New Stairs! an update on the FireBoard HQ Renovation

Facing east, these stairs will eventually lead up to a mezzanine seating area that will overlook FireBoard’s production floor.

Some of you may recall that FireBoard is in the process of renovating a former Hires Root Beer bottling plant into their new headquarters. Be sure to click here to if you missed the Adventures in Construction! post.   

Schuyler Hopkins trimming some uprights for final assembly.

Last week Sam McClure Co-Owner of M3 Fabrication along with Welder/Fabricators Wade Inman and Schuyler Hopkins loaded up one of the largest field installations that M3 has ever taken on.  On the flat bed behind Sam’s pickup was 6,000 pounds of pre-fabed steel headed from his operation in Broomfield Iowa, 160 miles south to Kansas City, Missouri.   Once in KC,  the M3 crew delivered and installed what will be the grand  staircase in the FireBoard Labs’ future headquarters building.  

M3 Fabrication (Sam McClure, Schuyler Hopkins, and Wade Inman; left to right) install a key component to the FireBoard HQ building renovation project

“The installation had some challenges due to tying into an existing facility and working around load baring walls, however we were able to find quick and easy work-arounds to get the project knocked out” says Sam McClure.  A bystander watching this team work undoubtably would wonder, “how are they going to get that in there?” Via creative use of fork lifts and log chains, Sam and crew had the right blend of experience and patience to cleverly unload the massive steel pieces and gently thread them through door ways into the main room for final assembly.  McClure goes on to say “due to the size of this structure, delivery and moving the structure through the openings into the facility took quite a bit of thought as well, but everything ended up working out perfectly.”

FireBoard CEO Ted Conrad and FireBoard General Contractor Byron Funk getting a sneak preview of their stairs at M3 Fabrication, from Co-Owner Sam McClure.

“Moving the structure through the openings into the facility took quite a bit of thought.” Sam McClure, M3 Fabrication

Newly installed steel staircase at FireBoard HQ

Now that the staircase is installed, it goes up to well…nowhere.  But this is just temporary, as the space between the top of the stairs and the second floor will have a mezzanine built out to create additional square footage on the upper level.  The stairs will be the center piece of the main workspace of the new facility.  

Staircase overall view looking north.

While the stairs are not completely finished, the temporary steel treads will be replaced with massive three inch thick slabs of wood, not to mention a fresh coat of paint.  But the major install work has been completed, not to mention the challenge of how to get the stairs into the building is successfully negotiated.

“I’m super excited about the stairs being installed!”  Exclaims FireBoard General Contractor Byron Funk.  Byron has been patiently waiting for this key piece to be installed which will allow other aspects of the renovation to proceed.  Funk gleefully explains “although we’ve been constantly working, this represents the start of the ‘building back’ part of the process. M3 Fabrication was great to work with! The remodel train is going to start moving fast!” 

Giving Sam McClure concurs: “working with the FireBoard team has been a great interaction and I feel this new facility is going to be a masterpiece when it’s all complete. I am excited to see it complete.”

Staircase, looking to northeast