studio building - almost there

We. Are. So. Close!  The last few weeks of work on the studio have been huge and exciting.  Nathan and I have adjusted to a "new way" - one where we actually hire out some big parts of the process. For the last three years, we've literally place every brick and nailed every piece of wood ourselves.  We wanted to get the wood kiln just right (and the kiln shed, and the showroom, and the tractor shed, and . . .)  all the while making decisions as we went.  In some ways, much of it was work that only we could do.

But when it comes to things like dense-pack cellulose, hanging and finishing drywall, even doing a large scale paint job - well, sure, we could have tackled the learning curve and done it ourselves.  As the saying goes "You can do anything.  But you can't do everything."

So with lots of pottery-related things to do before we get to potting and firing, we decided to hire these big jobs out.  After all, these folks are pros- they do this every day, more efficiently and expertly than we could have.  And we (most likely) make pots better than they do.  That's our job.

That said, meet Alex and Matt.  These are the awesome guys behind Central Vermont Insulation (Bethel, VT), who did the tough and dusty work of crawling around on planks in our ceiling to dense pack cellulose insulation into the rafter bays, the drop ceiling, and the diagonal wall cavities.

We actually hung the foil faced foam on the underside of the rafters with a couple of friends, strapped it, and they came around with typar and netting and sprayed the recycled newspaper + borate into the bays.

We ended up very insulated - much more than our old house, in fact!  We can't believe how well the building holds heat and warmth from sunshine.  (Wait, why isn't this our house??) :)

Next up: Cal and Dennis of Cal's Custom Drywall (Braintree, VT) hung nearly 3000 square feet of sheetrock up, down, and all around the building.

It was amazing to watch them work - the tricks and skills these guys have were better than anything we could have hoped for.  They did an absolutely beautiful job, all the while laughing in disbelief tolerating at the antics of our dog running off with their tools, coffee mugs, and lunch boxes.  (Mmm hmm.  He's a nut.)

Meanwhile, Nathan and I worked on framing an interior wall for the utility room below the stairs.  Our rough-cut hemlock framing doubles as adjustable pottery storage. (More on that later.)

Soon, Dick Ratico the electrician (Solar Wind Electric, Bradford, VT) and Tim (Brownelle Plumbing, Norwich, VT), will get all the necessary panels and water heaters installed in the space behind this wall.

(I LOVE this as the back of my studio!)

With the drywall done, and the first phase of interior walls complete, we spent a day cleaning out the building of our tools and tables and staging and accumulated stuff to ready for the next and nearly last phase.

It feels so good to see it all cleaned up and emptied out . . . full of promise.

And as of this week, Gerry Vargo and his crew (Braintree, VT) are cutting, rolling, and spraying this building crisp and clean white.  (With one little color surprise to be unveiled later!)

While we probably could have made pots in here once we were insulated, we are pretty sure we'll never regret having all of this big, messy work done BEFORE we move in.  I can't imagine moving and covering all of our stuff once our potting was underway.  And we probably could have done the painting (actually, we love painting) - but who would cut and sand the ware boards, or scrape and clean our kiln shelves, or teach pottery class, or cut the wood for the upcoming firing?

In short, we are very happy with our choices, and full of gratitude for the folks who've helped us get here.  And we are in awe of the beauty of this structure.

We just can't quite believe this is our life's work space . . . . . . and that we'll be making pottery in just a few days' time.

~Becca