Sunday, October 18, 2015

On to the inside- Building the Winery Part 16

Watching the building get built so rapidly in the beginning gets one really excited. But then the work moves to the inside and it seems to go to a crawl. Unless you are there everyday watching the hustle of the tradesmen put in the plumbing, the electrical, the insulation, and the stairs, it just appears very little is going on from the outside.

The exterior isn't done yet though. The siding needs to be put up (sometime next week), the grading needs to be done to allow the back patio and Dominion Power to come in and complete their assignments. The main doors have to be installed, and probably a dozen other things needed to put on the finishing touches.

But it is the inside now that is getting the attention. Without the lighting in, it is shadowy most of the time. Natural sunlight is all they have to see what they are doing. Fortunately there are plenty of windows to let the rays in, and for the most part the weather has been cooperating and not delivering rain or completely cloudy days.
For the longest time if you wanted to see the action upstairs, you needed to have the skills of a monkey to climb up the interior posts and framework to reach the loft (the workers conveniently used ladders that they removed every night). However, the stairway came in and was installed a week ago, so normal people could advance up the stairs and walk around the upper deck, looking over the railing to the center facade below. It is a simple railing, appropriate for a "really nice barn" , creating the inside diameter for a circle of offices, a conference room, and a small kitchenette. The upstairs will be the administrative offices for the winery, having room for Diane's office and any of those other jobs that will be created to service the winery, like someone to do the purchasing, manage functions, or be responsible for concessionary duties. 

The insulation was put in this week. To see these guys do this as quick as they did was amazing. What would take me a month took just 2 days with 2 guys. Long blankets of insulation were balanced on the end of sticks, raised 15 or 20 feet in the air and then tucked into their respective slots. This week the drywall is going up which will cover most of the interior walls and some of the ceilings. The center area will retain the wood look though, and wainscoting will enhance the walls in the gift shop, tasting room, and function room. 

For those that follow us on Facebook, I encourage you to look up Hampton Roads Winery and see the virtual tour that is posted. It is a little dizzying, and there certainly are some artistic freedoms taken, but for the most part it is a decent representation of the downstairs.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS ?