Category: Infrastructure

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Regarding Opening

At last we have a licensed master plumber who has pulled our commercial plumbing permit, a terrific relief. He came yesterday and identified what is needed to pass. This will likely happen likely in September – October. The addition to the team is huge and a painfully long milestone to reach. The subfloor electric then starts once we are past the subfloor plumbing. Plus we have a new electric panel sitting around, totally bored and waiting for attention! Happily we have a licensed master electrician keen to help get us open.

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Last of the Subfloor?

That is surely the end of all the trench work!

In the right photo with the main building in the background you can see a black chimney and a silver one. The former is for the 70-gallon water heater and the latter for the masonry heater.

The above photos are of the old office, formerly a hair salon. The building was carried from somewhere in the Baca and, as I can attest, placed on the foundation which is all that is left. Not connected by any foundation bolts and no treated wood either.

The plan is to concrete the floor, add a roof, enclose the restroom and make a mosquito netting wrapped outdoor pavilion. Folks can pick up their order at the kitchen door and enjoy their meal in the covered outdoor seating area.

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Razed

Back in late May 2022 we took the old office and original kitchen foyer down to the floor in anticipation of constructing the new kitchen entrance and loading dock which it was blocking. We’re in the process of updating the plumbing as maybe this will serve as an outdoor seating.

These two photos show as-was from about a year ago.

Some photos of the current activity.

Thank you for reading!

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Catching Up

Subfloor plumbing is ready for inspection.

Our plumbing inspector serves 6 counties. Yes it is rural. Saguache County, in which the restaurant sits, has the distinction of being the largest Colorado county. We are Wednesdays and one must request an appointment the day before their day by 3 pm.

These 4 photos are of the A la Cart Kitchen (located behind the bar), West Garden Room full bathroom and 2 Bedroom kitchen sink drain. These are all aired up together for the inspection. In the upper left corner of the upper left photo below is the shower drain; this same drain is in the upper right of the upper right photo for bearings.

Below are the commercial bathrooms. The 3” pipe disappearing up is also the vent for the upstairs kitchen sink and toilet. From the top: ADA toilet, urinal, floor drain, sink (not visible), toilet, floor drain, sink.

While we wait for the right Wednesday we’re continuing with plumbing. When the inspection happens it will include as much drain pipe as possible.

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A Surprising Twist

Old restroom’s toilets. Gal’s on the left and guy’s the right. The broken cast iron headed up is a vent also used by the apartment’s toilet.
Cast iron on the right leads to the commercial bathrooms. It also provided a vent for the apartment.

The plan has been to not work on the commercial restrooms until the kitchen was open for take out business. It is a good plan as the remaining work inside, including but not limited to radiant heat & floors in general, insulating and covering the ceiling, and building out what will be a very nice bar, is no short list of quickies. Yet we have to get out from the foundation walls, the apartment’s toilet needs a vent, the cast iron is in the way anyway, and there already is a convenient hole through thick concrete which equally conveniently leads to readily connectable PVC.

It looks like I forgot to publish this and the above is now pretty old news, which is terrific. In fact, the subfloor plumbing is ready for inspection in the commercial bathrooms. Regarding the rest, only the connection to the 4″ line leading to the 5″ line outside the building and 2 Bedroom kitchen sink remains and then the residential kitchen sink, the bar, and West Garden Room bathroom will have all the subfloor plumbing ready for inspection. I’ll make a post soon with pictures to illustrate the work. Thank you for reading!

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Bedded Down

Regarding the What is everything? In the below photo, starting closest,

  1. vegetable wash sink in cold prep (main trunk)
  2. floor drain in cold prep (main trunk)
  3. floor sink for dishwasher and cold prep / entrance hand washing sink (first branch left)
  4. sink for hot prep area (main trunk)
  5. floor sink for triple sink (second branch left)
  6. hand washing sink for hot prep (branch to right)
  7. hand washing sink in bakery (main trunk)
  8. floor drain in bakery (main trunk)
  9. hand washing sink in chocolate studio (main trunk)

Going west, towards the grease trap, the branch to the right is into the mechanical room which has a mop sink and floor drain. Then are floor drains for the walk in refrigerator and freezer, left and right respectively. Outside are cleanouts and then the grease trap itself.

The system holds air and pitches look good which is for sure excellent and next up is the inspection.

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What a Smell

Priming and gluing PVC is most comfortably done in a well ventalated area.

The grease trap entrance is not square with the building. Note the furnco right before the pipe exists the building helping the pipe make the adjustment. One more day of this! The jumble of pipe in the upper left are for the walk in refrigerator and freezer floor drains and ready to be glued.

The last cast iron piece, the 3″ stub cemented to the grease trap, has been exhumed. Following some awkward chipping around the entrance to the grease trap, the new 4″ PVC is in place and positioned.

New cleanouts between the building and grease trap. Very proud to have enlarged the hole to fit the 4″ pipe; a very small area to hold the chipping tool. Ultimately, I used a chisel and hammer for the last impeding concrete bits. The western end of the PVC is capped for the air test. Once passed the cap is cut and a furnco used to join the two pieces.
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Digging Deep

Trenches are dug for the kitchen, mechanical room and where the join to the existing 3” cast iron takes place, the same cast iron which leads to the also existing grease trap. Long term we see a methane digester replacing the grease trap and giving back fuel for heat and hot water. Ovens maybe too.

Next week is picking up PVC and putting it all together. Then a small amount of framing and remaining mechanical. We are not so far from a fully operational kitchen folks.

Looking east nearly in front of the Chocolate Studio entrance.
First branch to the left is for the floor sink serving the triple sink. Second which is to the right goes to a hand wash sink. Adding hand wash sinks for each station was one of the health department’s mandates.
West wall follows the walk in freezer behind me. First branch to the left is to the dishwasher and its prep sink. Adding an air gap for this station was another health department mandate.
Looking north at the wall dividing the walk in on this side and the mechanical room on the other. The exposed cast iron is going to be cut out on the other side of the wall & closer to the grease trap and replaced with PVC. Left channel heading north is for the employee toilet pipe which bypasses the grease trap and a second for the mop sink and floor drain which will have one of the fastest trips to the grease trap of the sewer.
Standing on the grease trap looking east. The pipe will be cut and transition to PVC. While a short distance to do so, this time cleanouts will be added.
Inside looking west at the other side of the pipe leading to the grease trap. Channel to the right for the employee toilet, mop sink and floor drain pipes.
Post grease trap and approximately where the tie in for the new commercial toilet sewer system and the employee toilet. This channel heads east (up) and turns right towards the commercial restrooms.
Another view of the post grease trap sewer tie in. Not done digging here. The jackhammer with a spade bit made digging out this channel much easier. Perhaps possible at all.
The mechanical room. Lower right is the mop sink; middle heading left is for conduits from the to be moved electric panel; upper left is employee toilet, by now the most written about item of the entire project. It is certainly a convenient point of reference. Water heater fires up and drained clean. Hurrah!
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3 1/2 Days Later

Compared to that roadway saw the jackhammer was indeed a relief. Got a lot done and the tool is back at the rental shop.

This is needed because the building has one working floor drain – some of the 40 year old cast iron is rusted through; we are adding functionality requiring drains & electricity in new locations; and the walk-in fridge/freezer floor needs to be insulated.

Thicker concrete, rebar, 6×6 mesh and cast iron pipes made day 1 the most difficult. Definitely hyperventilating.
The end of day 2.
Starting on the floor of the walk in facing SW. The line to the grease trap runs about under the opening which used to have a swamp cooler and now is covered in insulation.
Looking west at the close of day 3.
Looking west into the restrooms. From the right counter clockwise: urinal, unisex ADA, and unisex. The pink insulation is an ad hoc wall of the warm room which has a plug in radiator and hold items which permanently change when frozen such as paint, etc. This happened on that half day.