We have our Certificate of Occupancy!!!
Only a few things left and we'll be moving doggy's in! Stay tuned for an announcement on the Northwest Dog Retreat"s New Facility Open House a date and time...!
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TODAY WE FINALLY HAD THE FINAL, FINAL INSPECTION!! It went extremely well and the inspector was really nice and helpful. So, I'll be able to pick up the certificate of occupancy for the kennel sometime early next week! I can't believe that part's over, finally! I'm working like crazy trying to get everything else in order, especially now that the snow is gone, the battery is replaced in the tractor, as well as a brand new tractor tire. I was so relieved and excited to get that inspection done, with no strings attached, that I may have overdone it while working on finishing the fence. I accomplished a lot though. It got dark on me or I would have kept going, so I don't have any pictures from today, but here's a couple shots from earlier... (I'll get a couple "in progress" shots tomorrow).
Not the best pictures (and don't worry, it'll look totally awesome when it's done) so I'll explain: I need to fill the trench under the fence up to the bottom rail, which will bury more than a foot of fencing. It'll be filled with dirt, rocks, more dirt, and topped off with hogfuel for a nice play surface for the dogs, (and myself).
What else is left to do? Well, I'll tell you... Obviously the previously mentioned fence and fill, tweaking the fence gates so they latch properly, placing portions of railroad ties under the gates so they're escape proof, securing the kennels to the walls (they're all put together, mostly), prettying up the place, and a few other things. And then there will still be a few more things to do after the first "new kennel doggy guests" get to experience what all the hubbub has been about. But those things are just stuff most dogs wouldn't care much about: Organizational projects and finishing touches. I'll be moving the pups over to the new building as soon as is humanly possible! More updates to come... We're working away feverishly on finishing the kennel! The snow has tempered the fever however, since I can't really use the tractor to move dirt, etc for the dog yards until things thaw, and then I'll do what I can without making everything too muddy. We'll be topping everything off with hog fuel so that will keep the pups and things clean. This is "hurry up and wait" time with the weather, but I've had fun "playing" in it...picking up broken branches, shoveling walkways, directing the melt toward places that won't be bothered by too much water. Here's some pictures I took during and after the snow... Clean up continues... And a few shots of progress in the new kennel... More updates coming soon. Should be calling for final inspection within a couple weeks...?!!
I can finally mark four things totally complete! The propane is in and hooked up, AND the in-floor radiant heat is turned on, not leaking, and they're increasing the heat in order to not crack the cement...AAAAND...PUD hooked up the permanent electricity (complete with meter, of course) and the electricians installed lights and everything!! It looks amazing, especially at night! Yes. These are in fact the first four things after all this time, and while PUD was finished a little earlier, all in one week! Patrick is at this very moment prepping the inside walls for doggy safe, clear wood sealant for the lower eight feet of the kennel walls. I need to figure out new, more visible signs for the street. The actual kennels should be arriving in the coming days, and next week the appliances will be here, the final cement pour should be complete with the sunny weather that we are supposed to be getting, perhaps the septic and drain-field will be done, maybe the driveway topped off and made all pretty, and the fencing should be at least nearly finished. We're really getting there! Although I feel like I'm just asking for it when I say things like that. Can't help it, just getting too excited about completion. We need to wait for the fire system people, who dropped the ball completely, to finish installing the fire alarm system. They said sometime around January 2nd or 3rd. But if they have a cancellation they might come earlier. After that we just need final inspections and the occupancy permit. On another note, we've switched cell phone carriers and purchased new phones. My new phone is a Google Pixel 2 and not only does it take excellent pictures, easily, (not that I do, but it really helps a lot!), it also receives phone calls when people call, lets them leave messages, leaves their number on the call log for missed calls, doesn't drop calls, and the biggest relief: I don't have to mash the phone against my ear to hear people. I know, these things are mostly what a cell phone is supposed to do, but amazingly my old phone, which wasn't that old, was extremely bad at the phone part. I hate to think how many calls I missed. So look forward to more pictures of the dogs playing and maybe some things that get in there just because I have a new phone with a cool new camera on it that works. Now I just have to force myself to create a new outgoing message.  A lot has happened since my last update on the kennel building, but so slowly I decided to wait until it would be an informative update. A "brief" summary of what's left (it's now a short enough list to actually list!): ADA pad to be poured and connected to the rest of the path, completion of septic drain-field hookup, propane hook up to heating and water system, concrete sealant, work area shelves 'n stuff, doggy safe sealant for the lower eight feet of plywood, plumbing installation, just a little more electrical, fences are supposed to go up this week, installation of the indoor/outdoor kennels when they get here, appliance delivery and installation, and the completion of the driveway. Then a quick walk through to catch anything missed before the final inspection. And on approval of that, OCCUPANCY!! Pictures of the kennel building...
I think I'll cut this post off here and save some for the next update, in a day or two...probably.
Here's some of the work that went into prepping the site for building the new kennel....(there's two slideshows here, don't forget to look at the second one below). AND HERE FINALLY, is the building progress as it is today. Next to go in (not necessarily listed in the correct order) is insulation etc for the in-floor radiant heat (with three zones), the cement pour for the floor, the electrical, wall insulation, interior wall plywood, doggy doors installed, bathroom fixtures and hose bibs, shelves for the storage/food prep area, lighting and electrical fixtures, washer/dryer/dishwasher/sink, two-line smoke alarm (direct link to fire station), security system. camera system, (I'm still getting bids for a fence for the 70x70 play yard plus two smaller ones, but that's outside)...And last, but certainly not least, KENNELS. That's why we're here after all!! ...to the family!! So, not the type I've been talking about forever. (It seems like forever, anyway). I'm a Grrrrrandma again!! Little Aiden James was born Monday night at 10:30-ish. My son Anton and daughter-in-law Rachel are the proud parents, and I can't wait to hear what my first grandson Michael has to say about his little brother. Short, but extremely sweet blog, if I do say so myself. And now some pictures.... (Hover over picture to see captions. For some reason it's being difficult, I like the way it does on the slide shows). Sorry, I know I said I'd blog every day about the building, but that seemed to jinx the project. Today is the first time the builders have been here two days in a row, but now I THINK they'll be on it for a while--long enough to get some progress pictures anyway. Here are some pictures of the latest progress:  And here's a picture of Little Bear. He's next to impossible to photograph since he's always in fast motion. This doesn't by any means show how sweet and adorable he is, just his speed! The long-awaited day has arrived: They began construction Wednesday! The celebration was dampered a bit when I found out they'd only be here one day to get started, then back to another job for another couple weeks. I'd hoped they'd at least get as far as where I could get other sub-contractors in, but it was not to be. So, I called the pertinent sub-contractors (I'm glad they aren't impertinent!), and gave them the update, mostly by voicemail, so I'm waiting to hear back from them as to their availability in three weeks-ish. But, by the end of the day it was pretty impressive in spite of the disappointment of delay. The pictures in the slide show below show Tuesdays delivery and Wednesdays building progress... That went quick!! Driveway base and building excavation is already complete! Next step - hooking up temporary power after inspection of "the box" by L&I, and actual building should start in about three weeks! I can't seem to find any other punctuation besides exclamation points!!!   |
Carol BianchiI started a boarding facility in July of 2014. I'm so excited to be able to surround myself with dogs, I thought I would write about the process. Categories
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