Switching The Lights

Originally the building had one chandelier that had been repaired about 10 years ago.  The first time it was turned on we saw fire come from it.  We chose light fixtures that would light the room while also allowing light to focus our art work.  All the switches were put on a dimmer switch so different shadows could appear to match the mood wanted in the room.  Electrical was put in the floor in slits so as not to ruin the structural integrity of the floor and remain up to code for the building inspector.  The chimney still needs to be cleaned, but we want to clean it without being told we have to change the chimney to meet new codes.  We’re still figuring that out. We used round door knobs instead of levers to help prevent bears from being able to get in.  We are also planning on adding an Onstar type system for the door knob so we can be let in electronically.  If we’re off site, we’ll also be notified when the door is opened.  Other than those minor final details. The social room is done.  Voilà!

Social Room: Inspections and Windows

The inspector showed up in a bad mood and was unhappy because the builders were not there for the inspection.  Because of that the inspector said it was all wrong and told us the entire room needed to be redone.  Now it is early September. The windows are not done and the floor is unfinished.  Once we rescheduled with the builders, the inspection passed, and even some minor requirements were able to be bypassed like handicap entrance being 36 inches.  Because the outside side door met those requirements we didn’t need the inside doorway to be 36 inches.  We were also able to lose the gutters on the drip edge.  The crew finished the floor, but one small issue was the coloring of the floor after the sealant was applied.  We had to redo it with different sealant. The second group (Mary Wingate) loved the new room and the building.  Now, the race to get the windows installed before the snow began.  With only minor complications, the windows were installed.  One of the windows came with the wrong number of panes, but the window guy was able to replace it that week with the correct window so it would remain historically accurate.  The windows were put in with the storm windows on the inside to meet code still remain historically accurate looking on the outside.  

Social Room: From Floors To Roof

A new floor was not in the original construction contract but because supplies were cheap and the workers had offered just do it for cash, we opted for a new wood floor in the social room.  The floor material is an exact replicate of the original.  One problem with this though is that if you tear up the entire floor, new codes require you to redo the whole floor, which could include a subfloor and foundation or other construction issues we wanted to avoid.  Luckily, we were able to replace just the surface and avoid having to replace the whole floor.  The window company of the original windows still exists so it was easy for us to create replicas of the original windows as well.  We were able to host a high school reunion with an unfinished floor and roof, and while nobody was allowed in the social club room, it looked pretty done.   The next group was coming soon and wanted to use the room so we had a deadline in place. The roof was completed with plywood, an ice and water shield, and then covered with tin on the entire roof to keep water out, which causes the most damage on a roof.  The original roof was constructed of used pieces of wood planks, allowing water to leak through the seams and destroy the inside.  Because the edge of the plywood on the roof was visible, so not historically accurate, we wrapped the ends of the plywood so they looked like the original planks. A beautiful optical illusion.  With a historically accurate wooden drip edge placed on the flashing, the roof was finished. Phew! 

Social Room: Steel versus Wood and Insulation Anxiety

The crew found that the building codes required more insulation than originally planned for, and it created complications because the roof was not made for that.  This again delayed the roof construction.  Building and designing on the fly, the original plan called for glue lamb (wood glued together) or steel beams, yet the budget for steel beams was not there.  Along with the fear around deconstruction, another recurring theme always was the over measuring of the project.  Concern that the steel was too large and would need to be cut down added to the debate around wood or steel beams.  And then how do we move steel beams in a tiny mountain town like Eldora?  Only in Eldora would your neighbor have a crane sitting in his yard ready for you.  So for just $225 (probably a $1,000 job), our neighbor set the steel beams in an afternoon. The steel beams fan out from a point in the middle of the room.  While we could have left the beams exposed on the inside, our goal was to keep the look historic.  To do this we hollowed out the original logs and covered the steel beams.  You’d never know those wood beams were actually steel on the inside.  The electrical had to go in before the insulation which would not allow us to test the electrical before adding insulation.  After finding a company (Echo Base) to blow in the insulation, they drove up with a trailer but no power source.  After more delay, they finally rented a generator, but plenty of time was lost.  The construction company was beyond irked at the insulation company’s lack of preparation—arguments ensued.



Social Room: The Fear of the Dangers Of The Roof

Everyone was worried about the deconstruction of the parts possibly causing the whole thing to collapse.  The most time was wasted worrying about how to take down the beams downs safely.  Finally, after months of ruminating and then lunch, one of the crew members simply brought a power saw and cut the beams.  They actually came down with relative ease.  Deconstruction took 3 people and 3 hours, but planning deconstruction took probably 3 weeks.  Finally the roof was off.  Of course it starts raining at that precise moment.