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Completing the Barn

 

My three sons working on installing flashing. As a dad, It was nice to see them working together!
Lumber racking is set for sheet goods and dimensional lumber

Progress on the barn is a combination of steps forward and backward.  The good news is that it looks significantly better than it did, the bad news is we still have a way to go with snow in the forecast for the next couple of weeks.

We have started to stock items inside the barn since we are pretty much water tight.  We have also finished the exterior siding and have begun work on the front porch.  Hoping to finish the porch in the next week or two.  We also have some last pieces of flashing to bend and get put into place.

The rough timbers are set for the front porch. Just need to set the joists and the Palram Suntuf roof panels

In parallel to the work outside, we have begun shuffling inside the store in preparation for the cafe.  We are starting by moving our plumbing department.  We will then remove the garage doors that are still in place from when we converted our lumber building into part of our store.  Then the real shifting begins.  Every department with the exception of nuts and bolts and tools will find a new home as we prepare to open the Cafe.

Catch us next week to see what we have done…

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Moving along, a bit slower than desired…

Projects always have some level of unplanned obstacles.  The first obstacle to completing the Barn is all on me.  I ordered the wrong amount of metal for the siding.  Of course, the corrugated galvalume metal siding I have been

using from Metal Sales is manufactured on Mondays, the day my truck leaves the yard in Spokane.  Therefore, my order sits until the next week.  Thankfully Cassie at Metal Sales was able to pull a few strings and get the order through faster and we will have metal next Tuesday.

The next obstacle has been mother nature.  It is harvest season in SE Idaho – potatoes, wheat, barley, mustard and hay.  Of course, we have had rain, snow and sleet for the better part of the the last three weeks.  We dry out enough to get back to work and we get more precipitation.  So our farmer friends are behind, the elevators are dealing with wet grain and we are in the same boat.

We were able to get some siding up on the barn.  We also were able to move two 14x14 garage doors from where the Cafe is going to the Barn.  That made for a hectic Thursday moving product around to get to the doors and a hectic Friday moving the doors and then building walls to replace the doors.  Special thanks to Markfrom Curb Appeal Garage Doors out of Logan, UT for making quick work of the removal and re-installation of the garage doors.  Also a special thanks to Jason Ashley and his son, JJ, for helping us get the walls built and sheeted so the store was closed up.

A final thought on the walls to close in the doors:  we had to use steel studs and siding to seal up the openings.  Idaho code requires that there are no combustible materials within 18″ of a commercial kitchen hood.

No matter how much fire rating there is between the hood and a
wood stud wall, it must be 18″.  So, I am not a fan of metal studs.  It has been 20 years since I have workedwith metal studs.  But we used them anyway and it all went together well without any major issues.

So next week we will finish the siding and flashing on the barn and begin to move product in.  Once we are done with that, we will begin a re-set of the entire store.  Then the plumbers and electricians will have their ways with the building.  Much madness in store…

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Framing Done!

In an amazing feat we were able to meet our goals for the weekend. Thanks go out to three college students, one who works for us, David, and his brother Colton and friend Henry.  We were able to sheet the roof with OSB and lay down Feltex on Friday night.  It was critical to get that far on Friday because it was supposed to rain overnight.  Fortunately, the storms based us by and everything was dry on Saturday morning.

Saturday the boys made quick work out of setting the Metal Sales Pro Panels. Each sheet was 27 feet long.  We had 16 of them to install and it took just over 3 hours.

After lunch we built the front wall of the Barn.  We had left it off so we could use the forklift to set the trusses.  The front wall is 20 feet high to hide the mono slope roof.  It also will match another section of our building well.

I have been asked several times why the Barn is 16 feet high inside.  Two reasons, one is because that is the height of the ceilings in our store.  The second is because our racking for lumber is 14 feet high.  To maximize our storage, we are using the vertical height to store items.

Our goals for this coming week is to add blocking and bracing in a couple of areas, sheet the outside with Corrugated Panels from Metal Sales and get ready to install doors.  Should be interesting…

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A New Front Porch

One of our neighbors came into the store a few weeks ago and said she needed a new front porch and wondered if we could help.  We assured her we could and contacted our carpenter friend, Herman Konoske, and went to see the situation.

Her house is about 100 years old and the covered porch is original to the house.  The porch boards are tongue and grove and actually extend under the wall of the house into living room.  This was a common practice back then.  Every step was precarious as the boards were rotted as were the joists underneath.  Fortunately the porch columns were in good shape and we were able to utilize them for our new substructure.

Once we removed all of the deck boards and the joists we were relieved to see the main beam under the front wall of the house was in good shape.  That made putting it back together quickly.

She selected Tamko Envisions decking in a Greenwood color to match the trim of her home.  She had us remove the old railings and repaint the columns with PPG Porter Acri-Shield Paint.  The transformation is not just functional, but stunning.  Thanks to Herman for his great work.

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Frame Away…

We finally have started the process of framing the Barn.   Given our issues with the concrete, we let it cure for a full week before moving equipment onto it.  As we are doing the work ourselves we are framing the walls on the ground

and then lifting them into place with our forklift.  It is not as efficient as a telehandler or a boom truck, but it is very cost efficient.

The inside height of the Barn is 16 foot.  The maximum reach of our forklift is 16’2″.  Perfect.  We have designed a single slope roof to shed snow and water to the west side of our property where we already have drainage flow.  This will also allow us to someday tie the Barn and the main store together.  

So we sneak a time when we can when the store is open and then also work after hours to get the framing done.  It has taken us 2 weeks to frame and set the trusses.   This weekend we will put OSB sheeting, Feltex and Metal Sales Pro Panels on the roof.

It is fun to watch our 7 year old daughter participate in the project.  While we were setting the footings, she dropped a cinder block on her finger.  That kept her out for a few weeks.  Now that the pain of that memory has passed, she is back at it backing lumber.  Such fun…

Once the roof is complete, we will finally frame the front wall.   Check in next week to see how we did…

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Firewood Shed – 2 years later…

We built this firewood shed in October 2015 for a family in our community.  I stopped by to visit them the other day and was pleased to see how well it is holding up to our sunny summers and snowy winters.

Firewood Shed

We built the shed using 2×6 Fir material with a corrugated metal roof.  We used Wolman’s F&P Natural for the finish.  The design works great because it allows the firewood to breathe from multiple directions.

It looks better than new, especially full of firewood.

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National Hardware Show Grant Article in the Caribou County Sun (our local paper)

What would you do with $100,000 to improve your business? This spring, the National Hardware Show® asked that question and received nearly 200 applications for its new Reimagine Retail program. Reimagine Retail was launched to invest in and support the future of independent home improvement retailers. The retailers submitted ideas that ran the gamut from tech-savvy ambitions intended to improve operations and customer experience to store refreshes that could take a traditional hardware store into the future. Prior to the show, a panel of industry professionals selected 10 finalists for the Reimagine Retail program. The judges then selected Soda Spring’s very own Caribou Jack’s Trading Co. and their idea to expand their outdoor cooking department by adding a Cafe inside their store.

When asked why the judges were impressed with Caribou Jack’s submission, Rich Russo, VP of the National Hardware Show® shared the following thoughts; “we were really excited by their vision to create a gathering space that was built upon products they already sell and are so passionate about. The Lau family also has a great history with their community that dates back over 100 years, we loved their dedication to Soda Springs and the surrounding communities.” Additionally, Russo stated that “the community was also a factor in our decision. We were able to see a real passion from locals for their community and are confident that they will support Caribou Jack’s new venture and other local businesses.”

“I think it was maybe the first time I was speechless, at least for a few moments,” said Robert Lau regarding the announcements that they had won. “Our son, William, kept saying over and over that it wasn’t if we won, but when we won. We would smile at his confidence. There were so many great submissions that just being a finalist was a great honor. When we won, I just thought of William’s confidence and decided I should listen to him more often,” Lau said with a smile.

Caribou Jack’s has received the first installment of the grant and is currently building a structure that they are calling “the barn.” It will house product that is currently in the store that does not need to be in a climate controlled setting. The next phase is almost a complete reset of the store, shuffling products around to make room for the Cafe. The final stage is building the Cafe and a grilling porch out the back of the store.

Lau shared that the Cafe will focus on food items that are different from the restaurants in the area. “Our primary focus is cooking on Traeger grills. We’ll start by offering four different smoked meats every day served a variety of ways. We are stillfinalizing a menu, but our focus is to provide a different choice instead of a competing choice.”

The idea for the Cafe has been several years in the making. “Seventeen years ago I led the effort to open Cafes instead of bank branches for ING DIRECT. When ING DIRECT was purchased by CapitalOne, I wondered what would become of the Cafe program. I was excited to read that they just opened a new one a few months ago in Austin, TX. It is wonderful that something I worked so hard on continues to grow and expand. I hope my ancestors have the same feelings regarding our efforts to build upon their accomplishments in establishing Soda Springs.”

“Adding a Cafe to the mix at a hardware store made perfect sense to me. Since we built the new building a few years ago, we have been trying to find a way to fund this expansion. When the grant application came out, I knew exactly what I wanted for our focus. This is a phenomenal blessing from Rich and his team at the National Hardware Show.® The confidence and enthusiasm that they have shown is humbling, not only for us and our store, but also the community as a whole,” added Lau.

The future of the Reimagine Retail program is bright. “We are excited to parter with the Lau family for the first imagine retail program. They are working hard to put the grant to wo

rk to build their business and help us build a strong foundation for the future so we can help more independent retailers fulfill their dreams. We couldn’t be happier.”

“I think what this program is all about, as well as what the National Hardware Show team have done, is sparking the idea of reinvesting in communities and retail around our country. The Internet is great, and big-boxes are great, but so are locally owned retail stores,

which are the lifeblood of the economy. People shouldn’t forget them. The Reimagine Retail program allows a store to reinvent itself and stay relevant for years to come. This program helps shine a spotlight on smaller communities; there are thousands across the country. We don’t want people to forget the small business owners,” stated Lau.

Lau concluded, “I can’t express just how grateful, thankful and humbled I am by this opportunity. It is truly a blessing for my family and myself and hopefully for our wonderful community.”

 

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Let the Building Begin!

Phase 1 of our building project is finally underway.  A couple years ago we tore

down a couple of sheds that were in disrepair.  We had left a broken, uneven concrete pad that we would store fencing materials.  We started by busting up the remainder of the pad and hauling it out.

While we were prepping the pad, we were also busy working on

footings for the new storage building we are calling “The Barn.”  We then set concrete block for our stem walls.  Once we were done with the stem walls, we laid a rebar grid 24″ on center that tied the footings and pad together.

Finally, the day arrived for pouring the concrete.  The concrete company sent concrete with air pumped into for an outdoor pad.  That wasn’t

an issue until we started to finish the pad.  We pulled out the power trowel and the concrete started flashing off quickly on the edges, tiny holes started to appear and the pad wouldn’t smooth out.  We are not sure why the concrete company sent that mix as they had provided the concrete the week before for the footings and they knew we were building an enclosed structure, but after some yeoman effort by the guys, we got a decent pad.  So many thanks to Jake, Jake & Derek for

working with it and making a smooth pad.  It was a stressful and tiring day to say the least.

So never take anything for granted when working with others.  Communication is critical to get the best results.

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The Grand Plan

When we put in our submission to the National Hardware Show for the opportunity to receive a $100k grant to grow our business, our plans were a bit different than where we are today.

In our initial planning we were going to add 900 sq.ft. to the back of our store to house the Cafe.   As we continued to refine the cost of building the addition, it became clear that the budget was not large enough to handle the building and the necessary restaurant equipment and accessories.

So after several iterations of designs, layouts and planning, we settled on constructing a 1275 sq.ft. building that we have come to call “the Barn.”  Our plan is to build it on top of an area that once had storage sheds.  They were torn down several years ago because of disrepair.   Once we clean the remaining broken concrete pad out of the way, we will be able to start building the Barn.  Our plan is to stock items that do not need climate control and that Customers generally ask for by name – feed, fencing, lumber, concrete, insulation, pipe, nails, rope, etc.

Our design inspiration for the Barn is the following building:

Ours will differ in that we will be using a mono sloped roof for maximizing the distribution of rain and snow.  We will utilize a parapet across the front to make it appear as a flat roof.   The original Gagon’s Lumber, the business that we have built upon, opened in 1903 with a parapet look from the road.  We are excited to be able utilize that design element.  We will utilize galvanized corrugated paneling for the walls, though we will run them horizontal instead of the traditional vertical. 

The porch on the front is a close match to what we will do.  This will give us an area to store mulch, soil, compost and fertilizer outdoors but undercover.  We will also use Suntuf polycarbonate panels to allow light into the area.

The Barn is the first phase of the project.  Upon completion we will be able to move merchandise into that building.  Once that is done, we will re-lay out almost our entire store.  Only tools and nuts and bolts will be spared a move.  We haven’t finalized all of the locations for each of our departments, but the major ones like Paint and Seasonal are set.  Others will be somewhat fluid as we work through the process.

Once the store is reset, we will be able to begin work on the Cafe and its kitchen.  The floor will need to be cut to run water and sewer into the kitchen.  We will then construct walls to separate the cleaning and storage areas from the cooking and food prep areas.  We intend to keep them as low as possible to make the space feel open.  So what was once Paint, Housewares, Sporting Goods and Outdoor Cooking will soon become the home of our Cafe.

By shifting to building the Barn instead of the addition in the store, we estimate that we will save approximately $25k.  While every project has some unknowns to contend with, we are optimistic that we have looked at the variables and have come up with a good plan to stay on budget and deliver an exciting venue for people to enjoy.