Almost finished my storefront!

So there were some delays. I started ripping out my glass and the entire frame around my storefront the week after Christmas. I took a week of vacation to get everything done, and made great headway, until it started raining, and the new glass order was delayed. I was going to try putting my original glass back in place for the big panes, but after breaking one while taking it out (it was under so much pressure in the torqued frame it cracked after I released the first clip) and then trying to cut down the sheets to fit my newly-square and plumb openings without success, I bit the bullet and ordered all new tempered. The pictures are in no particular order, but right here is a night shot after the glass is completely installed, including my lovely new transom windows. To see what it looked like when I started, scroll down a few posts. (And to put this in perspective, the store is 50 feet across, and the top of the transom windows are about 12 ft up.)

Though I still have some painting to do, this essentially took a week and a half of full time work, and less than 2k, including all new glass. Though I've had set backs on my second story window installations, this certainly came in on budget and in time.

I'm still working on my arch. Notice the lovely brick arches that used to float across the front? When the previous owners installed the concrete ripple board over where my transom windows are, they took hammers to those arches so the concrete boards would lie flat against the building. I've build my form along the bottom edge, and will build out a 1.5 " relief that follows the arch profile all the way across. The it will all be painted burgundy.
The inside is much lighter now, and if you recall from earlier views from the inside, the large concrete display ceilings that were sagging and cutting off the light are no more.

From some time in the process.

Me and my baby in her new backpack carrier. She loves it, and will ride there happily for hours as I work or run errands in town.

It's very well designed, all the weight on my hips like a climbing pack.

And our house two blocks up the street. Wiring is done today, roof only waits on the ridge caps, and we're preparing to put the new siding on. Then it's insulation/sheetrock/kitchen/bathroom/paint/trim/floors. Getting there.

#2

Is a Boy!
And Annaliese is 1 today!!
Hurrah!

January 5th, 2009

And I'm too busy to upload pictures here one at a time, so I've posted a bunch here: http://picasaweb.google.com/smartinof4steve/2008ChristmasVacation?authkey=TQoa83-hpMU#

Along with some comments.

A nice 2 weeks off for the holidays, most of which I spent ripping out my storefront and rebuilding it. The frames were all rotten, much of the glass separated, and there was a very heavy layer of unsupported concrete above the glass that was blocking the natural light. The tempered glass order was delayed, and it started to rain near the end of the week, so the final paint is not on, and the glass isn't in place, but it looks a world better, and should be completed in my regular work schedule ( Tuesday and Thursday nights and Saturday) some time next week.

Our house is coming along, now that the rain has stopped a day here and there. The tin roof is mostly on, the windows are in, the house is wrapped, the electrician is working, the siding is being delivered form the mill, etc. etc.

My girls continue to bring me waves of joy, and remind me that my favorite thing is not so much swinging a wrecking bar, but wandering around in the beautiful outdoors listening to the young and slightly younger ladies of my life yammer on about whatever they're interested in at the moment.

Which doesn't take the pressure off to wrap up some of these projects, but it's a sweet reminder of why.