We did it! In One Year!
Wednesday November 27, 2013
November 27th - the anniversary of the fire that destroyed our main facility. Today the Township of Oro-Medonte issued us a Provisional Occupancy Certificate for our new 11,200 sq. ft. Motorhome Showroom. Within the week we expect to be granted occupancy for the entire building - all 35,000 sq. ft.!
Motorhome Showroom
With the Hitch House Motorhome Showroom now complete we will be moving in shortly. All that remains is cleaning and polishing. We are working with flooring specialists to enhance the final finish of our floor. Chris McKee has completed the layout for the showroom that can accommodate up to 20 motorhomes. All four of our manufacturers (Thor Motor Coach, Newmar, Monaco RV & Pleasure Way) will have their products displayed inside.
Parts' Store & Office Space
Our store fixtures are on order from Madix Inc. This order includes the store shelving, gondolas, slat wall and hangers to display the parts' and accessory items for our retail store.
The concrete floors in the Parts' & Accessories Store are being concrete polished by Industrial Floor Systems. This process involves grinding the surface layer of the hard concrete surface with heavy, specialized polishing equipment. This polishing equipment utilizes diamond pads with abrasion levels that begin with a coarse level and gradually transition to a fine polishing level. The polishing process continues until the desired surface is reached. Heavy duty vacuum systems make the grinding basically dustless.
Once our floor section is complete Marcelville Limited will install our new custom designed Parts' & Accessories counter & cabinetry. They have already designed, built and installed our new reception station, bathroom vanities, railings and lunchroom cabinetry.
Simcoe Office Products will deliver our office furniture shortly. Once we receive occupancy for this area we will be setting up our offices and developing our move in schedule.
Service Bays
Now that we are nearing the end of the construction the service bays are receiving their final touches. Fortunately the new service centre is substantial as it was the staging ground for all the work by the construction trades. Our new Service Centre includes: (6) 50' Service Bays equipped with 14' x14' overhead doors, a 55,000 lbs Electro-hydraulic Pantograph hoist, a 42' Service Pit, and a Natural Gas 400,000 BTU Heated Hot Water Pressure Washer.
The finishing touches that are being wrapped up include the final coat of paint on the exposed block walls, some minor electrical work, and the installation of the Trusscore PVC Wall Panels on the back wall of the shop. Trusscore is a ½" thick PVC panel that has an inner truss design that provides rigidity and strength that is not available in other competitive wall panel material. Trusscore is made from 100% virgin PVC and is highly resistant to chemicals and is unaffected by moisture. Not to mention it has a bright, clean appearance and is easy to maintain. Come take a tour of our new Service Centre with its operating room-like brightness.
Exterior
Thanks to Lido Wall Systems, KJ Beamish Construction, and Eisses Landscaping Services for completing the exterior work in the nick of time, just prior to the weather turning. Lido Walls Systems did a great job on exterior stucco giving our new facility a modern professional appearance. The team from KJ Beamish Construction worked long into the nights and weekends to make sure that the paving was done. Lead by Gerald Sutherland the team from Beamish did a fabulous job on the pavement. I don't think they realized how much we appreciated their work - NO MORE DIRT & GRAVEL! KJ Beamish Construction will be back in the spring to put the finish coat on our pavement. Eisses Landscaping Services worked through the rain and cold weather to complete the gardens, retaining walls, stone walkways and steps. Their work was excellent.
Finally, special thanks to Grant Sierra of G Star Designs whose talent created our signage that is prominently displayed on the exterior West, East and South walls of our new facility. The "Welcome" sign mounted on the south interior wall of the Motorhome Showroom was also Grant's creation.
Fire Suppression
Our fire suppression system provided and installed by Vipond Inc. has been tested; it is fully operational and monitored!
It may appear that we are at the end of our year long journey but that is not the case. We fully expect that it will take most of the winter to settle into our new facility. There is still a lot of work involved setting up our offices, the retail store, back parts storage, and our service centre to maximize our efficiency.
We are very grateful for the countless hours that Dave McKee (The Hitch House founder and co-owner) committed to this project. Dave's determination, drive and energy ensured the success of our rebuilding project. Dave along with Don Eagles (Project Manager) and Steve McCutcheon (Site Supervisor) pushed relentlessly to meet aggressive deadlines. On November 28, 2012, Dave made a promise that we would be back: "Bigger, Better, Stronger". Congratulations Dave - YOU DID IT!
