Artist's rendering of the Fullsteam build-out
Initial demolition on 726 Rigsbee is complete! Here's the photo set in case you haven't seen it. Now that we've smacked ol' Humpty Dumpty upside the head, it's time to put him all back together again.
Our fearless General Contractor, Allen Knight, is bidding out the plumbing, mechanical, and engineering. I'm gathering process piping bids (the plumbing and engineering of the brewhouse). And 32 has priced out a new glycol system (a bulky piece of equipment that regulates beer temperature).
It's all rather expensive, but the opportunity is, of course, an exciting one.
Truth be told (ugh, I hate that phrase and words like "to be honest," as it implies I'm fibbing when I don't use a qualifier), we have to make smart, targeted decisions on where we spend our money. I have several rather expensive investment decisions to make. At our current funding level, it looks like we can do about three of them. They are, in no particular order:
- install air conditioning for Fullsteam R&D (our tavern)
- purchase a packaging line
- build out a kitchen (versus warming up pies made off-site)
- invest in self-distribution (trucks, driver, insurance)
- gussy up R&D with steampunk-y interior design
Lining up several more investors allows us to do all of the above. (Interested?)
Alternatively, we may end up "phasing" in our building investments -- that is, starting with a brewery, a basic interior, and flash-heating bullies made off-premises...but growing into the full-fledged vision over time.
The challenges are obvious: will people come on-site if we cool the space only with fans (and not cozy HVAC)? Do we save much money by outsourcing pie production until we can afford to build out a kitchen? Can we generate enough cash flow from keg sales to purchase a packaging line in six months or a year?
Or do we simply hustle, bite the bullet, and raise some more money to fully implement our vision?
These are the questions that keep me up at night.
Truth be told, I love it.