Closer all the time!

It's not like I/we've been neglecting our blog! We've just been extremely busy - that's all! Sounds simple enough, but life doesn't feel too simple right now. We are down to the wire here and the finishing is mostly up to us. Peter hired a local fellow (Jason) to hang some of the doors and install casing. This is saving Peter a major amount of time and headache. Just the painting/staining/varnishing is keeeping us hopping! Last week I spent three days at the building working on the window finishing in our south tenant's suite. Hey - the lease is signed - Ray's Prins' office. The north suite - actually that lease is signed too - Canadian Rock Signs/Eugen's Granite Works is being finished off by the tenants, other than the windows. No one touchs the windows but us! Those are all going to be finished uniformly throughout the building - therefore we are doing it! So with those three days at the building and then evenings working on other things with Peter, I really had no time for blogging. Yesterday afternoon we relaxed! Stretched out on the sectional - put in a movie - and went to sleep!

Tonight after supper we spent a brief amount of time at the station before heading back here to the office to work some more. Peter's reviewing drawings with Brent and I'm supposedly blueprinting. My kids keep asking for a new blog so I will make a quick one!

Rock Signs/Eugen's are moving in sometime early next week. Ray Prins will move in on February 15 and we will move in sometime this year! Once everything is settled for the signed tenants downstairs we will continue on our suite. So - the light at the end of the tunnel is growing brighter, but still not bright enough to say "hey let's get packing!"

Today we had some suite numbers installed on the doors!

February 5 the flooring goes in for Ray's office and the hallway and bathrooms in the common area. So that is our deadline to get the "messy" stuff over with.

Tomorrow Peter is meeting with a potential tenant for the last 1200 sf that's available.

The light grows!



Improvised Covering for last second touch up!



Getting Suite Numbers Installed!



Jason working in Ray's Suite.

This Past Weekend!

A couple of weekends ago, we had extra help in the building. This past weekend we had more again! It's wonderful when friends and family pull along side to get this project "ready for occupancy"! On Friday the 12th my brother and his wife - Ron and Bev - came up for the extended weekend to paint and stain and clean and whatever needed doing, including visits at Tim's during coffee breaks! Friday we cleaned up the building (again) and prepared the fir shaker doors for staining. Bev and I carried on with painting the suite entrance doors and priming the door frames while the guys finished putting the last of the trim on the two metal mechanical room doors. Then on Saturday friends Tony and Deb Woods came by and primed and painted the first coat of color on the dividing wall in the south suite. We are so thankful for their help AND encouragement! Peter and Ron prepared a "drying rack" for all the fir casings, baseboard etc that arrived the day before. Then they went at it staining and staining and staining while Bev and I put more color on the doors and frames. And yes! Bev and I finished up the last of the dijon color in our stairwell - or was that Monday? The weekend is a bit of a blur - I just know we got lots done! Thanks Ron and Bev and Tony and Debbie!

Trim is well on it's way to having stain on it - our first coat of color in our suite and stairwell is done - the south suite is fully "colored" - the suite entrance doors all have their first coat of color and the frames for these entranceways are also showing off their first coat of color - the shaker fir doors for the main floor are all stained (thanks Ron for crawling behind them)! Ah! Things are looking good!

Before we get too excited though - we have to keep in mind there are lots more steps to complete before occupancy for our tenants. The north suite is basically taking care of their own tenant improvements - once their painting is done we will go in and add the window trims (and clean the windows!).

Last night Peter built the frame to insert into the southern suite's window between offices. Looks good! Almost ready to paint! And yes - the walls downstairs in the south suite and common area as well as our suite have the "chicken pox". Or rather specks that look like a kid with chicken pox! Peter went around last night filling holes and gouges left behind by workers. Touch up on those "spots" and the walls will be ready for their final coat of color!

We also have power meters! Ya yippee! This past week our electrician went in and activated the lights (we have lights!) and a couple of plugs. He also finished wiring up the furnaces. NO MORE EXTENSION CORDS FROM THE ELECTRICAL ROOM! Feels like Christmas all over again! Funny how these little things bring such excitement. Lorne must be beginning to think I am looney! When you've worked around extension cords running every which way - it is so nice to pack them up!

Here's some pictures from the weekend.



Tony and Debbie painting walls!



Bev painting our stairwell!



Ron prepping doors for stain!



Still more to go!

Thanks so much to all who have come and helped us these last number of weekends - our kids, family and friends! It means a lot and God is using you to encourage us with this year long (by the time all is actually finished) project!

More of Everything Everywhere!

The wall Peter and Kev framed over the holidays.



Ta da! It's drywalled!

This past weekend, once again we had lots happening in the building. It's exciting getting to these finishing stages - even though that means more time commitment again on our part. That's OK - it's getting done. And that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel (no, it is not a train!) is getting brighter each day!

On the weekend Kev and Brent were home this time to help out. Kirstin was in B.C. with her mom visiting her grandmother - so Brent convinced Kev to come to Lacombe and the two of them hung out and helped out at the same time. It was fun for them to work on some stuff together! While they worked on preparing main floor entrance suite doors for painting, Peter worked upstairs adding some color to the now fully primed walls. I put the last coat of varnish on the north suite windows. Now the tenants there will take some time to put in some walls to create offices. Not much is left on that side to complete (on our part that is). All we have left is casing on the windows and clean them (along with the main door) and install a door and doorframe on the bathroom. We need to make sure a toilet is installed by the plumber, the electrician finishes up the plugs and switches and thermostat, the hvac fellow finishes the cold air return so the drywall company can install the ceiling tile. Not a very long list!

The remainder of the building is a bit more work yet! Since the weather is supposed to turn miserably cold later this week, we are making the push to get the furnace work finished. That's a matter of the sheet metal work done and then the plumber putting in the gas lines permanently. I don't mind working with extension cords until the power is hooked up - but I would rather the gas lines were permanent pipes and not temporary flexible hoses. We've been blessed (and it really is a blessing!) with some incredibly warm winter weather so we have managed with the situation so far. We will need our own furnace upstairs real soon though! We've been counting on the heat that naturally rises up - but with heat being directed into the two leased spaces now - we need our own furnace running.

Enjoy these fun pics from the weekend!



Discussing door trim (or when it should be coffee time!)



Installing door trim (while waiting for coffee time!)



Painting on color (wishing for coffee time!)



Varnishing windows (what! it's coffee time?)

We also had signage made for outside the building! How cool is that! One for the center of the building (with the street address) and two for the sides (with the word "Lacombe" just like stations used to do!). Rather than put them on chains to swing in the wind and squeak after a while - Peter is installing them on aluminum angle iron. The one put up on Sat. has to come down and the aluminum painted dark green. That's OK - we have an official address sign now!

P.S. We have phones!

P.S. I forgot to tell you - we have phones! Well not completely! But the phone lines are now run into the building and we have another panel box in the electrical room for the phones! We are still waiting for the registration of the meters to be completed (by Epcor) so they can be installed (by Fortis) so we can have phone lines hooked up into each suite (by Bonanza Electric) along with the plugs and switches and lights.

They brought out a hydro-vac truck to bring the phone lines onto the property. That was just before Christmas!

A Whole New Year!

Here we are - 2007! On January 2, 2006 we had no guarantee that we would be building the station. We were working on the steps to prepare for such an undertaking - but we had no idea at that point we would be where we are one year later! God leaves those things for Himself to know!

Over the "holidays" we did bits more of this and that in the building. A good general tidying up in the building happened one day with the strength of Brent and Kev moving around left over lumber and removing the remaining concrete sills no longer needed. Yes, our sills are all on! This was only possible because the weather co-operated. One day Peter and Kev framed the walls for our southernmost tenant. While they did that I went around preparing windows for staining. Holes needed filling, drywall mud needed removing and windows generally cleaned up for the next step.

Over the New Year's weekend (Saturday and Monday) Eric and Becky came visiting with the express purpose of helping us in the building. While the guys worked upstairs priming all the walls in our suite, Becky and I stained and put the first coat of varnish on the windows in our northernmost tenant's suite. That's eight "man" days in two! We made a nice dent into the finishing process of the building. Prep work always seems to take so long! Wiping down walls, cleaning up the floor, taping off the beams to protect them from paint, blocking windows with extruded foam to keep the cool air out while windows were removed for staining/varnishing.

All the help we get is muchly appreciated - believe me! Working with two is more fun - counting the trains going by - imagining where they are going - pretending they are really circus trains. Yes, us girls were getting pretty tired downstairs by the time the imaginary circus train flew by!
We know there is a long way to go yet - especially with our area upstairs with lots of fir trim woodwork - but we know we will move our office THIS YEAR!



Maybe the ceiling will paint itself if we put the paint up there!



What do you mean there's no paint fumes up here!



Lots of painting around the beams!



Improvised scaffolding! It's a long way up!



Varnishing windows waiting for the trains to go by!

Short and Sweet!

This afternoon I am going to try and get another posting done. It will have to be short and sweet, seeing as there is only a few days left before the weekend and the kids come for Christmas. My "to do list" for those days is L-O-N-G. So - enjoy the pictures at least!



North Lease Space - Heating Ducts!

Southern Most Lease Space! Painted Walls!



Our Mechanical Room. Our furnace ready to go in!



My office looking towards Peter's!



Peter's office looking towards mine!

The heating distribution system is well underway. The T-Bar ceiling grid is being installed downstairs today and tomorrow. One coat of paint is on the downstairs walls in the common area and in the two lease spaces. The North space is being taken care of by the tenant and we are hired to take care of the south leased space. We are also taking care of our space and the common areas - painting and finishing! Brave souls! Delicious colors have been picked for most of the building developed areas. Dijon upstairs - Wild Mushroom in the south space downstairs! It's amazing how many food names show up on paint chip samples from Benjamin Moore. We have used Creekside Green on the common area walls to go along with the River Rock for the doors etc. Picnic names! We are in the process of ordering our finishing packages. Exciting days these are!

Speaking of being busy - this pic shows one thing we will have to learn to live with being on the opposite side of the tracks! Appointments, errands etc. all wait no matter how busy it is when the train passes by!

CP Christmas Comes to Lacombe

Yesterday the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train came to Lacombe. The train visits communities along the line with entertainment from Santa Claus, Cornelius the Beaver (CP mascot) and local singing artists. The show is performed from a specially designed boxcar complete with stage, lights and speakers. I'm sure you could hear the entertainment all the way across town! The most important reason the train comes to these towns is to gather people together and have each community take in donations (cash and non-perishable food goods) for their own local food bank!

Since they came to Lacombe in the late afternoon the sun was still shining. The lights on the train were not quite as visable as they would be in the early evening. SO, off to the next whistle stop (Ponoka) we raced to catch a glimpse of the train in the dark.







When all was said and done we went out for supper with two other couples (one with young kids) and had a super time together! What a wonderful diversion!

More Changes

Things are still changing at the station - even if I am tardy in posting those changes. When our children start saying "when's there going to be another blog?" then I know it's more than time to take care of updating our site!

The biggest changes that bring the biggest sense of satisfaction to us probably are the changes in utilities. We have the main power service pulled into the building now. No more running electrical cords into the building from the panel box out by the street!! Yah - yippee! Also we are heating the building now with two out of four furnaces and some improvised and temporary systems of moving that heat around. No more propane heater!! Yah - yippee!



See the posts cut off where the temp. power was?



Ta Da! One meter - for now! BIG box is the main disconnect!



Propane tank on track side. Hauled out Saturday!
Sorry, no picture of the "fiery beastie" inside!

Drywall is done - most of the taping is finished. Some of the electrical is done. BUT it won't be until the new year when Epcor will create the remaining accounts for the other electrical meters. We only have a "house meter" right now. The house meter records the power for the electrical room and the outdoor lighting only. We have roughed in plugs etc. but no actual power 'til the new year! Epcor sets up the accounts for the meters for the suites, Fortis goes in and installs the meters and then either the electrician or Epcor or Fortis - or maybe all three stand there and "flick the switch"! Who knows! Peter does I'm sure - but he is on the phone and I won't ask anymore silly questions! And the whole process seems so silly! The joys of privitization I guess! The same sort of hoopla happened to get the gas meters functioning as well. Only we dealt with Direct Energy, Atco and the plumber. What's going to happen with the water and sewer! Haven't even thought that far. And Telus won't pull the telephone line into the building until a month from now. Then individual tenants have to call to have their own service to their own suite switched over. Some of the little (?) frustrations with utilities! But hey - we're making progress as you can see by the pics! Yah Yippee!

Just a Movin' Along.

UPSTAIRS



DOWNSTAIRS

Slowly - bit by bit - we are seeing some progress. When so many trades are working in the building, and some of them are doing the work "piece work", we have the building open each day for someone. Tomorrow morning the drywall boarders want to come into the building to work. Seeing as tomorrow is Saturday, we are somewhat surprised, especially considering the hours they usually seem to be working. I'm beginning to find out when some people do "piece work" they do enough to keep peace! So this surprises us somewhat - but hey! if someone wants to come work on Saturday we won't stop them. Last week we opened up the building at 7 am Saturday morning for the insulators. They only worked until noon - but they worked! Besides, that gave a big jump start on our weekend plans. It's amazing how much you can get done when your day starts at seven in the morning!

So where are we at you ask? Upstairs in our suite the drywall tapers are busy doing their thing. Downstairs the insulator is finishing up (unless he is done already now today) and the drywall boarders are working away (hopefully) at the "lid" as they call it so we can blow the in the south side of the building. All that means is getting the drywall installed on the ceiling so the blown in insulation in the roof space (lid as I am hearing it called) stays in place. We are not blowing anything up!

Speaking of "blowing up"! No - we are not blowing up the building! But - we do have a publication from 1967 that has some pictures in it from the October 11, 1911 explosion that happened to the Lacombe CP station. By looking at the pictures and some others from the "downtown area" we have made a really interesting discovery! Sorry, no pictures, but we are in the process of contacting the Lacombe Globe for copies of the pictures used in this centennial publication. Our discovery? Read on!

A bit more history of Lacombe stations will help you understand the pieces we are putting together and our discovery! Originally the Lacombe station was a boxcar. Many small towns had these converted rolling stock for their first stations, seing as they were readily available and on quick notice for a rapidly growing rail line. (Rolling stock is the proper terminology for railway cars. We have our sons to thank for their persistant prodding to use the correct name for these things. And the actual wheel assemblies on the rolling stock? Those are "trucks". Thank my boys for that one too! But back to the history!) After the boxcar station, Lacombe had a style of building for their station that resembled a two story house on one end and an attached freight shed beside this two story structure. They called it a Type 2 style station. While it was still in use, the CPR was building the station that many of the townfolk in Lacombe remember - the station we are presently replicating- further south on the trackline. This gabled structure being built didn't sustain any notable damage in the explosion that occured in the Type 2 station still in use. Three men were injured though and one man died from his injuries received on that horrible evening in October. The apparent cause was from photographer's flash powder being transported in a trunk sitting in the freight room.

This building (Type 2) was located straight across the tracks from our present site! Imagine that! We are closer to the first site of the first real building than we realized! How cool to stumble upon this information while reading this centennial booklet. If we can get our hands on some pictures - or some digital reprints of these pictures - we will certainly post them!

We wait!

BBRRRR! This morning the radio said minus 30 with a wind chill of minus 41. Quite a wake up call - especially since it is still November!

The building is partially insulated. The more it is sealed up though, the harder it is to use the propane heat. Yesterday we came and it was cranked way up. It was warm in there! Needless to say we turned it down. But then the workers have been complaining of sore eyes and throats. Propane heat! I think we will be seeing less work done until those furnaces are popped in. We are going through the paperwork hoops to have that done. Atco needs to approve the gas lines to put on meters and Direct Energy needs to finish registering the lines (which we've requested twice now) to approve the installation of the meters. Everyone needs to do their part to make it happen and we need to wait patiently!

Power should be pulled into the building today. That will help get the furnaces going. Have not heard from the sheet metal company though! We reach them through the plumbing company since they are a sub-contract to the plumbing and heating company. And the owner of that company is impossible to reach - so we talk to one of the office personal to get in touch with the sheet metal fellows who actually will drop in the furnace units. Everyone needs to do their part to make it happen and we need to wait patiently!

Like I said - it is cold! We need heat to keep the work going! Everyone needs to do their part to make it happen and we need to wait patiently! We pray for patience!

A Week Later!

I think we have recovered (for the most part) from our unplanned window repair. We've yet to have the actual work done and receive a bill - so there may be a bit more "recovery time" needed yet.

In the last week lots of things have been happening inside the building. Roughed in plumbing and gas lines are almost done. I think the plumbing company has been the winner in the "let's hold things up" race. I seem to remember this being a much too common occurance back in Peter's former commmercial construction days as well. Maybe things haven't changed that much in all these years. Although this has given Peter time to take a number of pictures of the work before the insulation and drywall stages. These pictures I won't post - they are strictly for the record in case someday we are altering things for tenants. They are not that interesting - unless of course you are a plumber. And if you are - my apologizes then to your trade for my comments. Hopefully you personally are not in the running for the above said prize!

Our electrician installed three temporary lights outside - partly for security but also so we could choose which style we ultimately want to see on the building. We decided quite quickly the one we want to go with. But I keep forgetting to get a nighttime picture to publish in a post! Again - no picture!

The electrician Lorne and his son Todd were in the building today running wires. This I did get a picture of! In this picture you get a bit of a feel for the height of this lease space downstairs. We are putting in a dropped ceiling though! Maybe someday it will all be opened up for the tenant who wants to have a high vaulted space! The t-bar ceiling will be installed at 10 feet. Imagine a line running about one foot above the top of the window. That's where the final ceiling height will be!



Our electrician Lorne

We have a super electrician on site! I'm glad we hired him - Peter is too. It's a small company but we get excellent service!

We have insulation upstairs! What a difference in warmth this makes! It can be nippy downstairs and after a short walk up the 20 stairs you find yourself in a nice warm and quiet office space! We noticed immediately the difference with outside sounds coming in - especially a north bound train whistle. Once the insulation was installed, we could carry on a normal conversation upstairs even with the train announcing it's arrival. We knew this would happen - but it's very reassuring to actually have it happen! It will be wonderful to have the same for the main floor! Soon!

So what else has been happening? Plumbing - I mentioned that. Electrical - I mentioned that too. Insulating upstairs - yes. Ah! Upstairs. Peter and I have been busy up there too. Those stained beams I mentioned last posting. They needed a coat of varnish before the drywall board goes on. So Saturday Peter and I were up there varnishing! But not before we had numerous errands in Red Deer and the installation of the metal door frames for the main floor to take care of.

We were awake early (as usual) on Saturday and by 8 a.m. were picking up the door frames from a warehouse in Red Deer. From there we went to Peavey Mart in the city as well to purchase the remaining chain needed for our "downspouts". We are not using conventional downspouts that return back to the building. We are using 1/2 inch chain that will rust in time - probably sooner than we think! Hopefully "rusty" chain will be left untouched! From there we went to the Lighting store and ordered our upstairs fixtures. By shortly after 10 we were heading back to Lacombe. It helps when you know what you want!

Before we varnished the beams we installed the door frames. Seven in all. It only took two hours, with much appreciation for an excellent framer! Next time we see him we will have to thank him! When all was said and done, Peter admitted to me he had never installed a door frame like that before! We did the outside door to the electrical room - but these inside doors were different. He knew in his head how it should work - but had never done it before. I wonder how many other things he hasn't done before but waits til afterwards to admit how much of a greenhorn he was! I knew I hired the right General Contractor! Not afraid to try!



My General installing a door frame!



We have insulation upstairs!



Ready to drywall upstairs!

So now if the plumber will finish up the rough-ins and the electrician wind up his work we can carry on and get some heat to stay in the building! That is that plan! And a good plan it is when the thermometer is dipping lower and lower at nights and the winds blowing out from the north grow colder and colder each day!

Difficult Day

TODAY

This is a bit harder post to write! Today we arrived at the station site to find out we had been vandalized overnight. After the necessary calls to police and insurance and window companies - we basically cleaned up the broken glass, boarded over the broken windows and now need to confirm with Loewen a repair to six segments of windows. This act and some telltale evidence has shown it to be a repeat of vandalism that has happened already in town recently at another construction site. We've done all we can do. We need to be more faithful in praying a "hedge" around the site when we drive away at night.

How can we be thankful in this?

The number of weeks those brackets and beams sat out on the lot and didn't receive any damage (willful or unintentional)! How can we not be thankful!

The amount of damage that COULD have happened last night and didn't! How can we not be thankful!

Why this didn't happen already when you almost come to expect it? How can you not be thankful!

What if it was something that could not be repaired? How can you not be thankful!

What if theft was also involved? But nothing was taken! How can you not be thankful!

There are no pictures from today!! We left it to the police to take the pictures!


THE LAST NUMBER OF DAYS

On to another "train" of thought - pardon the pun!

We have lots of trades working on the inside of the building these days! We met with the electrician (Lorne Green) today to discuss moving along with that element of construction. So that is on the horizon! The drywall boarders are in boarding the mechanical rooms so the plumber and electrician and sheet metal fellows can all get in there and do their part towards PERMANENT heat! Today the "gas man" (Dameon from Civic Mechanical) is running gas lines and preparing for furnaces. The sheet metal fellows were in there getting some duct work done to carry the coming heat from the furnaces around the building.

Last weekend Peter and I spent part of Saturday upstairs staining our timber trusses. We are truly happy with the transparent stain we had mixed up for us! The grain of the wood is not lost, yet they are darker - which we wanted for more of an antique look. Out of the six, four are done being stained and we need to stain two more. Then one coat of varnish before the drywallers put on the drywall upstairs. I DO have some pictures from the weekend!



Getting ready!



One is done!



It's a long way up!

This week yet? I think we get insulation somewhere along the line. Plus more of the ongoing work downstairs.

Pray for us and the project - to remain true to Christ, and not become discouraged in this endeavor. To remain level-headed in moving forward with setbacks. To remember - always - to give Him thanks!

They're Back!

They're Back!

Our favorite framer and crew are back! Actually, they are our only framers. We were so happy when they agreed to come back and frame the main floor for us! They are almost finished - just a bit more to finish up in the morning and we are a go for our heating/plumbing and electrical. It will be nice to be done with temporary power and heat! Then insulation and drywall and then painting, finishing, lighting and flooring. Sounds simple - much simplier than I'm sure it will be - but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Once all the walls that can be framed for now are done we have a chance to get in their ourselves and do - what else - CLEAN UP and prepare for the next step.

Today we (Peter) met with one of our future tenants to go over finishes etc. (See picture of their space.) Since we are at this stage of the planning, the proverbial light glows a bit brighter! We were also able to share the building with a couple of people today - a contractor Peter has done business with for years now, Lyle Ohlerking from Lakeland Building Contractors and good friends John and Brenda Hand. John and Brenda were driving by and stopped since they saw me out shoveling away some ice build up in the front. (We actually got warm enough today to do just that!) We love it when people pop in to say "Hi" and we can share our adventure in person with them!

70 % leased. Doesn't that sound wonderful? For us it is an answer to prayer! Only two spaces left of about 600 SF each. Or they could be combined for a total of around 1200 SF for a larger office space for more people in one business. They are side by side so there is a choice. (See picture of unspoken for space.)

God has been so good and we've been so blessed with this "adventure"!



Framed Main Floor Walls! (Unspoken for space)



From the "Board Room" looking towards our stairs.



In office space of future tenant.

Concrete!

We are getting concrete poured today inside the station! Late yesterday afternoon Peter and I (mostly Peter) set up a heater inside and some fans. With the weather we've been having lately we would never be able to pour without some added heat. Needless to say - both Peter and I were awake early this morning wondering if we should go over and check things over! This is well beyond my comfort zone and stretching for Peter as well. We waited though until 7:00 - when we were supposed to be there to open up for the siding fellows to get their stuff out of the building.

This morning Kevin Braun and his crew (8 fellows) were inside warming up boots and waiting for the concrete truck to arrive. We had to hire a pumper truck again. With the doors opening and closing continually, the air cooled down a fair amount. I went upstairs to our suite to check out the temperature and it was nice and comfortable up there. I even had to pull off my toque! The son of some friends of ours was working with Kevin this morning, Daryl Ward. While chatting with him we found out Daryl knows Kevin from church. Cool!

In the first picture you can see the pumper truck getting the hoses set up for the pour before the concrete arrives. In the second picture notice the gable end finished until we can get it stuccoed next spring. It was so neat to see the batten boards go on yesterday! (The other side is being done today.) It looks more like what we have been envisioning with the gable being finished this far. In the third picture you can see the pouring inside of the slab. Notice the steam rising off the concrete!









If all continues to go well the framer will be in there tomorrow working on main floor walls. We have another trip to Red Deer this afternoon to pick up one more heater! An electric one this time - the last one Action Rentals has available! Just like insulated tarps, heaters are going to be in big demand now too!

It will be so exciting to walk on a main level concrete floor! I can hardly wait - but I promise not to be too quick about it and leave footprints behind!