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Archive for the ‘2nd old’ Category

New back lot and trim work starts

Posted in 2nd new, 2nd old, dining room, livingroom, paint on July 28, 2011| 3 Comments »

Updated 1st floor fire place and woodwork

New cement has been poured for the back lot and the DMZ. The original back lot was in disrepair, and the large trench that had to be dug to accommodate the new electrical service put the final nail in its coffin. While they were pouring the back lot, they also graded the DMZ and poured cement as well. This should solve the water issues for years to come.

Other finish works continues – including installing crown molding and baseboard in the living room, bathroom sinks, toilet dividers and tile work in the 1964 addition bathrooms. Painting and carpeting continues. The original 1931 wood floors are scheduled to be refurnished next week in the living room and tile installed in the kitchen and dining room.

Living room furniture has been ordered, 65 extra-long twin mattresses should arrive next week along with 90 window blinds. The next few weeks are going to be highly organized chaos, but the project is on schedule for an on time opening.

Living room trim work has been installed.

Foyer, looking from the dining room into the living room.

Dining room walls have been painted – ceiling is done.  Floors will be installed in the next two weeks.

2nd floor bathroom of the 1931 building — the sinks are located where the showers use to be.

2nd floor bathroom of the 1931 building — individual toilet stalls have been installed for privacy, shower curtain rods will added in the next week.

The study room for the new room 208 (old location of 208 and 209).  There are two bedrooms off this study room that will house two students each.

The 2nd floor hallway — going from the 1931 building to the 1964 addition.  A new door jamb has been installed for the balcony door.

New back lot!  The old surface needed to be replaced, but when the new power lines were buried, that sealed the deal.

The area between the ATO and FIJI house (known as the DMZ) has been paved.  This will help with basement water issues by getting water away from the building.

Phi Gamma Delta’s very own power transformer. The power lines are buried from the transformer to the house.

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Finish work begins on 1964 addition

Posted in 2nd new, 2nd old, furniture, paint, tile on July 21, 2011|

With less than a month before the project is scheduled to be complete, the finish crews have moved to the 1964 addition. Drywall has been hung, ceilings are up and bathrooms are ready for tile.  It will be a very busy month to meet the August 15 deadline.

Final finishes are in progress in the 1931 building – light fixtures, switches, plugs and plumbing fixtures are being installed. The house will have a new power service this week – which will allow us to fire-up the air conditioner for the first time to cool the property down.

In addition, the first shipment of dorm room furniture has arrived. Each sleeping room will have solid oak bunk beds, a dresser and wardrobe.  The study rooms will have a desk.  Living room furniture was ordered this week and will arrive August 16.

Stall dividers being installed in the 2nd floor bathroom of the 1931 building.

Drywall is up in the 1964 addition — this is the study area for 308 (formerly rooms 308 and 309).

2nd floor bathroom in the 1964 addition — tile work will begin next week.

Tile work in the housemother’s bathroom — new floor and fixtures are being installed.

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We’re open…well…soon to be: the final month

Posted in 2nd old, 3rd new, carpet, dining room, drywall, fire sprinklers, livingroom, mechanical systems on July 14, 2011| 1 Comment »

The fire sprinkler main is open

Lots of progress this week – with dorm room furniture scheduled to be delivered on Friday, July 15 for the 1931 side.  The crews have been busy installing the fire sprinkler system (the item that started this entire project), HVAC equipment, carpet and paint.  Based on all known information at this point, the project is scheduled to be ready for the undergraduates to move in on August 15.

Inspections were approved to start finish work on the 1964 addition.  Drywall has been hung in the dining room, foyer, 2nd floor ceiling and 3rd floor.  Work continues on the bathroom.

The entire building will now enjoy central air.  The cooling equipment sits in the corner of the parking lot – where the ‘new’ and ‘old’ houses meet.  While this location is not ideal, it is the best solution that could be developed given the multiple factors that needed to be considered (including distance from the mechanical room and costs).  We were able to continue to use the boiler that was installed in 1997 for heat.

An individual ‘make-up’ air unit was installed for the kitchen.  This will provide both additional heat and air conditioning for this specific area of the chapter house.  The guys are going to have some cool cooks.   In addition, a new stove and refrigerator are on order for the kitchen.

The new AC has been installed on its pad.  While not ideal, this was the best of many not-so-good options.

Make-up air unit for the kitchen.  This will provide additional heating and cooling.

The living room has been primed with tinted primer.

The dining room has had drywall hung.

The housemother’s bedroom. Due to changes to the women’s restroom (will now be an ADA complain unisex restroom), the housemother’s bedroom gained much-needed, and I’m sure apprecaited, square footage.

Room 200 (formerly 200 and 201) carpet has been installed.  The camera continues not to do the actual colors justice.

Room 302 (formerly 303).

The 1964 addition has a little ways to go — this is taken in the study room of the new 309 (formerly 310 and 311), standing on the south wall — looking to the north.

The poor back lot took a beating and is scheduled to be paved next week.  The cement pad at the top of the photo is the location of the new transformer that will be installed next week as well.

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Old side upstairs painted, carpet to be installed

Posted in 2nd new, 2nd old, 3rd new, 4th floor, carpet, dining room, fire sprinklers, kitchen, paint, plumbing, tile on July 7, 2011|

Refinished dining room tables

The painters have finished 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors of the 1931 building. The camera is not doing the colors justice – the hallways and individual sleeping rooms are light beige with the study rooms a light brown.  Carpet should be installed next week.

Mechanical and electrical rough-ins continue in the 1964 addition.  Fire sprinklers are being installed in the entire building.

Lincoln Electric System buried the power line last week.  While it is nice to have this line concealed, the downside is the back lot took a beating.  Luckily, as they dug a trench from the pole to the back of the 1931 building, no surprises were found (such as a buried fuel tank).

A new stove and refrigerator has been ordered to replace the 1964 appliances.  The fraternity’s freezer is relatively new and will be reused.

The board was able to contract with Cornhusker State Industries to custom build dorm room furniture (will be installed in the completed rooms next week).  CSI also refinished the dining room tables and a few other wood pieces from the chapter house.  The dining room tables look brand new and are ready for another 50 years of FIJIs celebrating lunch and dinner together.

Room 200 — the study room and sleeping room has been painted.

Room 401 (old 4 south) — the hallway that leads to the main study room. The sleeping rooms  are off to the right. 

The bathroom on the 1931 building — 3rd floor — ready for final finishes.

Mechanical and electrical rough-ins. Photo is taken on 2nd floor — looking west into room 210 (old 212 and cleaning closet).

3rd floor bathroom, 1964 addition — plumbing rough-ins are installed.  Drywall should start soon.

Fire sprinkler rough-ins on the 3rd floor, 1964 addition.

The 1964 appliances have been removed and new ones are on order.  The kitchen layout will remain relatively the same.

The poor back lot has seen better days — LES dug a trench from the pole in the middle of the photo to the back of the 1931 building to install a new power main.

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Carpeting starts

Posted in 2nd old, carpet, dining room, drywall, fire sprinklers, insulation, livingroom, mechanical systems on June 23, 2011| 1 Comment »

Carpet installed in room 300.A

The 1931 building final finishes continue – carpeting is being installed in sleeping rooms, the living room and basement drywall should be finished this week and the painter is scheduled to return next.  The plan is to refinish the 1st floor original hardwood floors after the painter is done.

As noted last week, the 3rd floor and roof of the 1964 addition did not meet current building codes.  A plan has been developed and approved to  install additional support beams – framing should begin next week.

Ceilings will be installed next week in the dining room and 2nd floor of the 1964 addition next week.

The project is on target for an August 15 finish date.

2nd ‘old’ bathroom — standing in the southwest corner (where the showers use to be) looking to the northeast.  Each bathroom will have two private shower stalls.

Drywall work continues in the living room and should finish this week.  Insulation was installed in the exterior walls.  The cove above the 2nd set of windows conceal the heating and air conditioning systems for rooms 200 and 201.

Workers install the ceiling system in the dining room.  The drywall can not be screwed directly to beams as that alters the structural integrity — so instead they screw the drywall to these channels — which also helps reduce sound transmitting from floor to floor.

The new fire sprinkler shut-off valve.

Doors will be installed to the 1964 addition fire escape. In addition, any window within 10 feet of the fire escape must be a fire-rated window. These non-operable windows have a wire mesh imbedded in the glass.  In the event of a fire, this would delay the window from breaking under — thus allowing the residents to safely exit the building using the fire escape.

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Is FIJI building a pool?

Posted in 2nd new, 2nd old, 3rd new, building codes, drywall, fire sprinklers, mechanical systems, paint, plumbing, tile, windows on June 16, 2011|

Passersby on R Street may be wondering what FIJI is doing with all the digging?  Is it a pool?  Nope.  Is it a ditch? Nope. Is it a moat? Nope (but I wish). It’s the primary reason this entire project started – fire sprinklers.  A dedicated water source is required for fire sprinklers and was installed this week. The fire sprinkler equipment will be located in the old bomb shelter.

The 1931 side of the house is nearing completion. The drywall crews moved to first floor and basement this week and painters have been to work on 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors.  The tile crew has finished the ‘old’ bathrooms.  The side of the house should be finished in the next few weeks.

The 1964 ‘new’ side – that’s another story. Third floor framing is currently on hold while the architect and structural engineer address existing structural concerns based on the original construction.

Next week ceilings will be installed on 2nd floor, new electrical service is being brought into the building and hopefully, the 3rd new framing will begin.

New windows have been installed in the 1964 addition.

Ceiling is up in the basement.  Fire code required the old exposed beams to be covered.

2nd ‘old’ bathroom — tile work is complete.

The entire house has new plumbing — this is take in the house mother’s living room — looking up to the plumbing for the 2nd old bathroom.

1931 building hallways have been painted.

Plumbing rough-ins have started on the 1964 addition — this is taken in the 2nd new bathroom — looking at the west wall (where the trash can use to sit). This will now be where the sinks are located.

Our trouble child – the 3rd floor of the 1964 addition — Now, I’m not a structural engineer – but it appears that the quite a bit of the roofing structure is resting on the interior walls.  This has caused challenges as the House Corporation changes the layout to the new suite style floor plan.  Stay-tuned on this one…

 

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Finish work starts on the “old” side

Posted in 2nd new, 2nd old, 4th floor, history, kitchen, livingroom, mechanical systems, tile, windows on June 2, 2011|

Tile floor has been installed in the 3rd old bathroom

Finish work started on the “old” side of the build – old is in quotes, because after this project is compete both the old, 1931 building, and the “new,” 1964 addition, will be virtually the same.

Tile work started in the 2nd and 3rd old bathrooms, ceilings are done and painters should move in next week to start painting walls on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors of the old side of the chapter house.  Windows are also scheduled to be installed next week in the 1964 side of the building and the fire escape windows of the 1931 building.

The City of Lincoln will install a new water line to the building tomorrow for the fire sprinkler system.  The air conditioner compressor unit has arrived.  The 1964 chiller equipment was removed as part of this project. The old chiller has not worked for at least 20 years. The chiller room, located under the kitchen, will be used for storage.

Special thanks to Walter Gerlach (Nebraska 1958) for helping solve the mystery of the brass “More Phi Gam, Less Self” plaque that was found during demolition last February.  Brother Gerlach made two of these plaques (one for each door of the second and third floor bathroom) in the foundry located in the basement of Richards Hall.  One of the plaques has been mounted to an exterior column for the Undergraduate Brothers to see as they leave the house and to remind them of this fraternity creed. Thank you again Brother Gerlach for helping solve this mystery.

Windows will be installed next week on the 1964 addition.

Living room ceiling has been installed and will be finished next week.

Patch work will need to be done in the kitchen. Thankfully, the entire ceiling did not need to come down, just select areas to gain access to the heating system. The kitchen will also receive new appliances. If anyone wants to buy the old fridge (heck, if you want to get it out of there) drop the house corporation an email. It works fine, however, the bottom is starting to rust away.

Study area of room 200. The ceiling is done.

Room 210’s (formerly room 212) study area.  This room has two sleeping rooms of this shared area.

New windows in room 400 (formerly known as 4-North).

The study area of room 401 (formerly 4-South).  This is looking at the south wall of the chapter house.

Walls are going up in the new basement study room (formerly B1). The old stairs will blocked off.

All kinds of new pipes and pumps in the boiler room.

And, the new air condition compressor unit. This will be installed in the next few weeks.

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2nd floor walls going up – finishes selected

Posted in 2nd old, 3rd new, 3rd old, carpet, drywall, lighting, paint, tile on May 26, 2011|

Walls going up in what was room 212 – will be 210.

As quickly as the walls in the 1964 addition came down, they are now going back up.  Once again, cinder block is being used on 2nd floor and hopefully 3rd. While more expensive to install, the lifetime maintenance of cinder block is significantly less than drywall. Because the 3rd floor was built with wood studs and plaster, our engineer wants to make sure the floor can hold cinder blocks before they are installed.  We will know this early next week.

As of the end of this week, there will no longer be any asbestos in the building.  While the Board knew the building contained asbestos when the project started, its extent was not known.  The asbestos removal is significantly over budget, by $30,000.

Drywall crews are working on the 1931 side of the building and should finish up in the near future. The tile installation crews will start next week in the 2nd and 3rd old bathrooms.

The finishes have been selected.  Walls will be painted a shade of beige, carpets are shades of browns, bathrooms will be tiled in shades of grey and beige, and new solid core wood doors will be installed.  PLEASE NOTE: the photograph’s DO NOT capture the correct colors.  They are posted so you can see the general look.  As an overall package, the colors, textures, tiles and other finishes are stunning.

A special thank you, again, to Jerry Solomon (Nebraska 1951) for his help in identifying photographs of Lambda Nu’s Innocents and athletes.  There are still a handful of unknown graduate Brother photos – please take a look and post a comment if you know the identity of the Brother.  The House Corporation is still collecting composites. Email the House Corporation if you have copies of composites not included in this collection.

Entrance into the new room 210 (approximate location of the old room 212). This was taken standing by where the supply closet was located.

2nd floor — taken in the southwest corner (was room 209).

2nd new bathroom has been stripped.  The old cast iron waste stacks have been taken down and will be replaced to accommodate a new floor layout.

Cinder blocks awaiting approval to be installed on 3rd floor (room 312).

The windows on 2nd and 3rd floor of the 1964 building have been removed. New windows will be installed in the next few weeks.

What’s left on the 3rd new bathroom.  If you look carefully, you can see the remains of an old window on the east wall.

Educational area of room 300.  Drywall is up and the mudding is underway.

Sleeping room 300a — located on the north side of the 1931 building. This will sleep three men.

The women’s restroom on 1st floor has been demoed. The grey wall in the back is part of the housemothers bedroom. The women’s restroom will change to an ADA complaint unisex restroom. What was the men’s restroom on 1st floor will now house the electrical and computer equipment.

Finishes — please note that the following photographs do not do the actual colors justice.  These are posted so you can get a general idea of what the finishes will look like. 

Paint — the walls are a light beige, metal trim will be painted a light brown and ceiling white.

Carpet — sample on the left will be used in the hallways, the grey on the right will be in the study rooms and browns will be in the bedrooms.

Doors — new doors will be solid core oak and stained.

Bathrooms — tiles will be a grey; counters will be the darker piece of grey and the partitions between toilets is the sample at the top of the photo.

Examples of lighting that may be used in the dining room, living room and bathrooms.  All study rooms, sleeping rooms and hallways will use recessed lighting.

Not pictured — the living room’s wood floors will be refurnished.

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2nd and 3rd floor walls gone

Posted in 2nd old, 3rd new, 3rd old, 4th floor, building codes, Demolition, dining room, drywall, insulation, kitchen on May 19, 2011|

Cinder blocks from 2nd floor

The demo and asbestos crews have been busy – the first floor foyer, dining room, and hallway ceilings have been taken down.  The second and third floor walls have been taken down in the 1964 addition.  Demo has started in both bathrooms and should be finished next week.

Work continues in the 1931 building. Insulation is being installed on exterior and interior walls.  This will help with both energy efficiency and sound. Drywall and insulation has been installed on the fourth and third floors, including the third old bathroom.  The mason is building the new egress doors on second, third and fourth floors.

Next week the masons will start laying the walls on second and third floors of the 1964 building. Cinder blocks will be used which will help with longer term maintenance of the building (no more broken drywall).

If you would like to see the house in person, the House Corporation is hosting a breakfast next Thursday, May 26 at the chapter house.  The breakfast is from 7 to 9 a.m., with a short campaign update at 8 a.m. Please send an email if you plan to attend.  The cost if a suggested donation of $10.

Dining room, taken from the northwest corner looking towards the east.

The told tile has been removed in the kitchen. While the layout is not going to change, new appliances will be installed.

2nd new — taken from the northeast corner of what was the cleaning closet — looking towards the west.  The red wall on the right was room 206 and the red wall with the Husker N was room 210.  The cinder block wall in the middle of the photo is a load bearing wall and can not be removed. It was the south wall of room 210 and 211.

Hallway outside the balcony and 2nd new bathroom.  The ceiling has been removed.

2nd floor — taken from the southeast corner of room 206 looking to the west.  The purple wall was room 212.

Taken from the northwest corner of room 210 looking into room 211 and 212.

Standing in room 212, looking into the bedroom area of room 211 and 210 (the red wall).

Old side of the house — 2nd floor — this is where the window for the fire escape was located.  Code required a door be installed.

Southwest corner of 3rd floor (room 309) looking east.  The walls will be removed after the cinder blocks are stalled to hold up the roof.

Taken from room 310 – northwest corner looking into room 211 and 212.

A detail of the roof structure of the 1964 addition.

Demo in the third floor bathroom (3rd new)

3rd new bathroom — shower and toilet area.

Drywall in 3rd old bathroom looking at the area were the sinks will be installed. This was the area where the showers were located.

Interior insulation being installed in the new room 300 (approximate location is where the old room 301).

Drywall installed in the new room 301 (old 302). Standing in the educational/study area looking into the sleeping rooms.  These will both be private rooms.

Room 400.b — old 4South. This will be a bedroom for two brothers.

Goodbye 2nd new toilets — I think we’ve all cleaned these at one time or another.

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We’re rockin’

Posted in 2nd old, 3rd old, 4th floor, building codes, green building, insulation, lighting, mechanical systems on May 5, 2011|

Changes in the boiler room

As the undergraduates draw another year to a close, the project made progress this week. The insulation crews have been in and drywall is being installed. The project is slightly behind schedule as the City of Lincoln required and handfull of structural changes to bring the chapter house up to current building and safety codes. However, the project is still on schedule to be completed by August 15. Demolition begins on the 1964 addition on Monday, May 9.

The City required updates of the 1931 roofing structure. To accommodate the changes, the project was either going to have to remove and rebuild the entire roof to address venting issues or fill the roof structure with spray foam insulation. The second option was selected, even though it was a cost overrun of several thousand dollars, it was significant less than rebuilding the entire roof.

Insulation is also being installed on the second and third floor exterior and interior walls. The interior insulation will help keep the sound down between rooms, while the exterior insulation (including the spray-foam in the roof) will save the chapter funds on utilities for years to come – not to mention, make our building a little greener.

Recessed lighting is being used throughout the entire project. As these lights are recessed into the ceiling, it will be less likely they will be damaged and there will be no globes to break. For fire safety, the City required fire-proof covers to be installed around each fixture. These arrived and are being installed this week.

The mechanical contractor has stripped the boiler room of all the old pipes, tanks and pumps. The current boiler (installed in 1998) will be reused for the new fintube heating and air conditioning system using hot and chilled water. The old system used steam heat for the 1931 building and hot water for the 1964 addition. Switching to hot water for the entire system means it will cost significantly less to heat the chapter house, in addition to being simpler to operate.

Drywall has gone up in 3rd old. 

Interior and exterior insulation is being installed. This is a photo of standing in one of room 300’s bedrooms (approximate location is old 301) looking into the new room 301 (old 302). The interior insulation will help cut down on the sound transmission between rooms.

Spray foam insulation was installed in the attic last week, as required by the building codes. This photo is taken from south wall of the 4th floor looking into the room 401 (formerly known as 4-South).

Fire proof tents were installed around the new recessed light fixtures.

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