Every project begins with a before picture. This is what was there as we arrived. The painter was pulling his hoses out of the room as we walked in... the paint still wet on the walls. The ladder covers a large hole in the floor, cut to bring the electrical and electronic hookups to the table. It will be filled in later in the week we are told. In the left corner is a box built to go around a pipe - a surprise to us but easily fixed. The ceiling beams are three inches lower than the plans indicated... another easy fix. I have no doubt we'll find a few more surprises as we go.
Peter and I first measured things out, then looked for the backing which was put in place to fasten our beams to. Once our layout was done it was time to start fastening in the uprights... after I cut two and a half inches off the bottoms to account for the lower beams. Then we used a drywall lifter to hoist the beams into position. They weren't made of steel but they were almost that heavy!
Since the air conditioning was not yet functional and the electrical far from complete we operated in warm temps and temporary lighting. Progress was relatively quick and smoother than I expected - especially for a first day on the job. We had enough time at the end of the day to install the end base board, one piece of wainscoting and the submarine door (white board). I couldn't resist taking a few minutes more to install the 'M' medallions on the beams. They were made from 30 lb Precision Board.
Because of the ease of designing the files in EnRoute and the precision of the cutting on the MultiCam everything fit perfectly as it should. I was more than pleased when it was quitting time. The room had changed dramatically in only a few hours. The heavy beams went up without incident. And the heavy lifting is done for this room. Tomorrow I'll be doing lots of cutting and fitting, painstaking work, with lots of details to install. The room is going to look as cool as anything I dreamed!
-dan
