This past Weekend.

I already shared with you Friday's work! Now I will quickly show you a few pictures from Saturday before Saturday blends into things yet to come! Right now while I am typing this our flooring fellow is putting down the lino upstairs in our offices. Actually just my office and reception areas since carpet is going in the drafting area and meeting room. That will be next. He should be done in the next couple of days. Then we can march carefully back in and work on some more things without making a mess of the flooring. At least not one we can't vacuum up!

On Saturday Cor worked on baseboard and baseboard and more baseboard. Peter and Kev worked on the "windows" that will top off the partial walls between office spaces. The glass is ordered - should be here really soon (fingers crossed, toes crossed, eyes crossed) - and then those can be installed. The only other accomplishment this past weekend was getting everything tidied up in preparation for the flooring this week. We just might make it! Even though that light at the end of the tunnel seems like it is glaring at us (while we juggle keeping PJB customers happy and actually finishing up our new office) we should be able to have everything done before we actually move in our furniture and files and stuff!



Baseboard! (Saturday)



Making "windows"! (Saturday)

We didn't take any pics of the flooring yet - that will come! But we did get a peek when we went to lock up late yesterday afternoon. I think we will be happy. AND he seems to be careful with the finishes in the suite. That is a relief! We've very little time for fix ups!

Soon!

Few Things Quickly!

It's Saturday morning here and while breakfast is getting on the table I'm writing this blog to fill in the last two days at the Station.

On Thursday a friend of ours Norm and his son-in-law Karl put down the pro-board in our soon to be lino areas. We are putting the same lino upstairs as we put in the common areas downstairs. Looks like hardwood but has the durability (and cleanability!) of lino.

Norm Cutting

Karl Gluing

Then yesterday Peter's brother Cor was here again on one of his Fridays Off from work in Calgary and helped with tons of finishing! (Thanks again Joanne for giving up another weekend of having hubby home!) Here are some pics to show you some of the work completed.

Kinda Dark Pic of the new window trim!

Brotherly Teamwork!

Last door to case!

Cleaning the Skylight over the Stairwell

Yesterday Eugen's Granite Works came and installed the counter on the reception desk. This pic is especially for you Brent!

Breakfast is almost ready. Gotta run here! Til later then ....

Gotta Catch Up Here!

We've been so busy (on top of it we both are struggling with colds!) but I need to take some time this morning to get caught up on some of the things going on at the building. Last week we got the lights and fans installed!! That was really exciting!



Todd, Eric and Lorne (the Electricians!)



Our fans!



Lights over the reception counter

Then this past weekend Kev was home to work again. As well Brent was here to help out. Kirstin needed to be at RDC for most of Saturday so Brent was with us at the station working. Quite a bit of woodworking got done. Peter and Kev worked on more of the wainscotting (installing this weekend) and Brent worked on trims around the tops of the partial walls. Kev is learning lots I think and Brent seems to still naturally know what needs doing and how to get there! His height sure helps too! Just an itty bitty stool to stand on!



Wainscotting on the Reception Counter



Making the perfect fit.

Some areas were so difficult to reach it took all three men to install the piece of wood! Like the area behind the kitchenette that is over the stairwell!! I could barely open my eyes long enough to take the picture! (I'm not good with heights - for myself or watching others.)



It's a long drop below him!

Now this week Peter and I are spending evenings with some final prep work for another blitz this coming weekend! With all this help we are feeling really encouraged that we might actually get everything done before we move in Easter weekend. I even started some packing! Friday afternoons are supposed to be fun - right?

I leave you with this picture taken of one brother by another. Brothers will be brothers!

Oh, So Close!

Hard to believe it, but we will be in our new office building in four weeks! Can count those on one hand now!

Over the past Friday and Saturday TONS of work got done for Suite 201 - that's us! Peter's brother, Cor, came up from Calgary for the Friday and Saturday to help with finishing work. Cor did finishing and cabinetry for a living for many years (before becoming an accountant) so he knew what to do and has available the tools to do it.



Cor all set up to work!

Cor hung the five doors in our suite and did much of the first few layers of "cap" on the partial walls that will eventually receive glass panels. What an incredible dent in the amount of woodworking that needs to happen up there! It really helps to have someone do this who knows just what to do - or can figure it out if not sure right away!

Peter and Kev spent Saturday laying out and cutting out the panels needed for the wainscotting around the waiting area of our suite. With some trepidation Peter and him made the cuts in the fir plywood for the panels. They left for home (to use the tablesaw in the shop) anxiously wondering if enough plywood had been purchased! They came back confident that the amount worked out just fine! Actually Kev had more confidence in his dad than I think his dad did himself.

They also did a few odds and ends of things - like install my Ticket Wicket window!



In it goes! Just the glass and lettering now!

They also installed the blinds in the suites for one of our tenants! We are very happy with the color match Fargey's did for us! Now those spaces look "finished".



And what did I do? I varnished and varnished and varnished! Last week I came down with a miserable cold. First time I've been sick though since before we started this building venture. So we have been very blessed with good health! But I did spend the two days sniffling and blowing and coughing and wheezing. So everyone let me do my thing in my little corner of the world and varnish. Hopefully that way too they wouldn't breathe in my awful germs (as much as I wanted to keep them contained!) and get sick themselves. So far Peter hasn't gotten this and it's been a week or so! Neither of us have time to be sick - especially him!

What's next you ask? We need to get into the building and give the timber trusses one last coat of varnish before our electrician comes and hangs our lights and fans. We picked those up yesterday in Red Deer. You know it is getting closer when the electrician is ready to finish up his work! And the plumber received notice when he HAS to have our sinks and toilet installed. Our flooring is scheduled - Telus knows when to move lines over - furniture is purchased and scheduled to be delivered - still working on some computer stuff - and I can hardly wait to pack!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Last weekend we were busy again with the building. Friday night Peter and I finished building the "ticket wicket window" for my space upstairs and then did some more staining of finishing material at the station. Saturday Peter, Kev and I spent the day staining and a bit of painting. Kev and I stained and stained and stained trim work while Peter did a bit more painting of our stairwell - leaving the walls themselves alone - seeing as they will probably get banged up with the laying of carpet and lino and tile etc. Why paint, fill gouges and repaint again. I guess that means we are counting on dings in the walls during these last stages!



Kev and a job well done!



Just some of the trim we stained!

While we were working downstairs Peter spent lonely hours upstairs (or so he complained) staining the windows. Once again while the weather was good we needed to work on those windows! He muttered and dragged his feet up the stairs to do the two sets of windows at the east and west ends of our office space. I didn't have a lot of sympathy - poor guy - seeing as I had done all the downstairs windows so far with help from Becky on the New Year's weekend. My, that was a long time ago! And there's still more to go!

Doesn't he look happy!

Now that the upstairs office doors have arrived we can get them stained and varnished quick before the weekend when some more finishing will happen! As well our blinds arrived last week. We need to take time to install those in our tenants' spaces. We're in the planning stages of more signage outside - particularily a sign labelling the building as "The Siding 12 Station". We spent some time yesterday in Edmonton checking out office desks etc. Peter is also in the process of completing some of the technical computer requirements for our move in April. APRIL! We are moving next month! Our days, evenings and Saturdays are basically layed out for us for this next month! Work, work and more work. Busy, busy busy! But it is worth it all!

The "Old and the New" or "Before and After"

Everyone loves "before and after"s. At least I sure do! So you will have to bear with me while I spend a few minutes giving you some of our transformations/makeovers.



Peter's been after me to get some new painting runners. I couldn't see spending good money on shoes I knew would hit the garbage as soon as the building was finished. BUT I did finally give in Friday night and bought an inexpensive pair of boys runners to spatter with stain and paint for the final months of this whole big adventure! Before I could change my mind, my old runners (can you guess which ones they were?) were in the dumpster out back. I didn't even have the new ones tied!



OLD


NEW

The "old" in this series of pictures shows the station not long before it's destruction. We aquired a series of pictures from a fellow in Edmonton - Les Kozma. They were invaluable in getting together the final drawings for The Siding 12 Station - as we are now publically known. Our local radio station did a little news blurb saying "we are open for business". And of course the "new" is a pic from the same angle, track side today. Last weekend the "Lacombe" signs were hung and the address sign re-hung. The bright shiny aluminum angle iron holding the signs to the underside of the eaves needed a couple of coats of black paint. That finally got done too so the comparison pictures could be done. One more touch to complete the outside look.

We spent Saturday cleaning the timber trusses upstairs in our offices. With rags in hand and a ladder each we removed the painters tape that had been on them for almost two months. Not a time period I would recommend! But they cleaned up really well and once they were caulked with a nice dark brown flexible caulking, they looked like they are supposed to. Ah! But before we breath too deeply - one to go. The only timber truss left is one that doesn't span more than one room or hang out over a stairwell! The easiest one to do! Some morning this week we'll sneak away from the office and finish it up! Then a one more coat of varnish and they won't need to be touched again except for the occasional dusting!





A few weeks ago someone gave us the biggest compliment we could possibly have received. They told us the building looks like it has always been there. A comment like that indicates what we have been attempting to accomplish with the whole design, money and effort put into this adventure. If you know the architecture of our town you realize this is a good goal! I'm looking forward to not only moving our own business into the station, but actually finishing up the outside with the coming of long warm summer evenings and weekends!

Exciting day at 4892 - 46 Street!

Cheryl moving things into her new office space.



Now officially in business on this side of the tracks!

Today was an exciting day for us! Ray and Cheryl (administrative assistant for Ray) moved into suite 101! Last night and this morning early we got the last little things finished up. You know - things like last of the touch-ups on painting - cleaning! - installing cabinet doors and putting the stained glass panel in Ray's door last night. Peter was really uptight about that one - might be one of the reasons it was done at the very end! We actually didn't pick the panel up from Ray's former office until this past week so no one could "accidently" break it while it was in our possession! We also had the bathroom accessories installed today by Wayne from Janitorial Supplies Plus here in Lacombe. We also installed the three fire extinguishers needed so far. We should be ready now for inspection!

It is a wonderful sense of relief for both Peter and myself to have the main floor finished as far as it can be at this point. Tomorrow is our final inspection for occupancy - which will be one hurdle we will also be relieved to jump! At times like this I am reminded what a big undertaking we have grabbed ahold of! Without support from family and friends and much prayer by us and by them on ourbehalf - we couldn't have gotten this far!



THE door!



One more floor washing!

Now I am excited to get things done upstairs so we can move too!

BRRRR - Winter Carries On and on and on!

For all you readers who are wondering what our weather is like and if it is co-operating for construction - not really! I'm glad we are under cover with furnaces running and lights working! Many aren't in that position yet with their projects here in Lacombe! I'm also glad I spent that week getting the windows done downstairs in 101. Here's what we woke up with this morning! We've had snow for quite a few days now. You tell me where the road ends and the yards begin!



This week - let's see .... Today we should get a town dumpster put on the property for garbage pick-up. We're paying for it now so we might as well have our own dumpster! Late this afternoon Peter and I will go in and do more last little touch up's before Ray and his secretary Cheryl move in on the 15th. We had big plans to have most done Saturday - but after inspecting walls from the carpet and rubber base in suite 101 (Ray's offices) and lino in the hallway and bathrooms being installed we decided one final push for touch up made more sense. Besides we found other things to do. Like having coffee with some friends who chose to come visit with us and sit on carpet with us rather than in a crowded Timmie's. Thanks again so much Norm and Karen! The architectural rubber base for the hallway and bathrooms is supposed to go in today. We are anticipating more "dings"! And if none - then our work is decreased!

So this week - dumpster, bathroom accessories and hallway mat, rubber base, Ray's counter sink, glass inserted in Ray's inner office door (our job!), wall and casing touch ups and re-install cupboard doors (us again!), and final cleaning. THEN we get to work on 201 - new home for PJB Design!



Hallway (minus rubber base)



Little Girl's Room



Little Boy's Room



Suite 101 - Cheryl's Office looking into Ray's

Just thought of a few more things while posting pictures! We meet with the Fargey's rep tomorrow for final measurements on windows for blinds! And we have to re-install the bathroom doors! Can't forget that one!

The Light Grows Bigger

Even though these are not very flattering pictures, they give a very good indication of where we are at in the finishing stages of the downstairs suite and common area! Today and for the next few days the flooring goes down! So in preparation for that the floor was scraped and washed down! Eric and Becky and Brent and Kirstin came to Lacombe on Saturday afternoon to help us get ready for what seems like a big milestone in this undertaking! We couldn't have done it without them!

We've spent the last week or so getting the windows finished up (including washing them!), finishing the touch up on the walls, final coats of paint on the casings, doors and trims installed, cabinets painted and now we have the doors for the cabinet from Ray's office and our suite upstairs at home in our garage and we are in the process of spraying them. It worked for our own kitchen here at home - should work for these few cabinets. Eric spent a lot of time on Saturday tidying up our "working space" downstairs in the building so we are ready for the next phase. When quitting late at night we've just sort of put things away. Needless to say we created quite a conglomeration of tools and paint cans etc. that needed sorting through. He did a terrific job of it. Also he and Kev loaded the truck with boxes and boxes of garbage from the board room which Brent and Eric then hauled off just before closing time on Saturday. Becky and Kirstin and myself along with Peter (when the last of the touch ups was completed) crawled around on the floor scraping off drywall mud and splatters of paint to create a clean smooth surface for the flooring to go down on. Nothing worse than finding a bump under the lino where a glob of something from construction or drywalling has found a permanent resting place!

So while we breathe just a bit easier for the next day or two - we need to keep rolling on the huge stack of fir to be stained and varnished as well as get our suite walls and ceiling painted one more coat. Painting upstairs and wiping down the beams is going to be such a pleasure! Then it will truly start looking like it should! Right now our walls suffer from a mild case of the chick pox. Not too many dings up there needed filling! And I haven't even been up there to see how our cabinets look all finished in their brand spanking new color of River Rock.

A number of people stopped by on Saturday and they like our color choices. Whew! I felt like we were going out on a limb with a number of them. But it seems to be working together nicely. Everybody's baby is the cutest and the smartest. Sometimes we aren't necessarily the best judge of what is working and looking good together. We might just be a bit biased!

So here is one more blog quick this morning before we head off the the building to haul out of the building what doesn't need to stay there anymore and open up the doors for the carpet fellow(s) to give us some flooring and baseboard!! Til later then - toodles!

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!