For the last 10 days we have been re-leveling the concrete foundations for the washing machines. We realized the machines weren't level and properly spaced. This was a bit surprising, since we sent the construction team, Abilit, and our worker in charge of this project to Poland to take scrupulous notes and get an accurate visual of the exact way to install the washers. Unbeknownst at the time, the worker (and good friend for over a decade) who oversaw the foundation pouring added an extra couple of inches of cement to the foundation, after the original was dry. He says he just wanted to make it look smoother.
We agree that aesthetics are important ... but level, properly functioning machines trump a smooth visual. Fortunately, in a way, the finished product wasn't level and we took off the machines to sand down the cement. Well, as soon as we started sanding, chunks of cement started flying. It seems our worker, friend, self-proclaimed construction guru, didn't prime the dry cement before he laid the "smooth" layer ... causing the foundation to be not so solid, and the top couple of inches to chip off like peanut brittle. It's fortunate that this incident came to light before opening the store, because within a couple of weeks of routinely running the machines, the top weak layer of cement that was not properly bound to the foundation would have given way, and we would have had to close up shop to fix the problem.
After a week of sanding, drilling, re-pouring, sanding, and re-drilling, the machines are being installed correctly. If this store were the end all, we'd be pretty downtrodden at this point - every day there are new set-backs and disappointments. But this store is just the beginning! and our little Ukrainian empire of laundromats is going to take off ... hotel contracts are waiting to be signed, future locations are identified, the next machine order is in process ... and
Bubbles will have a firm foundation!
For the last 10 days we have been re-leveling the concrete foundations for the washing machines. We realized the machines weren't level and properly spaced. This was a bit surprising, since we sent the construction team, Abilit, and our worker in charge of this project to Poland to take scrupulous notes and get an accurate visual of the exact way to install the washers. Unbeknownst at the time, the worker (and good friend for over a decade) who oversaw the foundation pouring added an extra couple of inches of cement to the foundation, after the original was dry. He says he just wanted to make it look smoother.
We agree that aesthetics are important ... but level, properly functioning machines trump a smooth visual. Fortunately, in a way, the finished product wasn't level and we took off the machines to sand down the cement. Well, as soon as we started sanding, chunks of cement started flying. It seems our worker, friend, self-proclaimed construction guru, didn't prime the dry cement before he laid the "smooth" layer ... causing the foundation to be not so solid, and the top couple of inches to chip off like peanut brittle. It's fortunate that this incident came to light before opening the store, because within a couple of weeks of routinely running the machines, the top weak layer of cement that was not properly bound to the foundation would have given way, and we would have had to close up shop to fix the problem.
After a week of sanding, drilling, re-pouring, sanding, and re-drilling, the machines are being installed correctly. If this store were the end all, we'd be pretty downtrodden at this point - every day there are new set-backs and disappointments. But this store is just the beginning! and our little Ukrainian empire of laundromats is going to take off ... hotel contracts are waiting to be signed, future locations are identified, the next machine order is in process ... and Bubbles will have a firm foundation! 
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