Ready for Rush

We made it!  With a few hectic weeks of work, we wrapped up the key details and delivered the undergraduates a stunning set of spaces just in time for Rush!  Check out the results!

The 2nd Lounge Fireplace will double as a focal point for presentations.

The 2nd Lounge Bar looks great with its new black marble.

The Dining Room really opens up without the extra bump outs.

The Library is all dressed up with its new trim details, windows, floor and radiators.

The extra height paneling in the Annex really helps to bring out the formality in our reception space.

We'll be back through for punch list items in two weeks, but first, Let the Rush Begin!

It just keeps getting better

We are pressing forward on all fronts.  A bunch has happened over the past week.  The millwork continues to go up - the stained wood looks really nice doesn't it!  The LED recessed lights have been installed and really fill the space with even light.  The bar parts are now on site and will be assembled next week.  We are super busy as rush is just around the corner and the place has got to look great when the freshmen arrive.

Mantel now integrated with paneling in the annex.

Dining room paneling and paint is getting very close.  Can't wait to see how it looks with the flooring!

New flooring installation underway in the library.

Bar parts stand ready for installation at the 2nd lounge.

And Now for Some Finishes...

We are proceeding across all fronts in a race to be ready for rush.  The long pole in the tent is the millwork which is underway on the first floor.  The annex gets the full stain treatment while the dining room will be a lower painted version.  On the second floor we've proceeded with the new flooring.  It makes quite a difference compared to the patchwork left by the previous renovation.   

Paneling Underway at the Annex

New Yellow Birch at 2nd Lounge

It shall be green, Very Green!

Plaster is Done

We finished plastering this past week.  It makes a big difference and it's quite a relief to see everything coming together with Rush just around the corner at the beginning of September.  We're pulling the humidity out of the space with air conditioners and dehumidifiers so that we can proceed Monday with paint and paneling.
A quick key to the images.  Plaster surfaces are getting painted.  Plywood surfaces are where paneling is going.
Here's what it looks like now.

Annex - Lots of paneling coming.

Dining Room

2nd Lounge - Note the new door!

2nd Lounge with reduced soffit.

Plaster is Underway!

Hurray for plaster!  Makes a big difference to see where the room actually is.

2nd Lounge looking to Mass Ave

2nd Lounge looking to the Patio

Enter the Windows

While rough inspections were underway last week, we pushed forward with the window install.  These are going to make a huge difference as you can see in part from the photos below.  Historic profiles fit the exterior look, while double panes are going to make a big difference with heating and sound.

With the rough inspections mostly wrapped up, we moved Friday into insulation.  Then later this week we will be underway with the blueboard (for plaster).  Things are finally turning the corner and coming back together!  And none too soon, as Rush is just around the corner at the end of August.

The last of the windows are installed at the Library.

Once fully trimmed out and painted, these are going to look really sharp.

You can already hear the difference when you close the window in the Annex.

Temporary plastic applied Friday in preparation for the new spray foam insulation.

Getting to the Home Stretch on Roughs

We've been slogging through rough work for a while now and it looks like we're finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  For the uninitiated this consists primarily of carpentry, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection.  In each case, we're now at the point where the trade has a day or two left before their inspection.  After that, wall board arrives and things start to change quickly.  We're not far off with our new windows either - they've arrived from the factory and will be brought to the site for installation in the next few weeks once the guys lugging the big metal pipes are gone.

Annex Pool Area - Additional Subflooring Ready

We had originally planned on working with the original plank subfloor with patching as needed.  However after consulting with the hardwood installer this past week, it became apparent that an additional layer of thin plywood was going to be important for stability.  That layer just went in on Friday in the Annex and Dining room.  They'll have it in place in the 2nd lounge early next week.

Dining Room - Additional Subfloor Layer

The fire protection (aka sprinkler) contractor has a few leftover pipes still hear, but they are getting very close.  They have basically all of the new heads in place - most will be concealed which will be a nice change.  They have a day or so left to swap in a replacement valve at the stack, tie in the new heads, and remove the old piping.  Working with new guidelines to tie into the old system has created a few challenges that delayed the project a bit, but we've cleared through enough of that to get the rough inspection done.

New bar platform framed. 

There was a bit of a snafu in the 2nd lounge when the contractor got started on demo.  We had them under contract to keep the existing bar, but to put on new finishes, counter top, etc.  The demo sub was quite enthusiastic.  When Becky was out to meet with the contractor the morning of the demo, she said to the PM, let's go up and look at the bar.  The site super said "we're keeping the bar?", at which point the PM turned to her and said "I guess we're giving you a new bar!".  So our apologies to Richard Perkins who put so much into the previous bar that served us well for the last 20 years!  The new one will at least largely follow Richard's vision including location, sizing, platform, sinks, ice pans, etc.  The use has changed a bit over the years however, so we do have an opportunity to work in a spot for AV equipment and a small podium.

2nd Lounge looking to Fireplace

 Soffits have been reworked to the right.  Most of the electrical is in as as the new sprinkler heads.

2nd Lounge View to Door

Now that the soffits are all straight, the electricians will be back through next week to finalize light can locations.  A bit more framing to do including for the Steve Baker memorial landing going in at the door.

Parking Solution

We normally allocate the rear of the building to parking for construction and WILG during major projects.  Recently with the end of the term things got out of hand and we had to get serious with traffic cones and barriers to impose some order on the situation.

Rough Details Coming Together on the 1st Floor

We are well into the rough framing, electrical and plumbing at the 1st floor.  We're making final decisions on the placement of every last fixture.  On Friday we walked through the space with the millwork subcontractor.  He really knew his stuff.  I can't wait to see what he does for us in the annex and library.  Here are a few visuals from Friday.

We confirmed the trim profiles on Friday.

Annex beam reframed to accommodate new hidden sprinklers, but still gains ceiling height above wall bench.

X marks the spot for the center of the pool table.

Frame for fire cabinet - no more fire extinguishers hanging on the wall.

Tidying Up Some Loose Ends

Since getting our construction permit, the GC and subs have been busy with various tasks that are needed before we can close up the walls.

In the dining room, the abatement contractor was out this morning to remove the asbestos insulation from the old heating pipe that had been hidden in a corner wall.  The exterior wall, now straight, has been framed out a bit to accept insulation and provide a surface for the blueboard that will eventually go up there.  We've also patched up the subfloor here and there.  Remember the squishy spot at the bottom of the spiral stair?  That was actually a poorly done piece of plywood from the original '70s renovation.  No longer!

Abatement Underway

No more bump and ready for electrical and insulation!

Squishy spot much improved.

In the annex we've fixed up the framing a bit.  The exterior wall is prepared for insulation.  Overhead we've been able to tightly frame around the structural beam and to raise the ceiling back up in the space between the pool table and the front entry wall.

Annex exterior wall ready for electrical and insulation.

Soffit reframed and ceiling raised next to pool table.

The library got a full new subfloor on top of the old one to fix numerous bad spots and to bring the height up a bit to match the adjacent rooms.

Whole new subfloor at the library.

Demo Wrap Up and a Mystery

Since the last blog, we've wrapped up the major demolition, gotten the place cleaned up a little, and the electricians have been busy putting in rough wiring.  And most importantly, Cambridge ISD approved our full construction permit this week, so we are clear to move forward with putting things back together.  Here's a quick photo tour.

Dining room looking to spiral stair.  We'll be fixing the "squishy" feel of the subfloor around the stair.

Dining room laid bare.  You can see the new recess LED cans that will provide the primary lighting.

We're getting rid of the bump at the outside of the dining room by scrapping these old heating pipes!

You're bound to find a little something in every renovation.  We'll be remediating this asbestos insulation that was hidden behind the wall.

The library has been cleared.  New subfloor, floor, trim and ceiling going in, but we're keeping the Invictus paneling and shelving.

A Mystery

 In the library subfloor I noticed an odd marking.  It seems to be the letters "U" and "S", or something similar, carved into the subfloor with a nail or drillbit.  Does anyone from Invictus know the story behind this?  It's a mystery to me.

We finally got a handle on the dust situation as well.

The annex bath is safely sealed off and we've got some protection for the back hall and front double as well.  The traffic patterns have been adjusted so that the undergrads don't have to walk through the space except for two very short paths going to the kitchen door and to the front double door.

Feel the Dust!

We are off and running with the work on the 1st 2 floors.  Demo permit in hand, our contractor had a good go at the 1st floor rooms today.  We can at last see what's going on under those walls, though the dust is driving us mad!

Annex Fireplace

Dining Room - Looking to Kitchen and Central Stair

Dining Room - Disposal Underway

Anyone remember the party light system (round II).  Those are the control wires.