Sewing

Studio Update

Well, it’s been a bit since I’ve done a little update here about my studio space project. At the end of 2017 my husband and I bought a small commercial space in our downtown area to renovate and eventually use as my studio space. You can read the full post about it here. It’s been exciting and hopeful and daunting all at the same time. I’m still sort of in the mindset that I can’t quite put it all together in my head just yet. There’s a lot of working pieces to fit together in order for things to start coming together still.

Much time has been spent doing demo work. The space was in rough shape, especially because of having been unoccupied/condemned for the past year, and every previous business that was in the space added its own layer. So after many layers we’re basically down to the very end. There’s hardly any demo left to do. But just as a little refresher to myself I’m going to share a little list of what we’ve squeaked in during our free time:

  • removed radiators, there were two at the front of the building that weighed over 500 pounds each
  • removed carpet
  • removed existing bathroom
  • removed front facade siding (I got to operate a scissors lift! and we found out that the building was built in 1890!)
  • remove concrete baseboard from interior brick wall
  • remove plaster from exterior brick walls and brick chimney (I spent an entire weekend doing this)
  • remove nails/scrape glue & paint from wood ceiling (again, another weekend)

It’s honestly been lots of fun! The really tough one was the carpeting which had been completely glued down in the front section of the building. We used a powered carpet scraper but it was difficult! During this time we’ve also been working with an architect and getting our loan set up. We have the preliminary set of plans in hand and have submitted the last few edits. It’s actually great timing because it’s close to being spring soon, and we have a mason restoring the brick facade as well as the interior brick wall and exterior brick walls in the back of the building. He’ll need the temps to be a bit higher to be able to get started on the outside. I’m excited to see the front brick with the layer of paint removed!

We still need to remove the old furnace and clean up the small basement space, but after that it’ll be mostly left to the professionals to rebuild the back exterior wall, replace the storefront windows and doors, and finish out the interior bathrooms, etc. We are very lucky to still have the original decorative iron columns still behind the front siding. I’m so glad they were there. Here’s a shot of the building, taken in 1907, that’s 17 years after the building was built!

At this point we are shooting for this fall to be finished and have the building ready for me to move in, but at the same time it’s nice to not have to have a solid deadline. Having previously worked in the commercial/industrial construction industry, I know that things take time!

20 thoughts on “Studio Update

  1. Cocos Loft says:

    It will be amazing! Love this journey.

  2. Ashleigh Dewitt says:

    Love that the sign in the old pic says “ANNA-HELD..” as you’re holding the pic 😛 So fun! Looks like you guys are doing awesome work!

  3. dolores says:

    What Ashleigh said…and there is a quilt design in that brickwork! So excited for you!!!

  4. karen says:

    I can hear your excitement in every sentence! How utterly wonderful–and exhausting!

  5. Barbara says:

    So much great work accomplished, and it will look fantastic when it’s done. We’re all rooting for you!

  6. Kim says:

    So excited for you Anna! Life is such a crazy adventure sometimes…wishing you the best!

  7. yvette says:

    A big change already ! it will be a great place soon !
    thanks for sharing the progress

  8. Kristin says:

    So incredibly cool!!

  9. Michele Vogel says:

    Great job and thank you for the update! Projects like this can be very satisfying but scary also. Prayers to you for continued success.

  10. Valorie says:

    How very exciting! I appreciate that you are also keeping the history of the building alive in this post!

  11. Monica Kostak says:

    Very excited for you! It’s going to be a wonderful journey. Can’t wait to see the results! thanks for sharing! 🙂

  12. Vanessa Hewell says:

    I am SO excited to see what you do with this place – such a cool project and I know you’ll do an amazing job of it!!!

  13. Debbie Faber says:

    You both are working hard and working together to make a dream happen. You obviously are not afraid of hard work and I applaud the reward waiting for you both. It looks very wonderful and exciting…it is like a diamond being extracted from the ground! Best of luck to you…

  14. Sharon says:

    Thanks for sharing this! It is really nice to watch your project develop.

    You must be really excited to see recognizable original parts underneath the layers!

  15. Karen Miller says:

    Wow! For my job I managed the expansions but never did any of the work. You are fantastic! That’s a very hard job. You must be exhausted but what memories you will have. Lots of good luck.

  16. Cindy says:

    Oh my, the work you have already done!! It looks amazing and I can’t wait to see it finished! I can’t even imagine how exhausting this must be for you both but the rewards I’m sure will pay off! It’s such a beautiful building and I love the photo you’re holding! So exciting and wishing you the Best!!:)

  17. Kelly O. says:

    wow Anna! things are really coming together! thanks for the update!

  18. Diane says:

    Wow and wow! and so cool! Where is this located?

  19. kateg2 says:

    What a workout for you and the family! Rescuing a building is a fantastic act. I predict many rewards ahead as this space, in its turn, takes care of you!

  20. anna Maria says:

    Hello Anna, I follow you from Italy, I’m happy with your new project, I’m sure it will bring you great satisfaction. Good luck!

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