October 18, 2007 – Thursday; Fireplaces done, Elevator started.

It is a good thing that much of the focus for construction has moved inside because we have received over 5 inches or rain this week. They were suppose to start dirt work 2 weeks ago but It might be another week or more before they can proceed. Isn't October suppose to be a dry month?

Both the basement fireplace in the dining room and the upstairs fireplace in the community room have been completed. They look great. The brick layers showed true craftsmanship in tapering the community room chimney. They should be able to begin framing the walls in these two areas once they are cleaned up and the elevator is completed. Speaking of which... The piston is installed in its subterranean tube, the rails are installed on the sides of the shaft and the frame has been installed. The power supply for the elevator has also been installed in the basement across from the shaft. It is a good start so far this week!

In the private rooms drywall is being plastered and sanded on a daily basis the only slow down is that they are ripping the ceiling out of the bathrooms to reinstall the heating/cooling vents. They mistakenly put in vents with out sound installation. This redo is going smoothly. Upstairs the dry wall is making very good progress and most of the hanging should be completed by the end of the week. The basement has had some drywall hung and lots of framing done.

Lets hope for dry weather so the ground can be worked and the sidewalks, parking, and road can be done before winter sets in. Also the deck & patio need to be constructed off the dining room and community rooms.

October 8, 2007 – Monday; Exterior Bricks done, New Completion Date Set

The last of the bricks have been set in place on the exterior of the new addition. The masons have also completed their work on the dining room fireplace and are now working on the large fireplace and chimney in the community room. It should probably be done by the end of the week.

Drywall work is progressing fast. They have started taping the private rooms on the 1st floor and are working some on the top floor. The communal areas will have to wait for a while. The only thing that is a running a bit behind is the electrical. It is hoped that with a little extra help they will soon be caught up.

Lower Level
The basement is seeing lots of plumbing and mechanical work taking place. This is sort of the “core” area for this work since the mechanical room is located in the basement. They are progressing nicely. The framing of interior walls is even beginning in the basement.

Dirt Work!
Today they will begin plotting the contours, drainage, and prep work for the parking, road, and sidewalk.

Fire Marshall
The Fire Marshall has determined that we must either put a sprinkler system into the existing Abbey building or build an additional road to within 100 feet of the building. It will need to be large enough for fire trucks to turn around. We have 1 year to decide on which way we want to go. They are both an additional expense we had not counted on. If we build the road, most of the trees in front of the abbey would need to be removed. We also would have the additional loss of our front yard being turned into asphalt. Sprinklers might be preferable but might be cost prohibitive.

Completion - Completion Schedule: PDF file
A new completion date has been determined. It is December 31st. Happy New Year!

September 11, 2007 - Tuesday; Exterior nearing completion

The roof of the addition is now attached to the abbey. The shingles are now all in place. Most of the windows in the living quarters are installed and the brick work has moved to the "community and dining room areas.

Monastic rooms: The monks rooms have almost all electrical and plumbing, and mechanical work completed in the rooms. There are now allot of wires dangling in fuse boxes to be connected. This type work should soon be shifting to the basement, and community room areas.

Drywall: The last of the water damaged drywall and insulation is removed. Soon dry walling should resume after a three week pause to get the building sealed up. This step will take a lot of time, there are a lot of walls and ceiling space to be covered, plastered and sanded!

Other Items: Recently the cap on the chimney was installed so that the last of shingling could be completed. The last steps of the stairwell have been cemented. The floor in the dining room in the basement is getting close to being ready to be poured. That would complete all cement work in the addition. The windows and doors for the basement, Dining Room, and community room are on site and waiting to be installed.

Parking and Road: The current issue is paving. We would like to have our parking directly east of the end of the building. There is some concern we will have to put a drive all the way up to the abbey's primary entrance in the existing building to appease fire officials. We really don't want a road (or its expense) in the middle of our front yard. A front lawn looks best as green grass not concrete! So hopefully something can be worked out.
                                          I've added a Panorama of the south side to Photos Section.