Lots Happening...

I met with Vic and Ryan this morning and the final layout drawings are finished (basically)! Vic also drew up an architectural sketch of the soffet structure over the bar area. Ryan and I are going to buy all of the framing materials that we need tomorrow at 12:00pm. We are then going to work on framing until midnight. We are going to do the framing after hours so we don't disturb the surrounding businesses with the powder actuated tools and nail guns.
We spent a couple of hours snapping chalk lines for all of the walls, cabinets, and counter tops today. Things are moving finally! I need to get to the shop by 9:00am. I'm buying clear spray paint in the morning so I can paint the chalk lines so they don't smudge. I'm meeting Vic at the shop at 9:30 so he can drop off blue prints of the final layout with dimensions.

I dropped off 1500 lbs of asbestos floor tiles that I removed from the space early on in the project. I have had them in my truck for quite awhile now. They have been giving me great traction through all of these snow storms. I had to empty my truck in order to pick up framing lumber tomorrow. The cost to have the tiles removed by an asbestos abatement contractor was in the thousands. Tracy found a place called Associated Insulation here in Colorado Springs who have an asbestos dumpster. They sold me 6 mil asbestos bags for $1 each, and agreed to take our debris for $50 a yard. The cost ended up being $102 (52 for bags and 50 for one yard) even though it was 2.5 to 3 yards of material. I also spent $40 on a respirator, and $30 on a HEPA filter for my shop vac. Over all, this asbestos removal cost about $170 doing it myself. This was not much fun, but it saved us several thousand dollars, and I did it correctly in accordance with all regulations.

I think I mentioned yesterday that Tracy set up a deal with a Coke distributor. They will be providing us with a free merchandise refrigerator. We were going to spend $2320 to buy our own, but the Coke deal frees up that money. We have always wanted to go with a Point of Sale system (touch screen, bar code scanner, cash drawer, receipt printer, computer, and POS software). It would save lots of time over a conventional cash register with regard to bookkeeping. We didn't think we would be able to get one to start, but we are using the merch fridge money to get one! I bought Quickbooks POS Pro 6.0, bar code scanner, cash drawer, and credit card scanner for $1330 from Gemini Computers. I bought Quickbooks Pro 2007 from Amazon for $144. I also bought a battery back-up and surge protector for the POS system from Amazon for $79.99. And, I bought a touch screen flat LCD panel for #380 from Newegg. I will use one of my existing computers for the POS system. This will make life much easier on us, as compared to a cash register.

We received a quote from Allied Restaurant Supply today. Their package deal was just over $3000 cheaper than the best prices I could find elsewhere. That $3000 savings is actually spent already, going to construction/architect/engineers, etc.

I received great feedback on the breakfast burritos! My friend DJ asked me to freeze one and send it to him by Fed Ex in Raleigh, NC. He knows I'm crazy enough to do it, too. I'm going to be super busy over the next several days. If I can work it in, I'll get one sent out to him. The Fed Ex building is out of the way for me, though. I may just send him one by normal USPS Priority mail. What's the difference between overnight and three days, really???

Ryan's plan is to finish the framing this week and to get one side of drywall on the bar area half walls. That will allow us to layout the cabinets right away. We will be building the cabinets in my wood working shop starting on Monday. I have a Delta cabinet saw with 52" Bissemeyer fence, 8" Delta jointer, Dewalt planer, Delta drill press, Hegner scroll saw, Delta band saw, etc, etc, etc. I'll post photos later this week, or early next week. Tracy and I have bought some tables and chairs for the coffee shop and they are stored in the wood shop. I'll have to move them out this weekend.

Ryan plans to have the electrical sub in early to mid-next week. They are bringing in so many people that the rough in will take one day, and the finish and trim will take one more day, after the inspection is complete.

Oh yeah, Ryan ordered the floor tile for the entry, bar area, back room, and bathrooms. We are going with natural slate, which will look nice and will be easy to maintain. I also gave Ryan the go ahead to order the drop ceiling grid and tiles. We are going with a fancier tile that is 2x4 in size, but looks like 2x2 tiles. We decided to go with white, as the colored tiles have a four week lead time, cost more, and are difficult to match if needed in the future.

It is past bed time...
More to come tomorrow.
JD