Howdy everyone!
For newbies…the art website is http://www.glassometry.com
Sorry its been so long since I wrote and updated the blog, but as you will see, a lot has been going on. So much that at times I haven’t been sure which way was up or if I was still one person. My mom put it well, “I have one daughter, but she is 3 people.” That would be accurate. It will be nice once the General Contractor in me is finished and I can go back to just being 2 people.
I didn't know Todd could smile til I said "blog"!
So now that Rediviva has published this blog I better get to it. Where did we leave off. Oh yeah the shell. So right before we got dried in, we lowered a 24 ft crane column through the roof. It was most exciting. Before I jump ahead, here I am (not in the picture, but driving the truck) picking up the 24ft 20in diameter pipe that will serve as the column for the crane. You can see Todd and Tom, the guys who run the steel yard at BBC Steel in Canby. Good guys, you just got to know what names to call them to get good service.
I love these 24ft flat bed trucks I rent from Penske.
I think Tom is playin' the sultry steel guy in this shot.
The crane column was engineered by Andy Stember, fabricated by Jeremy at Schlosser’s Machine shop here in Hood River. Here is the crane column in progress and Jeremy reviewing the prints.
You can't tell but I swear Jeremy is 8ft tall. He could just spin that column with his pinky.
Knife plates! Fatty Welds! Yum!
Now they are getting ready to load this huge beautiful column through the roof. I’m there in the little white hat. Mike and Ernie of Honald Crane are dialin’ in the program. We all look so tiny. Hee Hee Hee!
This column will hold a 19ft jib arm with a 2 ton hoist. This gives us the ability to pick and move things within a 40ft diameter span. Situated between the metal fabricatio
Little People! Big Column! Ready for lift off!
Unleashing the column once it landed.
Again, aren’t we tiny? We set the column on the slab but had to pull one side of the strapping through to the center gable so we could pick it once more time and move it over to set on its anchors. Protruding from the slab there are 12 anchors that are buried 2 or more feet into a custom designed 10ft by 10ft by 3ft deep footing with 3 grids of 7/8 rebar. Fortunately, the base plate slid right over those anchors with absolutely no adjustment necessary. That’s pro for ya! (We made sure they all fit before I took the plate over to Schlossers, and yes, an 1 1/4″ base plate can warp. Actually the freaky thing is that a column that huge can also warp. The way this column is designed to hold the 4000 lb load from 3 sides involves 2 huge knife plates penetrating the column at each mounting point. Then there are 3/4 ” and 1/2″ reinforcement plates boxing everything in. The weld are beautiful.
Quicky of inside with column
So now that the crane column has made it through the roof. They proceeded to finish the standing seam roof. This type of roof is great for all the snow and moisture, as well as hot and cold. Its designed to move, while attached to what are referred to as mobile clips, every seam is also sealed with an electric seamer and along each joint where the two sheets lock together is a weather proofing sealant that gets crimped with the metal.
Tough guys Josh and Worm (Jeremy)
Overhead view of the roof prior to completion.
Here, Josh and Worm, both of whom spent a great deal of time working on this building, took me up in the big green (turtle) boom lift to take a look at the roof.
Too bad the weather wasn’t better but it sure is quite the view, regardless.
They don’t look excited, but they are….I swear.
Here are a few shots I took that are just cool, of while the building is being built. Not to mention other crew members I want to make sure are included in the pics.
obviously a while ago, but such a cool pic. Don't think I posted this already.
Such different perspectives here between being on the ground with the shell exposed and in the air with almost all the walls up. I am always so fascinated with the beauty of the structural forms. I find this in the sculptural forms I fabricate as well. I’ll get the framework done and plan to cover it but find it so much more intriguing to leave some of it exposed.
Sunrise of 84 on the way to the Dalles one saturday morning.
Just taking a moment away from construction, actually on my way to pick up these crazy old barn doors we’ll be adapting for some wierd sliders in the studio. But decided on my way to the Dalles to stop and grab this nice sunrise shot.
Power! Raphael you sneaky electrician you....he keeps escaping my camera.
So back to the work. Here is Raphael, my electrician. Great guy! Dave is also a power guy, he’ll show up inside. But here is the conduit before getting covered up again. We will have a 1000 amp 3 phase service to the building. Fiber optics will also be included. On a not so exciting side of things, we also have installed a duplex pump system to reach Odell Sanitation which is up the road a few hundred feet. Here is Eric and Rich trenching and setting up the sewer lines.
Sand is used around the lines to protect from penetration.
Finally got Eric to let me take his picture.
I can’t say enough good things about the work Eric Bounds and his crew does. Always completely on top of the job. What a life saver. Thanks you so much. Here they just finished covering up all the utilities.
One more reason to come visit me in Odell, the rainbows!
