Chapel Renovation

CHAPEL RENOVATION PROJECT

Photos of the progress are at the bottom of this page.

FOLLOW OUR PROGRESS:

April 12: As of lunchtime Thursday, they have done the following: (1) removed the cabinets and bathroom fixtures; (2) removed the walls, floor, and ceiling in the sacristy and bathroom; (3) removed the two exterior a/c units and replaced the office a/c with one of those units; (4) removed all the ductwork from underneath the chapel; (5) removed the exterior door and porch from the sacristy; (6) removed the three windows from the sacristy and bathroom; (7) removed all the light fixtures; (8) dug the footings and placed the rebar for the foundations for the new extension and porch. If you have any questions, see Fr. Gary. FOR YOUR SAFETY: do not
enter the chapel.

April 19: This week they pored the concrete for the foundations for the extension and porch. Two days later they built the concrete block walls on the foundations. On Friday, they will build out the new joists in the sacristy and church for the new floor, which will be on the same level as the main chapel seating. The plumbers did more work removing the old plumbing.

April 23: This week, the carpenters finished installing the floor joists and the subflooring plywood. The plumber ran the new supply line for water, installed the grinder pump, and ran the sewer lines out to the new grinder pump. They filled the block walls with concrete on
Wednesday. Today, Thursday, they have started framing the extension, the porch, and where the new gothic arched windows will be installed in the sacristy wall facing the street.

April 30: The carpenters finished framing out the addition to the chapel and they are nailing up the sheets of plywood on the walls and roof.

May 7: The carpenters finished nailing up the plywood on the sides and roof of the addition. They also installed the underlayment on the roof and sides, which protects the plywood from the rain. They began to remove the rotten pieces of siding and then the heavens opened up!

May 14: The carpenters repaired/replaced some rotten wood on the side near where the side porch used to be. They built the new side porch, removed the lap siding from the side wall, and prepped it for new lap siding. The finish carpenters cut out the arch between the nave (the main part of the church with the pews) and the new addition. Apex Heating and Air installed the new a/c air handler and duct-work which handles the sacristy, bathroom, and new addition.

May 21: This week, the carpenters removed all the siding from the chapel and repaired or replaced the rotten studs. The electricians are running all the new wire in the entire chapel. Every wire for every electrical fixture had to be replaced. The plans also call for some additional lighting (inside and outside) and more electrical plugs. The finish carpenters are working on the trim around the big arch between the main nave and the new addition.

May 27: The finish carpenters finished the majority of the trim on the big arch between the main nave and the new addition. The electricians have finished the wiring in the main walls of the chapel and they are continuing the wiring throughout the chapel. The insulation has been installed in the main walls. As of this writing, the carpenters are installing the plywood on the outside walls of the main chapel and then will put up the water/vapor barrier plastic.

June 4: The electricians have been hard at work running the electrical wiring. There is a lot more because of adding additional outlets, more light fixtures, and moving and expanding the fuse box. We are adding six wall sconces in the nave (where the pews are) and new light fixtures in the chancel (the new addition where the altar will be.) A final decision was made to use Hardie Board Artison 5/8-inch lap siding. It is a little thicker than the original siding. The original siding was 7/16, which is not available. This siding size will match the parish hall and church.

April 16, 2026

April 20, 2026

April 23, 2026

April 29, 2026

May 11, 2026

May 14, 2026

May 19, 2026

May 28, 2026

June 8, 2026

June 11: Last Friday they removed the carpet from the nave and narthex. The hardwood planks in the nave are in very good shape. Therefore, we will sand off the glue, stain, and varnish it. The floor in the narthex had to be demolished completely because it had been built upon the old porch, which would have cause sagging and moisture problems in the future. The new joists and subfloor have been completed. This will allow us to put in hardwood planks in the narthex and new chancel to match the planks in the nave. The front porch had to be demolished because it was sagging. Turns out, when it was constructed, it was not attached to the chapel. The new
porch will be constructed properly and will last much longer. The electrical inspection was completed and we passed. The plumbing and HVAC inspections are scheduled for Monday. If those are completed, then next week they can install the insulation. The roofers installed all the flashing and shingles on the front porch, narthex, new side porch, and new chancel. The first order of new Hardie Board siding has arrived. Concrete footings around the entire chapel and footings and sidewalk for the exterior handicapped lift are being dug today (Thursday) and will be poured on Friday.

July 2: This report covers the last two weeks. The new footings were poured and the chapel crawl space was completely enclosed with concrete blocks. The insulation has been installed throughout the interior of the chapel. The drywall has been installed in the bathroom and sacristy. The new arched windows have been installed in the new chancel and in the front wall of the sacristy. The new window was installed in the bathroom. The Hardie-board lap siding has been installed on most of the new chancel, on the back of the bathroom/sacristy wall, and on the side facing Confederate Rest Road. Fr. Gary has ordered the new altar vestments: superfrontals, burses, and veils in all four liturgical colors: white, red, purple, and green.

July 9: The trim was installed on the three gothic arched windows. Now they are installing the Hardie-board lap siding on the back wall of the chancel, the front wall of the sacristy and the side of the chapel facing the parish hall. The air conditioners have been reinstalled and temporary electric run to them. They will cool the chapel so the new wood can be conditioned before it is installed on the walls and the floor. We are retaining the existing beadboard in the main nave of the chapel. New beadboard will be installed in the new chancel and in the narthex. The new altar rail is being constructed. We are also retaining the wood floor we discovered under the old carpet. New, matching, wood flooring will be installed in the narthex and chancel. We have had several questions about the exterior color of the chapel. The Hardie-board comes primed in the yellow. The chapel will be painted white.