After eight years of thinking, re-thinking, planning, and then changing our minds once again, we finally began construction of our dream building on July 28th, 2008. Our new building houses our Christmas Gift Shop, Concession/Kitchen area, REAL bathrooms (not just porta-pottys anymore), and a 4,000 square foot multi-purpose area.
Our new gift shop is much larger than our old gift shop and we will be able to carry many more items for your shopping pleasure.
Our multi-purpose area is available for rental (weddings, parties, corporate picnics). On one side of our new building there will be a multi-level deck area overlooking our special entertainment gazebo and animal park. The other side of the building will have a courtyard.
Below you can see photos of our progress!
Our original plan was to remove all the tin from the sides and roof of our existing red barn. We were going to save the trusses and expand each side of the barn 16 foot.
Once we removed the tin from the sides we discovered that over the last 25 years the foundation of the old red barn had shifted quite a bit. The back left corner of the barn was now 15 inches lower than the front right which would make it virtually impossible to 'square' the walls. The decision was made to tear the old barn down completely and save the trusses for a future building project.
The new building will be approximately 7,000 square feet. The temperature today is about 90 with a heat index of 98.
Work on the new building finally begins with the setting of the poles. The race for completion before pumpkin season IS ON!!
July 31st, 2008
September 4th, 2008
September 4th, 2008, we are finally able to begin pouring concrete. Multiple hurricanes and rain almost daily has caused us to fall behind schedule. With one month until our opening, we will have a lot of late night construction taking place.
We completed the outer shell of Plantation Hall just before opening in October 2008. Work on the interior of the buidling continued right through Pumpkin and Christmas tree season.
It was a muddy mess all around the building. We had a "cardboard" sidewalk (constructed from pumpkin bins) around the edge of the building to try and keep our customers out of the mud.
June 2009: Work is continuing on the building. A second floor is added to the gift shop. The concession area now has permanent countertops and stainless steel tables.
Each area in Plantation Hall has its own unique character. For example, the hand washing sinks in the men's restroom are made from two aged whiskey barrels (pictured left). The ladies room has an equally interesting sink design constructed from two garden tubs with lighted grape vines overhead.
