July 24, 2011 - The epic Creative Co-Op passed a huge milestone this week with the final inspection and approval by Ron Saikowski, our project engineer. A couple of weeks ago Ron visited the building and we went through it inch by inch. Ron gave us a list of things we needed to do before he would sign a form required by the Fire Marshall needed to request their inspection. On Friday, July 23, we again walked the building  with Ron and we pointed out to him where each and every one of the items on the list has been addressed and he agreed they were done to his satisfaction..

Ron signed off on the project, and hand delivered the form (with his seal on it) to the Fire Marshall's office. We will call their office on Monday and ask to set a time for the inspection. If we pass that review, we will get a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), and our tenant (Silver Rock Productions) can move in.

Posted by on July 25, 2011

July 17, 2011 - We started the week by updating and posting a check list of all the work remaining on the project. This 4 page sheet was divided into A, B and C list items. We need to get all of the A items on the list done before we can call back our engineer to sign off on the job. Once he signs off on it, we will send the sealed document to the Fire Marshall's office and set a time for them to come by for a review.The A items on the list include a number of safety code requirements (hand rails on the stairs, fully working entry way door, and fire extinguishers to name a few). B and C list items can be worked on after we get a certificate of occupancy that is required for Silver Rock Productions to move in.

For the past 5  months, every morning we would open the temporary OSB panel door that would become the main entry to the Silver Rock offices. This was a pain, but necessary because Silver Rock had plans for a very special entry way door, and there were always other more pressing jobs that had to be done. Last week we sent an ACM panel out to a local sign shop where they used a CRC router to cut out their logo. This week we got rid of the temporary door and the new entry door is now in place. Here is how it was done.

Posted by on July 18, 2011

July 10, 2011 - With most of the heavy lifting out of the way, we turned our attention to completing the installation of the floor tiles, installing the laminate counter tops, painting several walls and ceilings, installing the toilets and we even took some time to visit two of our vendor companies. By far, the most exciting work was getting the laminate counter tops installed in the kitchens and bathrooms. If you have not used laminate in a while, you might be surprised by the number of new styles and edge treatments available.

I grew up with laminate counter tops, and came to appreciate their relatively low cost, the ease of maintaining them, and the fact that with the right tools and patience, they can be installed by most DIY'ers. Even so, I was really surprised when I visited with WilsonArt web site and paged through the new patterns and textures to see just how closely they mimic a variety of natural materials.

Posted by on July 11, 2011

July 1, 2001 - Well, you didn't need to be much of a weatherman to know that we have been going through a hot spell even by Houston standards. Last night it was made official - the past month was the hottest June on record! There were so many days that the mercury hit 100 we stopped counting. And the days when it was just under 100, the humidity made it fell like a sauna.  Working in it has been miserable, but we got a great deal of work done in June and are on track to have our anchor tenant (Silver Rock Productions) move in on August 1.

This week we got some relief from the heat by being able to work indoors.Over 1000 square feet of porcelain tile was installed in the hallways, bathrooms, kitchens and entry areas.Some of tile came from a storage unit of a contractor who bought it for an upscale condo project that was cancelled. Most of the tile was purchased at the American Tile store on FM 1960, Martin, the manager of the store, and Lynn, an interior designer helped us select a really nice tile. We learned some things about tile I will share with you.

Posted by on July 01, 2011