The owner of Spokane House of Hose Inc., of Spokane Valley, is building an 80,000-square-foot structure on that companys current parking lot and plans to move House of Hoses operations to the building next October.


The project, which includes upgrading the companys computer system, will cost $3 million, says Larry Hayden, who owns House of Hose with his wife, Lois.


The two structures at 5518 and 5520 E. Sprague that house the business now have a total of about 40,000 square feet and will be torn down, he says. A new parking lot will be built in their place.


Well be adding products for our existing customer base, Hayden says. Our customer base is shrinking, though. It seems as though the mines and mills and processing plants close every time you pick up a newspaper. Well just continue to add products for the customers who are left.


The hydraulic and industrial hose retailer and wholesaler has grown steadily over the last 30 years, says Hayden, who also owns the 3.6-acre lot on which the business sits and other property in the area. The company currently has 44 full-time employees, and does about $1 million in sales a month, he says. Hayden predicts House of Hoses sales this year will be up about 1 percent over last year.


We expect to grow our business by 10 percent within the three years following this project, says Hayden. He adds that the company likely will hire an additional 10 employees to serve that growth.


General Manager Mark Swenson says House of Hoses current buildings are so cramped that the company has had to fill 19 320-square-foot sea containers behind the building with merchandise. Sea containers are large storage units that are used to transport cargo overseas.


The new, larger building will make the business more efficient, Swenson says.


Hayden says House of Hose opened in 1967 in the 5520 E. Sprague building, which was constructed in 1945. It expanded that building in 1976 and in 1981 built the structure at 5518 E. Sprague.


Swenson says the building under construction now will be made of tilt-up concrete slabs and will have a style similar to the buildings that house Home Depot Inc. stores. It will have one story in most areas, except for a small second-story storage space in one part of the building, he says. The buildings front doors and lobby will face Sprague, unlike the design of the main structure now, which faces west, Swenson says. A warehouse area will be in the buildings back, or south, side.


Lindquist Architects PS, of Spokane Valley, designed the structure, and Panco Construction Inc., also of Spokane Valley, is the general contractor.


In August, Hayden tore down a picnic area with about 20 spruce trees in front of the business to begin erecting the new structure. He says he plans to replace the picnic area with a 3,600-square-foot park-like space once the current buildings are demolished.


I think that most businesses around here are trying to beautify this area a little bit, he says.