FEELS LIKE FALL FOR REAL

This morning we all woke up to much cooler weather and a great cool breeze that certainly reminds us the summer is well on the way out and that our Fall (such as it is) has begun. But most of all I was delighted to see the clear sunny skies so that we might return to work at MCHS.

The truss work is now complete. We were very concerned that we may have to wait a long time for the steel and trusses since they are currently in high demand and very short supply. But due to some serious pleading and the persistence of your project manager Dale Buchanan we were able to get them all in a timely way. The skeleton of the school is now complete.


With the trusses in place over the new space we are able to begin the installation of the roof decking for this area. We expect the decking to be complete today. This will allow the roofers to begin the installation of the underlayment and the ice shield.

They have nearly completed the new roofing with the exception of the shingles for the old part of the building. The new roof will not be black. That is the ice shield you are currently seeing. But doesn't the new facia look crisp!

The inspection of the electrical underground will be rescheduled. All the water in the trenches has to be removed before that can be done.

Inside the school the plumbers and electricians continue. Another great day!

Rain

Well we can't complain because we have been so lucky with the weather but we will see little progress on the site today due to the rain.

But off-site the work continues. We are completing the designs for the custom entry unit (the front doors and large transom window above) as well as meeting at the school with the fire and security alarm company.

We also received a great report on the progress of the cabinetry for the classroom kitchens. It is well underway. In fact we will soon be adding an additional storage container at the school to accommodate all the cabinetry that is coming out of the mill shop as well as the fixtures and fittings that are beginning to arrive.

So while there may not appear to be much happening, in reality there are lots of people working on the project, rain or shine. If it clears (as the weather man says it will) then we can be back in full force on Tuesday. Cross fingers!

WIDE OPEN SPACES

Project Manager Dale Buchanan sends along this photo today showing the removal of the last bits of rotted decking on the north face of the roof and the beginning of the new, heavier deck material for the roof. There were so many layers of roofing installed, it is not hard to understand how difficult it was in the past to pinpoint any roof leaks that did occur.


While bringing in a lot of natural light into the new classrooms was an important goal of the Board of Directors of MCHS, I don't think they quite counted on this much light. This really shows what a great thing engineering is. The individual components that make up a structure may not be very sturdy as a stand alone material but when they are connected properly they hold a tremendous amount of stress. Here is a view to the sky in Miss Lynne's classroom.

The old fascia (the wide green band that surround the gable and eve portions of the roof) is being replaced. When the drip edge (wide metal cap under the metal roof) was removed, the rot that we found was alarming. The fascia is being replaced with cement fiberboard in a slightly greater width which is more in proportion with the building. Even without paint, it looks better already. The material will not rot, feed termites or other insects and holds paint beautifully.

The soffit (the wide flat area which overhangs the porches) had fallen away in many places and was suspended over these areas. While never in danger of falling, it did warp badly. It takes several men, as you see here, to raise it up into place and properly reattach it. The old soffit vents are being infilled from the back side of the soffit. In the past these allowed air to circulate to help cool the attic. However, the Board determined that it would be far more effective to dramatically increase the energy usage in the building by insulating the bottom side of the roof deck. These will keep the attic space much cooler and remove the need to have insulation placed directly on top of the celing tiles. While a common practice in the past, it is drafty and not a responsible approach to take to construction.


The choices of materials and systems have all been heavily researched to provide the best possible environment for the students of MCHS. We are certain the students, parents and the entire MCHS family will be delighted with the new building.

Next week: Exterior carpentry continues along with electrical, plumbing and mechanical roughs. The decking will be completed and the roof weathered in.

BIGGER AND BETTER

The work continues on several fronts today with plumbers, carpenters, electricians, roofers and your project manager Dale putting in a very productive day.




A few of the trusses were damaged during shipping. The replacements arrived today. The timing was great since the roofers began their demolition of the undersized decking. Demolition is a bit like archeology. The green metal roof you may be familiar with had formerly been installed in its natural galvanized finish. Beneath the galvanized, we have found three layers of bright green rolled roofing as well as one layer of rubberized green paint mixed with sand. The weight of the layers is so great that we were only able to fill a dumpster 1/3 of the way least we exceed the weight limit for the container.

The windows for the rake ceiling arrived and have been installed. Now that they sheathing has been put in place it is much easier to see exactly how terrific the new reception space will be.

The windows as seen from outside. This is one of the few details we were waiting for to enable the stucco men to proceed.

Here is a view you may not have seen before: the BAC entrance from the playground.