September 11 - Labor Day and a Productive Work Week

New Things Outside - 
Three brand new items were added during the week. Curbing on the edge of the parking lot was set in place. Presumably paving the parking lot will follow close behind. Sam's status update on Sunday indicated that final grading will occur on Monday, so drivers will have to drive lightly so as not to disrupt the final grade.

Outer doors were added to the front. The very versatile Brian added doorman to his lengthy resume.




















Gutters and downspouts were also appended to the building. It appears to me that it will take a few rainfall incidents to train the water to shift flow into the drain line. I do not quite understand how it will work and remains one of the mysteries of construction.

Kevin and Steve install the drain line on the other side of the front entry, also relying on trainable water flow from the downspout.

Actually, the downspouts were installed incorrectly and will be reinstalled to properly align with the drain lines.

While grass was not new this week, Farmer Paul's installation ideas did change. No longer relying on the manual grass seeder to get grass all the required places, more sod was installed. The sod vendor very generously donated 1,320 square yards of what was termed 'grade B' sod. The sod was green on one side and black on the other. Apparently it was cut thinner than normal but it sure looks good laid out on the ground. We eagerly and appreciatively accepted the donation. Thank you, sod vendor.


Meanwhile, On The Inside -
Now we not only have windows to keep outside air from getting inside,  we also have widows with inside air on both sides. Tom and Kevin built the frames, shimmed them in place, installed the glass and added another frame on the other side.

They measured, checked for level, checked for plumb, checked for square, added a nail, remeasured, re-plumbed, re-squared, added another nail and so forth. These two are much more persnickety than I am, for which the entire congregation is grateful.

The installed windows are a beautiful sight.

Tiling continues. Sam got the installation started, then found an eager apprentice to train.

Charles proves to be a good student and a fast learner.

Soon, Charles takes over the task.

Bob and Matt keep on trimming doors. This is another picky job. Measure, cut, fit in place, cut again, but this time just a tiny nip, fit in place again, hold the piece in place with one nail, repeat on the other side, lay on the top piece, adjust the casing (vertical side piece) with a hammer tap or two to make sure the top piece sits squarely on the side trim, tack the lintel (the piece over the top) with a nail, repeat on the other side. When satisfied with the look, cut miters on the ends of the lintel so the 'returns', can be cut from the same board. The 'return' is the little chunk of wood mitered to the lintel so the end grain of the wood is not exposed.











Here again the congregation benefits from these patient, skilled workers. Obviously my 'looks pretty good from Lake Street' mentality is not adequate.

One curiosity: Dave is making a black hole. More accurately, he is making a hole black. The organ speakers will be behind a fabric cover. It is desirable that nothing shows through the fabric, so paint the inside of the room and all its components black. The organ sound will thus pour out from a black hole.
















Finalizing the Portico -

Sam uses the quidditch machine for an elevator so he can cut a slit in the end of the post with the over-sized circular saw.

The post is then stood atop the mounting hardware and secured with steel pins. No matter how hard Sam tries, he can not make Daniel flinch.

Steve shingles the portico roof while Bob admires the work.

The building nears final appearance. Siding painted, trim painted, portico pillared and gargoyle installed. Actually, that is not a gargoyle. Steve is adding singles to the roof.

September 2 - Trimming and Tiling

Many Hands Make Light Work -
The peripatetic chronicler returned to the scene of the action. While the parking lot was not full, that is to say more cars would have fit, there were many hands on hand to share the evening shift on Thursday. I was told that turnout improved while I was away. One person, who requested anonymity, suggested the improvement was due to my absence. I choose to think it is because the end is in sight. I have been told that distance runners are stimulated to dig a little deeper when the end is in sight and turn on a burst of speed. Now the work is creating things that will be visible in the final product. The finished building is emerging from the dim shadows providing glimpses relying more on eyesight than on imagination.

Once the cars are duly noted, attention turns to the now totally covered entryway.

Troy, Eric and Brent attach trim pieces to complete the picture.









Finishing the Interior Trim -
Once a rough sawn slab is cut to size and planed, a three step process is required to produce the finished piece. First sanding sealer is brushed on and allowed to dry. The surfaces are then sanded and wiped clean of dust. Then varnish is brushed on.

The boards in the foreground have had sanding sealer applied and await sanding. Sanding sealer penetrates into to wood, raising the grain a bit while it seals the pores in the wood.
Sanding again smooths the surface.

Kevin and Victor do the sanding. The resulting dust has to be wiped off with a cloth like the one resting on the wood plank.



















Tim and Loren apply varnish - only to wood, never to truth.

Ben, shown here with his head unceremoniously cut off by the photographer, slathers on the viscous material. Wood finishing products give off a strong, somewhat noxious odor, which not only stinks but requires a well ventilated work area. A size large exhaust fan in a doorway helps out.

Bob installs the trim pieces to frame a doorway.

Doorways Need Doors - 

Kevin and Phil collaborate on securing hinges on a door, watched closely by the quality assurance inspector.

Once hinged, the door needs to be hung. Again the inspector keeps a close eye on the installation.

I suppose the installation was acceptable since the inspector now turns his attention elsewhere.



















Tile on the Wall - 

Another new feature is the tile now installed behind the drinking fountain. Well, use your imagination and visualize a fountain secured to the wall. It is in the plan and it will be there.

Sam is plotting and scheming where and how to get the tile on the wall. The first step, apparently, is to lay out the tile on the floor. Sometimes the construction process evades my mental process. I understand that gravity will hold the unglued tiles on the floor better than it will on the wall, but I am not sure how to transfer the laid-out tiles to the wall.

Sam again employs the amazing laser level to mark the level line for the tile. He went around the room adding pencil marks to the wall atop the red line. I offered to add pencil marks to the red line on his shirt but he declined.

Pew Progress -
Jean uses the open air, outdoor workroom to continue the work on pew refinishing.

The design committee used a chunk of a pew seat for a color sample board. I am not sure about the decision making process but they knew better than to involve the chronicler in it. My sources tell me that the dark patch in the upper left corner is the winning entry.





Landscaping and Water Feature Progress - 
It seems that the reflecting pool that I enjoyed for taking thoughtful pictures of the church has disappeared into history. I am glad I got the pictures for the record before that happened.
The engineers got involved and drained the pond. The water was supposed to be gone after no more than 48 hours, but this infiltration basin was obviously failing to go along with that notion. So, the engineers mandated a ditch with rock and drain tile to assist compliance. And the water departed. Some high power organic fill was added to the bottom. I understand that some water loving vegetation will be added. These changes may make it a better infiltration basin but it sure messed up the reflection photo opportunities.


Farmer Paul says we need more grass, and sod is expensive. So in a manner reminding me of Johnny Appleseed, Paul is taking on the remainder of the 10 plus acres of land with his seeder.

August 30 - While the Chronicler Tarries

Work Continues -

While the chronicler is away, progress is ongoing at the church building. The bosses use a size large white board to dole out the necessary tasks.

Last week I received pictures but only now am I able to put them to use. Updating the blog cannot be safely done while driving a car. 

Aare stains the door jambs to fit with the walnut trim. 

 It looks to me like he succeeded. At least he made them darker.

Walnut trim boards cut and planed await installation.

Walnut rough boards that were adjudged unacceptable for further processing. We could say they did not make the cut.















Door Jambs Need Doors -

The sanctuary, now with walls and ceiling primed, is deployed as a door chop shop.

Charles and Steve are the official door choppers. All the doors salvaged from a construction site have to be resized to fit the openings at the church. Apparently it is easier to resize the doors than the openings so chop the doors. The doors also need to change color to fit the decor but that process has not yet started.




Pew Stripping - 

Dave is stripping the old finish off the newly acquired pews.


















And not just Dave, but also Tom and Ed.

It is a necessary task and they are proceeding energetically. All the purchased pews were disassembled and are now being exfoliated with strong chemicals and vigorous rubdown with steel blades.

Pew pieces patiently await their turn for resurfacing. As a general rule, wood furniture surfaces are finished with the idea of having durable wear surfaces. Removing old varnish in order to change the color and add a new wear surface is labor intensive and tedious. But when the pews compliment the other wood in the sanctuary all the effort will have been worthwhile.





Outside Work - 

The portico is having a shingled covering installed.

A crew utilizes manual excavators to smooth the ground in preparation for the ...

installation of the "outdoor green organic carpet" as Bob calls it. It sure makes a pretty picture.









Another New Addition -
A congregation member spotted an ad for a piano being sold. The music folks checked it out and decided the condition merited the selling price and behold, we now own a piano. It is now in the flex room which room is already demonstrating its flexibility.