Open for Business

After a very long journey, the clinic is finally open for business. There are still a few finishing touches left to complete, but we scheduled a few appointments this week for a "soft" opening. We have few kinks to work out, but we will have a smooth operating machine before long.

We chose some unique furniture for displaying our frames. We found old ladders from a cherry orchard in Loveland, Colorado, which we constructed into the A-frame shelves with glass.

Countertops

All of our countertops arrived today. The front desk took a significant amount of time to fabricate. The installer made multiple trips and spent several hours working on the core for the countertop. Unfortunately, they had to reconstruct the countertop a few times to get a prefect fit. The good news is that we have a beautiful, perfectly fitting top for our front desk.

The office is really starting to come together. We've had a lot of people stopping in to check on the progress. Our countdown has begun ... we can officially see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Proper Plumbing

We have a running water, which means we have a working toilet. No more porta-pottie!

Our Own Kind of Fireworks!

Most of the holiday weekend was spent wiring lights throughout the building. The pictures for this post display the lighting in the patient waiting area, the optical and the hallways. We were very excited to flip the switch and see our lights ... our own kind of fireworks.

It rained all day, so we weren't sure of the Town of Windsor would proceed with fireworks. We were lucky enough to sit in our building and have a first row seat to watch the beautiful display. this was a holiday that we will not forget!

The Carpet Is In

Our carpet installation was completed today. The floors look fantastic. The carpet has tied all of the other finishes together, and the office is starting to take shape.

Cabinets

Our cabinets were moved into the building. The finish carpenters have begun to hang cabinets throughout the office.

Floors, Floors, Floors

The office will be finished with several types of flooring. The front entrance is 12x24 tile laid in a brick pattern. The front desk is surrounded with a circle of maple hardwood on the diagonal.

The staff bathroom and mechanical room have solid serface material. The remainder of the office will be carpet.

The Lobby is Coming Together

The front windows will be finished with a knee wall that borders the entire interior of the lobby. We will use this wall for additional seating space and display space. The structure for the knee wall is in place and ready to be finished.

Tile has been laid in the lobby entrance, and the lining paper is in place for the hard wood floor surrounding the front desk. This all means that we are very close to opening the doors for business!

We're Making Things Pretty

The walls are painted with a neutral two tone concept. The walls will all have a chair rail of natural maple to divide the two colors. The curved wall behind the front desk is slightly darker than the top color.

Our front desk is up and almost finished. The top of the front desk will be stone slabs to match the limestone on the front of the building.

Dropped Ceilings

The exam and lab rooms will feature dropped ceilings. The grid for the new ceilings is installed, and a few of the tiles are in place. All of the lights need to be wired in place, so the remaining tiles will be installed closer to completion.

Deck Staircase

The staircase for the back deck is started. Two sets of stairs with a landing in the middle will create a grand entrance to the second floor. We chose to use wood, as it would have most likely been used in 1905. During our construction process, we have tried to implement materials and design elements to be "period" correct. Although, the interior has received a major contemporary upgrade, the exterior is still fairly similar to the original design.

Let's Rock!

For the first time in this project, we are moving through a stage faster than expected. The sheetrock has already been hung, and the finishing crew started today. They asked if someone could be at the building on a Saturday to open the building, which means we will be another day ahead of schedule. We will be painting and putting down flooring before we know it. Get ready to book your appointments ... we will be open for business soon!

The Insulation Is In

The interior insulation is complete! We used UltraTouch insulation, which is made from recycled cotton products. The project was a little dusty, but far more pleasant than working with fiberglass insulation. The UltraTouch insulation has a very high rating for sound absorption and thermal performance. The insulation does not contain any chemicals, which makes it safe for us and the environment.

Now we wait for sheetrock ...

Nice Backside!

The back of the building had a lot of work this month. All of the brick on the back of the building was sandblasted, the new copper gutters were installed, and the second floor deck is being built.

A lot of the brick on the back of the building was uneven, coated with various products, and did not look very appealing. We hired a sandblaster to come clean it up. We are very pleased with the results.

The copper gutters have arrived. They are absolutely beautiful ... like jewelry for our building. Traditional gutters were used for the top piece. They had a local metal shop fabricate the downspouts, which are simple square tubes. The entire gutter system is very simple, but adds a touch of elegance to the back of the building.

We now have part of the second floor deck. After much deliberation over what to use for the back stairs and deck, we chose wood over steel. Our decision was stongly driven by budget, but we are happy with the outcome, as the wood looks more like something that would have originally been on a 1905 building. The stairs and landing will be completed in the next couple of months.

The month of May will bring a huge transformation for the project. Watch for more posts as we get ready to move quickly to completion!

Electrical

The wiring process has begun. We have thousands of feet of wire to pull throughout the building, including basic electrical, fire alarm system, and data. Unfortunately, this process requires a lot of hours crawling under the building to get the wires to the correct location.