LAST DAY OF 2007....HOT & SIZZLING AT CHILI'S

It's not just the food that's served up HOT at Chili's. This morning Woody is in a SIZZLIN' mood himself. It's the pressure of trying to get all the details complete in time for Ryan's arrival Wednesday. Woody missed yesterday's surprise inspection from Dave Dotter. Dave is the senior team member on this project. Woody is waiting for a visit from him now. Hoping to get any tips on other items that may need attention prior to Ryan's arrival.

The painters and electricians are on site now finishing up their final punch list items. The mini boxes were picked up early this morning. Labor-Redi is cleaning the grounds and other final construction clean items. Woody called the glass company about the trim missing and they are scheduled to install this morning.

Chili's opens at 11:o0am, so from right now we have 45 minutes to complete interior work if the painters and electricians want to be home before the new year.

CHILI'S Molten Cake....It's great! Re-image continues

Ryan Elmer, Parkway Project Manager, should arrive Wednesday to do a inspection. Then the Brinkers PM should do the final walk on Thursday. The painters and electricians worked today to try to finish all loose ends. Tomorrow is new year's eve and again all sub contractors are ready to head home for the holiday. But this group is really ready to tie this project up. So the painters and electricians will hold over to tomorrow to do a walk with Woody to make sure everything is complete. That will leave us the first part of the week to complete carpentry work and clean up. Wednesday we should be able to do the electrical inspection and Thursday a final inspection.

CHILI'S BBQ RIBS & MARGARITAS

Chili's has remained open everyday of construction. They serve the best corn on the cob. And now the people of Albuquerque and visitors to the area can enjoy the good food in a great environment. The atmosphere is exciting and refreshing. All the new decor, fresh paint, and new light fixtures have really come together. The painters worked on exterior paint, including the front canopy. The roofers are finising up the front canopy as well. A great detail completion is the the rope lighting not only at the bar but also on the exterior of the building. The Chili's crew & management have been great to work with through this process. The landscapers have been working on the flagstone and the metal planters. All in all, we should be done and out of here in a week. Top pic: Re-imaged To Go Entrance Bottom Pic: Original To Go Entrance

CHILI'S Gets it's CHILI

Today the sign company finally installed the BIG CHILI on the front of the building. I'll post a better picture of the new exterior tomorrow. But for now here is an idea to compare the beginning project picture to the current project picture. The painters have been on site today and last night. The tile guys finished and are already gone. Stone Mason finished today also. The fire sprinkler heads were installed in the front canopy and connected. Roofers are almost finished. The landscapers came in and started leveling the metal planters. BEST OF ALL WE RECEIVED A GREEN TAG FOR HEALTH INSPECTION!!!!

Woody is in a much better mood today. Finally got some good rest in the afternoon and a great dinner. Of course passing an inspection helps too. The restaurant looks great and the Chili work crew keeps asking why are we still here. But it's those behind the scenes, little details that must be completed to make it a PARKWAY CONSTRUCTION PROJECT.

Brinkers & Ryan Inspect Chili's

Woody had to be at work at 7am today. He probably came in at 1 or 2 last night. But it's a big day with the inspection. (I had to bail since I woke up with a fever. The cold weather is taking it's toll on me.) It turned out to be a day where not much went right. Of course on a positive note the crews did show up to work. Tonight the tile guys should return to town to finish all tile work. The painters, electricians, stone mason, roofers, landscapers were all at work this morning. The welder was able to deliver the brackets needed for the front canopy! The sign co installed the margarita sign at the bar. Labor-Redi crew prepared the miniboxes for pick up tomorrow. Finally Woody came in tonight about 6pm to eat dinner and nap before returning to work tonight at 10pm. The punch list was delivered from today's inspection. Looks like we'll be enjoying Albuquerque, NM another week.

Back to Chili's

Well, so much for the rest we got....the crews are slowly reporting back. We've managed to pick up a couple of extra people to help with the work that's left to do. We had two people show up from Labor-Redi. They were EXCELLENT. They managed to get all the back cleaned up. Ryan Elmer, PM, showed up for his visit today. We walked the site and tried to address issues that may come up when we have another Brinker inspection tomorrow. The electricians have scheduled the electrical inspection for tomorrow. Painters, welder, stone mason, roofers, landscapers and electrician all made it back to continue the work. It's extremely cold. We started work at 7am today and it was 7pm before we were able to leave for a few hours. I came home and Woody returned at 10pm to meet the night crew. It's been a long day but the end must be near.

Merry Christmas!!!

It may snow today. But snow or no snow, Baby, it's cold outside. It's so good to rest. We hope you are all enjoying a happy holiday with friends or family. We are going to go to Furr's for our Christmas dinner and then possibly enjoy a movie. Tomorrow, it's back to work at Chili's.

Pic: Chili Pepper in flight. This guy hung around about a week waiting for his plane. Now he is flying over the dining area.

Christmas Eve & Chili's is Open

Chili's was open today. All construction crews are now gone for the holidays. Woody & I came and clean up some of the construction debris and moved all the equipment out of the way. Aside from that we took the day off. The most exciting thing of all is that we finally get to sleep tonight and sleep in tomorrow.

Chili's in December...Margarita Bar is OPEN

The month is almost over. We've been here about 20 days. Today only the electrician is working for a while then departing for Arizona for the holidays. The Chili's crew is really excited that the work is almost finished. It's interesting to see the customers come in and comment positively about all the changes. In these last days the work being completed is more visible. It's interesting to see how everyone is so excited about all of it. I think we've eaten everything on the menu in these twenty days. With just one worker on site we finally had a short day at work.

PIC: Check out the cool new swivel barstools & stainless steel glass rack! NICE!

CHILI'S Bar Mirrors & Glass Installed

WOW....wow.....WOW....The new mirrors and glass in the bar area are outstanding!!! GOOD work. Now the painters will be able to get in and finish trim painting. Except the painters leave today for the holidays and won't return til late on the 26th. The carpenters doing the front canopy also left for California today. The stone mason has started setting up for doing the columns on the front canopy tomorrow. Landscapers did some more work and the electricians have started wiring the front canopy. After today only the electrician has not left for the holidays. With this being our original turn over date, Woody is in a bit of a mood because the project is not complete. But he understands that with the holidays, most men want to return home for a few days. We'll have to wait to hear how Ryan takes the news that we didn't finish today. Management here at Chili's has been great to work with. Their crews and our crews have been great working together to make sure that business runs as normal during business hours. And of course everyone wants to know how Greg is doing. Greg, we hope all is well with you.

Snowing at Chili's!!!

Yes, it snowed again. It's cold and it's nice to see the snow this close to Christmas. However, it does interfere with the work schedule. The front canopy will not be finished in time due to some missing hardware that has to be special made. Painting had to stop due to the weather. Which also caused most all other exterior work to cease. WOODY IS NOT A HAPPY CAMPER TODAY! He's going to miss his deadline.

Sadly, Greg had to leave the job for personal reasons. This means longer hours for Woody. Running a night and day crew will mean 12 to 16 hours of work. But the project should be close to completion, so rest and sleep is right around the corner.

The sign company installed a couple of exterior signs. Front canopy work has continued. Stone mason, painters, electricians, landscapers, glass installers, and decor people did what work was permissable in the bad weather.

Chili's Restaurant Gets New Decor

Decor is not complete with just the installation of the booths, tables, chairs. A decor team arrived and started putting up all the CHILI'S signs, paintings, chalkboards, and lots of other goodies that really brightened up the place. They will probably work about 3 to 5 days to get it all done. Ayala's Dryawll team left today. Three of the carpenters stayed to continue the work on the front canopy. Mike has also stayed on to help complete the items on the punch list. The electricians changed out the dimmer panel. The sign company removed the old exterior CHILI'S signs. The roofers are working on the to go canopy. Although the crews are still working, you can clearly see that the long night hours are wearing everyone down & with the holidays right around the corner, they are trying to make arrangements to leave. Many of the sub contractors are here from out of state. And many of us are having a hard time adjusting to the COLD weather. Most days we can see the snow on Sandia Mountain. Woody is just hoping everyone doesn't bail on him so that he can meet his deadline.

Pre-walk at Chili's with Ryan & Brinkers

PIC: Construction in progress for front canopy. Check photos in future to see the completed structure. It will show the addition of stone covered lower columns and CHILI'S SIGNS.


Woody & Greg have a full house of workers today. The crews worked all through the night and have continued through the morning. Everyone is hoping this first inspection will go well. With Christmas nearing, most of the men are ready to return to their homes for the holidays. The work inside ceases daily at 10:15 to 10:30 and the construction clean up begins. Crews can't work inside during business hours. They also can't work outdoors unless they are in places that won't disrupt the customers. This is diffucult as the construction of the front canopy begins. It is difficult to stop that work once it starts. Also, the men can see better in the daylight, so they work as long as possible. Drywall men are working on finishing hardware installation, removal of exterior benches, and the final steps of preparations for rope lighting so they can leave for the holidays. Mike has been working on the TO GO BAR counter & moving the dispensers in restrooms to the correct height. All in all, the carpenters, glass installers, stone mason, painters, electricians, landscapers, sign company, plumbers, stainless steel installer, and roofers managed to work side by side in harmony. The buzz all day is everyone wanting to know how the inspection went and how soon can they leave for the holidays. The inspection was ok. A bit of a punch list which means Woody and I won't be home for Christmas, but with only a few days left to turn over the restaurant, it was as we expected.

Decor Arrival at Chili's Restaurant

Yesterday a semi delivered the new decor! The men had worked all night of the 16th into the morning of the 17th. But none the less, that didn't stop them from showing up early the evening of the 17th to unload the trailer so that they could install the new booths and tables overnight. By this morning, the work was done. The new tables and chairs, booths & benches look really nice. And now the interior paint really blends with the new furnishings. Omega started setting in the new flagstone outside the main entrance. Discount Glass came and installed mirrors in the bathroom and one over by the step up dining area. The usual painting, stone masonary, electrical and general construction took place. Promotions showed up to install the new flatscreen tvs in the bar. We also had a visit from Ryan Elmer, Parkway Project Manager for this project. Ryan walked the restaurant with us in preparation for the Brinker's inspection tomorrow.

Removal of Chili Pepper at CHILI'S

They've begun installing the new hardware, changed the fire exit door, and ripped some 1x4 for preparation for the rope lighting. They are almost 100% complete on the bar and the baby changing tables were installed. Painters are taking care of trim inside the restaurant and continue painting outside. Woody found a local stone mason, Jim Saunier, who is installing the stone on the columns at the to go and main entrances. This is very good work. Electricians and tile men have left and replacement crews should return within a few days. But the most talked about project completion for the day is the removal of the CHILI PEPPER from the front of the building.

Chili's Liquor Niches

The new liquor niches were installed last night. In addition the bruce flooring continues to be installed. Aaron & Mike worked on installing dining room trim work. Tile guys did some additional work needed in the restrooms & they did some wait stations. The painters are working on exterior paint and interior finishes. Electricians took out exterior lights. Landscapers are preparing to lay flagstone.

It's no longer snowing, but it is soooo COLD!!!

Chili's Bar Work Coming Together

Interesting how so much behind the scenes work goes into re-imaging the bar, then the painters come in and makes it all very noticable. Last night they painted the bar ceilings. Of course last night was Saturday, so most of the guys took the night off. The painters however continued work and made great progress. Mike came in and made adjustments needed to the r/r partitions and continued work on the TO GO bar. On the exterior the electricians removed the gooseneck lights & installed plates.

Chili's To Go

The To Go Bar area is being reimaged. The tile work has made a big differnce. The carpenters got the ceiling completely covered up again. ADT was to come today, but didn't make it. We'll wait for rescheduling. Mike & Aaron are working on the bar. Painters are working on touch ups inside and the landscapers are still taking out old landscaping.

Let it snow...let it snow...let it snow......Would be better if it wasn't so that work could continue more vigourously, but none the less it's snowing.

Chili's Bar Work continues

The beer coolers were a big hit when they were installed. In this picture it is visible that many changes are taking place. The bar got a whole new look. The lights around the bar with the aluminum wrap and bruce flooring are all almost complete. The guys have to remove the booths to install the bruce flooring on walls. Then before Chili's opens for business they have to reinstall all the booths removed. After 10 hours of work the 11th & 12th hours are used to put everything back in place and do a construction clean. Then outside the men begin putting away materials and tools. Some crews continue with exterior work and new crews arrive to do other exterior work, such as landscapers, plumbers, electricians.

To Go Canopy Installed

Look at an earlier post showing the exterior painting, then look at this picture to see the differnce the canopy made. The guys worked through the day after working the previous night to get this finished. Landscapers started today. Electricians are back on the job. Bruce flooring work continues. There is talk of snow and the guys are getting more anxious to finish as the holidays near. Work is running on schedule. Waiting for confirmation of decor delivery.

Canopy Construction Coming Up

Concrete was poured!!! The weather has held off getting too bad to continue with the work. Rain early in the morning, but it stopped. System pressure test in dining room passed. Tile guys did a lot of grouting and more bruce flooring installed. We are ready for ADT to connect the fire sprinkler system. Stone mason contractor, roofer, and glass installer have all been scheduled.

Wait stations are getting the earthtone southwestern looking tiles replaced with red tiles. This really brightens up the place.

Fired Up at Chili's

This picture shows the exterior painting done to one side of the Chili's. The painters did two sides and will wait for dry weather to finish the exterior paint. The bar work has continued as has the painting inside and installation of the bruce flooring. The crews are working incredible hours from about 11pm to 11am each day. When possible they work on the exterior through the day. Concrete to be poured in the morning.

CHILI'S PAINT brightens up dining area

The painters came in about midnight and did indoor painting until 8am. They are preparing to go do outdoor painting now. Earlier postings show the bright green and red of the ceiling and last night the walls were painted yellow. The dining area is brighter...the re-image is really shaping up.

LIGHTING IT UP

Two electricians on the job and they are working hard and fast. They work long hours, about 12 a night. The lights were very bright tonight after installation. They changed three of the exterior lights and continued hanging and rewiring interior lights. Everyone is talking about needing time off, well, except for the trim finishers, they just took last night off. Communication with Ryan Elmer (PM) is excellent. Woody and Greg are proving to be a great team. They've managed to cover the hours on site and have the hours they can't work on site to go and round up materials, finish paperwork, and look for subcontractors.

Bruce Flooring Walls

What a great look this is! The carpenters are focusing on the next couple of days on finishing all areas that require this type covering. The key is to use the right percentages of the different shades. The first wall took a while, after that it's not so difficult.

Teamwork....separates Parkway from the rest!

Thinking back to Woody's joy when Vaughn came to see us in Santa Barbara, I think he was even happier to see Greg Davis driving up to the job on the night of the 6th. They decided to definitely split the long evening/night/morning shift. The goal was to have the carpenters install the new beer coolers so that the bar could be operational by 11am the next day. Beer serviceman agreed to come in at 6am and get the switch completed. Teamwork! It was great to see the supers, carpenters, electrician, and beer servicemen all working together. By 11am, Chili's had a customer at the bar and they were definitely operational. GOOD JOB! GREAT TEAM WORK!!!

Chili's Restaurant Work Continues

The group of subs working have really been working great together. It feels like a real group effort. Greg arrived tonight. (YIPPIE!!!) No more long, long, long nights. Ryan (PM) sent answers to most of the questions tonight, so it's helped in getting the work to continue. Items on hold are being dealt with in a very timely manner. Received the cd pictures from Ryan and that alone shed a lot of light on several situations that were in question.

Rain expected on the weekend. Snow is expected on Monday. With concrete that needs to be poured and the rest of the work that is needed to be done outside, everyone is hoping the weather stays clear.

Inspection the plumbers had this morning went great.....PASSED!!!

Chili's All night long

We are waiting for the other Super, Greg, to arrive. Until then, looks like we are going to be on from 10pm to about noon next day.....long nights. Big group of subs showed up to work tonight. It's been productive and great team work. I'm sure that we've sent too many emails to Ryan (PM for this project) already. Overall, this job looks as if it should be on schedule before long. If all goes well, Greg will arrive tomorrow and he and Woody will divide into two shifts to provide the quality and excellence for which Parkway is known. The re-image is already making a big difference. The lighting in the bar area is being changed now and it's really made a big improvement.

****CHILI'S***** WOW......

Well, we never did stop in Amarillo. Fact is that by the time we reached Amarillo, we'd read the entire Chili's Re-image packet. Guess we were so excited we thought it might be best to just keep going. About 3am, Woody was feeling a bit worn out.

We arrived in Alb, NM about 8:30am. Decided to drive direct to the job site. Plumbers were still working. Met briefly with one of the night managers. Walked the job to get an idea of what we'll be doing. This Chili's is located by the Cottonwood Mall in North Alb. Plumbers were very helpful as was the night manager. The store is open 11am to 10pm weekdays, and 11am to 11pm weekends. So we'll be working the hours that they are closed.

Now we are off to find an RV Park near the job site. After getting a bite to eat, I'm sure Woody will be sound asleep in preparation for the night hours that we'll soon be working.

This project definitely seems to be on schedule. Will know more later. Check back for pictures of progress.

Chili's Reimaging Project, ALB, NM

It's like we were just in Albuquerque, NM a few weeks ago. Left Sandy Lake RV Park about 6pm. Will plan to drive to Amarillo, TX and getting some sleep before driving on to ALB, NM. Looks like Woody will be having a NEW MEXICAN CHRISTMAS this year.

A great thing about working with a leading national builder is that you never know where the next path will take you. Pulling an RV at night is not ideal, but it's good to know that when you can't go another mile, you just pull over and you catch some rest in your OWN bed.

It's an interesting opportunity awaiting us in NM. Chili's is getting a new look. We'll be reading the material provided on the road. So far, it looks very promising. Greg should be joining us by Wednesday.

(Pic insert of Albuquerque, NM about 9pm from top of hill on our way to Chili's)