Saturday, January 26, 2013

Light a candle! Our baby is a year old!
On January 25, 2012, the first activity by the grading contractor started the construction process. As you can see by the pictures at the end of this blog, we have come a LONG way in one year!

January 25, 2012

January 25, 2012

January 25, 2012

For the next several weeks, there won't be much activity outside the building. But inside, there is a LOT of activity! And things are moving up. Well, almost moving up. The elevator installation is underway, so we definitely will be moving up soon.....

At least one of the workers is moving up! No, the circus did not leave somebody behind when they left town. This guy on stilts is installing some of the metal grid system for ceiling tiles.

 

And speaking of ceiling tiles, that is one of the next major finishing touches on the horizon. The ceilings in the lower level classrooms just need one more official inspection before the tiles are laid in. And in the main lobby (Lower Commons) and upper lobby outside the worship space (Upper Commons), the grid system for the ceiling tiles is almost complete. The sheetrock walls are complete throughout the building, so the addition of ceiling tiles will complete the look.

 

And in the restrooms, tile installation on the walls and floors is complete. Sinks, toilets and partitions are next. And we are "flush" with exitement! (OK--enough of the stupid puns for this blog!!!)

And across the street on the Mammoth Oaks Drive side, work has begun on the parking lot. Obviously this is not the most ideal time of the year to be laying asphalt and concrete curbs, so pray for cooperative weather!

Inside the worship space....WOW! This is where most of the work is centered right now.

A major effort in the Worship Center right now is the acoustical panels being installed on the walls. The bright yellow sections are backing. The tan panels are the acoustical panels.

And a lot of wood trim is being installed everywhere. The gray colored area under the wood trim will have stonework, and that's why this wood trim projects out so far from the surface of the column. The wood trim will be sitting on top of stone trim that is several inches thick.

And one of the last structural features of the Worship Center that is falling in place is the middle of the chancel. The two large rectangular openings on each side of the round window will contain the speakers for the organ and the electronic visual display screens. This area requires a lot of details and coordination between the construction company, the organ manufacturer and the audio-visual supplier.

Eventhough most of the work is inside, the good Lord provided a beautiful winter sky last Thursday, so it was mandatory to take some exterior pictures! And in the near future, you may see activity in front of the main entrance as work begins on the sidewalks, steps and planter areas.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

This week is all about some finishing touches. Although a lot of work has been done, it does not appear to the average person that any major, obvious additions have been done this week. Instead, a lot of the work that has been done now involves finishing details.

For example, the main lobby doesn't appear drastically different from last week's blog. But more of the surfaces are covered with sheetrock and have been sanded. And the worker on the scissors lift is painting the top of the trusses. By next week, in the same picture, you probably won't see any white or blue wall surfaces!

What is shown in the picture on the left is not a final product but is a mock up of the stone facing that will be on the lower portions of the support columns in the lower and upper lobbies. A finishing touch!

Trim work for the acoustical panels on the side walls of the Worship Center is being measured, cut and installed.

As you can see from the grid laid out on this wall, this is a fairly intricate process. An acoustical panel will "snap" into each of the rectangles on this grid.

At a higher point on some of the larger walls, stained divider strips are being installed. One more finishing touch to add to the growing "face" of the Worship Center interior.










And in the enlarged picture below, you can see the detail of some of this stained woodwork and well as some of the exposed wall color. Glad it's a professional making all of those angle cuts on the wood!!!



























And in the large men's and women's bathrooms adjacent to the upper level lobby, the ceramic wall tile has been installed. Not a complete bathroom yet, but a beautiful finishing touch nevertheless!

In the audio-visual technical room at the end of the Upper Commons lobby, the television/movie "blue" wall has been painted.

And in an opposing look at the "finishing touches" scenario, the lower level classrooms just need a few finishing touches to be ready (ceiling tiles, electrical outlets, carpet, final paint).

Friday, January 11, 2013

This week, just a few comments first, and then let the pictures speak for themselves!

• The façade of the building is 99.9% complete.
• The mandatory sidewalk was installed on Lakeview/Mammolake Drive.
• The scaffolds and work floor installed back in September are now gone revealing the full scope of the Worship Center space.
• Our Allen organ essentially is complete and ready for shipment to a Charlotte dealer's warehouse pending installation in our building.

 

Lower Commons (Main Lobby)

  

Upper Commons (Upper Lobby)

Photo Courtesy of Allen Organ Company

Photo Courtesy of Allen Organ Company

The last time that we saw the worship space before the scaffolds and work floor were erected was 09/19/12.
 

Since late September, the view of the Worship Center was either this one up on the work floor under the roof or the one below showing the view from the Worship Center floor.

But now look.........!

 

 

 

Thursday, January 3, 2013

If you don't think that things are busy on the construction site, just take a look at the variety of tradesmen on the job this morning:

 

 

The lower lobby (Lower Commons) is looking more finished with the addition of sheetrock around the columns and divider between the upper and lower floors.

 

The upper lobby (Upper Commons) has cleared out as building materials have been used up

 Inside the red border in the picture on the right, hopefully you can see some of the crown molding detail that has been added. The will be around the edge of the tray ceiling not yet installed.

 

In the upper area of the worship, space, the sheetrock is being finished and painted.

Light fixtures are being installed around the ceiling.

The youth assembly room (The Pit) is a total mess right now as workers spray the ceiling with a black coating.

 



 The light fixtures installed last week in the hallways and classrooms in the lower level are now functional giving the area a bright look.

The front entrance may be bricked by Friday afternoon. This will complete our parking lot "face".

 

 

Bricks on the sanctuary side and Providence Road side of the building have been pressure washed giving the building a great appearance.

 

 NEWS FLASH: The scaffolds that have been in the worship space for months to allow work on the ceiling are scheduled to start coming down next Monday. Check back late next week hopefully for some exciting pictures of the worship space without the scaffolds!!!