Construction with Meetings & Inspections in the Mix

Yesterday we had eight different subcontractors on site working. Today it's scaled back to five because we had so many visitors out on the site. City of Fort Worth's Inspector Lloyd Miller passed the masons on their flashing and brick tie inspection. The masons will begin bricking the building on Monday. The interior framers were a big help with the visual aides we needed during the management meeting. Fire / sprinkler crew and plumbing crew progressed with their contracted work. Meanwhile, the concrete crew pour the freezer/cooler area. That concrete crew hasn't let us down yet! This has been an excellent week. There is a possibility that the roofing crews will make it out to start the roof work tomorrow, Saturday. The progress has been great enough that no other crews are scheduled to work this weekend. We did have our weekly site meeting today with Michael Sawyers and Jimmy Lopez. The Jaspers and Michael Jasper met us out there as well. Most of the time was spent confirming the lay out of the front counter area. Later our Director, Ted Young joined Woody and Michael at the site. Ted actually came out for Woody's evaluation. No doubt about it, Parkway is a very supportive company and they provide us with excellent leaders. Woody was in good spirits having had his Project Manager and Project Director both on site today.

Fire & Sprinkler work begins at McDonald's

Today the company that will be doing all the installation of the fire safety sprinkler indoor system came to begin their work. Also, making their first appearance was the glass company. They came to verify the actual openings for windows and doors now that the exterior framing is completed. MEP work has been ready for proceeding. The E in MEP has not yet started. The electrician did come to meet with Woody today to confirm plans before he begins early next week. And the M in MEP, is not here today. They won't be returning until next week. That leaves the P in MEP..the plumbers have continued to move along with their schedule. The masons have come along and are scheduled for the flashing/brick tie inspection tomorrow with the City of Fort Worth. The truss company sent their inspector out to inspect the installed trusses today. They called for a couple of changes that were quickly completed while the inspector was onsite. Reliable was able to get all but the freezer area poured inside the building. Excellent work. Tomorrow our managers will be here.

Exterior Framing is Completed at McDonald's

Today the exterior framers completed their contracted work on the building. They will return at a later time to do the trash enclosure framing. MEP work continues. The concrete crew is preparing for step up and other fill in pours inside the building tomorrow and then the cooler pour on Friday. Interior framing continues. The masons are still working on flashing and brick ties before they can be inspected and begin the actual brick work.

Interior Framing Continues at McDonald's

As the brick tie work is being completed outside in preparation for the brick tie inspection, inside things are also taking shape. The interior framing is coming along at a good pace. Keep in mind that the goal of the schedule for these buildings is based on a fast paced work environment. This is why a subcontractor missing just one day at these sites can quickly fall behind.

Outline of McDonald's Visible

Today we had the framers, plumbers, hvac mechanics, interior metal stud crews, concrete crews arriving early in the morning. No sooner had we arrived when the roofing materials were delivered, as well as all the metal studs. We quickly set up all our office equipment in anticipation of the early morning site meeting with management. Our Project Manager was the first to arrive. After a while, the Jaspers arrived with their management team. Woody walked everyone through the building and discussed our progress as well as anticipated issues that may need their attention in the near future. Meanwhile, all the crews just kept a steady pace working. Looking back, I can see that it's been ten days since the last site meeting. At that point the building pad was not yet poured. So today was an excellent day to have visitors. The building is taking shape and Woody continues to work the crews agressively. In the afternoon, Jimmy Lopez, Area Construction Manager, dropped in to get a visual of the progress first hand. He was able to provide very positive support. Everyone will be coming back out on Friday. Our goal is to get the MEP's to progress substaintially by the end of the week.

Plumbers Passed City Inspection

The City of Fort Worth came to inspect the sanitary sewer line and the grease trap that the plumbers have been working on since last week. They passed the inspection. So now they can advance with their work. Here is a short clip of the plumbers and their work over the past week in regards to the grease trap.

2008 Texas State Fair, Dallas, TX

Before leaving Dallas & heading back to Fort Worth this weekend, we stopped by the 2008 Texas State Fair. Signs that the economy is not in a great position were clearly visible. No lines, no crowds, no rush. But that didn't take away from the beautiful sights we enjoyed. Some of these photos were taken from our view at the top of the Texas Star, Texas Fair's Ferris Wheel.

Frame Work Continues at McDonald's

The framers came in today with a big crew. They are making great head way. Their hard work and efforts are greatly appreciated. Their work today should make a good impression on the McDonald's and Parkway Managers that come to the site meeting. Last Saturday we were still waiting to pour a building pad. Here we are a week later with a good portion of the building already framed. This has been a very productive week.

Southwest Parking Area Poured Today

Concrete crews met another goal today when they managed to pour the outer southwestern parking lot area. The framing of the building continued throughout today. The framers will return on Saturday and continue the task. By Monday, the framers will be ready for the City of Fort Worth to come inspect their work. The plumbers are continuing the work on the sanitary sewer and grease trap. They will also be inspected by the City on Monday.

McDonald's on Alta Mere

Framers really worked hard today. This crew didn't slow down all day. It was midmorning when the first truss went up and by mid afternoon they were done with the trusses. They also worked on the exterior walls. The plumbers surprised us and came four days early to install the grease trap. They got everything ready and then by mid morning the grease trap arrived and they were able to set it in place. The concrete crew wrapped up with steel and forms for the flatwork scheduled for tomorrow morning. This was a very productive day.

Framing Work Begins Today

Doesn't take too many words to explain today. FRAMERS are working. They have very visible work. It's the first real eye catcher for people passing by. We had dinner at the new restaurant across the street, Joe's Pizza & Pasta. IT WAS really GOOD FOOD. He was very impressed with how fast we are coming along. It's always interesting to here positive reactions from neighbors. Welding crew finished erecting the steel. The utility workers are nearing completion. The concrete crew will be ready to pour concrete on Friday morning. Great Day!

STEEL ERECTORS HAVE ARRIVED

YES, IT'S TRUE, TODAY WE WENT VERTICAL! The steel work is beautiful . Woody was smiling all day just to see it finally happening. Tomorrow the framers arrive. By the end of the week, we should have a building. Days like today make this work really exciting. We had the steel erectors out and they were moving the project along at fast pace. Also, working today were the concrete crews. Actually, Stephen, the concrete Superintendent, sent out two crews today. They are getting set up to pour the southwest parking area. They also removed the forms from the building pad. In addition to this, the utility contractor was able to tie into the fire main tap today. So here are some pictures that tell the days events better than a thousand words. Each of these four collages shows the work done today by four different crews working on four different tasks.

Building Pad Poured

Finally, after 50 days, we have a building pad! What a great milestone to reach. Keep in mind that our milestone is thirty days. Needless to say we took almost twice the amount of allowable time. But we don't see this as a negative. The challenge has been switching from carton forms to cushion sand, the density of the rock in the building pad, the six days we lost due to grading issues, and 10+ days of rain and mud. Overall, we are very pleased with the results. Our project goes most smoothly, when the foundation is solid and as error free as possible. It is visible that the forms, steel, and design are providing a very solid foundation for this McDonald's location. So much so that when the McDonald's Area Construction Manager, Jimmy Lopez, visited the site, he mentioned that he'd never seen a McDonald's slab designed this way for this area. The quality is excellent. Now we can go vertical and make up for lost time.

Building Pad Preparations Continue

We now have a certified pad, forms installed, steel installed and tied, floor drains, plumbing & electrical are roughed in, termite treatment has been completed, and anchor bolts are installed. Concrete crew worked today to make sure that the required clearance was uniform across the entire pad. Woody attempted to get a Saturday inspection to go ahead with pouring the pad. His calls were not returned. Therefore, the crew was unable to pour the pad. At the end of the day the crew was confident that they would pass inspection on Monday. The forecast is calling for clear skies, so weather shouldn't be an issue on Monday.

Friday's Visitors

Friday is our regular site meeting. Today we had a full house of visitors. We were waiting for the City Inspector to come inspect the form so we could pour the building pad. Meanwhile, Jimmy Lopez, McDonald's ACM, and Michael Sawyers, Parkway PM, arrived for an early briefing meeting. Next Dan Dover, Falcon Companies, and Reese of Ridgemont arrived to discuss how they would correct the taps for the fire riser and water lines. Meanwhile, the crew of men working on the building pad continued to grow in numbers and their supervisors met to be sure all was ready for the pour. Then the McDonald's Partners arrived. We met with them to give them a brief summary of the week's activities and to discuss decor and equipment. Just as they were pulling away one of the Parkway Owners, Vaughan Hancock, and Ted Young, Parkway Director, arrived to see the progress. All our visitors were pleased with the site and progress. Finally, after the lunch the City Inspector arrived & requested a clearance at the base before he could approve the pad for the pour. The crews worked diligently to clear the dirt that needed to be removed, but the City was unable to get an inspector out to give the go ahead. Despite Woody's attempts to get an after hours inspection, he was forced to schedule a Monday inspection.

Electric & Plumbing Ready For Pouring Pad

Electricians came in and out today and finished all the underground electric and passed the underground electrical inspection for building pad! Plumbers came out and worked on boxing out floor sinks. They are done with this phase of inspections and ready for the pad to be poured. The utility contractor will be here first thing in the morning and finish up his work. Depending on the time the inspector comes to inspect the forms, we should be pouring a pad at 10am or 1pm. Looks like our Secret Weapon is going to pull it off. Check back tomorrow.

Meet our Secret Weapon

This is the foreman that's been running an incredible concrete crew out on the job for us. He's been delayed due to weather, grading, rock issues, and yet he will meet the goals Woody gives him. His crews have gotten the Northeast Parking area, then the Northwest Parking area. Now that we have a fire lane, we are going to pour the building pad. The plan is to begin pouring at 10am Friday morning. That means that tomorrow his crews will need to finish setting steel, anchor bolts, lay the moisture barrier, and have a form inspection in order to accomplish this. The pressure is on now. But it's not just a matter of going fast, the work has to be high quality. These men have been working long hours in trying to meet their deadline. The work is greatly appreciated.

Fire Riser Vault Set Today

Electricians have continued to use the rocksaw as they do the underground electrical in the parking area. The utility contractor is still working on the storm water line. The concrete crew is cleaning out trenches, setting forms, and tying steel.

This Week's Goal: Pour Building Slab

The focus this week will be to get all the underground utility work done in the building pad, get the pad treated for termites, finish all forms, steel, and anchor bolts, cover up with moisture barrier, complete inspections, and pour the slab. The question is: Are we far along enough this Monday morning to make this happen on Friday? Answer: It's irrelevant as to whether or not we are far along enough on Monday morning. Solution: Schedule crews throughout the week to make it happen. Today the utility contractor worked on the storm water pipe. The electricians were able to use the rocksaw to continue trench work. The concrete crews began setting forms & cleaning out trenches. Termite treatment has been scheduled. After meeting with Stephen, the foreman for the concrete crews, Woody is comfortable that this goal will be met. Stephen is aware of the expectation. The electrical crews and plumbing crews are also on board with this week's schedule. The only snag of the day came at the end of the day: the utility contractor cut into the Atmos gas line. Atmos came out immediately and handled the situation.

NW Parking Lot Poured

Even as we are on the edge of getting a down pour from Hurricane IKE or concrete crew arrived before sunrise ready to pour concrete. Rain was called for 2:30pm today. We were already pouring by 7am. About an hour into it, it started to sprinkle. Everyone worked harder & faster in the hopes of finishing the pour before the rain started. This concrete crew has been consistent and aggressive. They of course got finished before the rain started just as forecast at 2:30pm. Hopefully it will dry out tomorrow and allow us to return to work on Monday.

Today our thoughts & prayers are with all the families and businesses in the path of Hurricane IKE.