Putting the Build in RE-Building

It's been a long time since the last update and I apologize for that. With all that is going on right now (rebuilding the shop and tackling a full gut home renovation) it's been nearly impossible to run Bubble Tech with any efficiency. With that said, I decided to close Bubble Tech until we are settled back down and can provide the customer service we are proud to stand behind. Now that we are nearing the years end (Thank god!) and the shop progress is on track, I thought it would be an appropriate time for an update for those who don't follow up on Instagram or Facebook

Brick By Boring Brick

After clearing all of the debris and rubble I had one daunting task left, clearing the remaining cinder block that once resembled my shop walls. Thanks to some great friends, it only took 2 hours to fill up 30+ Pallets!!!  Another couple of hours, a broken back and a pallet jack I was able to move all the cinder blocks to one end. Then some landscaping and a leaf blower to clear the pad and we were ready for construction!

Shirk Pole Buildings LLC

After looking at looking at a dozen or so company's, I decided to go with Shirk Pole Buildings out in Pennsylvania. Considering I was going to build the new building on the existing slab, I wanted to make sure I wouldn't run into any issues and they were one of the only companies who willing wanted to come check out the build site and seemed like they wanted my business. Leon, who I dealt with was very helpful at recommending different option for my situation which sold me amongst a few other things they offered with their building.

Fast forward a few weeks later,  November rolled around an the build was underway! The New shop is 44'x92'x12' which is approximately 4000sq ft. I went with a pole barn because of the simple construction, low cost, and speed to build. Given the size, I was expecting to have the shop done in about a week an a half. Shirk Pole Buildings had it done in 4 days, and the first 2 days were only half days!!! These guys work efficient and fast!

Since the shop had to be built larger than the existing concrete slab to avoid the footings from the previous cinder block, I had to fill the 2-3 ft of spacing with concrete. This also allowed me to pour the apron for the garage door. (no pics of finish work)

Lastly before we can begin any work, we needed to run some electricity.  A 100' trench allowed us to relocate a sub panel in the shop with 200amp service, should be sufficient for a one man shop! Oh, and thanks to poor timing and New Jersey rain, our trench became a moat shortly after. At this time all the cables have been run, the disconnect and sub panel are installed and wired, now we're just waiting for the inspection so we can get the power company to turn back the power!

Some shots of the interior with temporary lights. The second picture is showing the Feit LED Shop light from Costco. This is one of the most popular choices for home shops/garages. Not bad for a 2 bulb 4' fixture. 3700 Lumens right around $35! I'll be running about 30-40 of these so it should do just the trick!

The Re-opening

I've been real hesitant to put out a real date when we will be re-opening in fear for delays and other obstacles. As were nearing completion for the space to be "usable" our time table is on track to re-opening right around new years. With that said, once we re-open, we will work on restocking all our inventory then continue to finished the remaining projects in development. We have some big plans to develop a lot more products this year once the shop is set up and our main tools are replaced!

Thank you all for your continuous support and understanding. We hope to offer new products that will help aid you building your dream car!

Clearing the Path to New Beginnings.

P R O G R E S S .

It's amazing what machine vs human can do. We finally got a Skid steer on site last week and it has speed up progress ten-fold. These photos depict only two days worth of cleaning up with the awesome Bobcat.

We're about 90% complete from clearing the floor. All that is left is the "Main room" which we've been working out of. Next on the list will be tossing the scrap metal in the dumpster, however the company we used sent us a 40 cubic yard container which is a few feet higher which makes it very difficult to throw stuff in. On top of that, it's out of the Skid steer's reach. Then onto moving the joyous cinder-blocks. We're not sure what to do with these yet but hopefully we can crush them and used them for underlayment for the path leading to the "shop garage door."

This is where we left off. We had to call it quits since we filled up the first container. We should have all the debris cleaned up in the next visit and all the metal removed in the next 2-3 visits!

A hope of positivity.

I've gotta admit, this all still feels surreal. It's one of those things you see in movies but you don't really think they happen until it hits home or someone close. It's been a morally tough road. There are days when its a struggle to push on, and days with overwhelming positivity. Just the other week I was talking with Bruce, the owner of the well established company Trick Tools that sells high-end fabrication tools. Bruce was generous enough replace my previous order which had been lost in the fire. This really hit home as a well known company in the industry cared and was willing to help a small company like mine. But what was really inspiring was he shared that he started the company when he was in High School! Great companies do still exist, support the companies that support your passion.

Quick testimony- When I first placed my order, they were waiting for their shipment of JMR Raceline Tube Notcher to arrive. Instead of waiting to receive their shipment and then send it to me, they called their manufacture to ship one directly to me to save a few days in transit. EXCELLENT Customer service!

I want to also Thank David Hayes, Matt Gold, and Rich (GoodfellaFD3S) for starting/approving the "Bubble Tech Auction Thread" (which members are auctioning off parts they no longer need to donate the proceeds) along with anyone else who participates.  I wasn't aware this actually went through until today and left me choked up after reading it. Honestly I could not imagine pushing through this without all the great support from the community and companies of the industry. Thank you everyone for the most meaningful support<3

Making your own path.

It's funny how life likes to challenge you, in fact, sometimes it will throw a big (~8000sq ft) burning building (with all your life contents) right down in your way (lol). But, it's how you make your own path through it all. Today (Day 2) I continued that journey. Both the scrap metal and demolition dumpster arrived and began to make my own path. Today's objective was to tear apart most of the roof and clear way for the skid steer to come in tomorrow evening. Shoveling got old so we'll leave it to the heavy equipment. It really brings up the morale being able to see the concrete floors. Unfortunately there are tons of damaged areas, anywhere where gas had leaked cracked the floors like crazy, and wherever there was plastic fused itself to the floor. What a bag of dicks. Tomorrow we'll discard the rest of the roof and I'll learn how to operate some big boy toys.

Everything will be OKAY.

Day 1: Cleaning

So I've been dreading this day for the past few weeks. I've been actively avoiding anything car/shop relate for some time now and just trying to escape it all. I recently took time off and went snowboarding in Colorado for the first time things felt normal again.  It was great to distance myself and forget it all. But being away from it all also gave me the desire to come back and take care of business.

For the first time in over 3 weeks I finally returned to the property. God did I not miss it. As soon as you walk in, you immediately notice all the debris devoured in the smell smoke. Honestly, I can deal with the debris and rubble, but once I get the scent of the smoke, that's when reality really sets in and makes me sick to my stomach. Oh well, life moves on, and so do I.

I began cleaning the entrance and discovered damage to the floor, this was not something I was budgeting for and felt like things were only getting worse. The idea of sorting scrap metal with the mentality of "every nut and bolt counts"  quickly faded after a few hours in. Filtering through this crap became way too tedious, and I just want to begin to rebuild. After a few hours later and piles of debris and scrap metal scattered every 20ft, the main room was pretty much sorted. It was the first sign of hope, I could actually see the floor and it was not in as bad of condition as I initially thought -- Everything will be OKAY.

The next step is to sort through the remainder of the building. This is where the remaining 5 cars were stored along with other tools, materials,  parts and whatever else the previous owner left. For size comparison, the main area we were using was about 1,200sq ft, the remaining portion is close to another 6,000sq ft. Still a ton more to clean but one step at a time. Thankfully my friend will be bringing a skid steer in the next few days which should speed up the process. (And give my back and shovel a rest!)

What some of you may not have known is there was also a mobile office trailer in front of the building which caught fire as well. I assume when the roof caved in and blew out the wall, the backside ignited. It's in pretty rough condition as well but will be tackled much later on.

More scrap stored in the front half of the building

Final progress after day 1

Thank you everyone for your support and donations!

Now comes the help you have all provided to me. Once again, I can't thank everyone enough for backing, supporting, and pushing me to rebuild. I appreciate all the donations made, no matter how small or how large, every bit has helped a great deal and I can not thank you enough. The sheer thought that you had us in your mind means a lot.  Even if you hadn't donated, I appreciate your support, words of encouragement and wisdom, they really do help us keep going.

As for the funding, today was the first time I put it to use. I contacted a dumpster company and will be having a 30yd container delivered tomorrow. In addition I have another 30yd dumpster arriving tomorrow for scrap metal. More updates to come!

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY.

Life throws you obstacles, It's all how you over come them. In the end, it will all work out. This quote has gotten me through some rough times in life and this time is no different. To help raise money we've begun to campaign this message, we won't go away that easily, Bubble tech since 2012-Infinity. Head up and keep pushing cause "Everything will be OKAY."

Click Here to order!

Phoenix Garage: Rebuilding Bubble Tech HQ From The Ashes

What Happened?

Where do I even begin. Just a heads up there will be a lot of photos and they make me sick to my stomach so view at your own discretion. 

On Saturday February 28 I got a call around 6:45am from my brother saying the shop caught fire last night. He told me to google it as he got ready to head to the shop to check it out. As I search "XXX Fire" I was praying to myself it was a different address. I click the first link and began to read as my heart dropped.
**Street names and Fire/rescue squad township names have been remove to keep location disclosed**

“Multiple fire units were dispatched to a structure fire at XXX RD that destroyed much of the building here Friday, Feb. 27.

Unconfirmed radio reports indicate the fire was called in around 6:20 p.m. to the site near XXX Drive. Those same reports indicate it was called in as a working fire, but no one was inside the building.

The fire was upgraded to a second alarm, with the Tanker Task Force South being activated. Unofficial dispatches indicated XXX Road was closed near XXX Drive.

Firefighters ran a five-inch hose for over 700 feet from XXX Way to the engine on the street in front of the address. Tankers were also “dropping” water into two portable ponds to also feed XXX Township’s Engine 21. From there another five-inch hose ran over 400 feet up the driveway to feed XXX Engine and XXX Township’s Tower Ladder 32, both of which were set up at the building that was on fire.

The tanker fill site was also set up at XXX and XXX Way.

The structure appeared to be a storage building according to a witness at the scene. Measurements made in Google Maps indicate the building is over 300 feet long and about 40 feet wide, approximately 100 feet of it had been consumed by the fire. There is also another building right next to it about the size of a small house.

Fire crews from XXX Township Fire Company, XXXFire Department, XXX Fire Company, XXX Volunteer Fire Company, XXX Borough Volunteer Fire Company, XXX City Fire Department, XXX Volunteer Fire Company, XXX Fire Company, along with the XXX County Fire Coordinators, XXX Township Police and the XXX Rescue Squad responded.

Fire units were on the scene until around 10:35 p.m. ”

Scrolling through the pictures only confirmed it had been my shop. I sat there helplessly as I was in Minnesota on vacation.

Shortly after I received another call from my brother, "Its gone. All of it" followed by these images.

The next few hours/days I took it fairly well. It's just "stuff" right? It's all replaceable, I was happy no one was hurt nor did any firefighters enter the building. At the end of the day I still had a roof over my head.

I looked into getting a flight out sooner but due to weather delays I wasn't able to return home until Monday night. On my last day in Minnesota reality was starting to set in and I began to wonder am I really okay or were things just okay because I was avoiding it all? I began question what I was going to do, I lost almost everything I own, my shop and my job. Reality began setting in, how would I ever be able to afford a new space? Even if I DID accomplish that, buying another car AND acquiring all the tools and machinery again seemed impossible. For the first time, I broke.

I finally made it home and the following morning made it out to the shop. Driving down the road I saw all the fire/police/rescue vehicles parked along the side of the road. As I began to slowly creep up the driveway I kept stopping hesitant to see the building around the bushes. Finally peering over the bushes I saw from the corner of my eye my neighbors house. This once massive building was left to nothing more then a foot or two of rubble. I immediately began shaking and felt like vomiting. Reality had finally set in, I refused to think it was all gone and though I could salvage some things. I didn't care what it was, I was hoping I'd have at least a wrench or screw driver, just something so I wasn't left with nothing. I went straight to the trailer office since most of the things I stored there would be effected by the elements as It had snowed the day prior. My inventory of plush pistons and lanyards seemed to be okay.

I was then pulled away by the lead detective to answer a few questions and hear what they thought was the cause of the fire. The fire was declared unknown but they believe it was the wood burning stove that cause the fire. They believe the chimney pipes were backed up and created a back fire which burned back out. The irony of this is we have been using the wood burning stove since Nov/Dec and earlier this week we disassembled the chimney to clean it all out and rand two creole logs to clear the pipe out. Since then it was running the best it ever had, maintain a good flow drawing in air and exhausting smoke. That day the fire was put out at 3pm before the shop was vacant, in addition all vents were closed and we always put a cinder block in front of the stove as a precaution. If the shop is vacant ALL the circuit breakers are turned off except for one, which has the fridge pulled into it along with a tv, dvd player, microwave and speakers. Did the wood burning stove start the fire? I don't know but I'm skeptical about it. Either way it doesn't matter, it's the past. Whatever it was, I don't care, it wouldn't change anything. Please don't ask me any questions about this, they will be ignored.

After the brief questioning I was finally left alone. I began just staring at what was left. It was cold and felt like a war zone of a building that had just been bombed. The air was tainted with the smell of burnt rubber and smoke. This is all that's left.

Whats next?

I've actually had this as my phone wallpaper for months, how appropriate!

Well at the age of 26, this is a bit too overwhelming for me. Needless to say, I'll be laying low for a while. What most people don't know is the "shop" is actually located on a piece of land that we just purchased that has a house on it as well. It's all in rough shape, we did the best we could to get the orginally-used-chicken-coups to a decent workspace to get us through the winter. Next month we were suppose to begin renovating the house so I could officially move in as we put our current home on the market. Unfortunately 95% of my tools were in the shop and I'm left with the handful of tools that did not make it to the new shop (one being my CNC Router, thankfully I ran out of time as it was suppose to make its way there before I left for my trip). With that said, the house/land/shop was purchased recently and we were in the process of getting insurance but the paperwork was not in place yet. Along with the 7 cars, only one was fully insured as most of them were project cars that haven't seen the road in years or just acquired cars that were just getting ready to be driven again.

I can not make any promise as I don't want to let anyone down or falsely advertise but I do intend to bring Bubble Tech back. However this is a huge uphill battle for me and I can not guarantee it will all work out. I'm going to be taking a break as it's still snowing here and making cleaning up twice as hard. It will be a slow rebuild as I need to take care or transitioning my living situation and while I juggle trying to rebuild the shop and release parts.

How you can help

PLEASE READ BEFORE MAKING ANY CONTRIBUTION.

First off I don't expect anything. Everyone's support has been more than enough.

Secondly, at the end of the day, everything is replaceable. No one was hurt, and I still have a roof over my head. If you would like to contribute in any way, from the bottom of my heart I thank you. But please only do so if you are in the position to.

There are a few ways you can help:

• If you have any connections or contacts to Tool Manufacture reps such as Dewalt, Bosch, Milwaukee, JD2, JMR, Hobart, Harbor Freight, Eastwood, Enco, etc, Please email me Sales@BubbleTech.us
• If you're in the Hunterdon County (Central NJ) area and have connections to dumpster companies/heavy equipment that can aid in the clean up and trash removal
• If you're in the NJ area and want to company me in snowboarding and not talk about cars.
• Make a purchase - Whatever is listed on our site should be in stock as everything is still stored at my residence - However ship times may be delayed as some of my packaging supplies were lost in the fire
• Make a donation- I'm very uncomfortable with option as I do not like taking others money without giving them anything in return, however I'll co-operate due to a bunch of re-quest. Currently there is a Gofundme account set up in my name however they take 5% so I opened up a YouCaring account. Either one is fine however the YouCaring site is preferred. I ask that if you make a donation to please include your name, I want to be able to thank every individual in some way. 

I'll be updating where the money from the donations go towards as time progresses. Currently all funds will go towards renting a dumpster to discard all the debris.

Once again I'd like to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart.
With everyone's support it has made it much easier to decide to keep fighting.
-Benny