use the lift that he has so generously allowed us to use on the project. Accordingly, he showed up with a truck and trailer to cart it off. The lift is an amazing device and it has been an invaluable resource, used both outdoors on the roof and high on the walls as well as inside for the ceilings. Thank you, Steve, for making it available for use on the project.

Here Steve, well out on the end of the boom, drives the lift up on the trailer.


It seems like a good idea to secure it to the trailer with chains before trucking down the road. Here Steve uses a cheater bar to tighten the chains holding the lift in place.

Having now seen how chains and cables are used to combine motive power or keep heavy objects in place, I am once again puzzled by a sight on this construction project. I admit to novice status on construction and its associated machinery, but I cannot figure out the need for or the use of the electrical cable attached to this wheelbarrow. Maybe one day I will understand.



The Foam Block Cutter -
I came out Friday afternoon because I heard that concrete progress would be made on door stoops. It happened that the electricians were on site, so I had the opportunity to see the foam block cutter in action.

Pull the trigger, add a little heat to the metal wire and voila! A really-o. truly-o hot wire, foam cutting, channel making electrician's tool. It melts the foam but creates no smoke. And it leaves no burn marks in its wake. It does, however, leave a neat, clean channel in its wake. Clever fellows, those Americans (or whoever figured this out).


Exterior Doors -
Bob's trailer was packed with doors. Not the scavenge from a demolition site, used doors. But brand new still in the box doors.

 Even after Kevin and Bob carried the doors inside the church, they remained exterior doors. I think I heard Bob say, "Look, Ma, one hand behind my back."


I was not able to get there on Saturday, but I understand that some of the doors were installed. I will send along a photo or two after I get out there.














Friday's Main Event -
The really big thing on Friday was pouring more concrete. Outside stoops need to be poured before those exterior doors are installed.  The Chronicler was not the only observer on site to watch the first concrete of spring be poured. Pete showed up form next door with Eve and Lacey, riding in style on the high power lawn mower. Now maybe this is another vehicle to add to the chain for moving the blue box.

Some final dirt rearranging was required before the concrete truck arrived. Kevin demonstrated his multi-tasking skills, talking on the phone while holding the shovel upright.

The pad outside the front door was the first one poured. Dave guides the chute from the truck while Paul and Aare push the heavy mud around. Bill and Phil use the 2x4 as a screed before they trowel the surface smooth. 

 Aare and Bob get a good start on the second stoop.

Reinforcements soon arrive as Phil and Bill man the screed while Dave massages the heavy, gooey mud.

Phil takes multi-tasking to impressive new heights, with a trowel in his right hand, the screed in his left and the cell phone tucked up in his ear with his shoulder. Such coordination is rarely matched on the job site and perhaps only topped by the mother of a large family fixing dinner while minding the kids.

One More Big Thing -

Last Monday the well drillers showed up. They drilled down deep enough to strike water.

So now we have water available to feed the plumbing fixtures and a sewer system available to dispose of the waste. It hardly gets any better than this.

April 12 - Building Walls, Hanging Ducts and Clearing the Yard

More Walls Rising -
The interior space is being divided with partition walls giving each area its appropriate space allotment. The front corners of the sanctuary will each own its own room. Andy, Bob and Steve were the designated wall builders on Saturday.

Andy on the left, and Bob on the right rose to the occasion. While Andy climbed the stairs, Bob rode the elevator. The scissor lift looked like so much fun I asked the operator if he allowed sight seers. He did and so I got a few pictures from the high spot of my day.

 Sam is in the doorway at the far end of the room.

Andy and Steve are making long boards into short ones in the carpentry shop.



Andy pauses to use his newly built wall segment for an arm rest. Unfortunately a tall ladder is required to use this new feature so it will not be popular, especially with us older folks.

The space beyond Andy is being made into a room which will hold organ speakers.


























By the end of the day, the room, shown here over Andy's head,  was nearing completion with floor joists in place.

I was not the only sight gawker to ride the lift for sight seeing purposes. Bob's daughters Gwen and Sasha accompanied Bob in order to inspect Dad's high level work. They did not mention any substandard workmanship.








A Carpenter Becomes a Ductor -
Sam demonstrated his versatility by spending the day as a ductor, cutting lengths, cutting openings, adding arms and legs to the main trunk, then hanging the assembly from the ceiling.

Pete joined in the fun. Here he shows the finished product from the hanger strap fabrication department. It seems that the long hanger straps had all been either put to use or converted to short straps. Pete made a long strap from two short ones.

He then attached it to the ceiling ....

Pete and Sam combined their energies and got the entire assembly to defy gravity. Another successful operation by the ductor.

Cutting sheet metal ducts with either a saw or snips leaves burrs and sharp, protruding ragged edges. Here Pete uses a portable grinder to make sparks and smooth the edge of the duct.

After it is all nice and smooth, he and Sam collaborate to add a reducer. Pete's son Gabe inspects the operation to make sure the quality of the workmanship is satisfactory.
















Meanwhile on the Outside ...
The landscaping folks are expected soon to begin grading for the parking lot. That means that all the scrap lumber must be converted to ash and the two containers that have served as construction sheds must be removed from the site.

The scrap lumber conversion went on as scheduled. With the recent, and current, rains there is no risk of a grass fire so burning progressed through the day. Youngsters eagerly hauled the fuel and fed the flames.

Moving the containers, however, was more interesting. The smaller, green container was dispatched rather easily. Here it is shown being secured to the mobile fork lift with chains.

The trusty forklift then dragged it away. The container demonstrated a fair amount of resistance, but as the track shows, the fork lift prevailed.


The larger, blue box in the background proved to be a more stubborn competitor.

 First the forklift nudges it sideways so the big tractor can get a straight line pull on it.

The tractor pulls mightily but only digs furrows with the 
drive wheels. 

Like the ductors inside, the two machines join forces, with the tractor pulling and the forklift pushing, but still to no avail. The big blue box won't budge.

A new approach. Forklift chained to the box, tractor chained to forklift. Now, operators, add the fuel and let the combined forces move the beastly, blue box. 

Try as they might, the box held fast. It seems that all there is to show for the effort is some overturned soil. One of the guys asked if this is the place where the holding pond goes, so that this might be a good start on the excavation. 

As of this moment, the container is winning. Maybe we need to name the container, Babe the Blue Box and call in Paul Bunyon to move it for us. Stay tuned to see the how this stalemate is resolved. 

April 8 - Cleanup Outside, Walls and Pew Evaluation Inside

Cleanup Outside - 
Sam announced at the crew-chief's meeting this week that with the mild weather and likely nearby lifting of the road restrictions, the excavators may arrive week after next and begin the outside landscraping and landscaping work. That sounds like another major, visible step forward. Of course it also means that the winter's accumulation of scrap material and other debris must be cleaned up. Further, the container that was used as a tool shed must now depart the premises.

Some of the younger workers built recreational-sized fires to make scrap lumber disappear. A watchful attendant sprays the dry grass to make sure the fires can't attack dry grass on a windy day.
Naturally the dumpster fills rapidly with many hands finding miscellaneous junk accumulated through the winter.

Sam employs the trusty mobile fork lift as a size large trash compactor. The operation reminded me of an elephant I once saw in a zoo, thrusting its trunk out and rearing up on its back legs. The device seemed to do a reasonably competent job of trash smashing as the heap on top sunk down visibly.









Dirt piles have a magical, magnetic draw for children. After a morning of picking up trash, the workers assembled on the dirt piles behind the building.

I noticed Kevin's car parked outside the church earlier in the week. It appears to have had an unfortunate encounter with some solid object. What caught my attention was the repair job on the cut. I saw a similarity with the sewing job on one of my sons many years ago. It seems his forehead met a rapidly moving golf club and required a stitch job.

Building Interior Walls Over a  Polished Floor - 

Before this week, I had not seen the project for about six weeks. Marilee and I headed south to avoid the winter that apparently did not show up. Two days after I left, the concrete floor was poured and then polished. This photo shows a patch of the finished, polished floor adjacent to an unfinished section. It looks pretty good to me. It is much easier to walk about inside now than it was when I was here earlier.
And walls have sprouted up here ant there around the interior.

 

Eric and Kevin are collaborating on wall building with metal studs. I am impressed. They use a level.

Then some folks come along and trim the metal openings with good old fashioned wood.

Eric installs a wood framing piece while Mark and Spencer check on the quality of the work.
This interior work is necessary and important. It, however, lacks the showiness, drama and panache of say, swinging trusses into place over foam walls. By contrast, this interior work looks slow. and without much flare. Still, to have a completed church, all the work must be done. So, showy or not, let us forge onward.

The newly framed in kitchen has its first food service event on Saturday. Allison brought pizza for lunch and it was served in the kitchen

Seating for the meal remains a bit sketchy, however.











Other Signs of Progress - 
A couple of rooms are actually getting their finishing touches.

Brent is hanging plywood paneling in this room near the front entry. The plywood is the finished wall surface. For the near future the room will be the new tool crib, now that the container in the yard must leave. The tools that were in the container will temporarily housed here.

And back in the mechanical room on the back wall of the building, Spencer is painting the walls. It does not get much more finished that this.

Pews - 

Sam returned from his Finland trip with measurements from the pews in the Oulu RY. A prototype was built and is now being tested.














 Volunteers lined to test the concept pew.
Eric found it relaxing.

 Phil makes it look comfortable.

Mark and Eric peer off in wonderment.

Brent studies the matter rather seriously.

All the while Sam records the results and makes modifications

One suggestion, apparently, was for a smoother surface so Jacob (do I have the name right?) sands off the rough spots.















Several iterations have already been user tested. No doubt there will be still more to come.