We have basically gutted our main room that will be the main venue space a few months from now. We have learned a lot in this time of gutting. First we are thankful for a crew. This crew is not a huge one, it consisted of two guys that rent from us, both in college, they were available the first few days before finals. It included a family friend who also was only available a few days, but has interest in the bar and it’s set up. He has helped a lot with his ideas and suggestions. And two 21 year olds who knew what to do and we couldn’t have lived without! In the end it was just myself, one 21 year old, and my son. But we got everything finished. The room is literally gutted! No ceiling, no floor, no boat, a disconnected bar ready to move, a few less walls, and a plan! The discoveries are in what is behind things, a few less fortunate discoveries include needing a new water heater and certain pipes in the basement had to be replace. We have also found that tearing out the ceiling reveals hidden leaks in the roof. Which upon going up there shows us that it’s not going to last much longer and needs to be replaced. On the other hand we found some cool discoveries. Our building definitely used to be two buildings. There is evidence it used to be a mechanic shop. We found some fancy glass that was hidden between walls. We found out where the bathrooms were when it was two buildings. We have peeled back layers, and there is beauty in the history. That’s what I love, that’s where the fun is for me.
We have also made friends at the city dump. We have taken about 7,000 lbs of garbage there over the past month. I have also learned to back up the trailer :-)
We’ve hired an excellent electrician, Durie Electric out of Big Falls WI. They have done an incredible job. They took out all the old electric and have prepared everything for after the ceiling is installed. Which will begin on Monday. The ceiling is going to be drywall with decorative beams, installed by Talbot Builders. Once they are done we will move on to the floor which is being done by Alchemy Concrete and then we will be moving the bar from the middle of the room over to the side. We plan to use the same sinks and counter. Our plumbing is being done by Rasummussen Plumbing. I am sharing all this information, because all these guys are great, and I highly recommend them all to you. The biggest thing we have now hired which we at first felt wasn’t necessary is an Architect. I am realizing that they are really important! We hired Jackson Case, he’s also great! It’s like he’s our lawyer. He knows the rules that we don’t. Specifically code stuff that in a public building is really important. He’s our advocate to the city which helps immensely with the red tape. He also has wonderful suggestions for how we proceed and makes a great cheerleader. At this point, which is probably the worst point, everything seems difficult. You get tired from this planning. The vision gets muddled, the cost seems high. And everyone is reminding you how big the project is. All of this is exhausting but we haven’t come this far to be left hanging. God has a plan and we can persevere.
Watching a new ceiling will be really exciting! Although destroying things was fun, it was also ugly. The rewards are coming.
Thanks for reading!
-Rosalind
