Framing: The Design Takes Shape

David's framing work is moving along. It's excellent. It's exciting.

I'm standing here on the second floor near where the bathroom will be looking toward the front of the building. Above you see the suspended hallway; the stairwell up will be to the left of this photo, and the open loft cutout to the right.

The framing header that is going across the photo is a steel I beam with wood in the middle to frame against. The beam is attached to the walls with anchors that are bolted in.

The woodpile to the right is material to be reused.

Below is another view but now from the 3rd floor (same back wall but now opposite corner). Here David is walking across the hallway; stairs will be to his left. Stairs up to this floor is the opening below his feet. Notice above, a framing structure where he is beginning to frame the opening to the rooftop. I think it's gonna be real cool having stairs stacked. The view from the top clear to the bottom will be very excellent.

Note, the new floor joist you see were required because the old stairwell used to come up here. So, the need to frame that opening, and non-code framing from before required completely new framing to go in. Every other joist will have another attached to it making the floors more rigid.

The New Train Station

Visiting the new train station makes me:

1. even more excited for Durham's potential and
2. wanting to ride and encourage transportation by rail

The place is beautiful. The train pulls up under a metal awning, with awning escorting you to the door of the station. At the door is signage welcoming you to Durham. The outdoor signage is plain in an old school, yet new kind of font. Very simple. Very cool. Inside (photo) the place is awesome in the same juxtapositional (sp?) way. The place seems like it could have been there for 100 years, yet you are certain it's new.

Old photos hang on the back wall showing Durham architectural, train and cultural history. Simple signage shows the Amtrak route and fare options. Benches beg for you to read the paper while donning hat and trench coat.

Thanks, Durham. Thanks, Amtrak. All aboard for a day in Charlotte.

Framing: 3rd Floor Loft has begun

Framing is underway on all floors. Here is a view from the second floor rear, looking toward the front.

The large opening is the span width for

1. 1) my open loft which will be from approximately the metal "bridge" you see across the middle over to the right wall and
2. 2) stairs from this floor up to the 3rd. These will be on the left hand side (as you are viewing here).

1. More photos of this to come. Here I'm standing on a ladder 16' up from the ground floor. I feel fortunate to have snapped this photo successfully......
   

Eno Festival Weekend

Is it graffiti when you write "Hi Mom" on the sidewalk in chalk?

The weekend weather was perfect for the Eno Festival. 4 stages with bands playing rock, country, blues, and bluegrass. There were dozens of artist displaying their wares: pottery, painting, photography, metal sculptures and the like.



Kim and I rode bicycles up to the Eno, which made even the journey fun. Only 2 sketchy points in the trip; one crossing Duke Street and the other Roxboro Road. I've written to organizers asking them to consider posting their suggested bike route next year.

Kim is standing in front of a bike some person fashioned into a camel.


Here's the real reason for the Eno Festival. Entrance fees go to preserving and purchasing land in the Eno River basin. Here is a man-made dam with tree trunks used to climb and dive from.

Great fun.

New Term: LVL - Laminated Veneer Lumber

Last week the LVL's went into the first floor ceiling/second floor flooring.

LVL's are 6" thick products of laminated wood that spans the entire width of the building. They are heavy, approximately 400 lbs each, and are bolted to the walls on either side.

These new framing items will provide 1) support to existing framing and 2) material to support new structural material. In this photo, these 2 LVL's (light colored wood) will frame out the opening of the elevator shaft on the right hand side.

It was interesting watching how they were put in place. Metal forms were bolted to them while on the ground. Then, from above, they were hoisted up using eye bolts by a winch that was on the second floor with the wire material going through holes drilled in the floor. Because they expand the entire width, there was little clearance side-to-side. So, these were hoisted level otherwise they would wedge between the walls.

Similar framing material will be used on each of the next 2 floors.

An opening where there was none before

The sidewall was opened today, with views down Main Street and onto the "court yard" next to the building. Beautiful! The opening is 9' tall and 4' wide.

This opening makes the space MUCH more appealing to potential tenants. Plus, light access from another direction makes the space look larger.

This photo shows the unfinished opening. On the left of the photo is the storefront framing for the door entrance off Main Street.


Here's a pre-restoration view from the exterior. The shrub on the left is the same as seen from the interior photo above.

Um, your backend is open

Compare this photo to the one I wrote about during "Easement" last July. The original openings are being punched back out and will be filled with new windows and doors.

On the far left, will be the door to my upstairs unit. The existing door in the middle will be moved over about 8" to align with the window opening that you see here above it. The opening on the right, where there are workers, will be a window into the downstairs space.

Amazingly, the brick openings (my walls) are 16" thick. Buildings are built like this today. The exterior facade might be brick, but the interior would be wood, steel or cinder block. 16" of solid brick just look weird. However, I think it will make the window sills and door openings look VERY cool.

All good surprises.