Project Summary: Ace of Diamonds Painting was contracted by Pathways Ranch in Lyons, Colorado to repaint their main lodge and several auxiliary buildings. Pathways Ranch is a mountain escape dedicated to helping teens grow and develop both socially and emotionally. They are a non-profit organization that provides a supportive and challenging environment that pushes their students out of their comfort zones.
The ranch has a unique history dating back to the 1930s. A portion of the main lodge was built in the 1930s, and acted as the primary residence for a ranch. In the 1940’s the ranch provided essential milk supplies to citizens and troops during WWII. Since then, the property has changed hands multiple times and now is owned and operated by the Pathways organization. The property has multiple cabins, a rec building, pool house and a barn.
The main lodge and several of the older buildings were in dire need of a repaint. It had been quite some time before the buildings had been painted. Overall, Ace of Diamonds painted 5 buildings on the ranch; the main lodge and deck, the pool house, rec building, barn and a small bathroom cabin.
We absolutely loved doing this project and enjoyed the people so much! We can wait to go back next year and do the rest of their buildings
Project Requirements: Due to the condition of the buildings, extensive preparation of the surfaces were required before stain and paint could be applied. The main lodge was in the worst condition. The log siding had developed large cracks and fractures, and old repairs were failing and were visibly noticeable. Paint was chipping and peeling throughout. Removing the old caulk and replacing it with a back-rod and new caulk was needed. There were also extensive sanding requirements on all surfaces. Many of the windows and storm windows were down to bare wood.
All of the building's sidings, fascia and trim were wood. Each building had been stained previously and had painted trim and windows. Each building was different, and required different stain types. The main lodge pool house, and bathroom cabin needed to use a solid stain. The barn and rec buildings utilized a semi transparent stain. The product chosen to be utilized on the body/siding was Sherwin Williams SuperDeck. Sherwin Williams Duration was utilized on all trim, windows and doors.
There are several newer cabins onsite, and the goal was to match them and have the same look and feel throughout the property. Ace of Diamonds completed several matches of the newer buildings to ensure that stain and paint colors were similar on the buildings being reconditioned.
Challenges: The main lodge was the most challenging aspect of the project. With heights over over 40’ in some areas, safety and how to complete work at those heights with sloping ground became critical considerations.
Weather and the time of year was also a challenging factor. At an elevation 8,500’ up in the mountains, snow and temperatures were variables that had to be worked around. Typically Ace of Diamonds would wait for warmer months to arrive, but Pathways Ranch wanted to have the buildings completed before a corporate meeting set for mid April.
Snow hit at the beginning of the project. When initial power washing was started, there was more than a foot of snow on the ground. Crews worked through the snow and lower temperatures. Snow shoveling was required in order to access some of the deck surfaces and staircases for the wash.
Planning: Once Ace of Diamonds received the deadline and go-ahead to start, the project management team kicked it into high gear.
Due to the complexity of prep on the main lodge and customer expectations, a specific crew was chosen with the expertise to complete the prep to the highest of standards. The project team also chose to utilize a separate crew to complete the auxiliary buildings in order to speed up the completion timeline.
Once the crews were selected, and prep work was in progress, all the team had to do was wait on the weather before stain and paint could be applied. Towards the end of April weather conditions looked good. Temps would be above 50 degrees and overnight temps were staying in the high 20’s and 30’s.
Material considerations were also taken into account. It was hard to tell how much paint each of the buildings would need due to the age of current paint. It would be difficult to judge the amount of paint needed until applied. A large initial order for paint and materials were completed. In order to utilize materials as efficiently as possible, usage was recorded, and a final paint order was made in order to complete the project. There was very little materials leftover.
Outcome: Overall, the project was completed to the highest standards and exceeded the customers expectations. The buildings turned out fantastic and the overall feel of each building matched the newer cabins.
The deadline was beat by approximately 2 weeks, and material usage was as efficient as possible.
