Tile floor installation started in Readlyn

Another sign of progress in Readlyn is the tile floor that is going down in the restrooms. While work continues on the interior block walls of the main restroom, the smaller single restrooms in the building have had some tile laid on the floors. This restroom is located in the main office. In Readlyn, the exterior brick is 100% complete, and roofing is nearly finished as well. Many of the windows have been installed, and about 95% of the steel stud framing is complete. Now that the steel stud framing is nearing completion, the drywall is going up as well. About 70% of the drywall has been hung, and tapers are working to finish that part of the project. At the last job conference, an interesting distinction was made by the project manager from Larson Construction: he reminded all sub-contractors that we are beginning to shift from rough carpentry work to finish carpentry work, and he stressed that subs needed to keep that in mind as they worked in the buildings. I think that is an interesting distinction, and as we see more and more progress, it's a great sign that we're starting to see some "finishes" in the buildings.

Classrooms taking shape in Fairbank

The image that you see to the left is a picture of the interior of the Fairbank Elementary building. As you can see, workers continue to frame classrooms with steel studs. This work is about 50% complete as of this past Thursday, February 11, 2010. This picture was taken from the corridor. To the right is a classroom doorway; the split panels that you see in the middle of the frame will be covered with glass. The doorway to a neighboring classroom is immediately to the left of the doorway that you see. As you look into the classroom, you can see the progress on the walls, as well as the windows that have been installed. Many of the windows in the Fairbank building have been installed, and the roof is about 95% complete. All those changes make it much easier to control the climate inside the building for workers as they continue to make progress. I was in the Fairbank building last Thursday toward mid-day and it was as busy as I've seen it at that site. People were working to prepare floors to be poured (about 75% of that work is finished), framing classrooms, and masons were continuing work on interior block walls. Electricians are also working to install electrical boxes and run conduit as well. On the outside of the building, progress is being made on the exterior brick. Much of the east side of the building has been covered in brick, and the bricklayers have now worked their way around the to the west side of the building. Even in a matter of a few days, it is truly amazing to see all of the progress that is being made on the building. Remember, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to call me at school (319-638-6711), at home (319-279-3428), or on my cell (563-880-3920).

Sheetrock Installation Begins in Readlyn

With classrooms being framed up in Readlyn, drywall hangers have started their work inside the building. As the classrooms are framed up, the rooms are really beginning to take shape as sheet rock covers the walls. With a completed roof and many windows installed, the interior of the building is tightening up and taking shape. The area of the building shown in the picture is part of the office area. In this area, in both buildings, there will be a main office desk, along with a nurses' office and restroom, principal's office, time out room, guidance office, and conference room. Much of the concrete slab on grade has been poured, but a section in the northeast corner of the building remains. Look for cement trucks making deliveries, weather permiting, in the next couple weeks to finish that stage of the project.

Windows to the World

As you can see from the attached photo, windows are being installed at the Fairbank building. I mentioned in an earlier post that the exterior brick would be continued later this spring, but you'll notice as you drive by that the building has some enclosures on the south end. At this point, the masons plan to continue with the external brick around the building, so you'll start seeing more progress on the exterior of the building once again. The roof structure--steel joists and decking--in Fairbank is nearly complete. The next step will be to cover the steel decking with two sheets of insulation and a rubber membrane. You should start seeing roofers working on that part of the project as well. Inside the building, there is continued progress being made to frame the classrooms with steel studs; as that work progresses, I'll show some pictures of the classrooms, offices, and workrooms taking shape.

An enclosed building in Fairbank

The picture that I've attached is a picture of the interior of Fairbank Elementary. As I've mentioned in previous posts, the studs that are being installed in both buildings are steel, and as they go up, you can get a really good idea of how the rooms and office areas are laid out. That process is beginning in Fairbank now that the building is nearly entirely enclosed. Windows will go in to the building as well yet this winter to replace the plastic that you see in this picture. Exterior brick will be completed later this spring so the progress that we'll see in the Fairbank building will be on the inside for the next few months. Work continues on the inside of the building with the running of conduit, ventilation, and steel studs. The committee that was asked to participate in the selection of interior colors met in December and made some choices this past month with the help of Jill Becker, Interior Designer for Struxture Architecture. The committee, again, was made up of people from the schools' staff and members of the community. We looked at everything from the color of lockers and countertops to terazzo, carpet, restroom partitions, and floor tile, not to mention the colors of paint for various walls within the building. All of these interiors are part of the general contractor's bid; the group worked with Jill to choose colors and materials that fit within that bid.

It has been a while since I've been back...

As you can see from the span between posts, it has been a while since I've been back to update the blog. Fortunately, the contractors working on the school have been more active than I have. In the attached picture from Readlyn, the work continues on the exterior brick of the building. You'll still see a section of the exterior enclosed in plastic; while that was work on an exterior wall a month ago, that is now work on the exterior brick of the building. The goal is to complete the exterior of the brick in Readlyn yet this winter through the use of the enclosures. You'll also see the windows have gone in as well. Many of the windows have been installed. The view of the building you're seeing is the north side of the building, looking to the east.