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!
Many thanks to Laurice Gomes for writing an article featuring our little inn for Fraser Valley Today!
I had the pleasure of sitting for a chat with Allie Turner, who was kind enough to write an article featuring our “one-of-a-kind fantasy-themed hotel” for Vancouver Is Awesome. We talked a little bit about the Hazelnut Inn and the Imagination Corporation. Take a minute to read Allie’s article over at Vancouver Is Awesome.
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.
