We are moving! Just not very far. September 25 2016
About one year ago, after the wildly successful launch of the USB REGEN, and with the continuing monthly sell-out of every JS-2 we could build (which has gotten up to about 30 every six weeks), it became apparent that it was time to make plans to move production out of my garage.
It is a well organized and dedicated space—and quite convenient located right next to my office/studio and the small vestibule space where our part-time bookkeeper has been set up. But it has become crowded—with boxes of parts along with completed and in-assembly products. Plus, where we live it gets hot in the summer and cold in the winter—and the garage is an uninsulated space.
So with the business expanding and several new products in the works (including the now about-to-ship groundbreaking UltraCap™ LPS-1), I faced the choice of either renting in town (a 10-minute drive) or building an addition to our house. Despite the cost and headache that comes with any building project, that is the course I decided to pursue. Having worked from home—and at all hours wearing whatever I please—for the past 28 years, I just don't think I would be as happy or successful building the business in some other location.
Yet the particular siting of the planned addition meant that we would be forced to finally tackle many long deferred utility upgrades to the main house—chief among them being replacement of our inefficient, 25-year old whole-house heating/air conditioning system. I won't bore you with the details of what this took—suffice it to say that there are now a great many criss-crossing conduit lines (water, electric, sewage, gas, and refrigerant) underneath the tall slab of new concrete that is the foundation for the addition.
The new space is not quite finished, but we are close to move-in anyway. It will have a bathroom for my assistants, a deck and walkway for the separate entrance, its own heating/cooling system, and even a kitchenette with sink, refrigerator, etc.
Interior painting starts tomorrow, and the wood flooring should be installed within a week. Although the space is only 500 square-feet, the 10-foot walls, sloped ceiling, and ample windows makes it feel much larger. Plus, while my wife will soon get to park her car in the garage again, we will still use about half the garage for storage of bulky business items such as product boxes, foam, and other large parts shipments.
Yes, our famous ping-pong table is going to get moved into the new space too! It is just such a great large surface for production—and it will be fun to once in a while play on it if we ever stop work long enough for a game. A nice sound system will come later, so maybe then we can have a party.
So enjoy a few photos of the project. We broke ground on May 1st, and with the terrific and friendly group of local sub-contractors I hired this has actually been a fun and educational building affair. However, I am a bit tired of making decisions and picking materials, equipment, and decor. That aspect took a lot of time (and money) away from the business. Once we comfortably cranking out great products from this new space it will all have been worthwhile.