Archive for the ‘Design’ Category

This morning we are working from the top to the bottom and pretty much everywhere in between.  In the big picture below the first of the upper roof panels is being set into place while the concrete truck pours the basement slab.

Meanwhile, on the lower part of the roof we are running the electrical wires and wires for the security and alarm systems.  We don’t want any exposed wiremold or electrical conduit so all ceiling mounted fixtures are being wired from the outside. This requires careful planning and skilled hands. To the left Sam Joslin, of Century Electric, confers with Dave Vinick, of Home Electronics.  To the right Len Capizanno locates the overhead fixtures.

And, while all this is going on up above, Ca-Gin Concrete pours the basement slab.  The blue foam blocks mark the location of the footings for the steel columns that will support the floor and roof structure.  Once the floor hardens the foam will be removed. And after the columns are set the diamond shapes will be patched and the concrete will secure the base of the columns.

For a quick history of the project scroll down to go back through Older Entries.

The new store is located at 4625 Old Post Road (right next to the existing store).

After months of planning and preparation we are raising the timber frame for the Charlestown Package Store.   South County Post and Beam cut the frame and is raising the structure.  The mortise and tenon frame is made from Douglas Fir and is held together by oak splines and pegs.   The structure is about 1/3 complete and we are scheduled to finish the timber frame by the end of the week.

With a timber frame building and Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) walls we have to be thoughtful about how and where we are going to run the wires and mount the fixtures.  Our design includes dramatic lighting, fire and security alarms, audio and visual systems, a cash register and inventory system, wiring for the geothermal heating and cooling system, and the usual array of outlets and switches.

We called everyone together – Tom, Tom, Ed, Traves, Ryan from Delta H; Meggin from Bay State Audio; Evelyn from Evelyn Audet Lighting; Sam and Lenny from Century Electric – to discuss the challenges and develop a plan.

We decided to build two horizontal chases into all of the wall panels and run all of the wires for overhead and ceiling mounted alarms through the roof.   This will require close coordination as Delta H will leave off the roof sheathing until Century Electric and the alarm company run their wires on top of the foam insulation.

After the concrete set we stripped the forms and sprayed waterproofing on the outside walls of the full basement.   At the end of the week we will backfill both the outside and inside of the foundation, after making sure there is no frost trapped in the ground.   Once the inside is backfilled and compacted we will form and pour the interior footings for the support posts.

The metal straps coming out of the concrete are hurricane straps that will be bolted into the exterior walls and will prevent the building from moving in the event of a hurricane.   We are building in a D zone which assumes sustained 100 mph winds and 120 mph gusts.

Forming  and pouring the foundation had  a couple of unusual challenges.

• The main part of the building will be timberframe and with an Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) curtain wall that is 8″ thick.  Both the wood structural posts and the EPS panels require full bearing, so the foundation had to be 16″ thick. And, as the timberframe has  been ordered and will arrive on site already cut, the foundation had to be perfect.
• The wine storage room and beer cooler are offset at a 66 degree angle and the foundation for the wine storage room requires oversized forms.

Ca-Gin Concrete is doing the foundation work and we meet with them repeatedly to go over the plans and check the elevations.   We were pouring more than 170 cubic yards of concrete.  To the right owner Jon Maldon, Dan Cassidy and Bobby Gingerella of Ca-Gin Concrete, and architect Megan Moynihan at the end of the day.

First the footings.

And then the walls