The roof decking that forms the ceiling of our new sanctuary is installed and electricians have begun installing the octagon boxes for our ceiling light fixtures. Three types of fixtures will be installed - 34" diameter shallow drum LED chandeliers, 6" round down-light cylinder lights and 8" round theatrical adjustable cylinder lights. See the photos below. (Clicking on a photo will enlarge it.)

Octagon boxes for our ceiling fixtures have been
installed and partially wired.

Drawing of the lighting design. A1, A2, and A3 
are 6" LED downlights, B1 and B2 are 8" LED theatrical 
spotlights and D1 are  drum pendant chandeliers. 
All are pictured below.

34" shallow drum pendant LED lighting fixture. 

(Not our color)

Shade color for our drum pendant.

6" LED cylinder light will hang from a
6" stem.

8" LED cylinder theatrical light will be
focused on the stage.

Carpenters continue to work framing the walls and roof of the new addition. By next week the roof structure should be complete. This Saturday, January 21, all the exterior roofing materials will be delivered, so no one will be allowed to park in the Sunnyhill parking lot. The roof will be a combination of shingles, on the peaked roof, and rolled rubber roofing on the flat roof, which actually has a slight slope to the west to prevent water from puddling. See an earlier post for a photo showing the shingle color.

The peaked roof of the choir room, which features
three lower level windows and a clerestory 
window above.

The roof features many surfaces, angles, peaks
and valleys.

The rafter tail in the foreground of the photo has been 
cut to form the curved edge that gives Sunnyhill its 
English cottage look. 

Roofing update, Thursday, January 19: Sheathing

has been attached, rafter tails have been trimmed 

and strips of plywood have been attached to form the

curve instead of using bendable plywood. Click the

photo to zoom in for a closer view of the detail.

The drawings that guide the electricians are centrally 
located in this temporary office set up in what will
become a hallway coat alcove.

Yes, carpenters do write dimensions on scrap wood -- 
here nailed to the studs framing the wall that will
separate the choir/RE room and Jim's office.

The steel-framed sanctuary meets the wood-framed
office and classroom section of the building. The
ceiling of the attic, which will house much of our 
HVAC equipment, is about 15' high.

The cathedral ceiling on the north side of the sanctuary is nearing 

completion. Conduits for lighting and audio visual cables will be 

installed above the decking once it is complete. Then it will be 

insulated with four inches of rigid foam and covered with shingles. 

Neither words nor pictures can do justice to the simple beauty of the cathedral ceiling of our new sanctuary. Because the wood is pre-finished, the carpenters are taking special care to keep it covered and protected from the elements. While the next several days are forecast to be warmer than normal for January, the higher temperatures come with rain, which can slow construction. The construction crews would rather have dry days, even it it means colder weather. In the photos below you can see that they are making dramatic progress.

A carpenter with a safety harness fastens roof decking to the 

flat portion of the sanctuary ceiling.

The east wall of the sanctuary. The window to the crying room

is far left.The entryway is in the center. The floor above the entry

hall is the attic where the much of the HVAC equipment will go. A

removable panel in the wall above the door will allow for future

access to the equipment for repair and replacement.

The west end of the sanctuary. Carpenters are framing the walls

which will be dominated by large windows.

A view from the west to the east through the infant room. The 

doorway seen on the left will be an exit from the sanctuary.

The door seen on the right is a new exit door from the existing

fellowship hall. The exterior elements of the HVAC equipment will

be installed on the flat roof above this section of the new addition. 

A closer view through the infant room. Large windows will provide

a view completely through the building. Where the worker is 

standing will be the entryway from the fellowship hall to the

sanctuary and the offices. In the far distance will be the stairs

to the RE classrooms downstairs.

The choir room will have a vaulted ceiling with a clerestory window.

Crews are now facing the challenge of building the roof structure

that will be a dominant architectural feature. By next week the

framing of the roof gables should be more obvious. 

Another angle of the front of the building.

Despite the holidays and rainy weather - you can't do carpentry in the rain - progress has been made on the framing of our new home. You can now walk down skeletal hallways and into identifiable rooms and get a sense of the dimensions of the classrooms, offices and restrooms.

Looking north through the double door to the new

hallway. On the left are doors to the unisex restroom

and a storage closet, which will have stairs to the attic.

Looking south through the double door from the new sanctuary into 

the fellowship hall. 

Looking east from the sanctuary through the double doors into the 

hallway. The double-door frame in the background leads into the 

choir room.

Standing in the hallway looking north. The door in the foreground on

the right leads to the choir room. The next two doors on the right 

are for Jen's office and an RE classroom. On the left, in the 

foreground, is the short hallway to the sanctuary . In the 

background is a door to the men's room and to the mop room.

Just around the corner out of sight are doors to a storage

room and the crying room.

Standing in the men's room looking across the hallway to the 

sanctuary into the women's room. (Drywall and tile will provide 

privacy. 😎)

With the weather improving - getting colder but drying out - tomorrow, Wednesday, the special roofing crew will return and begin attaching the roof decking to the steel support beams. They expect to work quickly so the roof has minimal exposure to the elements. 

At the architect/builder/owner's meeting today, the team reviewed a proposal for the installation of the data/audiovisual conduit, outlets and cabling and will be getting a competing proposal before making a final decision about how to proceed. The team approved the design of the new front door, which will be glass panels with a red frame to match the color of the original main door. To complement the interior finishes of the new and old sections of our building, an oil rubbed bronze finish was selected for the hinges and lock-sets for all new doors. Because it is more efficient and has better sound reduction qualities, the team asked for a quote to replace the fiberglass insulation in the exterior walls with mineral wool. A final decision will be made based on the a cost/benefit comparison. Finally, the team asked for a quote for replacing three "storefront" style windows in the transitional section of the new building with Pella windows. The benefit of the Pella windows is both aesthetic - the wood matches our other new windows - and practical - they open - but, again, the decision to make the change will be based upon a cost/benefit comparison. Because of their efficiency and ease of maintenance, American Standard Cadet toilets were selected for our restrooms. For the same reason, the waterless urinal will be replaced with a standard flushing model. Mundane, but, nonetheless important decisions.

In next weeks blog, look for dramatic pictures of the new roof decking.

Roof decking waiting to be uncovered and unloaded
after its 2,600 mile journey.

Shortly after 9 a.m. on Tuesday, December 27, after a 2,600 mile journey, a 53' flat-bed trailer loaded with stacks of laminated roof decking pulled into the parking lot at Sunnyhill. Randy, the driver, his travelling companion, a Chihuahua named Lexi, and a driver-trainee, Ashton, had begun the trip six days earlier in Chehalis, Washington, a small town about 90 miles south of Seattle, where the roof decking is manufactured and finished. Christmas for this trio of professional truckers was spent at the Iowa 80 truck stop, advertised as the largest truck stop in the world. Eager to get to their next pickup, Randy and Ashton wasted no time uncovering our precious cargo, and Craig unloaded and stacked it using the Lull forklift. 

The decking has been carefully wrapped to protect
the quality of the wood and the finish.

Craig unloads the last bundle...

...and stacks it in the parking lot to await the

crew that arrives Thursday to install it.

Tomorrow, Thursday, a special crew will arrive to begin installing the roof decking, a process expected to take about two weeks. Made of pre-finished pine, the decking will be the exposed cathedral ceiling of our new sanctuary. Therefore, installing it is a delicate job, and the wood must be protected from the elements at all times. 

It took three attempts, but Randy was finally able
to maneuver the truck out of our driveway

without damaging it, our lawn or the street signs. 

An example of how the ceiling of our sanctuary
will look. Our roof beams, of course, are steel.

With the concrete floor in place and cured enough to bear the weight, since Tuesday, carpenters have been busy framing and erecting the exterior and interior walls, and installing floor joists and sub-flooring over the basement. They move so fast they are hard to count, but seven or eight are hard at work taking advantage of the relatively good winter weather. The goal is to be under roof by mid-January. At that time, the window and door openings can be covered with plastic and gas-fired heaters can be used to create a more comfortable working environment for the interior work.

Floor joists and sub-floor are going in over the basement.

Joist hangers,a nailing compressor and floor joists ready for action.

A view from the center window of the choir room looking through
the door to the room, the hallway, and the door to the sanctuary.

A view through the window into Jen's office. The jog in the wall
to the left of the door will be a hallway coat closet.

A view from the north end of the hallway. The crying room is the
first door on the right. Storage for tables and chairs is next.

A view from the west end of the sanctuary looking at the rear wall.

Craig and one of the carpenters installing the steel door frame for
the door to Jim's office. Note the magnetic level at the top of the
frame. To the right is the choir room and to the left is Roy's office.
In the background is the door to the women's room.

A view of our steel framing across Longuevue Road from Woodhaven
Road.

Be sure to look at the drone footage of Sunnyhill taken by 

Peg and Scott's daughter, Margo, on December 26, 2016.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS