Starting Construction Process! - DPChallenge Forums

Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF

07/25/2008 04:44:57 PM · #26

Wrinkles schminkles. Shoot at 2.8 to 4.5 and you won't see the wrinkles unless you've got them up against the BG.

I talked with the owner of a building today - a former bank. All marble inside, marble 2 story columns outside, big round vault door and such still there..wow, impressive. 3 stories and a full finished basement and a second storefront out back. Corner lot too. I'm afraid to ask price, but she did say she'd work something out, I could make payments...Cost, utilities and maintenance scare the bejeezus out of me - it's a BIG building...perhaps with some apartments to help offset the costs...

It was the bank that was robbed in the movie Graduation (see trailer, building is shown 42 seconds in) //www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkICtNPeLWo

vxpra

Pentax K100D

07/25/2008 07:15:31 PM · #27

Originally posted by Prof_Fate:

I talked with the owner of a building today - a former bank. All marble inside, marble 2 story columns outside, big round vault door and such still there..wow, impressive. 3 stories and a full finished basement and a second storefront out back. Corner lot too. I'm afraid to ask price, but she did say she'd work something out, I could make payments...Cost, utilities and maintenance scare the bejeezus out of me - it's a BIG building...perhaps with some apartments to help offset the costs...

It was the bank that was robbed in the movie Graduation (see trailer, building is shown 42 seconds in) //www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkICtNPeLWo

I want that building!! What would it cost to move it to Colorado?

When I worked at the Camera store we relocated into an old bank building. The bank had been gone for about three years and it pretty much sat empty the entire time. The owner of the building told us if we found anything we could have it. Us employees got to do the demolition to make way for the remodel of the space the store was going into. We pulled apart the old teller line and found heating vents that had long ago been covered over (the building had been a bank since the 1920's). My boss pulled off one of the grates and found a roll of Franklin Half-Dollars dated 1959. They looked fresh from the mint. All I ever found was loose pennies (about $35 dollars worth).

Who knows, you might find enough money to retire. But, I bet the movie guys went through every inch of the building.

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

08/05/2008 08:50:09 PM · #28

Here's pictures of our big empty space now.

I've been talking to general contractors this week, and I'm not really happy with them. Only one that's hinted at a price quoted $50-60 a square foot. (I think he must have spent way to much time in the sun) We're looking for around $30.

Got the Bill from the Architect, around 1800, but that didn't include detailed plans. But we've been told we don't need them, cept maybe for the cyclonic wall.

Will keep you posted.

Frankie_Lv

Canon EOS-30D

08/05/2008 08:56:06 PM · #29

Hi Ches,

Hope all goes well & you hit it big time.

Best of luck

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

08/11/2008 06:28:12 PM · #30

First bid in. Sit down before you continue. Remember it's a huge 1200 sq foot place.

$78,000 Not including ANY furnishings, or equipment. Just walls, bathroom, office, electrical and HVAC.

Art Roflmao

Canon EOS-6D Mark II

08/11/2008 06:38:16 PM · #31

Originally posted by chesire:

First bid in. Sit down before you continue. Remember it's a huge 1200 sq foot place.

$78,000 Not including ANY furnishings, or equipment. Just walls, bathroom, office, electrical and HVAC.

That's about what you said the one GC hinted at ("$50-$60 per sq ft"). I would think you could get it done for your target of $30. Best of luck to you - I enjoy following your progress.

Spork99

OM System OM-1

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

08/11/2008 06:41:55 PM · #32

Originally posted by Prof_Fate:

You'll just lock yourself in the vault.

08/11/2008 07:19:25 PM · #33

Different places have different costs, union or non union, etc. Commercial anything costs more than residential anything as well. Often it's different codes (electrical/fire for sure). home drywall can be 1/2", but commercial is 5/8 - it's more expensive for materials as well as labor. The walls get abused more so it's worth it in the end.

A new house here can run $100/sf (excluding land) and that was last year. Materials prices are up 30% in the past four months cause of oil prices, trucking prices, etc are up. Labor is in less demand so that offsets it to some extent. A shell can be 1/2 of that price, so sure, to finish the interior will be the other $50/sf. And in Baltimore MD i've seen the same house sell for $540 that is $300 here - and i don't think it's all in the land cost!

How long will you be there? Divide $78,000 by that money months, add in interest and what's the payment?
Have you signed the lease yet?

08/11/2008 07:24:55 PM · #34

Five year lease, yes we've already signed. No payments for this part, it's all gotta be cash.

We do get about 22k from the landlord for the build out. If you add it into our lease it'd be about 4200 a month for 5 years.

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED

08/11/2008 09:00:36 PM · #35

Second bid in! I can breath a bit better.

$45,000 this time. ($37/square foot)

All for the same work. Now I'm expecting runovers. So getting it reasonable to start with is very important.

ol_possum

Nikon D40

08/12/2008 01:19:44 AM · #36

Sheesh, I saw that first estimate and thought you'd be selling your kitties as fur. The second bid sounds better, how many more are you expecting?

Me

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED

08/12/2008 08:05:33 AM · #37

Expecting three more, one that was recommended by Allgood electric.

Most promised me bids by Monday, but only two actually got them in, one promised for Tuesday morning...

Hmmm, think anyone would BUY my kitties fur? We have plenty.

ol_possum

Nikon D40

08/12/2008 04:34:59 PM · #38

Prob-ly not Baggy, but who knows about the rest? I'm busy trying to remove things from my 98 'puter. Exercise in frustration! Slow slow slow..... Hoping to get a chance to take pics for challenge... You?

08/12/2008 05:18:37 PM · #39

not this week. Been. Well been.

08/13/2008 07:28:36 PM · #40

Hows it going? I've decided not to lease space at this time. I got to talk to the new owner of the local shopping center. The open space there is about 1000 sf and he's offering it for $1000/month, 36 months, no fees or taxes on top of it, but utilities are seperate, I pay for all build out and signage, and have 4 weeks up front at no charge to do the work. It's a good price and he's putting $3 million into the center and just opened a 'new' grocery store and is putting in a gas station too.

It's sooo tempting though. It's more ego related I think - it'll make me feel like i've got a "real" business. I don't think I'm ready for that yet. I could take that $1000 a month and spend it on advertising and raise demand and brand awareness and probably be ready in a year or two to get the space I really want. Less fun, but more sensible.

In the meantime I've tslked it over with the better half and I will be taking the garage over completely, adding heat and A/C, a ceiling - it's about as bare are your space is but you have 4 walls and I only got 3 LOL. It may be February before I'm ready to move in completely, but I feel better having a plan, a course of action.

Can I ask how your're financing the remodel? To remodel a space you own is relatively easy to get the money as you can borrow against the property. Short of savings or borrowing against your house, where does one come up with $40 large?

08/13/2008 08:12:48 PM · #41

We are not financing any of it. It's coming out of savings.

08/15/2008 11:37:12 AM · #42

Third bid came in. 74k NOT including a lot of things.

so I think we'll go with the 44k one :) Then we'll do what we need to ourselves.

08/15/2008 12:21:55 PM · #43

Originally posted by chesire:

We are not financing any of it. It's coming out of savings.

Man, you guys save really well! Or live like monks LOL

08/15/2008 06:10:31 PM · #44

It'll all be gone by the end of this project.

We have to hit marketing hard and correctly as soon as we know when the doors are opening, so we can start making some back!

08/24/2008 08:54:01 PM · #45

Well construction has finally started. We went with the 44k bid. To make it sweeter, they hired our 22 year old son for at least the duration of this project.

This is the work they completed Friday and Saturday (mostly Saturday). They also dug a huge hole at the back for the plumbing. Plumber will be in on Monday to put in all the pipes.

Cross your fingers folks. Here we go!!!!

ps. If anyone has really good CYC wall plans, we could use them.

08/26/2008 08:42:06 AM · #46

Does anyone have actual PLANS for a cove/cyc?

I have the ones from VirtualMike's wall, but it's a single side, not a corner. Issue I'm having is explaining how to do the corner and have it all curved. I'm taking him all the pictures from Mike's building, but... Not sure how to do that center curve.

Carl Zeiss 35mm ZF f/2.0 Distagon T

08/27/2008 02:30:32 PM · #47

3/4 plywood is cut in a right triangle shape with the long side (hypotenuse) of the triangle cut at a curve. Many of these are then nailed into the corner (or along the floor) and then covered with drywall. Sometimes a couple of picese of thin drywall, sometimes normal drywall that is dampened so it will bend.

virtuamike

Nikon D2X

08/27/2008 07:18:34 PM · #48

Originally posted by chesire:

I'd get the corner piece prefab (just make sure radius matches up). It'll save you from a lot of trouble.

Still think you should just stick with a single wall though rather than trying to go diagonal. The only time I see corners are in bigger studios.

Message edited by author 2008-08-27 19:20:44.