Michael Jordan Collision – 15

Paint booths and prep deck

Cleanup underway along entrance drive

New electrical service and gear

Undercut at rear service drive

Fire line installation continues

Progress picked back up this week after substantial weather and jurisdictional delays attempted to delay the Michael Jordan Collision project in Durham, NC.  Several inches of rain have fallen in the last week and a half hampering fire line and rear driveway construction.  Also, the fire sprinkler permits had been in some sort of weird computer limbo at the City of Durham, but we finally have that straightened out.

In the front of the building, installation of the fire line continued.  Due to existing conditions of the actual water main, it was determined that the tap couldn’t be installed with the water main live.  So, a temporary shutdown of the local water service is scheduled for next week.  In the meantime, the new fire line is installed from the building to the road, and has been pressurized and flushed.

Perforated metal panels were installed on the face of the new canopy.  This will provide the background for the new signage.

This project is being provided to the Owner thru the Architect-led Design-Build process with Gontram Architecture, Inc.

Michael Jordan Collision – 13

Fire Line installation is well underway for the Michael Jordan Collision Center project in Durham, North Carolina.  Since we are converting a 30+ year old warehouse into a body shop, the building is required to sprinklered (it is not sprinklered, currently).  Therefore, we have to run an 8″/12″ water pipe from the road to the building.

Excavation underway for water service tap.

Preexisting, abandoned water tap

Front parking lot

Prep deck installation continues

DIP cut with a quickie saw.

Fire line installation at the driveway, in the rain.

Exploratory digging on Monday discovered a couple of things.  First, the water line is not where we thought it was based on surveying and utility locators.  It was several feet away.  Second, there was a preexisting, abandoned tap where we were supposed to make our tap. After much discussion with the City Public Works Department, we have a strategy in place to shutoff water next week so we can remove the existing tap and install the new one.

In the meantime, Public Utilities, the contractor installing the fire line, moved down the driveway so they could still make progress.

Michael Jordan Collision Center Storm Trough from Eddie Gontram on Vimeo.

In the front of the building, we have very little control over storm water that comes on to our site from the adjacent property, and very few options available to deal with it.  We have constructed a sidewall to the ADA entrance ramp and installed a storm trough to direct water away from the accessible route.  Today, the rain was able to give us a successful demonstration of the trough.

Inside the building, work continues on the paint booths and prep deck.

Unfortunately for our progress, this week was a slow week as far as interior construction was concerned.  Our fire protection permit continues to be somewhere in the pile of drawings in the office of the Durham Fire Marshal.

This project is being provided to the Owner via the Architect-led Design-Build process with Gontram Architecture.

Michael Jordan Collision – 08

Concrete poured for ADA ramp walls

Interior vehicle ramp walls poured

ADA ramp walls formed

Trench drain slab tie-ins underway

Future body shop area

Slab demo complete at wash bay area

During the past week, a lot of concrete has been poured at the Michael Jordan Collision Center project in Durham, NC.  Concrete has been placed for both walls and floors.  Walls were formed and poured for the exterior front entry area and the interior vehicle access ramp.

Floors were poured where the plumbing trench drains had been recently installed.

The final under-slab plumbing rough-in work was also completed and ready for concrete tie-in next week.

New insulation facing continues to be installed on the Lower Level.

This project is being provided to the Owner via the Architect-led Design-Build process with Gontram Architecture.

Michael Jordan Collision Center – 07

Michael Jordan Collision Timelapse Video 2016-03-11 from Eddie Gontram on Vimeo.

Another week gone by, a few more surprises, but a LOT of progress at the Michael Jordan Collision Center project in Durham, NC.

Front entry foundation work underway. New interior vehicle ramp work beyond.

Turning this medical records warehouse into a new body shop requires installing a ramp to allow vehicles from the front parking lot to drive into the building (currently at loading dock height).  Rather than taking up room in the parking lot for a large ramp, we saved those precious parking spots and are currently installing the ramp INSIDE the building.  That contributes to the demolished look of the overhead door openings.

Discovered underground utilities.

Also, we have to get customers into the building at the office area.  So, we have a new “front porch” feature.  The foundation work for that area is currently underway.  More surprises:  drain piping and unsuitable soils mixed in with some bedrock has made for an interesting week.  Engineers were consulted, and we barely skipped a beat.

Ventilation pit decking & embeds

Inside the building, the ventilation pits received embedded steel and pan decking and should be poured in a day or two.

Prime paint wrapped up on the Upper Level of the building.

Two new overhead doors were installed on the rear of the building.

New overhead door opening.

Michael Jordan Collision Center – 05

Michael Jordan Collision 2016-02-26 from Eddie Gontram on Vimeo.

Some rock has been removed from the ventilation pit excavation. The rock breaker receives some repair work.

With concrete cutting and removal complete, excavation for trench drains and paint booth ventilation pits commenced this week at the Michael Jordan Collision Center in Durham, NC.  It went fairly smoothly until the ventilation pits were dug.  In some spots, rock was found.  As these ventilation pits have very specific depth requirements, the rock must go!

Trench drain is installed and ready for inspection.

Next week, once the rock is removed, construction really amps up a notch as we can button up the slab and start building from the slab up.

More exploratory rock excavation will also take place out back, behind the building.

Duct tape can fix anything, I guess!