Hello David,

We raised over $125,000!!!

It seems we always have a reason to celebrate at Plumier but this week more so than most. Not only has our grant been matched, but a $100,000 gift at the end of last week took it up to right at $125,000, so not only did we add $125,000 to our building fund but also a got to see $100,000 go into operations adding to a more secure future. We can’t thank those who have helped enough.  Your response has been incredible and encouraging. 

This puts us at the 80% mark on the building fund, at $480,000 in commitments on the $600,000 project.   It’s certainly a reason to celebrate, but not rest.  

With the additional money in the operating fund, it puts us in a good position to bridge the gap with a loan and continue the building and renovation process with confidence; however, having the building mortgage free represents a giant leap toward accomplishing our mission. Housing a student for a year will be approximately $8000, roughly equivalent to the interest on $125,000. Getting through the project debt free equals educating students.  

Again, thank you, thank you, thank you. We couldn’t do any of this without member support.

Now, onto the news of the project itself.

Historical buildings each come with their own set of special challenges, and this building is no exception.  That said, we’re not finding any big surprises.   At present we’re nearing the end of the demolition stage. The floors have been removed and the crawl space leveled.  The building has been completely cleaned out, and next we will be heading into leveling out the second level floors, creating new pillars to set the “posts” of the main construction on, and we’ll be laying out the plumbing and such that will go under the sections that will be concrete.  So far, it’s going as anticipated; and the work is going as planned or better.  

 When Becky and I bought our first house in 1993 Chuck was the one that came over and taught me much about home building and repair.  He taught me how to properly finish drywall, do roofing, and install cabinets, just to name a few things.   He taught me how to set a premade countertop into a corner of a non-square room using only a circular saw, a skill I’d found myself using more than once in the future. His career has been comprised mostly of building luxury homes with extremely complex framing structures as the lead man on the ground.  In other words, Chuck was the guy that fixed everyone’s messes and made the architects and engineers look good.  We’re fortunate to have him on this job, and his presence not only breeds a lot of confidence but will save Plumier an untold amount of money in handling the project with efficiency.  

To work alongside of Chuck, we also hired Dustin Young of Delta Yankee construction.  Dustin grew up in the Saltsburg area and has long had affection for our building, “The McIlwain Warehouse.” Dustin is also an Air Force veteran.   

Few people, regardless of age, could keep up with Chuck Huether. Dustin does an admirable job; and the two work together like a well-oiled machine.  It’s a pleasure to watch them work. 

Tom has worked with us personally through the project and has guided us to great, local resources for subcontractors and materials.  We couldn’t be rolling as we are without his help and attentiveness.  

We’re also working on nailing down contractors for HVAC and masonry and working toward getting electrical, gas, and water hook-ups which all need certain improvements made.

Things are really moving forward now.  

Both the upper and lower levels had double sets of flooring. On the upper level the top set of flooring had to come out, and on the lower level the 2/3 of all the flooring system had to be removed.

The main support posts will get new concrete pillars underneath them. Though the stones have held the building since the 1840’s, they’ll jack up the posts, build forms, and fill the forms with concrete to support the building.

The heavy timbers on the lower floor were made of red oak. Some were badly rotted while others weren’t in too bad of shape for having done their job for over 175 years. They have been taken off site where their fate is being determined.

Your continued support will help us serve the OT and greater craft community better.  We need your help NOW to build without interruption, and to have the funds to double the number of craftsmen that we train in these skills. WE ARE getting this done, but YOU can make us much more successful by making sure we do this debt free.

If you can’t afford to donate monetarily but have craft skills, consider donating a work of art or craft we can sell to raise money.

As always, many thanks to all of you support us and have given already. It's given us the confidence to move forward boldly. We couldn't do it without you.

Support Ornamental Turning, Support Plumier. You can donate through the Join Us! page on our website, Donate Here.

We have also set up a Go Fund Me page which accepts donations of any size with more flexibility. It can be found here, Donate Through Go Fund Me.

A check sent to the address below is also welcomed form of donation.

For those who missed the first note, this 1850’s building was originally built to be a warehouse. In the 1860’s it gained its storefront and became a general store. In 1906 a furniture manufacturer moved in, and we’d like Plumier to bring back the tradition of woodworking in the building.

We will be adding a 28'x32' addition to the back to accommodate our cabinet shop, and the total space will add up to about twice what we presently have allowing us to help more people and realize our mission in a more efficient manner.

For more information on the location and building, have a look at the plan here: New Plumier Home!

If you have questions, give me a call at (570) 352-7137 or email me at david@plumier.org. I'm looking forward to sharing more information on the project as we progress. Again, here’s the link to the plan. New Plumier Home!!

Sincerely,

David Lindow