Construction Blog
Crane sighted at Grandiew, again?
Written by Jenn Desmarais   
Friday, February 17 2012 14:34

A crane came to rest in the front lawn of Grandview last week.  It wasn't a paper crane separated from it's flock, but a construction crane for the project.  The equipment is used to lift steel beams up over the building and into place to support the second floor that will be built over the former Parlor.  6 of the beams have been placed so far.  In the photo below the beam is on the back of the truck.

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The beam is lifted into the air.

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Over the building.

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Being lowered down at the back of the building.

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Razing the Roof to Raise the Second Floor
Written by Jenn Desmarais   
Wednesday, February 08 2012 11:41

This week the roof over the Parlor was removed and all the demolition that goes with that step.  The dumpster is back.  The electricians and HVAC guys have been crawling around the attic all week.  And more details of the elevator have been finalized. 

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The shingles have been removed from the roof over the Parlor and the elevator room.  Notice the safety railing along the edge of the roof.

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Taking down the gutters on the Memorial Garden side.

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Close up of the gutter coming down.

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Notice the chimney and the back wall of the Parlor.
 
Curb Appeal? PDF Print E-mail
Written by Jenn Desmarais   
Thursday, February 02 2012 07:50

The front of the church looks like the HGTV show Curb Appeal stopped by to spruce it up and then left before it was completed.  The shrubs that had grown too close to the building and a little too tall have all been removed.  The cracking and loose brick of the front steps has all been removed and most of the railing, too.  There is a big whole in the side yard.  Quite a bit of loud and muddy work, but not much to show for it.  NOT TRUE.  All of this work is in preparation for some very exciting improvements that will be realized as the project continues.  For instance, the ramp will be extended across the front of the building to the new larger handicap accessible entrance.  The big hole is actually going to be a rain garden ( www.usawaterquality.org) that will collect rain water as part of the storm water management plan for the site.  And the big cement truck pictured below poured the pad in the new elevator pit.

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Brick removed from landing and front steps removed.

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Cement delivered for elevator pad.

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Trees and shrubs cleared from front of building. 

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Building the rain garden in the side yard for storm water management.
 
Built His House Upon a Rock PDF Print E-mail
Written by Jenn Desmarais   
Thursday, January 26 2012 08:32

I think we all liked to believe that Grandview was on solid ground, and now we have the proof.  We did build His house upon a rock, literally.  A few days ago while digging to extend the elevator pit a few more feet to accomodate the new larger elevator (not an elevette) the workers hit rock.  No worries, this created no problems and in fact has already been removed and the concrete for the bottom of the pit was poured today.  Much of the work continues to be "behind the scenes" inside the construction zone, but this Sunday you will notice a very visible change.  In preparation for moving the restrooms on the first floor, the interior windows in the Sanctuary have been blocked up.  I am the first to admit that it's a jarring change, but please remember this is a process and the current "look" is temporary.  We are still in the infancy of this project and the changes, challenges and inconveniences are just beginning.  While we are Building Up, please continue  Reaching Out  to each other and to God.  Grace abounds.


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We built HIS house upon a rock.


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Looking down into the elevator pit from the first floor.


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The pews covered while the windows are removed and blocked up.


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The view from the elevator

room on the first floor.  Workers block up the Sanctuary windows and the hallway windows.


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View from inside the Sanctuary

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Looking from the Sanctuary window towards the elevator on the first floor.  The "courtyard" space between the Sanctuary and the hallway will become the restrooms.
 
Open Spaces PDF Print E-mail
Written by Jenn Desmarais   
Friday, January 20 2012 19:30

The wall between the Gathering Room and the Lobby came down this week.  It was loud and required lots of trips to the dumpster for the bobcat driver.  Notice the beautiful wood ceiling that's been revealed after removing the drop ceiling from the Gathering Room.  The ceiling is in decent shape and saved the project some money.  The same ceiling in the Parlor was removed as the construction team prepares to open the roof to add the new second floor.  The pieces from the Parlor ceiling were saved to make any repairs needed to the ceiling over the old Gathering Room.  Dan Horting (pictured) and Rich Wurst have been breaking in their hard hats on behalf of Grandview this week. 

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Looking through the former Gathering Room towards the doors to the Narthex.

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                                                          The ceiling in the former Gathering Room.

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The Parlor after the ceiling has been removed.

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                                                 Dan Horting, project liason
 
A Peak Inside PDF Print E-mail
Written by Jenn Desmarais   
Thursday, January 12 2012 14:50

Demolition is in full swing this week.  It's been loud and the dust and rubble filled the dumpster at least once.  Below are a few pictures taken from a safe distance.

 
Gathering_room_wall Gathering Room Doorway
 

 
Hallway between parlor and gathering room. looking_down_hall_from_restrooms

 

 
Parlor_WallParlor Wall.
 

 
With Gratitude PDF Print E-mail
Written by Jenn Desmarais   
Thursday, January 05 2012 19:55

Wall of Gratitude Images

Sunday, January 1, we celebrated the gift that the building has been to the ministry and mission of the church and all of God's people.   Handprints big and small cover the Gathering Room wall sprinkled with words of thanks, celebration, and excitement for the future.  The rest of the church is sprinkled with dust. 


Not really, but there is no mistaking that construction has started.  Partitions have gone up to secure the current "construction zone"  Existing doors that open into the zone have been marked NO ENTRY.  In other spots you might just see caution tape pulled across a staircase or doorway.  Please respect all of these efforts to keep you safe. 


What you need to know when you come to church this Sunday, January 8, 2012


The church lobby is not open.  8:15 & 10:45 worshippers will enter directly from the outside into the Narthex and Sanctuary.


From the Sanctuary, the restrooms on the first floor are not accessible.  You can use the stairs to the left corner of the Sanctuary (organ side) that lead to Zerr Hall and use the restrooms in the lower level  OR  you can exit the church and reenter through the Memorial Garden doors to access the first floor restrooms.


The Nursery is open and can be accessed through the Memorial Garden doors.


9:30 Celebration worshippers will enter the building through the Memorial Garden doors.


The Adult Sunday School class is meeting in the room next to the preschool classroom.  There is a sign on the door.  Please use the Memorial Garden doors.
 
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