I've been gone on a Spring break vacation with my family, so I've got some catching up to do on what's been going on at the new building site. The first thing I noticed was that our building has a steeple now!
Workers began putting up the stone that will cover the front of the building. It looks good already!
Outside lighting will help make our building safe at night.
One addition that I wasn't glad to see was a padlocked front door; no more interior shots for a while, I guess.
This photo shows the aluminum floor joists and railing that have been installed in the last week or so.
This is a view across the platform from the right side.
I think this will be a changing room for baptisms. You're looking through the doorway that will lead to the baptistry.
Nathan Garrett's Ordination
I didn't get to visit the building site last week, so this week's visit showed a lot of progress. All of the roof is completed now, which makes it a little dark inside for photos. More inner wall frames are up, making it easier to see the actual layout of classrooms, offices, the sanctuary, and the fellowship hall. It's really starting to look impressive in there!
The back wall of the sanctuary, showing the main entrance and hallway leading to church offices and classrooms.
The fellowship hall is completely encolsed by its wall frames. It's really big!
Boxes of the stone that will soon cover the front of the building are lined up out front awaiting the installers. The front windows are covered by the Tyvek paper right now, but that will be cut away later.
The "Next Blog" button is designed by Blogger, the host site, to randomly take the viewer to another blog in the Blogger system. There are tens of thousands of blogs out there of varying content, including a few I'm sure you don't want to see. There's no way to predict or control which blog will come up next, and as can happen whenever one randomly surfs the web, one can end up anywhere. I experimented by clicking "Next Blog" continuously for about 15 minutes, viewed about 60 blogs, and didn't come across anything objectionable. However, I guess it's possible to hit an objectionable blog on the first click, so be warned. It's not a design feature of the Woodland Builds blog, and it certainly wasn't my intent to link anyone to a porn site. So unless you're the adventurous sort, DON'T CLICK THE "NEXT BLOG" BUTTON.
Beginnings of the rear wall of the sanctuary, showing what will be the main entrance.
Steeple tower with new roof and siding.
The fellowship hall is almost completely closed in now.
From the outside, it doesn't look like too much got done at the new building site this past week. A little more of the roof is up. Some more siding has been added to the back wall. Wall studs are being added to the steeple structure. Inside, however, some interesting things are going on. Electrical wiring is being run throughout the building. Outlets are appearing in each of the classrooms and offices. That will be a huge improvement over the education building we're in now: adequate outlets and power. It will be nice to be able to turn on a heater without shutting off the lights in the entire building!
The back wall of the building is almost complete, and the back wall of the sanctuary is starting to take shape.
Our building after the first week in March. Those skies give an indication of what March weather in the mountains can be like! Pray that construction can continue on schedule.
View showing roof and back wall progress.
View of the back wall of the building.
As more wall frames went up to further define the office area of the new building, the entrance foyer also began to take shape. The counter frame for what I'm guessing will be a welcome area for visitors is in place. It willl be visible as soon as one enters the building. From there, one can proceed into the sanctuary, to the church offices, or down one of the halls to the classroom areas.
Future rest rooms. Can you tell which side is for the ladies?
Siding completed on the right side of the building.
Frames for sanctuary side walls are complete.
The steel skeleton on the front of the building shines in the morning sunlight.
The roof on the left classroom wing was completed this week.
Wall sections were erected for the future church offices.
More walls for classrooms on the right side classroom wing. This view is looking toward the front of the building.
Looking across the back of the sanctuary with office area to the left of the photo.
That's right, part of that soon-to-be-a-landmark blue roof was put up this week. You can't hide something as distinctive as a blue roof for long. Soon the entire roof will be covered with that pretty blue sheet metal, making our new building a real eye-catcher on Crabtree Rd. (Click on photos to enlarge.)
Looking out of the future main entrance to the building, showing the frame for the entrance way covering.
Also new this week are the metal studs for the interior classroom walls.
This view shows the front of the building with the wall studs and front window openings.
The steel frame is up, and now the construction crew is putting up walls. Metal wall studs are beginning to close in the sanctuary area, and the sheet metal on the left hall continues to grow. Wall studs appeared on the front of the building also. Despite the sometimes uncooperative mountain weather, our building continues to inch toward completion.
Insulated metal wall grows back to front on left side of building.
Metal studs for sanctuary walls.
Outside of metal wall on left side of building.
We had typical western North Carolina January weather this week - a little bit of everything from milder temperatures to sleet and snow. Nevertheless, work continued as more ribs were added to the roof, and part of a wall was begun. (Click on photos to enlarge.)
A section of a metal wall with a door and two windows is up in the left rear corner of the building.
This photo shows one of the large sliding windows with tinted glass. Also visible is the fiberglass insulation, that along with the tinted glass, will help our new building be much more energy efficient.
The steel framework of our new building got an addition this week that will make it look distinctively like a church. The tower-like structure that will eventually support the steeple has been erected. Steeples probably originated as ornate toppings to bell towers that became popular on church buildings in the 600's. Bell towers, inspired by military watchtowers, were used to announce worship times and advertise the location of the church. Today, steeples serve somewhat the same purpose since most people just naturally identify a building with a steeple as a church building.
Another structure added this week is the frame for the covered entrance. That's where us good husbands and fathers can drop off our wife and children under a protective covering in wet weather so they can stay warm and dry. Then we'll drive out to that expansive new parking lot, park the car, and walk back to the building in the cold and rain. Hey, wait a minute! Whose idea was that?
This was how our building looked on this foggy Saturday morning after a very productive week of construction. The construction workers at the building site really kicked it into overdrive this week. In spite of some rainy days, look how much steel got put up compared to last Saturday's photos! (Click on photos to enlarge.)
This will one day be a hallway of classrooms filled with people studying God's Word.
You can almost visualize this future sanctuary full of people praising our God.
The Christmas and New Year's break is over, and it was back to work for Cooper Construction. Now that they're back working, you can see some progress every day as our new building continues to take shape. (Click on photos to enlarge.)
New sections of steel framing are being added daily.
Like a giant steel skeleton, the frame work of Woodland's new building is silhouetted against the winter sky.
The first steel for one of the side classroom wings went up this week.
