Day 1 of construction: Today we started the first steps of converting an old warehouse into a rope climbing gym. The first step was cleaning a ton of dirt and rock out of the sewer drains.

One of the previous tenants on the property dumped a lot of gravel and dirt into the drains and it has collected over the years.

After spending an hour and a half with shovels and buckets, we managed to get it clear and have the drains flowing again.

Next we will have a pump truck come and finish clearing the lines to make sure they are fully cleaned out and draining to the local sewer system. This line was not previously used for raw sewage, it was only used for drains from the warehouse, down the line it does connect to the local sewer system.

We also got the first look at the inside of the warehouse. Tomorrow we start demolition of some minor structures inside the warehouse to prepare for the construction.

Cleaned out sewer and manhole.

Dirt and gravel removed from the sewer

It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

First look inside

 

Day 2 of construction: Demolition!

We needed to remove the small storage room near the garage door and disconnect some wiring to that corner as this area will be part of the future wall.

If you check the photos from yesterday, you can see this small storage room and office near the garage door. After a few hours of work, it was fully disassembled and the room successfully prepared for construction.

We also had the sewer cleaners come today with their vacuum truck and fully wash and clear all the lines.

Monday we will begin with the basic construction work and laying out the materials for the wall.

Storage room is gone, only the air handling units remain.

Pile of left over materials, some may be recycled or reused in the construction. Some will go to the dump.

We have been careful to preserve as much material as possible and reuse anything within reason. Some simply can not be reused, but we strive to save where we can on all the projects.

 

Day 3 & 4: Framing

The basic frame is starting to take shape. We already have the first half mostly completed. There is another layer going above this to the roof line.

There are a few complications related to the lighting, ventilation and fire suppression systems, but that is being addressed tomorrow so the framing can continue.

If all goes as planned, we should be done with framing this week and begin the more complicated structure supports for the negative walls.

 

Day 5&6 - More framing and removal of ventilation system, lights and building fireproof wall.

The back wall has had fireproof wallboard installed. A requirement for building code to separate this space from the neighbor warehouse.

The main framing is nearly done, now up to 8 meters high (minus areas waiting for pipes to be removed).

All the ventilation pipes and lighting tracks have been removed, they will be replaced later once the framing is finished.

We also used some of the cut pieces to make splice plates for attaching the upper beams to the lower ones and extending them to the ceiling.

A lot has been done in just one week and we are on a good pace to keep rolling into the next week.

 

Days 7-11

Not a whole lot of visual changes this week as we focused on doing a lot of "busy work" in preparation for the next steps. The areas that show the biggest change are the lights and working areas.

This week we installed all the new lights, electric cables (and outlets), moved heaters and fire system. We also finished removing the supports from the ceiling used to hold the old ventilation system.

For preparations, we made hundreds of "angle brackets" that will be used to secure the climbing walls panels to the wooden frame.

Now that the pipes for the fire system and heating have been moved, we also are close to finishing the framing.

Next week we hope to build the firewall between the warehouse spaces and building storage areas.

 

Days 12-16

It has been a busy week, but it won't look that way from looking at the room... or maybe it will if you know what you are looking at.

The framing is done. Everything has found its place and been bolted firmly to the walls.

The firewall is 80% done, just waiting on some final design decisions as to where the last section will be placed.

Now it is time for the smaller busy work. We need to continue making angle brackets (used to attach the wall panels to the frame) and corner angles (wood strips that run on the edge of every panel to hold them tightly together).

We need about 2000 angles brackets and 1000 corner strips for this project. The mass assembly has begun and we are well on our way to achieving this goal. The latest issue was we bought all the plywood from one supplier and need to wait until the next shipment.

We also cut and painted the pieces needed to build 6 shelf units. These will be used to store rental shoes and other rental equipment in the finished gym. We are making them now as we have some time until the rest of the construction materials arrive. This is a good use of the labor while we wait.

Angle bracket assembly station

Finished brackets (about 700)

Finished corner angles (being made in various degrees from 92°-178°)

Corner angle strips (about 450 waiting)

Cutting and assembly stations

Shelf unit panels cut and getting pained

 

Gym location #2 started construction this week and we are in full swing on framing.

The first zone to build in the "island" section. The inside of this area will be locker rooms, showers, toilets and even a sauna.

The outside will be climbing walls all the way around.

Once the framing is done on the center, we will start framing around the outside walls.

There is almost 200 linear meters of climbing wall pland around the room (sorry I don't remember the square meters). About 80% of this room will be for climbing and the smaller side section will be a shop, rental equipment area, kitchen and lounge.

It is in a retail center so it will likely see a lot of foot traffic and it is in a population dense area of the city. Having a large gym will be greatly welcomed.

Meanwhile at location #1 (the rope gym) we are starting to prepare the wall panels. They will get painted and t-nuts installed. This allows work in parallel, better utilizing space and manpower.

All panels are arriving to us pre-cut and drilled from a company that prepared them using CNC. This also saves time and helps with precision when constructing the walls. We expect millimeter accuracy on the walls when complicated avoiding those annoying cracks and finger pinches found on many climbing walls.

More updates to come as we continue to work. Pictured above is only the first batch of panels. We are getting 6 pallets of wood delivered tomorrow and more in the coming weeks. Likely around 15-20 loads for this gym alone and another 20+ for the rope gym.

Stay tuned for updates as the holds start arriving... that will be another major delivery.

 

Wall panels are going up! At the new bouldering gym, we started building the wall this week.

In just a few hours, we had the first panels in place and will continue working on this section over the rest of the week.

We expect to have the base of this wall finished in the next few days and complete the island area early next week. The inside will be lockers, showers, bathrooms and even a sauna.

Our goal is to get the wall built so the other work crew can take over the inside work as we continue on the wall around the outside of the room.

We are on track to have this gym finished by the end of July.

There is still a lot of work to do and the wall panels are waiting to get assembled.

 

Work continues... progress is progress.

Will update as we get closer to finishing the island section.

 

A few updates. As of Monday, we finished the island area.

By Tuesday, we moved on to the "Kids wall" as our next section.

But in a 'don't blink or you'll miss it' push, we managed to complete this entire section by Friday.

The only hole left to complete is waiting for the lights to be moved. Once they arr lifted, we will close that last panel.

There is a doorway in the right corner to use the space behind the wall for storage.

Next week, we start building the wall around the main room (opposite from the island walls). Progress reports will be coming as usual.

 

The main wall around the outside of the room is coming together. This is taking a little longer because of many complicated angles and large overhangs.

Each day we are attaching around 15 panels to the wall. Sometimes more, sometimes less, all depending on how complicated the section is.

The best process we found was to prepare each panel with attachment flaps on 2 sides then lift in place.

Once the panels are in place, we also add more framing as this let's us place the frame correctly behind the wall based on the wall position. Sometimes this is tricky as the wall gets bigger and heavier, needing supports sooner. But if we build the frame in the wrong place, it is too close or far away... it is a delicate balance, but we have it pretty well worked out now.

 

That’s exciting nothing like creating a space for the climbing community! Are you going for bouldering, top rope, or a mix of both?

 

We are currently building the bouldering gym, expected to open August 15th. Then we will resume on the rope gym. These are 2 separate gyms, but both being built this summer.

 

Another update as the deadline approaches. I took some progress photos again last week, and will update again tomorrow with this week's progress.

We expect all the walls to be finished next week and the floor mats to start installing from Monday.

The Island area:

The kids/warm-up wall:

The main wall:

As of tonight, about 75% of the main wall is finished and only the area above the blue lift (in picture above) and the last section (no wall, picture above) remains.

The inside of the island is also coming together with all plumbing installed and the walls almost finished. We will start tiling, electrical and installing the sauna from next week.

 

Latest update photos and progress of the wall.

Kids wall, kitchen, admin and entry area:

Campus board and South wall:

West and North wall:

East wall:

Island and entrance to lockers:

The room is still a very active work site and it is hard to believe, but we will be opening in 2 weeks. Lots to still do, but we are hopeful that most will be finished this week.

 

Floormats are going in and the wall is done! We will finish things up this week and have the grand opening this coming weekend. It has taken a lot of work, but it is a great sense of accomplishment to see it all done.

If you are wondering whats on the mats, the event organizers are setting cameras up for the grand opening event. We will be hosting the first Baltic Region Bouldering Championships as the opening event.

There is a lot of excitement around this event and it has been the goal since March to complete the gym in time to host it.

We are expecting climbers from the Baltic region, Finland, Sweden, UK and even USA at the event.

It has been amazing to be a part of this project and know that it will be a huge addition to the Estonian climbing community for years to come.

Final updates coming soon as we do the finishing touches and set up for the event.

 

Wrapping up, the gym is ready to open.

It may not be 100% finished, but the wall is done, mats are in and locker rooms are ready.

The remaining work is mostly behind the scenes, small cosmic finishes and extra comforts.

Tomorrow we will finish clearing up the construction site, cleaning and installing the carpets on the mats (currently they are covered with vinyl, but there will be carpets on top).

After the competition this weekend, routes will be set for the public and the public opening will be Monday afternoon.

Front of the island:

South wall:

Back of the island and North wall
(small hidden area has competition routes, can't show until the competition is over)

North wall:

I'll be sure to post more updates after the gym is open. There is plenty more to see.