Construction Phase II

Week 34 is here, and we're really getting down to the details before move-in. This last week was a lot of punchlist items. First up, the back lot is striped so you'll know exactly how much your neighbor is infringing on your allocated parking spot:

With the PODs gone outside, our landscaping has kicked into high gear. There's a new sprinkler system and we'll have new grass and plantings soon:

We're really winding down construction here in the final weeks, but that means there's a lot of finish details all coming together at the same time. First up is our new LED light for the flagpole. I haven't seen it at night yet, but I'm told we may be getting a visit from the FAA soon:

Carpet is going in on the first floor, including in the house parent apartment:

We're coming down to the final weeks of our renovation, and there's a lot of details coming together. One curveball was courtesy of Black Hills Energy, who installed a new gas line and moved our meter outside as part of their routine infrastructure upgrades. Unfortunately, this puts it right in the front of the house. Thankfully we hadn't finalized our landscaping yet, and we should be able to hide it:

A special thanks to brother Drew Stange for taking care of the construction update pictures while I was out of town. Week 31 brings a lot of finished lighting as the electricians wrap up, starting with new outdoor fixtures by the front door:

Inside, the new lights in the dining room are up as is the lighting in the kitchenette:

Week 30 finally brings a moment a lot of people have been waiting for - the gravel is gone, we have a paved back parking lot:

Week 29 starts off with progress on the last major concrete pour - the backlot. It'll sure be nice not to be parking on gravel anymore. Prep is underway and forming should start right away this week:

The sidewalk and steps to the basketball court have been finished:

A lot of concrete has been poured outside, but there's still quite a bit more to go. The new basketball court is in, and the stairs have been formed up. After that they'll move on to the rear sidewalks and then the back lot:

Since it's Friday afternoon, here's a sneak peek behind the scenes at how this project is kept moving. Every other Friday afternoon there is a site visit meeting with the owners, architects, and contractors to discuss changes, problems, items noticed by us or the architects, or anything else needed to keep the project moving. From left to right we have brother Drew Stange, Scott Stovall from Erickson Sullivan Architects, Brandon with J/K Electric, Tim Donner from Cheever Construction, and Tim McNeil from Cheever Construction. Keep up the good work guys.

Week 27 starts off with the electrifying news that LES has dropped off our new padmount transformer, which will allow us to get rid of our overhead electric service drop. The transformer should be getting hooked up this coming week, so soon we'll have all the new electric up and running:

The electricians had the new fire escape doors open when I stopped by, so I got to try out the new platforms for the first time:

It's hard to believe but in less than two months everyone will be unpacking boxes and moving in for another school year. Our progress in this update reflects that, as you can really start to see parts of the house coming together. For starters, the new front walk and steps gives a great first impression of the chapter house: