Grosse Ile Lighthouse Renovation Project

The inside looks fabulous!

2010-08-09T13:33:00.000-04:00

We have been working very hard, and now the old girl looks all spiffed up! She even got some new updated ventilation. Can't wait for our walk-thru with everybody so they can see her!

Here's our new railing

2010-08-09T13:23:00.000-04:00

Safety First! It was really scary up in this part of the Lighthouse before. I always felt that if somebody accidentally bumped me, down I'd go! Now it feels much better. Ok...yes...I will admit that I'm a big baby, but now I don't have to worry. It looks great.

Our beautiful Lighthouse just gleams!

2010-08-09T13:14:00.000-04:00

Ooooohhhhh. Pretty shiny stairs!

Creative solutions

2010-08-06T17:07:00.000-04:00

One of the locks for the lighthouse wasn't working. When Rob opened it up, there were two pieces of steel floating around inside the casing. Since the backset didn't have any tension on it, he knew it had to be related to keeping the backset pushed out.


Inside the warded lock casing with the mystery piece

Better view, minus 100 years of crud

How do you replace a broken piece in an obsolete lock? The first stop was Grosse Ile Hardware. Terry found a clip used to repair window screens that was the right width, thickness, and most importantly, had the right amount of spring to push the backset out after the knob is turned. It just needed to be trimmed and bent into shape.

New piece after trimming and bending


Back in action!

The lock works again!

We are at it again!

2010-08-06T11:21:00.002-04:00

Well, we are at it again! Now we have the great pleasure of making the inside of the Lighthouse look beautiful again. The painters have been working diligently all week and I have been told that the inside of the Lighthouse just shines! I hope to have some pictures soon to share with everyone.

What a beautiful morning!

2009-07-30T09:28:00.003-04:00

The scaffolding is down and touch-ups are being done. We will be 100% completed with our beautiful Lighthouse project by the end of the week! We definitely enjoyed being a part of this historical renovation and being an integral part of helping to keep Grosse Ile beautiful!

Took down the tarp

2009-07-24T10:52:00.001-04:00

The pretty lighthouse sees daylight again!

Thanks Supervisor Loftus!

2009-07-24T09:48:00.003-04:00

Got this cool picture from Supervisor Brian Loftus that he took at our inspection yesterday. Pictured from left to right are: Bryan Lijewski, Michelle Smay, and my awesome boss Charlie Lowler. What a fine looking Lighthouse inspection team! Thanks Mr. Loftus for the picture!

Final Inspection Day!

2009-07-22T15:38:00.003-04:00

Supervisor and Mrs. Brian Loftus and Carol Knopp from Grosse Ile Township, Michelle Smay from Smay Trombley Architecture, Bryan Lijewski and Denise Sachau from the State of Michigan Historic Preservation Office in Lansing, Charlie, and I had our big inspection today! They started at the top at the lantern and worked their way down. We had a few items on the punchlist to take care of once the scaffold is out of the way, but other than that, the painting will be done today! They said we did a really good job. We will be removing the tarp by the end of the week-weather permitting. Stay tuned for pictures of the unveiling!

Railings are back up

2009-07-21T11:39:00.003-04:00

Pretty new glass!

2009-07-14T10:07:00.000-04:00

Copper Roof is Finished!

2009-07-13T16:15:00.003-04:00

On Friday, we finished the copper deck and today we installed the 5 windows in the lantern. Hopefully, I will have pictures of the windows tomorrow!

Sorry It took so long to get new pictures

2009-07-10T14:14:00.003-04:00

But I hope you enjoy them!

New Copper Roofing!!!

2009-07-10T14:11:00.001-04:00

Shiny new copper roofing going on!

Working on the windows

2009-07-10T14:09:00.004-04:00

Working on the windows. Pretty blue tape :-)

New Boards

2009-07-10T14:08:00.003-04:00

Lots Of New Pictures!

2009-07-10T14:05:00.001-04:00

Got some new pictures today out of Charlie's camera. Sorry....... Here are some pictures of the scraped off paint.

Waiting for Windows...

2009-07-08T11:02:00.000-04:00

Boy, have I been slacking! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, been out of the office. We are currently waiting for the glass guys to come and replace the glass in the windows. Charlie talked to the copper roof people and that should be happening very soon. I hope to get some pictures of that being done. Hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July. God bless America!

Rotten Boards

2009-06-29T09:30:00.002-04:00

What a gorgeous day! We have been busy replacing rotten boards around the base of the Lighthouse. We are also looking into railing ideas, not sure which direction we are going to go on that. Did you read the cool article in the Grosse Ile Camera about us? Thanks! Sorry there are no new pictures, nothing to take :-(

Boards and Base

2009-06-24T10:12:00.002-04:00

Today, we will be replacing the outer boards on the walking deck and the base of the lantern, per the architect's instructions.

Handrail

2009-06-23T11:43:00.004-04:00

Today we are removing the handrails and the baseboards at the bottom of the Lighthouse. Not too much exciting to report, but......if you are interested in helping a worthy cause.......please donate blood today at the Grosse Ile Fire Department. The Red Cross will be there from 1pm to 7pm. If you would like to schedule an appointment, go here: https://www.givelife.org/index.cfm?group=op&expand=597875&zc=48138
Hope to see you there!

Rained Out

2009-06-22T15:33:00.002-04:00

Got rained out on Friday :-( but Michelle the architect came on Saturday to take a look at our progress. She said that there is more rotten wood and rusty nails that need to be replaced now. She is reviewing all of the documentation and submittals that we gave her and will keep us posted on how to proceed.

Rotten sill

2009-06-18T11:35:00.002-04:00

Seems that moisture has penetrated one window sill. We will be evaluating this with the architect (when she comes on Friday) on how to proceed.

Windows Removed

2009-06-18T11:30:00.003-04:00

The windows have been removed in order to replace the sash cords. The sash cord has been picked and officially approved by the architect, just waiting for it to come in.

Busy, busy, busy

2009-06-17T15:36:00.004-04:00

We've been busy scraping the loose paint off of the lighthouse and today we took the copper roof off! The wood underneath is now weather-tite and awaiting inspection!

View Looking South

2009-06-16T14:50:00.001-04:00

What a beautiful view. All you have to do is climb up about a bazillion steep stairs to come see it!

View Looking North

2009-06-16T14:47:00.001-04:00

What a gorgeous view looking North from the top of the Lighthouse.

Our Sign

2009-06-16T13:34:00.003-04:00

Had to check out our sign that we hung on the Lighthouse. Charlie says it looks like a business card taped to the side of a house. We were picturing it much larger than that when we ordered it. Who would have known it would look so puny? But since I have the BEST boss on the planet, we had to go by boat to go check out our sign. And since we were having such an awful time being out of the office on an absolutely, positively, gorgeous day, we decided to proceed on to Portofino's for a fabulous lunch since we were so close. Mmmmmm, mmm, yummy! Thanks Charlie!

Tented In

2009-06-16T13:31:00.002-04:00

Got the Lighthouse all tented in on Wednesday, June 10, 2009. Nothing cool to look at while they do this part of the project :-(

Scaffolding

2009-06-16T13:27:00.003-04:00

Began setting up the scaffolding on Friday June 5, 2009. No way on Earth you could get me to climb up that itty-bitty ladder all the way up there!

Contract Signed

2009-06-16T13:05:00.002-04:00

We signed the construction contract for us to complete the rehabilitation of the Grosse Ile North Channel Front Range Light on May 22, 2009 with the Township of Grosse Ile. The Lighthouse will be closed to the public until completion of this historic project.

Setup of our blog

2009-06-16T12:59:00.012-04:00

Hi, setting up our cool new blog today! We would like to keep everybody current on our progress of the renovation of the historic Grosse Ile Lighthouse by posting pictures and keeping everybody up-to-date. If you have never visited the Lighthouse, you should. It is a very cool place. Cruise by on your boat and check out our sign! This site is maintained by Baird & Lowler Building Company, Inc. located here on the beautiful island of Grosse Ile at 8142 Macomb St. The views and opinions expressed herein belong to me-Kathy. If you would like to know more about Baird & Lowler, or want to check out some of our other projects, please visit our website at www.bairdandlowler.com or give me a call at the office 734-676-6984. So please, enjoy your visit and check back for updates!