Month: February 2012

Searching for a suitable door…

To meet the needs of SJMA, we decided to look at different door options. We looked at general home improvement stores, such as RONA and Home Depot. However, we were not able to find exactly what we were looking for. Finally, we visited Wood Doors Vancouver in Richmond. There, we were able to discuss the constraints of our project with the door expert. He was able to give us an estimate on a solid core door with a viewing panel on the side. The estimate also included door fitting and a door accessory. He also gave us some information on effectiveness of the door in terms of soundproofing. The door should reduce the sound travelling between the rooms by 50% – 80%. Chris finalized the door order and we are expecting to install it by the end of next week.

Safety concerns…

As requested, we drafted a safety plan for the installation of the soundproofing panels and the door. In this plan, we outlined likely safety hazards and preventative measures. The document also included also included a list of emergency contacts. We are currently trying to set up a meeting with Mark to review our safety plan.

Our first group meeting after the proposal presentation took place on Monday of this week. With our project perfectly on schedule (outlined in Project Week 2), a successful proposal, and an enthusiastic response from SJMA, we were ready to jump into buying materials and organizing installation. With everything going so well we presumably ran into a slight hitch..

We initially thought, through some miscommunication, that the ATS Acoustic panels were manufactured and available for pick up in the Lower Mainland. It turns out that the panels would have to be manufactured and shipped from Illinois, adding shipping costs and restrictions on time to install the panels. We paused for a while to think about our next steps, with the first being to notify Kathryn.

This situation could have been a definite game changer, in that we would re-look that portion of the proposal. In actually, Kathryn quickly gave us the ‘ok’ to continue with the order despite the miscommunication. Its evident that during the span of the project, working with SJMA has definitely been about having a positive outlook and cooperation. Even though we did miss a detail, overall we have worked to keep our client in mind and involved with the project.

This week our focus was on our proposal, which we presented on Thursday, February 3 at the Saint James Music Academy. We met Chris, the Operations Manager, who was there for the proposal along with Kathryn and Stephen who we met during our first visit.

What we presented…

For the presentation we described various sound proofing materials. We compared the materials (both on their own, and in combination with each other) while taking into account the projected decrease in sound transfer and the cost.

Our report can be be found here >> CIVL 202 – SJMA Presentation

Their reaction and the next steps…

Kathryn, Steven and Chris all were very excited about our proposal. We are making great time in terms of our schedule and will be meeting Chris this coming week to buy materials. After taking in our suggestions, they did lean towards our preferred option – which was getting custom door covers to absorb the sound and sealing the gaps at the bottom edges of the door. Both parties felt that the doors were the biggest issue in terms of sound transfer, so they also added to our preferred option by requesting a solid core door for the nursery. We have tentatively set our shopping day with Chris for Thursday, February 9. The date may change depending on the day that the custom door covers will be ready for pick up.