Exciting times here in Sundogland! The city has issued our building permit to commence construction on our new office space. Woot! Woot! It really is a moment of celebration for us all. The revitalization of this historic downtown building is a public/private partnership that when completed, will be occupied by multiple professional service firms generating activity and daytime traffic to the downtown and its establishments. We are taking a building that has been vacant for over two years and breathing new life into it by completely redoing the façade and interior of the building. And, we are wasting no time getting this project going.
Starting immediately, the roof tear off and replacement will commence. We will install a new, energy efficient, insulated roofing surface; we are trying to go green as much as we can on this project while staying in budget. Ripping off the existing roof surface will allow us to replace any deteriorated sections protecting the building from the elements for years to come.
But the most exciting (visibly) part of the project will start immediately as well. We will begin tearing off the front of the building and rebricking! The process will start with completely removing all the existing brickwork, doors, and windows. Then, three 8’x8’ holes will be cut in the second floor for installation of large windows overlooking downtown DeKalb. Sundog will occupy the second story and we wanted as much natural light to come into our office space as possible. A cool feature with these windows is that they can be opened. So, on a nice day, or during parades, we can open these huge windows and enjoy the weather and festivities. Lastly, we will then lay all new brick and install new windows and doors. Maintaining the integrity of the look and feel of downtown DeKalb is important to us, so we will be constructing a façade that will hopefully look like a historic building again. My goal would be when someone looks at the building they will wonder if it is original … or new. So, any of you who are nostalgic for the old Malone’s Department Store façade better come on down and get your selfies with it now, because in 30 days, the facelift will be complete.
*** Construction Alert – As part of the construction process, for the month of July 2017, the sidewalk will be closed for safety reasons. Please bear with us! Short term hassle for long term return! ***
Stay tuned for more updates as the projects moves along!
Cohen Barnes @ Sundog