Carpet is going in!

This past week, some of the finishing touches are happening to the staff house. They were prepping for the carpet to go in and finishing the "punch list" for the paint. They deck was stained and the railing was painted green.

We should have the appliances installed by the end of next week and will be looking for an occupancy soon!

We marked several scrub pines that we want to take out so we can do some nice landscaping with native trees and plants. Who wouldn't want to sit in a rocking chair on the deck and look out at the view below? Imagine it mixed with lots of dogwoods in bloom...

We are wanting to name the staff house something other than "staff house" if you have any suggestions, let me know!

Laying the road

This last week, they laid the base for the road that will go up to the back accessible entrance and the parking area out front.

The propane tank was brought in and put into the ground. This will create a climate controlled environment so that the ceiling tiles can go in now.

They also did some interior stuff like the beautiful stair railing and painting.

I am making more progress on the furniture. I have compiled a list of things we will be buying and am now gong through the state contracts to figure out where to buy it from.

Concrete & Connections

There has been lots of progress from the outside! They poured the concrete that connects the building to the parking area. This has a slight grade so it provides a "ramp" to the Wellness Center. This also made it possible to start the outside stairs that will connect the floors in the front of the building, they look great!

The heating units (5 of them) have been brought in and placed on their slab. We are waiting on the propane tank to get buried so we can actually have some heat. We have to wait on that so we can get a climate controlled space so we can finish the ceiling tiles.

The leaves are turning and it is beautiful!

Water & Power!

The 6 inch water line has been put in finally. The yard at the Directors house and the lower parking area was torn up to finish the connection. We are going to use this opportunity to do some needed landscaping in that area. It is the first thing you see when you enter the property so it should present itself in a welcoming and polished manner.

The large vault for the camps new water connection is in. It will require some creative landscaping to disguise it. It is bigger than they made it sound, sticks up above the grade, is right in front of the lodge/old pool area and is quite an eye soar. The good thing about it (and one reason it is so big) is that this is going to be our only metering point for the whole camp. It will allow up to tap into the line anywhere below it without the long permitting process and extra costs. It will also keep us from having more of these vaults all over the place when new buildings and things are put in. So in the big scheme of things, it will be better for the camp and you will not really know it is there when we get done landscaping it.

The electric has been connected to the house now! It is cool to see the lights illuminating from the house in the mornings.

We want to rename the Staff House to something more user friendly and appealing to groups. We thought of Hickory Hideaway or Hickory Hollow since there are lots of hickory trees around it. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know!

Solar panels, water and flooring, Oh My!

At the end of last week the solar panels were installed on the roof. They look small compared to the rest of the building, but I am sure they are powerful! It may take a week or so to get them hooked up and functional. We are wanting to use them as teaching tools for the kids on how solar power works!

The big water line that has kept us waiting for so long is almost ready to connect! They have been digging rather large holes and ditches along the road to lay a 6 inch water line. They started at the staff house and worked their way back to the parking area in front of our house. They are almost connected! When they do finally tap into the water line, we will let you know if the pressure blows the roof off or not..ha ha!

They also put most of the hard wood flooring in over the weekend and it looks beautiful! The combination of hardwood and ceramic tile looks great. We are in the process of picking out the furniture and fabrics right now!

Floors are going in!

These last few weeks have been very busy at the staff house and here at camp. The ceramic tiles went in and the "rubbery" tiles for the wellness center were laid. They look great! It is starting to really come together!

The installable permanent furnishings have been delivered and are being hung in the rooms also. There is a big back hoe out in front of the staff house too digging a large ditch for the new WATER LINE! Yeah, that stag was cleared up finally!

I have been told that the cabinets in the kitchen are being hung right now and that the permanent power line should be going in this week. I am narrowing down furniture options also so we can start to order bunk beds, couches, etc. soon.

Doors are being hung...

We have the United Way Day of Caring today. We have ~35-40 volunteers out here right now and they are clearing & building 3 new elements on the low ropes course, starting to widen and clear the logging road for the new entrance road and they repainted the rec hall bathrooms. Things are looking better and better every day thanks to our volunteer groups!

As for the staff house, it looks like everything is on schedule now. The water permit is straight with the City of Asheville now. The doors came in and are being hung...they look awesome! I love the light pine look. Most of the fixtures are in and the ceiling in the downstairs is going up. They said that they are starting the floors next week. It is all coming together!