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?

Be One With Nature

Did you check out the Treehouse feature on msn.com today? If not, check it out.

By the way, my new camera is on the way. I can't wait to take and share new pictures.

Happy Earth Day!

Wanna Green Home?

(yeah, that is a roof of a house)

pics from weburbanist.com

Those are great, but you could win this one: HGTV is giving away their GREEN HOME 2010 "eco-friendly cottage." The winner also gets a GMC Terrain and $100,000. I entered, maybe you should too. http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv-green-home-2010-giveaway/package/index.html

Oh, before I go here are a few tips I've been given here and there:

1) Use low energy fluorescent light bulbs

2) Turn down or up (depending on the weather) the thermostat

3) Buy Energy Star appliances

4) Conserve water (especially if you live somewhere like here where we use cisterns and don't like buying water)- Don't let the faucet run while you are brushing and lathering up and flush for number two, but not for number one. Buy low flow shower heads and water conserving toilets.

5) Use used/recycled materials when building whenever practical

6) Use a power strip and turn it off when you leave the house or aren't using the electrical appliances

7) Put your outdoor lights and water heater on a timer

Do you have any tips you can share?

Driveways, Yards and Walkways

When we break ground, the first thing that we are gonna do is clear the land to make room for the house, a driveway and clear out a yard. So, I've been thinking about driveways and yards. I found some "I want one of those, but know I can't aforrd one" driveways, yards and walkways on the St. Thomas Multiple Listing Service (MLS). And just in case you don't know much about St. Thomas, a flat or grassy yard is a big deal, you don't find them very often. Take a look at some of my finds:

MLS # 09-484

MLS # 10-493

MLS # 08-1477

MLS # 09-2246

MLS # 10-486

MLS # 09-691

MLS # 09-2135

MLS # 10-97

What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by. I'll be back soon.

What's new? Status Report

Where are we now? Waiting of course.

1-Our plans are being reviewed by the Department of Planning and Natural Resources. They say we should have a building permit in 30 days, but its carnival time, so I suspect it may take a little longer.

2-Waiting for an updated estimate from our contractor so we can go to the bank and apply for a construction loan.

Goals for the next two weeks:

1-We can access our land from two directions on a private road, but there is a boulder in the middle of one of the access roads, so we need to get rid of it.

2-Mark the trees on our land that we really want to keep, if we can.

I mailed my camera to the repair shop this week. I can't wait to get it back so I can start taking pictures and sharing them with you.

A Second Attempt at Getting Our Plans Reviewed

Our draftsman said that the person he gave our plans to at the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) kept them on her desk and never turned them in. Hmmm. Whatever! It sucks that it set us back at least 3 weeks. So Paul is going to pick up the most revised plans tomorrow and drop them off at DPNR and make sure they get to the permit division for review. I will be so relieved when I know the plans are actually being reviewed.

Today Paul met with the contractor and his architectual engineer and they checked out our land. They seem to agree with the draftsman on the placement of the house on the land.

Status Update- Can he hurry up already?

So about three weeks ago our draftsman said that he dropped the plans off at the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) to get approved. This sounded great at first, but things are not as great as they first appeared. First, the draftsman forgot a few changes that I had requested. So, he is supposed to be working making those changes and submitting them to DPNR (it was supposed to be done last Friday, but surprise, it wasn't). Second, when Paul and I checked with DPNR on the status of the plans, they said they didn't have them. The draftsman told me today that the person he gave the plans to at DPNR is not in the permit division and they are on leave until next week. So, its gonna be a while longer. The good thing is that Paul's friend at DPNR said it shouldn't take long to get the plans approved when they are submitted because there aren't many plans being reviewed now.

In the meantime, we are also waiting on a new estimate from the contractor.

On another note, my camera is down again so I don't have any new pictures to post.

Nice House

I saw this house featured on http://www.desiretoinspire.net/ . Isn't it beautiful!

This house is for sale in Australia. Get more information here.

Why I Haven't Been Around Much

I can't believe its been almost a month since my last post. Sorry about that. The truth is I haven't been blogging much in the past four or five months because, well, I'm pregnant. Between work, my husband, my son and this pregnancy, I am always tired. I rarely have energy to write new posts and I am feeling really guilty. I am gonna try harder.