May 26, 2007 Saturday: Progress on Several Fronts

Probably the biggest news is that a decision has finally been made on the bricks to use for the exterior. Rumor has it that the first load of bricks will arrive next week. Wait-a-minute! In the last log entry my estimates were based on the word that it would take 2 months to get the bricks once they were picked. Could it be that the brick company took one look at our building, knew what we needed, and then went ahead and made the bricks while the decision makers hemmed and hawed? Hmmm...... There were three bricks chosen for the mix. 70% of one type and 20% and 10% of two others.

The block work is pretty much done until they are ready to join the roofs of the Abbey and the addition. The chimney has been one of the last pieces worked on. I think it is done but maybe they are going even higher. They needed to use a pulley system to raise the block up the scaffold. They have also been bracing the chimney with the scaffolding. We will have to wait and see if it is going higher.

The floor of the new stairwell was poured and the first steps photo were dropped in place. Finishing the stairwell is currently priority #1. Once the stairwell is done and the second floor is poured, they can start building the roof at the east end and progress westward. The basement will finally have a chance to dry out. (only one work day lost to rain this week!)

After the stairwell is completed work will shift to the west end which includes the last section of the freestanding wall and pouring the 2nd floor's section that connects the addition to the abbey. Which project will be done first I don't know.

Interior walls have been started! The monks are finally getting a feel for what the their rooms will be like. Closets, restrooms, and doorways are all starting to appear!

Continuous progress is being made. The site has been backfilled so our moat is gone! The masonry work on the 1st floor was completed and by the end of the week the masons will have much of the second floor block work done. They will have to wait though until the second floor connection piece and the last section of the "Free Standing Wall" is poured before they can finish this stage of their work. They might also need to wait until work on the new stairwell is completed but I'm not sure about that.

Rain water continues to rule the basement. The 1st weekend of May we received almost 4 inches of rain which turned the basement into a quagmire. This will continue to be a problem until a roof is put on the building. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks the work will progress to the point that a roof can be built which will resolve the mud issue. Until then mechanical work in the basement cannot progress (plumbing, heating/cooling, electrical, etc.).

There has been some talk about the construction of interior walls being started this week but no sign of it yet. They will use steel rather than wood for these walls. By my estimates the building will not be enclosed until sometime in mid to late August, perhaps not until sometime in September. The bricks need to be ordered, made, and laid before exterior windows and doors can be put in. So... a roof will solve much of the water problem but water will still get in when the wind blows. (Can you say thunderstorm!) Hopefully a roof and dry spell will dry out the basement so mechanical work can be done and the basement floor poured.