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Wow.

May 27

And so the first half of our build is pretty much done. The rough inspections are passed, everything's sheetrocked, the framework and bones of the bar are in place! Feels good!!

Sunday witnesses the return of Matt Maddy from New York, and next week we make final decisions on how to begin the second half/finish work. We've got a great team (including Miguel, our brilliant carpenter), we've examined most of the options for finishes, and we should start "crushing", as Eli would say, on Tuesday morning!

May 26

Some serious ductwork! Be nice to write off that part of the build-there's very little glory in ductwork!

But there is glory aplenty in ten guys using steel poles and brute force to move a several ton safe across a big room and into a hole in a wall! Hard work, a lot of sweat, and a few tears were shed. It was extremely difficult to move sideways, even with the wheels. But it turned out that the wheels didn't swivel, so moving it backwards was near impossible.

Perseverance triumphed in the end, and we're extremely pleased with our first decorative feature! And even more pleased to know that we will never have to move it again!!!

May 25

We have rooms! Bathrooms and office all sheet rocked!

Duct work almost finished, vents cut above the bocce.

Security grills going up!

And our test beam is built and installed! I think it might look better if it was slimmer; more of a square shape. At the moment, it feels a bit like a smaller version of the concrete beam above it, whereas I think it might be better for it to have no relation to the beam. Excited to see what we end up with!

May 24

We have an enclosed office, and another real ceiling! Good times!!

May 19

Sheet rocking! Jerry and his partners are pretty amazing, the whole ceiling was done in a couple hours.

Hired a really great carpenter as well-Miguel spent a few days tying up loose ends and tidying up fraying ends.

May 17

And two more irritating parts of the build: The concrete on the patio ended up being very expensive, took a long time to organize, and wasn't the best job. We brought in Todd, owner/operator of the Concrete Kid, who spent a day trying to grind it down to mimic the existing terrazzo. The new idea is to patch the holes and then die the whole thing red, so it blends together. Despite the trials involved in the process (and the Concrete Kid's artist-like frustration over having his name attached to an imperfect product), it should look pretty cool in the end!

And the plumbing. Andrew (our plumber) and his gang are absolute superstars, but they're not the greatest at calculations, etc. This week was focused on passing the rough inspections-we breezed through all of them except plumbing. This had nothing to do with the quality of the work-the Inspectors commented on how tight it was. But we didn't have the calculations needed to support our work, so the week was spent feverishly trying to scratch together something adequate! In the end, we prevailed, and all relevant Departments signed off, allowing us to proceed with sheet rocking.

May 12

One of the big ticket items ended up being the ductwork for our two HVAC units. Expensive and time consuming!!

May 12

Windows are pretty much in. Don't think I would have picked the "Champagne" color (it matches the windows on the rest of the building), but I think it will look nice once we're finished with everything else. Thought I'm not quite sure how we'll dress that plywood around the windows!

And, one last time, our lovely plumbing in our backbar and underneath, in the basement.

May 11

Our crazy Copper Vent running up the future back bar and out to the back of the unit, providing a unique an quirky bit of character!

And the windows continue to go in.

May 10

Took a trip to see one of Eli's other projects-he's helped install a 50 ft statue of a dancing woman on Treasure Island-a permanent fixture and part of the island's redevelopment. Made from a ball-bearing frame, it took 55,000 welds to create. Stunning.

Another detour took us to his workshop, always full of surprises!

And later that night, Glenn gets in on the carpentry!

May 9

Vents go in bar, Bocce ceiling is dropped, and the frame for the windows installed!

May 6

Work continues on the office and the bathrooms, getting close to being plumbed and wired.

And Framing, Framing Framing, now we have a bar!!

As well as an unplanned mini-balcony. We've put some outlets up there; eventual plans call for finding a very small DJ or Glenn has offered to find a very small Fiddler.

May 5

Action shots of our two favorite people!! The odds of this project being a success increase with every hour these guys spend there.

The bar is framed, and Andrew (our Electrical Superstar) is drilling the holes for the piping.

May 4

More Framing, Electricians and Plumbers kicking ass, making plans for finishing details, and still managed to find time to visit Dr Parrot and feed the Giraffes at the Oakland Zoo!

May 3

Core Drilling and Plumbing Fun.