A Clean Slate

So, we are basically starting over...

First our contractor let us know that he was not in a position to build our entire house because one of his subcontractors (for the foundation) was not in a position to take on any work. This meant looking for a new contractor. We found one right away. It is someone who had been recommended to Paul a while ago and who so far has been extremely professional. So, we gave him a copy of our plans so that he could give us an estimate. Shortly after reviewing them , he gave us a call to schedule a meeting. We met with him twice and he let us know that our plans were not going to get approved as is. Why? Well the measurements on some pages didn't match the measurements on others, in addition to other inconsistencies. Guess what! He was right, the next time we called DPNR to check on the status of our permit, they let is know that there were measurement issues with the plans. The new contractor also told us that our upstairs plans wouldn't get approved because we had two bathrooms over the cistern. Apparently you can't put a bathroom over a cistern. I guess it can get pretty yucky if you end up with a leaky toilet.

We decided to hire the new contractor, who is also an architect to re-do our plans. Although we already invested some money with the draftsman, I'd rather get the work done right and in a timely manner. Our draftsman just made too many mistakes, and was not very responsive or timely. The new contractor/architect said that he will have the upstairs and downstairs plans done within 5-6 weeks and provided us with a written agreement stating so. He sat with us and listened to what we liked about our current plans and what changes we wanted made. Then we found out that Paul and/or I know about everyone on his staff, which made us feel a little more comfortable.

We also found out that we can use our Earth Change permit without a building permit, but we just can't start pouring concrete.

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Although starting over is causing some short term delays, I think it will save us time and money in the long run. I feel much better about the future our home.

Oh, the new contractor's estimate was pretty reasonable. I'll give you some more info on him soon, but first let me see how he does with the plans.

This Just Isn't Fun

Sorry I haven't been around lately. It's just that this whole blogging thing isn't fun. At least not right now. It's depressing. I mean, we don't seem to be making much progress, so I am getting sad and frustrated and writing about the same frustrations over and over again just makes it worse. We don't have a Building permit yet and we submitted our application in April. In June they let us know we needed to make some changes and now it's July and we are still waiting for the permit. Also, the contractor hasn't given us a final estimate. He keeps telling us he is waiting for an estimate from a subcontractor. When I asked if there was a different subcontractor he could use he said no. So we are basically waiting. The worst part is that I am due (having a baby) soon and will be going on maternity leave, most of which will be unpaid. Paul and I still need to get a loan from the bank and we can't do that without a Building permit, price estimate and proof of my income. Our Earth Change permit expires in September, while I will be on unpaid leave. So, if we don't get the permit and estimate before I go on unpaid leave, we will have to start all over: we will need to apply for a new Earth Change permit and then a new Building permit.

So, can you understand why writing is not that much fun for me right now? I can't wait until I have some good news to share with you. Do you have any news, preferably good to share with me?