We’re getting closer to getting final inspections for the renovation, and it’s hard to believe we’re nearly there. You know those renovation reality shows, where the owners say, “Oh, we have a schedule and we’ll be done in a year,” and then it always takes twice as long and costs twice as much as they planned…? Well, that’s a real thing. The last event we hosted was July 27, 2018 (More Serenades for Science), almost exactly three years ago. We had one last goodbye party with friends in August 2018, and then the whole lower floor was stripped bare to the studs and the dirt, with plywood where the windows once were.
After completely rebuilding the electrical and plumbing, pouring 2400 square feet of smooth and level concrete floors, adding gallons of spray foam insulation (it’s pretty much a picnic cooler), putting in efficient casement windows, new exterior doors, efficient mini-splits that heat and cool the air, who knows how many square feet of drywall, a spacious and accessible studio powder room, the beginnings of a kitchen ready for dinners and drinks, and yes, even room to make art and have big ideas, she’s starting to look like a useful space again.
There will still be much more to do after final inspection, but we can’t wait to share it with artists, makers, dreamers, and the neighborhood again. Do we have a date to open? No. Schedule? No. We’re just plugging along, and it looks like fall might be a time for things to start happening again.
It’s hard to say what in-person gatherings will look like with COVID variants and masks and all, but as it’s safe to gather, we’ll be ready.
