There is one day we look forward to on almost every large project. That’s the day we polish off the last of the high stuff and get to take down the scaffold. Any work that requires us to be off of the ground always takes a whole lot more time and effort. There is always more danger to being high as well. This past week it was finally time to remove the scaffold from the back wall of the Hazelnut Inn. Peter carefully unhooked each stage from the secure structural tie downs anchored into the concrete wall and then lowered the pieces down to the eager crew. As the last piece was disassembled and carted away we declared the building envelope of the building complete. We’ll call the engineer for a final inspection and stamped report to submit to the city authorities, bringing the Hazelnut Inn one small step closer to opening. Our crew’s celebration was brief as we moved on to the next task that needed doing. Stay tuned…
The firewall of the Hazelnut Inn which borders the property line stretches more than a hundred feet and at its highest point measures twenty seven feet tall. Everyone’s attention will be drawn to the extra fancy front of the building, and chances are not many people will give the wall even a second glance. Even so, the wall isn’t going to be ‘boring or ordinary’. That simply isn’t our style. The wall is being carefully aged, like the entire inn, with cracks, exposed stonework and skillfully applied paint. This endless wall is the last bit of the exterior of inn structure to be completed and within a week or so the scaffold will be down and the fire wall will be done. One more major milestone to celebrate!
We are often asked about the progress on the Hazelnut Inn. Because the exterior is largely finished people are curious when it will open. Work, although unseen from the street, is steadily ongoing. To allow each major step there are a thousand small tasks that need to be finished. These small projects aren’t really noteworthy and aren’t chronicled here but Peter has been very busy of late, completing electrical conduit runs, cutting and gluing plumbing pipes, fasting in needed backing materials, installing vent pipes and of course working hard to keep the resulting clutter down to a minimum. The latest flurry of activity by our crew made way for the next major milestone. Our good friends from Element Spray Foam dropped by this week. They first carefully covered all of the completed theme work and then skillfully finished the balance of the spray insulation in the North Star Suite. As always, they did a great job! More trades are scheduled over the next weeks including the plumbers, heating and cooling, fire sprinklers and electrical. That work, once complete will allow us to goo full blast on the balance of the theme and finishing work this fall.
It is amazing how much the plants change the look of the Hazelnut Inn. Peter and Becke carefully placed the plants to enhance the completed theme work. Although we had not yet selected the plants when we designed the Inn, we sculpted the brick and plasterwork knowing it would eventually peek out between the plants in a ‘random’ fashion. Near the pond we selected plants that look like march plants. It is all about telling a story! The plants are carefully layered as you look form the sidewalk. As Becke and Peter selected the plants they paid careful attention to how big they will grow as they mature. They were spaced in the ground with these same specs in mind so everything grows together without crowding.
It is common for the planting of the landscaping to be the very last thing that is done before completing a project. It makes sense for most projects, for it lessens the chance of damage from heavy construction equipment. This week we decided to do the planting at the front of the Hazelnut Inn. Many passers by were excited for this signalled the completion of the project based on conventional wisdom. But our logic is different than most. While Hazelnut Inn already looks very good from the road, it is still very much a work in progress - especially the interior. By planting now we could purchase smaller plants this far from opening and allow them to flourish over the next year. By that time everything we have planted will have taken root, the climbing vines will be firmly established and the landscaping will look exactly as it should - when we open. Anticipation builds in Yarrow…
In the last couple of weeks we’ve been busy setting the final grades of the driveway and parking areas at the Hazelnut Inn. We’ve also fabricated the armature for the ‘stone’ wall that will screen our residence next door from the parking lot of the Inn. Although it appears lower in the photograph, the wall is actually a little over six feet tall and will do the screening handily. The dug out area in front of the new wall will be filled with soil and lush landscaping. The welded structure is now ready for the sculpted concrete which will happen when it warms up in spring.
