A little on the Commercial side of things.

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Originally Posted by dduffy

Really NICE work Marcel, you guys really run a tight ship, no crap laying all over the place, lot of working space in the foundation excavation, really nice.

You say there is going to be a total of seven different building on this property?

What is the total sq. footage of all the buildings combined Marcel? Looks like a good size job.

When is the projected completion date?

I see one man carrying one of the wall forms by himself, even being aluminum they look heavy from here--

Looking at your projects and comparing what I see going on around here your projects look much more organized, clean, beautiful work being done by skilled craftsman....I do not see that here, the only person on the jobs here who speaks (broken) English generally well is the super, and every once in a while I'm sure he has to get the translation book out (to speak English)--))

Anyway, thank you for the pictures and descriptions, I surely enjoy seeing the projects you do from start to finish...always nice work to be very proud of..!

Hi. Dale and Happy New Year to you my friend.

To answer your question, the one we are doing now is a 9,000sq. ft. footprint with two levels and we have a mirror image on the other one.
This would equal to 36,000 sq. ft. for two buildings.
We also have building one which I believe is only 4-5 thousand feet.

Order to proceed right now to build #1, 3, and 4.
It will be a good size project if we can get the contract on all seven.

Marcel

[Peter C. Russell]

Hi Marcel, Thought I would take your advise and stop by. Looks like your still busy, that's good! Things are slow here. I just lost a large 48X90 barn to the low bidder, he was $200.00 cheaper!!!!!! Damn commercial bid process!!

I posted this in the green section, www.greeningsounthie.com interesting documentary of the first LEEDS building built in Boston. It won a gold seal for points but, myself, I'd stay away from the wheat board cabinets, just like the old particle board one's that swell up if they get wet.

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Originally Posted by prussell

Hi Marcel, Thought I would take your advise and stop by. Looks like your still busy, that's good! Things are slow here. I just lost a large 48X90 barn to the low bidder, he was $200.00 cheaper!!!!!! Damn commercial bid process!!

I posted this in the green section, www.greeningsounthie.com interesting documentary of the first LEEDS building built in Boston. It won a gold seal for points but, myself, I'd stay away from the wheat board cabinets, just like the old particle board one's that swell up if they get wet.

I know what you mean Peter, my Company bid a school In Duram, Maine a month ago and there was 9-10 bidders coming out of the woodwork.
On a $14 million project the low bidder was $1 million lower than everybody else in the area.
A Massachussets firm got it.
We normally don't bid, but we needed the work. Not at those prices.
I still can't figure out how they can come from out of State and do a project $1 million cheaper. This job was in our backyard.

I did a leeds project 2 years ago for a College and got a Silver I believe.
Very expensive to run a leeds project.

Take care and come again my friend.

Marcel

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Here are a few more pictures from Wenesday. The cold shut us down for pouring concrete piers.

Getting interior piers ready to pour. The ground was covered with blankets last night but froze up to much with 12 degree temperatures.

We decided to wrap them up with electric blankets and cover them up and pour on Friday, today.

Starting to cover up the interior forms and hope it thaws out.

These forms are set and electric blankets ready to install around the perimeter.

Covered up for a couple of days and hope the blankets do their thing.


Marcel

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Today is back to work after the Holidays.
Here are a few pics of today in the trenches.


Well last weeks interior piers were poured on Friday and this morning are still cooking with electric blankets and covered. Temperature of the concrete was maintained at 75 degrees all weekend.

Today we install a 2" perimeter insulation with a 25 lb. density and time to backfill.

Here is a layer of Mirafi fabric, stone and 6 inch underdrain and another filter fabric on top of that and then the backfill.

This is showing the Pl300 I am using to glue the styrofoam on the concrete and supplemented with a few thins and concrete nails to hold in while backfilling.

Here you can see we are uncovering the interior piers and unveiling the position of the electric blankets. We will leave the regular insulating blankets until ready to backfill.
We will be installing four feet of styrofoam horizontally on the ground around the perimeter to prevent frost from going under the footing pads.
This building will not be put up until spring.

Don't you love it, next summer I will be working inside. ha. ha.


Marcel

[James F. McKee]

out in the cold...in in the hot ...is it not the way it has always worked Marcel???

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Originally Posted by jmckee

out in the cold...in in the hot ...is it not the way it has always worked Marcel???

Always been something wrong with that picture Jim and sure as hell I knew how to make it right.

[Dale Duffy]

Hi Marcel,

Thank you for the updated pictures again, very nice..!!

Why are you waiting until Spring to begin building?

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Originally Posted by dduffy

Hi Marcel,

Thank you for the updated pictures again, very nice..!!

Why are you waiting until Spring to begin building?

Hi. Dale;
Hope you are doing well and staying warm down there. Sure is hard up here.

The foundation we are wrapping up in the pictures is building 4 and retail space not rented out.
Two floors and 16,000 sq. ft.

We broke ground today on the mirror image of this one with a connecting covered Patio and that is the one we will build right off. That is going to be another 16,000 sq. ft.

That one is rented to Bowdoin College and needs to be done by September.

All of this because we are still waiting for a signed Contract and will be waiting for the Steel on building 3.

We broke ground on building 3 today and needed heavy artillery. Two feet of frost since last week.
I will post a few pictures in a few minutes.

Thanks.

Marcel

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Fighting the frost to excavate for building 3.
Take out the big guns.



This a 330 Cat Excavator, 72,000 lb machine and the frost was a little too much.

Bring in the D8 with a ripper.84,000 and that had all it could handle.



But it did win!



Marcel

[Larry D. Kage]

Cool pictures! That's how the pros do it.

Thanks, Marcel. Always enjoyed.

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Well, it is back to the trenches tomorrow.

Is it Spring yet?

Man, it is tuff. Another one of our jobs closed up, finished on last Friday.
Our crew in the Company has twindled down to 12. From 30 this Summer.

Now this is the only one going and the elements are taking a toll on production.

Here are a few pictures from last week.

Well, I had it good for one day building these boxes to keep the grouted steel column plates warm and protect from freezing.

They are set up with a 75 watt bulb and strattle the wall like this. Connected with extension cords, box to box.

Some boxes modified to fit the corner columns
This was the first pour of footings for the second building on Friday. Done at noon, covered with electric blankets and overlayed with insulating blankets.
The wall reinforcement and wall forms will start tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the first building is being backfilled and compaction monitored by a Testing Agency paid for by the Owner. 95% compaction is required and hard to achieve due to material used is below optimum moisture and adding water for the compaction is out of the question.

Hopefully a little more progress will occurr this week. My hopes are not to high due to predicted single digit and minus 0 temperatures during the nights.
We might also cut hours down to 32 hours or lay off a few more men.

Steel for the second building only coming in the second week of February.

Is it Spring yet?


Marcel

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Well, down to a four day week, and battling the fridgid cold temperatures.





Boxes are made to protect the grout for leveling plates.The light bulb maintans 50+ degrees for the grout to set up. A 9000 psi grout is being used by Master Flow.



Digging out from a snow fall. Backfill of the interior is crucial to protect interior piers.



Snow has been cleared and 2' of 3/4" stone backfill is being laid at the interior and 2' of styrofoam installed around the piers to stop the frost from going underneath.



Time to open more trenches for the second building #3 footings. Over 2' of frost to break through with this D8 Ripper Dozer.

Pouring a section of foundation tomorrow and temperatures expected to be -3 and 8 degrees as a high.

Man, it is getting tough.

Hope some enjoy.

Marcel

[Larry D. Kage]

Man, I don't envy you Marcel. I've been leaving the Tahoe running during the last few day's inspections with temps in the low single digits and getting colder.

Stay warm my friend.

PS: I do enjoy seeing the progress pics. Thanks for posting them.

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Well, we managed to get our wall pour in yesterday before the deep freeze.
8 degrees at the time of pour. Climbed to 12 by the time we got done.
Better than the -20 this morning.

Here are a few pics of yesterday.


This picture is in the morning where we still had the electric blankets going at the base of the footing and had uncovered the formwork preparing for the pour.


12:30 and we are pumping.


1:00 and halfway done.


Earlier this week, I installed grommets on the electric blankets so I was able to hang them flat against the alluminum forms. The 70 degree heat radiated on the aluminum will help in conducting heat through the 8" wall and protect the concrete.
Concrete temperature out of the trucks arrived at 58 degrees and once in place, cooled down to 45.
Now we have to bring up the temperature in order for heat to kick in the hydration and produce it's on heat and supplemented with the heat blankets.
Once all covered the temperature under the blankets will be about 68 degrees.


Using a water wagon stored inside of the warehouse, we wash down our forms prior to installing the heat blankets and the insulation blankets.
These forms are expensive and keeping them clean is a crucial part of the use of them.
All we need to do now is complete the covering of the whole wall and let the concrete cure until Monday.
It is just as important to keep frost away from the underside of the footing as is to protect the concrete inside the formwork.

Hope some enjoy.

Marcel