Week 8: Hot, hot heat

The next step on the construction ladder was to lay the insulation and wire mesh for the new in-floor radiant heat system. This is one of the exciting changes we have been able to make to our workshop as a result of the whole tornado experience. One has limited options when heating a wood shop, due to concerns about dust, so radiant heat is the perfect solution. It is very energy efficient and will keep everything at a comfortable working temperature during our cold, snow-belt winters. Here are some images of the process.

Rigid foam insulation was laid onto the compacted soil surface of the new addition and directly onto the concrete of the old foundation. Next, a layer of thick wire mesh is added which will allow the piping to be anchored flat.

During this phase, the groundwork for the plumbing also needed to be completed before the final concrete floor was poured.

A portion of the old concrete foundation was removed to accommodate our new CNC router, which needs to have a special thickness of foundation underneath it to help limit any possible vibration. The construction crews cut out and lifted the section of concrete, insulated the hole, and then laid the heat piping so that it dipped down into the hole and out again.

The snaking grid of in-floor tubing is quite a sight over the entire surface of the foundation. Another check mark achieved on the construction to-do list!

Week 7: Smooth as a baby’s bottom (part 1)…well, almost…

The next task was to lay insulation against the foundation walls and backfill the trenches.

The in-filled surface needed to be compacted and smoothed out as much as possible, to prepare for the next step – the laying of the concrete floor.

I know it does not look like much, but just seeing this smooth surface and knowing what is coming next, has made us so happy with our progress.

Week 6: Shaking the foundations

It has only been 6 weeks and the rebuilding has started! We are thrilled with the progress we are making. Now, if only Mother Nature will cooperate - I think she owes us one, don’t you? Please keep your fingers crossed for a dry autumn.

The first job was to get the ground excavated for the new addition and to have the footings poured, as well as some minor touch-ups to the old foundation. The excavators that took down the remainder of the old building were a little over-zealous at times.

The week started off with rain on Monday (very disheartening), but luckily Tuesday cleared up enough to start the work on the footings. The trenches were dug and the concrete forms created.

I was not sure how long this whole process would take, but in only three days the forms were coming off and the new foundation footings were complete!

Week 5: Getting ready to put shovels in the ground

Thomas and I had a pleasant surprise visiting the building site today (Saturday) when we found Frank Domm busy marking out the foundation in preparation of the start of construction next week. Walls were laid out and annotations about what was to stay and what was to be removed helped to make us feel like this building may actually start taking shape!

We were particularly pleased to see this next image, the markings for the machine pad for the most exciting new addition to our workshop - a new CNC router. More on this in the coming weeks!

Week 5: The building contract is signed!

Let the fun begin! I cannot believe it is only five weeks since the tornado struck and we are taking the plunge and signing on the dotted line. We have hired a local company, Domm Construction, which has been in business since 1985 and is well known in the area for their quality construction. Frank has agreed to make it part of the contract that we will be able to start accessing the building in December to move in and set up machinery, so we feel extremely relieved to have a target date in our sights. Construction will start next week, weather permitting!

Week 3-4: Plans for the new building

We are getting excited because plans are being finalized for the new workshop. We have decided to look on the bright side of this whole experience and take the opportunity to build a larger building. We are adding 1500 sq ft and will also get a chance to implement the many improvements that we have been planning in the past few years. Here are some of the working plans.

The outside of the building is utilitarian (it is a workshop, after all) with a nice array of windows to let in natural light. The walls and roof will be clad with dark grey Galvalume corrugated metal. 

We decided to move the overhead loading door to the east side of the building for easier access. Although I must say, I was always impressed at how the various freight and supply company’s drivers were able to manouever their large tractor trailers back to our old loading door. You can also see the 2 man-doors (that’s builder-speak for a regular hinged door) that will allow access to the main workshop area and the new back addition.

This is a plan view of the main workshop floor. You can see the new rear section that will house a separate finishing room, assembly and pack/ship area. We are particularly excited about the new finishing room as this will really improve our efficiency and ensure an even higher quality product. We have also gained some valuable storage and work space in the northeast corner of the shop.

This is a plan view of our office. It is quite similar to the layout we had before with a large open plan space, a small kitchenette and bathroom, and an added window on the east wall to help with air circulation. 

Week 2: Tearing down what remains

While it was hard to see the damage done to our building by the tornado, for some reason it was even harder for me to see the remains of the building being taken down and hauled away by the debris removal company. While I know that we could not salvage what was left, the high-hoes and dump trucks had a certain finality about them.

We always thought it was fitting to have a log building, seeing as we specialize in wood furniture, and so we were sad to see that chapter of our company’s history close. It was important for us to keep focused on the fact that once all the debris was removed, we had a clean slate on which to build our new workshop.

The following are a series of images as the high-hoes took down the last remnants of the building on a beautiful, blue-sky day.

The ironic thing is that our dust collector, the blue tower-like structure in some of the pictures, is the one thing that appears to have survived the tornado unscathed, even though it was located outside the building - strange how these things play out.

And here is the site, with all the debris taken away, a blank slate on which to move forward.