Thanks to the support of so many, this huge endeavor has finally come to fruition. As many of you know, it was only after years of dreaming, planning, and campaigning that we were finally ready to break ground, only to be locked down for essentially 2 years during the, hopefully once in a lifetime, pandemic.
This update is for all those who have been following us through the entire bumpy but rewarding process as well as for our new followers who are curious about the brand new, shiny black building located next to the glass shop.
So join us as we rewind through the wheres, whys, and whens of this project, celebrating the journey and enjoying the rewards!
The dream of adding to the studio was always going to be a huge step in the growth of epiphany studios. From the beginning, April did all the research, talked to clients, mentors, friends, family, bankers (lots and lots of them), the city, and the neighbors. All signs pointed to GO so she knew the time was finally right to build the new studio. Originally slated to be an addition to the existing building it quickly became evident that a new, stand-alone structure would be the better option. Architectural plans and site surveys were completed in mid-2019 and approved by the city in December, 2019. Site excavation started in early 2020 and construction was to be completed by October, 2020. But life, and the world, had other plans. Everything came to a screeching halt in the spring of 2020 and there we sat with our dreams on pause, not knowing what the future held. At last, as masks came off and the world started spinning again, so did the wheels of construction.
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Once things got started we began to see the dream becoming a reality. Each week we were excited to share any construction progress, no matter how small, because that meant we were one step closer to completion. So from concrete pads, cat doors and a toilet, to high rafters, a dedicated photo room, and large glass transom windows, we had a beautiful and functional space filled with natural light. The openness, height of the space, and massive rolling doors allow for large sculptures to easily be moved about and the installations to take shape in the safety of the studio. Finally, after uncooperative weather, our parking lot was poured and finished. The icing on the cake was beautiful landscaping to enhance the contemporary structure and attract our feathered friends who provide inspiration for us and endless visual entertainment for our studio cats.
While many of you are familiar with the beautiful glass pieces we offer at epiphany studios, like our birds of beauty, sleeping kitties, rocks glasses, pumpkins, paperweights, and ornaments, you may be less familiar with April Wagner’s larger than life, iconic, and place-making sculptures installed all over the country. These larger projects require a lot of space to create and the new building will be the perfect place to do it. It is a 2,600 sq. ft. open floor plan building with a 26′ ceiling. The building is designed to hang sculptures from the ceiling, the walls, or stand on the floor, and have room to breathe and be fully realized. The bonus is that it is only steps away from the glass furnaces where all of her art takes shape.
The Week By Week Rewind
For those who are patrons and followers of epiphany studios, we have shared the process in detail with you because without you we couldn’t have done it. We make art for you and you are as much a part of this as we are. So we invited you on this adventure of creativity and tenacity, pitfalls and problems, successes and wins . We envisioned this addition as not only a place to create great art but as a community space to bring the art of glassblowing to all of those around us. We loved sharing our updates with you from our amazing Kickstarter campaign, to breaking ground, all the way to the finished building. Here is a recap of the week-by-week process. From pouring the concrete to putting in the cat door, it was a wild ride!
7-16-21
Hello!, I am thrilled to announce, after many years of patience and persistence, that we are beginning construction on the new building at the studio.
7-23-21 It has begun! This week was full of activity. Trees were cleared, asphalt broken up, dirt removed and sand brought in, the ground was leveled and the lines were marked. If you couldn’t see it before, can you see it now? Plenty of space for our big, beautiful new addition.
7-30-21 Our groundbreaking ceremony was a sweet moment in this crazy journey. Recognizing al the important players from the city, county, bank, builders, and architect. It takes a village.
8-13-21 With all the storms this week we got to test our new underground drain system, and thankfully it was up to the task!
8-20-21 The deliveries are starting to pile up! What are these you might ask? Why the fabulous trusses that will hold up the roof of the new building. They won’t be installed for a while but with all the shortages we are sure glad to have them onsite now!
8-27-21 Running the water line out of the old building into the new was supposed to be easy. We thought the floor in the garage was 4″ of cement, turns out it is 4 feet of cement. Super grateful they were able to find a 12″ core drill and drill down down down and then down some more. These guys are doing a GREAT job in a tough space!
9-3-21 After digging up the whole site, hopefully for the last time, we passed our rough plumbing and electrical inspections. Each step builds on the next so we sure are glad we have amazing contractors leading the way on what to do and when and why.
9-10-21 A slow week on the construction front, but lots going on behind the scenes so not a lot of photos. Here they are leveling the ground so it’s ready for the foundation to be poured. There are lots of steps to building something right, no matter if it’s a building or a glass piece.
9-17-21 Well, hello Gorgeous new floor! The most EXCITING day yet in the construction process. Giant cement trucks came and poured while a big team troweled and leveled while we looked on in utter delight. We maybe even buried some special amulets and charms in there for good luck.
9-24 Might not look like much in the photo but that pile of wood will become our new walls. Once the cement is cured they are going to start putting those babies up. The excitement is killing us. The mess is too, but we are choosing not to focus on that part, instead we are envisioning our 26′ tall wall! It’s going to be stunning.
10-1-21 More deliveries every day. In this shot is the steel beam that will hold our trusses up sitting next to the wood that will make our walls. With all the delays from Covid we sure are grateful our materials are coming in on time. Next week – the walls are going up!!!!
10-8-21 Our walls are up!!!!! This was so exciting we could hardly work that day. A giant crane and a team of strong guys and viola! The space is really coming together.
10-15-21 The walls are up and so are the trusses. A little hard to see in this photo but WOW what a difference a week makes. We had good weather, an AMAZING team of carpenters, and BAM! There’s a building.
10-22-21 Hello Gorgeous! We’ve been waiting for you to pop up. It’s been a long time coming, we’ve been dreaming about a building just like you, and now we are starting to see you. You look even better than we had hoped!
10-29-21 Already thinking about the amazing art that will get made in this space. So much great light, the lovely tall ceiling, the giant garage door, all thoughtfully designed to make the space simple, functional, and inspiring. Every day we watch it coming together and are amazed it’s really happening!
11-5-21 Let there be light! Our electrical panel is in, which has been a huge help this week since construction starts around 7am and it’s pretty dark out there. No one wants a hammer hitting their hand because they couldn’t see the nail. The lights are just temped in for now. The in-wall electrical starts this week.
11-12-21 Rough plumbing and electrical this week. It’s a lot of work to figure out where things go so we have the right outlets, switches, water lines and drains in the right spots. Luckily we are working with a crack team of electricians and plumbers that are doing an amazing job!
11-19 Our return air and ac ducts got hung this week. They did a nice job tucking them up by the ceiling so they are out of the way when April is making her big pieces. The HVAC guys were very nice and laughed with us as we chatted about the “ductulator”. We are nothing if not fans of silly names for tools.
11-23-21 Our sidewalks got poured! we’re very excited about this because the 4′ hole blocking the back door meant everyone has had to walk through the garage door this week. But no longer! The back door to the old building is functional again.
12-3-21 Waiting is the name of the game in 2021. Turns out the door walls and overhead doors, ordered way back in June, still aren’t here yet. Luckily we know how Covid has disrupted the supply chain so we aren’t surprised, just excited for them to arrive so we can see the pretty views.
12-10-21 The most important part of the building is installed!!!! What is this you may ask?? Why it’s the oh-so-important cat door of course. No studio is complete without the kitties running around. Our furry friends adopted us by walking in one day and stealing our hearts. So now they get their own door.
12-17-21 This week they started applying the cedar soffit trim. Hard to see in this photo but it’s a lovely dark walnut color. Once the soffits are finished they can start putting in the windows and the cladding. Then it will really look like a building instead of a billboard for Carter’s Lumber.
12-23-21 But what is this you might ask? This, friends, is the very important, not to be messed with, new gas line for the the new building. It was a huge sigh of relief because they had to tap into the existing gas line from the old building, the same gas line that runs our glass furnaces 24/7/365. The thought that we might have been with out gas was very stressful. But luckily our contractors are top notch and got it done in the blink of a eye with no interruptions to service.
1-7-22 Black cladding and windows. Finally starting to look like the renderings and we couldn’t be happier! Once the windows are done they can turn the heat on ’cause boy is it cold out there right now.
1-14-22 Funny looking but oh so important, especially right now, the insulation is being sprayed as we write this. Joy of joys! The last couple of months construction has seemed slow, but once this is done it will all speed up again.
1-21-22 Things are really happening now! Our drywall should be done today. Behind all the drywall you can see April had them install 3/4″ plywood so she can build her sculptures without fussing around looking for a stud and more freedom to be creative! So long in coming, it’s nice to be in the final stretches.
Tape & Mud 1-28-22 Taping and mudding a big space is a lot of work and we really appreciate what a nice job they are doing! The purple drywall is the wall where the sink will be so it’s a special type of drywall to repel water. Once it’s painted though it will be the same color as everything else.
2-4-22 Taping and mudding has turned into sanding, and boy what a mess! There is dust everywhere but the walls look smooth and will soon be ready for paint. We are in the final stretches and it’s feeling good!
2-11-22 The painting has started! What are our exciting color choices? Why white on white on white. This space is going to be about as neutral as it get to really let the color of the glass take center stage. Everything from the wood to the steel – all white and we could not be happier. Cat paw prints will soon be everywhere!
2-18-22 Painting is done, for the most part until it’s touch-up time, so they have started installing the cabinets for the kitchen. Not only will this space function as April’s new space, but also as a luxury private event space. No place more creative than an artist’s studio!
2-25-22 Lots of progress in the addition this week but this one is definitely of high importance! The throne has been installed. It’s not working yet but once it is we’ll be sure to let you know all about it. (Just kidding) In addition to the toilet, all the sinks are in, and turning on the water is next. Getting close to the finish line!
3-4-22 Lights and more lights and more lights! They have run most of the conduit and all the tracks are up. Next week the painters will come back and paint again. More cabinets are going in and the radiant floor will, hopefully, get turned on. It is the thing we are most excited about, toasty feet!
3-11-22 The space in the new building is very open and plain. There is one room, besides the bathroom, a dedicated photo room. All the walls are painted black and there are no window. Taking pictures of glass is very hard but this room will make it much easier!
3-18-22 The cherry on the sundae has arrived. Our new overhead door is sexy and fun! We love how snazzy it make the building look. It’s all clear glass now, but April likes a little more privacy so the lower windows will be frosted. Nothing makes us happy than glass and light and this door is the perfect marriage!
3-25-22 This little plug is our access to the world. Cat6 lines have been run into the new building so we are ready for whatever new tech comes along to keep us connected to the world.
4-8-22 Sometimes you think you did it right, but then you realize you didn’t. This week we had to tear out the curb because the inspector wasn’t onsite and when he checked he didn’t find any re-rod in the curb. So out came the curb and a new one got poured. This time with the re-rod and a photo record!
4-11-22 It’s not all about the new building, we put in a new entrance into the old building as well. We wanted to make it a little more obvious where to enter since the new building hides our old entrance. That’s a lot of new and old, but you will see what we mean next time you visit! Plus, the cats needed their own door. We are still at their beck and call, but at least now we’ll have a little more time to blow glass.
4-15-22 We are nearing the finishing line and sometimes those moments feel like the longest. Couple of more inspections and we should be in the all clear. Last one is the boiler, apparently there is only one guy in the state that can do it. We are somewhere on his list, could be tomorrow or 3 months was the best estimate on when he would show up. We are hoping for tomorrow.
4-22-22 What looks like chaos will soon be our new organization system! Thanks, Ikea, for having nice cabinets that will fit all of our extra glass and the other necessities of studio life (like cat toys).
4-29-22 As anyone who has ever purchased something from Ikea knows, there are a lot of parts. We haven’t gotten far on installing the new cabinets, but every day we are getting a little closer. Soon this whole wall will be flanked with much-needed storage. The things about making glass is you need a place to store it while you keep working.
5-3-22 Some of the trees are in!!! We had to take out two of the trees we planted 25 years ago because they weren’t doing very well. The new ones look small comparatively but every day they are growing a little bit!
5-6-22 Although we’re not the biggest fans of grass, it is the best way to stop the erosion behind our building. Once that is stabilized and the park is cleaned up a little bit more we’ll get into the creative landscaping. And that’s the really fun part! Soon they are going to start planting on the front side of the building which will be really cool. We love greenery around here!
5-20-22 We are moving in! And so, if the gods of concrete are on our side and our parking lot actually gets gets poured on Monday, next week will be our final construction update. What a journey it has been! Look for a blog post soon chronicling the whole experience. Having lived it once, we are good for a while before we undertake that again.
5-27-22 Dancing their schedules around the rain means the parking lot finally got started mid-week. They hope to finish it next week. Or when it stops raining we should say. Keep your fingers crossed for us. This is the final thing and then we are off to the races!
6-10-22 Tadah! New parking lot complete
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