Construction/Renovation

the original kennel, now our day care

facility and next on our renovation list!

May 1, 2009 - We are done!!! Well, almost. Dogs have been moved in for over a week and it is fantastic! We got the final okay from the building inspector, who seemed very impressed. The cable/phone/internet is in the works and it is really one of the last pieces we need before we can open to our customers. After that, it is just getting the final bits in place, such as some shelves in the employee lounge. It's all minor stuff - phew!

It has been interesting running between the two buildings, but everyone, including the dogs, adjusted beautifully. Some day, the two buildings will connect, but for now, we are so happy to be in our beautiful new facility!

Stay tuned for an open house date and if you can't wait that long, feel free to ask for a tour. We are happy to show it off.

For those of you who don't know, the new facility is our overnight boarding kennel. Previously, our boarders and our day care dogs all shared the same building (see picture to left). As our day boarding grew, space didn't and we were all very cramped. So our original kennel is reconfigured to provide indoor and outdoor day care and our new kennel, well, you just have to come see it!

By the way, on some days our solar panels are producing electricity. Very cool!

March 2009 - I wish I could be typing the words, "We are done!" but I can't. Construction has come to a halt while we wait for the electric company to give us power and while we work with the bank and with SEED to finance the rest of the project. How is it that our original estimate covered us for two buildings and now we haven't even finished one? Amazing, isn't it? That said, we are still plugging away, doing what we can to operate out of two buildings and to quell fears and questions. Yep, lots of people are wondering if we have run out of money for the project. Well, like I said above, it is amazing how it all goes so quickly, but no, we are fine and are just going through the banking process to finish. Did the project run more than estimated? Sure. What project doesn't? So our current goal is to be in the new building by April vacation. I think I just jinxed us though. We are doing just fine, but we miss our cat clients tremendously! Can't wait to get that cat room back. Thanks for checking in.

January 2009 - It feels like forever, doesn't it? All of our customers have been so supportive and so interested. Thank you for your patience and support. As you can see from the pictures, we have solar panels installed and the flooring is going in as we speak. It is so weather-tight, it makes us glad we installed an air exchanger to keep the air fresh. And it is beautiful!

one of three sets of panels installed on the roof of the new kennel

the new bamboo floor in the apartment

Special thanks to Gary and Tracy of The Sea Dog restaurant in Eastham for the fabulous big dog statue that now graces our new deck, greeting everyone at the front door. Although The Sea Dog is closing (sadly), they were kind enough to think of us. Thank you. We wish you good luck in your new endeavors.

the front door is finally in - look closely

for the big dog statue

December 2008 -The gas line from the street is going in today - whoohoo!! Things are coming along. Sheetrock is up, cabinets are ordered, real doors are in, solar panels are taking shape, and we haven't totally lost our minds yet!

Opening date for the new kennel is a bit behind schedule (as expected), but with any construction project, things happen. For instance, the gas line was delayed by weeks due to an internal issue with the gas company. This in turn affected everything on our end. However, we feel that everything happens for a reason and we have actually used the time to do more product research.

Stay posted! It's getting there!!!

October 2008 – We are now entering the “time to make choices” phase, as we narrow down outdoor lighting choices, appliances, flooring, and all of the final phase decisions. Although we are not quite there yet, our brains are in full gear always thinking, looking and reading. Drywall will be going up within the next few weeks and we are beginning to replace the fencing in the yard adjacent to the new construction. We are also putting in a new well and will start to see solar panels on our roof around December.

It looks fantastic and we are so thrilled, but our builder keeps reminding us that the last 10% takes 20% of the time so we need to be patient!

New Kennel adjacent
to current building

August 2008 – Wow! Construction is well on its way and it is so exciting to see the new building taking shape. The framing is almost complete and the foundation for the indoor/outdoor runs is in progress.

We are still building as "green" as we can, both in terms of affordability and practicality. The learning process for all of this has made us very aware of our everyday choices and the long-term effects these choices might have on our environment and our kids and our pets.

Some of our building choices include CertainTeed roofing shingles, Hardy board cement fiber siding, and XO trim boards. While we are not officially going for LEED certification, we are unofficially trying to see where we would be and do try to follow their guidelines in our building choices.

Our builder, Chris Thompson, is a joy to work with. He and his crew are great!

January 2008 – In November we decided to use Chris Thompson. Chris and his crew recently finished the Eastham Historical Schoolhouse renovations, as well as The Inn at the Oaks in Eastham. We are very excited about working with him.

Kirsten is securing our funding and we are still finalizing the details. Ron Peterson of Atlantic Well in Eastham has been educating us on an open-loop geo-thermal heat system. Tom Brady, Brady Construction, will be installing our new septic system soon. Later on down the road, our goal is to add a wetlands and a composting system that will make good use of our brown water and our poop!

If you haven’t noticed, the barn came down to make room for the new kennel. Peter McDonald, our architect, drew plans for a fabulous new kennel building that will eventually connect with the current kennel. The plan is to build the new part first and then renovate the old section.

Kirsten has also been hard at work doing as much as she can to get ready for construction. Unfortunately, that means the cat room is no longer in operation and is completely ripped apart. Our feline clients have, for the most part, been very understanding, but we sure do miss them!

Stay tuned for more updates as they happen.

Fall 2007 - Our bids are coming in over the next few days and we will be deciding on a builder! Yeah! Our next step is to tackle the bank and the loan process.

If this seems to be taking forever, it is for us too! However, we are taking our time to ensure that all of our decisions are the right decisions. We are doing a ton of reading and talking with people, so bear with us please!