The Lord Builds

Here’s a video that we put together that shows what we want to do as a part of the capital campaign. The video includes the walkthrough of the basement, as well as some concept drawings for what a new parking lot might look like.

The painting of hallways and common spaces (Grace, Lobby, etc.) has been finished. There are three different shades of tan in the project. See the pictures below for what the completed work looks like.

The paint will take 30 days to cure. During that time, we’re asking people to not hang stuff on the walls. We are researching options that will allow us to hang things in designated places without ruining the paint job. If you’ve seen a good system, please let us know what it was in the comments.

Early on in our renovation process, the committee made the decision to use a professional interior designer for color selection in various pieces of our renovation. It turns out, that was a great decision. We’re working primarily with Lee, a designer on staff at Carmina Wood Morris. She came and walked around our facility, snapping photos of existing carpet, paint, furniture and other décor. Before we get to the color scheme, here’s what she had to say about why she chose these colors:

Selecting color is rarely a solitary action, in itself color is reflective and dependent on the colors, materials and lighting that surrounds it.

Careful consideration of all the materials and colors that would impact the new color scheme for the sanctuary was taken into account before presenting a new color palette for review. We wanted the new paint to highlight existing architectural details such as the wood ceiling, stained glass and plaster fins flanking the Altar.

The warm colors reflected in the wood tone of the ceiling as well as the pews and the variegated slightly cooler grays, beiges and mauves found in the brick, lead us to seek out a soft color that was in contrast to these tones, yet complementary in hue. We also took inspiration from the colors found in the stained glass, translating those colors into a “watercolor” version of the blue/green.

Ideally the new paint colors would stand alone in contrast to the surrounding palette-focusing one’s gaze forward to the Altar, while also providing a soft background for contemplative thought and prayer.

After meeting with Lee and exploring one alternate option, we quickly realized her first choice was what we wanted to go with. We like the rationale and it just feels right. We hope you like it as well! Hallways and “public” spaces will be done in three different colors. The worship center will have six total colors, five in the blue family and one in the tan. The tan in the worship center is the same tan found in the hallways, thus tying the spaces together.

Please note that the colors you see on screen will vary slightly with the actual paint choices. Printed copies will tend to be darker than the actual paint as well. Without further verbiage then, here are the pictures:

The darkest blue/green is on the wall with the cross and the paint gets lighter with each successive column as you move away from the center.

The blue along the ledge connects the back to the front. The tan along the back compliments the organ and ties the paint job into the hallways scheme.

One view of the lobby area.

Another shot of the lobby. Columns will be in the darkest tan. Most hallways and walls will be in the lightest tan, with a middle tan as accent on sections facing down.

The hallway colors will also connect nicely with the color selection in the Hall of Joy.

So, what do you think? Let us know in the comments!

You read about how we decided on a ramp into the church at the Glenhurst entrance over at the Evolution of an Idea post. At the time, we also posted a photoshopped image of what the entrance would look like. Well, we’re done with the ramp piece and just awaiting the final handrails.  Check it out:

The finished ramp, without any blacktop work being done.

Asphalt being shaped to eliminate the step up to the ramp.

The finished ramp. We'll be adding some yellow paint to mark the edges of the asphalt to avoid tripping on the edge.

We’ve also finished the garbage pad:

The finished pad for the garbage totes.

The new home for the totes. This allows us better access to the totes without getting muddy during the rainy seasons.

The entrance ramp project has been completed and the Stucco is nearly done as well.  Not much to say about it, other than the fact that all of our contractors are doing some great work for us. Here are some pictures of the finished ramp and the stucco progress:

The concrete pad for the garbage cans is smoothed out.

The finished project, drying.

The crew works on the Glenhurst entrance concrete. This is the replacement for the existing section that was demolished because of the tripping hazard.

The finished concrete work, as seen from inside the church.

The finished project from outside the church. Notice the new ramp on the far side of the brick column.

A closeup up the new wheelchair accessible ramp. There will be railings installed on the side of the ramp nearest the brick column, wrapping around the column.

A wide shot of the front of the worship center stucco repair. The two brighter columns are complete. The remaining await a final coat of stucco.

A close-up of the stucco work.

The small tripping hazard outside the “main” Glenhurst entrance is now a very large tripping hazard.  Demolition of existing concrete and walkways is almost complete and pouring the new entrance will commence shortly.  The work is being done by Buffalo Sealing and Striping.  Check it out:

The view from the precipice. One more step, and it's into the pit we go.

A little farther back from the demo work. The demolished section closest to us, outside the brick column, is where the new ramp will be going.

Don't go out the Glenhurst doors quite yet... That first step is a doozy!

Also being done by the same company is a pad for the garbage totes.  The ground gets all muddy and gross (so I’m told!), so we’re fixing that while we’ve got them here:

This is where we keep all the garbage totes. They are conveniently located outside the kitchen and Pastor Chuck's office.

The stained glass repair project moves into phase two this week. The lift has arrived and the work crew is taking down the existing glass that will be replaced.  Some shots:

The lift in action.

Removing the windows from up high.

More window removal.

As mentioned earlier this week, the stucco repair project started this past Wednesday.  It’s now Friday afternoon and the first section is complete.  The crew of five has been working on the peaked roof that faces Glenhurst.  Here are some shots of the work in progress, plus the before and after shots for comparison.

This was the starting picture of the project.

Ladder access. The first piece of the work!

Scaffolding for the work, plus taping off all the things that you wouldn't want to get any Stucco on.

The scaffolding is almost complete. It took almost a complete day to get the scaffolding setup and ready to go.

Thursday was spent laying the base for the stucco.

On Friday, we see the final work beginning as the lighter color stucco is applied to the wall.

The ending product, free of cracks, chips and general decay.

Work on the stained glass windows and additional stucco repair around the building closer to the Boulevard will begin on Monday.

The stained glass repair has begun! We’ll keep you posted with pictures and updates, but for now, here are some starting pictures for comparison when we’re finished:

The church as seen from the corner of Niagara Falls Blvd and Glenalby.

This is the side of the roof visible from the Glenhurst lot. Notice the cracking in the stucco along the corner.

Notice the cracks and broken window trim. Also note the discoloring from the sun and weather. This blocks light from coming in and dulls the stained glass.

This is a shot of one of the windows from the bottom up. Notice the discoloring and the trim pulling away from the wall. Trim will be taken down and refurbished for use again. The window will be replaced with plexiglass.

Cracking from weather damage along the bottom of the windows.

This is a sample of the work that will be done. The darker section is the finished product before painting. Paint will match existing color.

Work is underway and should be completed within a couple weeks.  The stucco work is being done by C. Bono, Inc. and the trim/glass replacement is being done by Lancer Door and Glass.  Pray for nice weather to speed the work along!

I enjoy being a part of the Renovations Team.  And here’s why: The team is the right group of people with the right talents, brought together by God.  It’s so fun to see how God uses everyone’s unique SHAPE to accomplish His purpose.

To see this in action, here’s what happened with the concrete repair at the Glenhurst entrance.

Idea 1

Our original idea was to simply destroy the three existing concrete sections outside the door and re-pour them with a very slight slope to remove the small step at the doors, thus eliminating the tripping hazard.

After floating the idea around, however, we heard feedback from some congregation members about the need for ramp access to the doors.  The only wheelchair accessible point is down the drive near the kitchen.  This is fine if you know it’s there because you just drop-off there instead of under the overhang.  But for guests, it can be frustrating to get out of the car only to discover the ramp is 20 feet away.  That led to:

Idea 2

Go with our original plan, but also include a ramp just inside the brick column.  As we explored that, however, we felt it would crowd the entrance too much, not to mention detracting from the aesthetics of the entrance.  That led to:

Idea 3

Move the ramp outside the brick column.  A single straight ramp up with railings on both sides would be sufficient.  Randy went to work and made the following picture of what that might look like:

Glenhurst Entrance Ramp (Artist Depiction)

We weren’t satisfied, however.  That led to:

Idea 4

We have enough space to put three feet of flat concrete (enough for a future sidewalk) before hitting the first ramp to take you up 3.5″.  This leads to a 5′ x 5′ landing, which is the required space for turning a wheelchair.  A 90 degree turn right and you go up the final 2″ to the level of the doors.

This solution looks much the same as the picture above, but it allows us to get rid of the outside railing, which ultimately looks much cleaner.  Here’s what the final plans look like:

Architect's Drawings for Glenhurst Entrance

Work will begin and end in early August.