Anyone interested can see what we have going on to get opened soon. There are pictures of our construction progress, description of menu items, and some freidnly banter to our customers keeping an eye on us. You can see our “hometown” theme and casual interaction with customers.
Hood guy comes this week, we finish tape/mud this week, and ceilings go in as soon as walls are finished. Paint crew comes in later. Move equipment in as soon as hood is installed. We really are pushing for an April 20th to 25th open date if we keep motivated and have some more friendly help. We had two independent contractors come in this weekend to lend a hand, and we hung about 25 sheets of drywall, plus mudding, in just over half a day. They were volunteers, but not your average volunteer.
We contracted out only the electric, HVAC, plumbing and hood. The rest we are pushing through ourselves. Saved some money, still high quality work done, but we are getting a little tired after 6 1/2 weeks construction Ready to just roast pizzas and fry wings for a living.
Even humorously, I am glad. He comes Friday to install, and should complete by Middle next week. Given all the work still left with flooring and ceilings and trim and such . . . . I think that money will be WELL spent. I’ve learned enough about enough trades for a little while now.
I am even getting an FRP contractor, hopefully, to install the plastic panels in the kitchen. I am sure we can do it, but enough is enough. Just gotta find out how much it costs. I have a call in to a couple contractors. Waiting with reckless anticipation.
Another bonus in doing my own work is that I have salvaged a couple hundred board feet of heart pine 2x6 board from the ceiling of part of the place. The ceiling was decked with it completely before they installed OSB over it. Man, a treasure of trim wood for the restaurant!
Well, I am sucking it up and got a quote from some general carpenter types to take over our ceiling installation . . . to the tune of $2000, and totally re-engineering the structure already installed.
That sort of added expense just isn’t in the budget. And, I cannot buy all the junk they were talking about doing and taking a week to do. I had two exceptional friends with ameteur construction experience (one does habitat builds) join me and my main worker today. in 30 hours we installed half of the bead borad panels that needed to be done, and it cost me $60 wages and some dinner for the two friends. I’m thinking I was getting a short stick on the quote. We still have a big job in finishing the other part, but I think we can do it for wayyyyy less than we were being told.
new pictures at http://www.nickspizzastop.com/
We are much, much closer to opening after this week and a flurry of good work. Hood guy bumped me to Monday, and FRP guys can come end of next week. I have a week to get the other miscellaneous stuff finished up for the health inspector, We can do it, and it will include some fresh legs and backs to do some new tasks.
Does anyone have some good, simple pendant lamps in their dining rooms? We need something less than $25 each, that are like galvanized round shades . . . and cord hung lamps.
The FRP me and a couple of friends did in a day in my store, I know you get really tired but it was pretty easy, never did it before and it still looks great a year later. I think some guy wanted to charge me 600 for it. Truthfully, it was me and three other girls that did it.
We hung half of our kitchen drop ceil;ing last night. Other half today. It goes up pretty quickly when you get going . . . and you have someone delivering your pizzas who used to do walls and ceilings for a living
Hood is half installed, and other half is later this week. Bead board ceiling in dining room installation problem is being solved without paying carpenters $2K. We are finishing ourselves this week. I am working nights to get the trim work installed . . . FRP guys come Monday, and will finish out the kitchen.
I will be able to schedule finish work buy electricians and plumber for next week and get inspections lined up really soon! I can see the light and am stmbling towards it.
Somewhere, sometime I gotta call my food rep and get pricing and ordering back on track so we can manage a new menu pricing. Gosh! Building and running a pizzeria is hard work. Next time . . . .proefessionals to do the heavy lifting.
Next time Nick? Already thinking about becoming a “chain” over there big man? I’m in agreement with you though about the construction. It completely sucks. Mine starts next week.
Well, time has passed, and lots has been done. I had my two friends surprise me with one last Saturday of work that got a huge push done. we have drop ceilings in, 90% or dining room ceiling done. Most of trim work ready.
All we have left for heavy lifting is FRP on walls, finish hood, clean-up and moving equipment in. We still have plumber and electric finishing, but that is contracted and will take only a couple days to get done. I am actually ready to talk to the health department about when we can schedule an inspection!!
And, I talk to food rep next week about new food costs and ordering plans. Wife is designing the direct mailer and flyers for the store. We have a customer who will make sign/banners for us for FREE in full color when we are ready. We are going to have a dog and pony show like our town has not seen when it is time to re-open. We are only a few thousand over budget, and it is manageable if we get open and get money coming in.
PLUS . . . we have a potential tenant to sublet a parcel of our space for a consignment shop. Things are moving along swimmingly and getting closer and closer to being a pizza party in Grantville again.
After finishing the day, we have realized huge results in the last 15 to 21 days. Installed our bathroom door and jam today and framed up last of dining room ceiling. Contractor today is installing water resistant panels on dish room walls/ceiling.
We are actually ready to schedule the electician, gas and plumber for finishing their tasks. I will bring equipment from storage into the shop this weekend if all works out right. Hood guy has stalled me again, but ‘promises’ he’ll finish this week. Gettin’ nervous on that one. All I need now is for the epoxy flooring system to arrive via FedEx today and tomorrow to finish everything in the kitchen. Should take about a day or so to roll it, scatter grit and and dry overnight. Oh, and glue up the cove base . . . half day proiject, probably . . . or one evening listening to the Braves play baseball this weekend.
We have some ceiling work and paiting in dining area, and a little work in the pantry/dry storage to finsihs the walls. All cosmetic. Had a friend/employee come in and finish caulking and preparing most trim for paint.
NOTE TO ALL: Sheetrock mud finishers are worth every cent you pay them. the guy I got was fast, efficient, skilled and pleasant to work with. Sure, he wants us open for wings, but that’s beside the point
Hood’s 90% installed; still need ansul installed next week; Primer coat is on all walls; dining ceiling installed waiting polyurethane; FRP up in kithcen; drop ceiling finished in kitchen; ** equipment moved from storage into shop for placement.
The look of the place is astounding after we got the primer coat over the drywall mud. The color is a dull taupe, but the look is spectacular compared to raw walls. The place actually looks like it could be a restaurant soon!
This week I will:
[list]1. install the cove base in kitchen and other places
2. purchase lighting . . . contact electrician and plumber to finish
3. bring pressure washer guy in to do floors and exterior brick
4. clean and place equipment in areas
5. hang a plastic sheet ‘dust wall’ to protect areas fro ongoing construction of next phase of expansion
6. pour outside concrete slab for dumpsters
7. Confirm my pricing on menu with current food costs from vendor(s)[/list]
When it’s all said and done, the inspectors need only 24 hour notice to get down here. I can see this being done pretty soon. Today is twelve weeks since we got the keys and 9 weeks since serious construction began. Not too bad for an amateur and a retired drywall mechanic
It’s all part of the hood contractor quote . . . I think it is about $2200 installed and charged. The guy doing the hood is actually a fire system guy by trade who ended up doing hoods as well starting 5 years ago. So many restaurants were replacing and installing hoods that he wanted in on the fire system maitains. SOOOOO, he got into the hoods market as an inroad to the lucrative fire systems inspections and recharging.
I got my CO approved tonight. Now health department can sign off on the punch list they gave me Monday. All we have holding us up is getting our warewasher installed and food in the house!!
If warewasher gets delayed, then we have an alternative of getting a utility sink to use for prepping our wings, and using the 3-comp for dishes. Then, flip over to the other way around. Before anyone flips out, all our wares will run through our dishwasher, so 3-comp isn’t needed for dishes/pots.
I see the floor is done. Was it hard? How do you think it is going to hold up? I’m considering that as an option to redoing my kitchen floor next year.
The floor itself was not at all difficult to install. It would be even easier with a level concrete pad :shock: We have lots of high and low spots, so it was tricky, and we have thin spots. I do believe it will be pretty darned durable since we dragged a 2-door cooler across it and only scuffed the top . . . . long shallow scratch, but not through to concrete.
To do it again, I would go for a 2-coat system in my floors. That could level out the highs and lows. It cost me about $1000 in materials for 100% solids 2-part epoxy system as well as the mastic solvent to clean the floors. Took about 6 hours to clean the concrete, 2 hours to etch/prepare, and 2 hours to put on epoxy . . . mix, pour, squeegy, and roller to even it out.
I am looking to do something very similar with server alley, dining room, halls and bathrooms. I can get a 65% solids 1-part coating from Lowes/Home Depot for about $20 gallon. Could be strong enough for what I need, and I can always double coat it. It will some less expensive, but the punishment will be a good bit less in those areas.
Ready to just roast pizzas and fry wings for a living.
