Two Busy Months

I'm really getting behind on this blog - sorry. I completely missed May and June. It's been two busy months for sure. So much has happened I'll just give the highlights. To begin with we won't be opening until late September or early October. Worse case late October. The goal is to be open for the start of Glendale Glitters.

I'm crossing my fingers that literally today I get the Certificate of Occupancy. Which means I can move in! This is when the fun starts. My garage is full of stuff that needs to go in the BMH. Stuff like shelves, refrigeration, decor, blah blah blah.

Enough about that. The house was completed on the outside in May. With the exception of the floors the inside was pretty much done too. All that was left was to make sure everything worked for the final inspections. The inspections happened in June and into July. No big issues to report, just a couple of small items like landscaping and securing the AC unit with an anti-theft cage. The company that put in the AC is literally installing the cage today. Hopefully this very moment. It is the last item on the checklist that has to be inspected.

The other item was the landscaping. I had a tree planted and some pavers laid on the side and in front of the two buildings. I'm happy with how both turned out. I'm doing the irrigation and grass. I'm trying out an idea I had with the irrigation. I came up with a way to keep the watering completely below the grass. The video below shows the test stage. I wanted to make sure all the bubblers were bubbling before I buried them. I actually don't bury the bubblers just the tubing, the bubblers stay above the dirt. To see how Todd and I put this all together click on the July 2012 Photo Album on right.

It's Blue Again!

Wow, I cannot believe I went a whole month without writing something. I'll begin by saying it's been a pretty stressful month. I won't bore you with the details, but things have settled down and we are back on track. Like most projects like this it always comes down to the financials. This is already being done on a shoestring budget, but March was looking like it was down to a few strands of fabric with not much left over.

To make up for some of the cost over runs I took over some of the jobs originally covered by the builder. Redden Construction has done a wonderful job on this house and has gone the extra mile a couple of times. Scott who was the lead on this has really done a fantastic job. I cannot express my appreciation for all that work he and his crew have done.

Unfortunately the opening has been pushed back because of the additional work I will be doing. Spring is not a possibility but Summer is. We may do a soft opening in the Summer but since this area is so dead that time of year we may wait until Fall for the Grand Opening.

From April 2012

Up On The Roof 2

The last Up On The Roof is from November 2009 when I was tearing the roof off the old house. Wow, I cannot believe how long I've been at this. It's getting real close now. I am so impressed with the job Scott and the Redden crew are doing on this new construction. Scott is paying particularly close attention to the Craftsman style detail, and from what I'm hearing from passers by and neighbors they are all loving it. I think when these guys are done it will be a great inspiration to what can be done in this small historic area of Glendale!

February 2012


November 2009

Out On The Farm

Construction is going pretty fast. To see the progress just click on the top photo album along the right side of the page.

I met with Monica and Farmer Frank at Crooked Sky Farms on Friday. Monica gave me a tour of the farm and talked with me about getting produce and how to manage it in the store. I talked with Frank a little bit about the Blue Myrtle House too. It was good to meet both of them and I look forward to working with them in a few months when I'm ready to start stocking the shelves.

We're Vertical!

The lumber was delivered this morning and work on the main structure began right away.

House Foundation Down

The Redden Construction team worked late into the night on this one. The cement showed up about 11:30am and twelve hours later the guys went home. This Wednesday the front porch, out-building and rear walkway will be poured.

Final Prep Before The Pour

Scott, Robert and the rest of the crew are working hard to get the forms ready for the concrete trucks that'll be showing up in the morning.

Footings Going In

The property is really starting to take shape with the footings be poured today. Won't be long before the slab is down. The weather has been really nice, hanging in the low 70's!

Official Ground Breaking

The official ground breaking took place on Monday without fanfare. Ted, Scott, and Robert from Redden Construction were all on hand to get the job done. The entire slab and footers were torn up using a backhoe. The ole 1926 foundation came up fairly easily, but didn't give up any secrets from beneath - no buried treasures, no nothin'.

Securing The Work Site

The construction company had all the fencing set up by Friday to start work on Monday. I was out the previous week removing the picket fence that bordered the parking area. I also had to remove about 40 cement blocks that bordered the yard where you see the oleanders. Take a good look at the oleanders in these pictures because they are being removed along the east side of the property. As they are now they completely block the view of the Blue Myrtle House from 58th Avenue.

Another Shelf Mod

Oh boy, another modification to the shelves. The last modification I made to the shelves took up too much floor space. I didn't realize how much space they took up until I placed them into the 3D model of the store layout. I messed around with the 3D model to see what worked best. As it turns out whacking off one end of the shelves and moving them perpendicular to the wall gave me more room and easy access from both sides. The graphics below are the modification in progress. I got a temporary structure holding each shelf in place while I bolt on the wing spars at the end. The graphic at bottom is a mock up of the first floor.

Thank You

I've been at this for quite awhile now, so I figure it's time to stop and say thanks to all who have helped me out so far. First and foremost, thank you Jesus. I'm glad you have been with me along the way. Thank you to all my family and friends who having been saying prayers. For all the family and friends who helped tear the old building down, thanks.

Thank you Jennifer at Meridian Bank for your help in obtaining the financing needed just to even make this project possible. Thank you Thomas at Redden Construction for your enthusiasm and willingness to take on a small job like this. Thank you Anne Marie and Matt at ACS Services for going above and beyond when I needed a soils report in a pinch.

Thank you City of Glendale Planning Department, particularly Remigio. Your help and patience during the plan submittal process is appreciated more than you realize.

Thank you neighbors of the Blue Myrtle House "lot". Your encouragement and inquisitiveness along the way has helped me to keep going.

Thank you Kevin for drafting the plans. It wasn't as easy as it seemed but you were able to take my house design and make it work.