Wow! That Was Fast.

Today, less than two weeks after submitting our finalized plans to the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR), we got a call from our architect/contractor that our building permit is ready to be picked up. That was quick. I'm not sure why it happened so quickly, but I'm not complaining. We didn't need to make a single change either. I really wish I had met this architect/contractor sooner.

Now we just need to wait for our updated estimate and apply for our construction loan. I was just complaining about feeling stressed out and now I feel so excited. I hope this feeling lasts because I know the bank and building process will be very stressful.

Yay! We Got Our New Plans

So our new/revised plans are done and are at the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) awaiting approval. On July 15th, we were told it would take six weeks to get our finalized plans. Today is September 22nd, which means it took ten weeks to finalize the plans. So the plans weren't ready when initially promised, but based on our previous experience I can't complain about the plans being four weeks late. The original plans submitted to DPNR had ten pages of drawings, the new/revised ones have 23 pages. Unlike when we submitted our original plans, now there is nothing I am planning on changing after we get our plans approved. I am really pleased with our new/revised plans.

We've made some progress, but there is more to do. Here our some of our next steps while we await approval from DPNR.

1) Since it has been more than a year since we got pre-approved for a mortgage, we need to go back to the bank and get pre-approved again.

2) Think about our finishes (flooring, windows, doors, counters, cabinets, fixtures,...)

3) Hope DPNR makes us make no or minimal changes.

We are also waiting for revised construction estimates.

My Architect

So, a few people have asked about my new architect. So far, I am very happy with his work, however, I am not ready to share his name on my blog yet. I would prefer to wait until I get my plans approved. I want to wait to make sure he delivers on time and his work gets approved by DPNR before I recommend him. However, if you really want to know and are willing to take a chance, before I let you know how the rest of the process goes, you can email me and I'll pass on the info.

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.