GPS and Not So Good News

GPS Points Mapped!

Part of the Environmental Report (ERP) was that we were required to get the GPS points for all the oak trees on the lot and the locations of the buildings. K's dad and a crew finished that Saturday the 21^st and we got the data points on a map the following Monday! Awesome!

Not So Good News...

We talked to Jim Irvin our designer, who also submitted our plans to the county, today. He gave us some disappointing news. Of the three plan checkers the county employed, two of them retired at the beginning of December! So instead of taking the two weeks Jim had been expecting he was unsure how long it would be before we hear back from the county. Jim said he had turned in a different projects' plans a month ago and still has not heard from them on that project. So we are at least a month if not two or three. Dang! We still have quite a bit of work to do on our end either way. The septic system, the fire authority, Edison for the transformer plans, and the HOA all need plan approval. So we are still a long way from breaking ground.

Windows and Doors

We traveled to Ontario (1.5 hours each way) with the four kids in tow to visit BGW Doors, a windows and door dealer, to see their floor samples. We found BGW Doors on Craigslist and after multiple phone conversations with Mike and driving up to their facility, we discovered that he didn't have the specific doors we asked about in stock. Arrhhh! It was not a total waste because we got to see their windows and get the catalogs for the different brands they carry.

With the price of windows going up on Wednesday (the first of the year) we are going to be placing our orders Monday or Tuesday. Right now we are leaning toward using Regina at Doors and Windows in Wildomar. We found them through a Google search for local windows and doors.  

Interior Inspiration via Houzz.com

Contemporary Family Room by Santa Rosa General Contractors JMA (Jim Murphy and Associates)

Traditional Bathroom by Berkeley Architects & Designers Devi Dutta Architecture

Farmhouse Kitchen by Salem Photographers Tess Fine

Eclectic Kitchen by Chicago Kitchen & Bath Designers Rebekah Zaveloff | KitchenLab

Eclectic Kitchen by Beverly Hills Interior Designers & Decorators Sandy Koepke

Contemporary Living Room by Austin Architects & Designers Tim Cuppett Architects

Farmhouse Bedroom by Atlanta Architects & Designers Historical Concepts

Traditional Hall by Minneapolis Interior Designers & Decorators Michelle Fries, BeDe Design, LLC

Transitional Bathroom by Los Angeles Architects & Designers Tim Barber LTD Architecture & Interior Design

Farmhouse Living Room by Salem Photographers Tess Fine

Farmhouse Kitchen by Grand Rapids Architects & Designers Image Design LLC

Traditional Bathroom by Seattle Architects & Designers Bosworth Hoedemaker

Traditional Bathroom by Seattle Architects & Designers Bosworth Hoedemaker

Beach Style Hall by Portland Architects & Designers Whitten Architects

Library or Conservatory? ;)

Library or Conservatory?

Last night K and I reworked the staircase and the “Library/Conservatory” room. We call

it that using our best sarcasm and English accent because it is really the entry way but it

is too wide to be just an entry so it is the “Library/Conservatory”. One of the issues was if

the piano or a fireplace will be the focal point, hence the two names. The major issue was

the layout and the use of wall space in the room. We finally drew it out and the result is

looking good. We are still not sure if a fireplace will be better. K wants to put the piano

in the room so our kids can play it. I like the idea but am more excited about the fireplace

using that space. It would really make the area inviting. We just never really have fires

(this is So. California) so to use the space for a theoretical event does seem silly.

AWTS…Yes!

We are planning on submitting the plans for a septic system while I am on break. K has

been in contact with Brian C, from Environseptic and we are expecting a quote from him for

the Alternative Wastewater Treatment System in the next few days. He has been

supportive of us being owner-builders and is willing to walk us through the process.

Meeting of the Minds

With the plans going to county next week we are calling the contractors to start a

calendar for the work schedule. One of the best pieces of advice we have received so far

is that we need to have a meeting with all the contractors to determine the calendar and if

they will be able to work together well. The meeting will help to keep the contractors

realistic about their time frames and to see any possible issues with them working

together.  

Exterior Inspiration!

Transitional Exterior by San Francisco Architects & Designers Arcanum Architecture

Farmhouse Exterior by Washington Architects & Designers Barnes Vanze Architects, Inc

Farmhouse Spaces by Chicago Kitchen & Bath Designers Rebekah Zaveloff | KitchenLab

Traditional Exterior by South Jordan Home Builders Candlelight Homes

Traditional Garage And Shed by Millbrook Architects & Designers Crisp Architects

Mediterranean Landscape by San Francisco Landscape Architects & Designers Arterra LLP Landscape Architects

Biologists, Bids, and More...

Biologist on site!

The county biologist was at our lot on Monday, with Hardy of The Planning Associates, to determine if we had any “species of interest”. The general vicinity of our lot is considered “100% Conservation” by the county (code words for they want to prevent you from using as much of your own land as they can without paying for it). Hardy told us that we would just have to show that our project was not going to disturb the oak trees on the lot. The oak trees are the main reason (besides the view) we liked the lot in the first place and we had not planned on disturbing them. We do, however, now have to get the GPS coordinates for all the buildings to “show” that we are true to our word. What a pain. :(

So now we need to get a surveyor out with an accurate GPS device to “show” we are not disturbing the oak trees (as if four kids and three dogs are not going to have an impact :)).

More Bids...Finally!

After two weeks of waiting impatiently for bids to get back to us (we are teachers, we have NO IDEA how long it takes to write up a bid for framing) I called Jennifer at Reliable Lumber of Huntington Beach. She had originally recommended three of the contractors we contacted. She straightened us out about the length of time it was taking to get responses from the various contractors. We were expecting a much faster turn around time that is standard for the industry.

We did however, receive our first bid for the framing (labor and materials) Today. This was, along with the foundation, the bid we were most nervous about. Steve Knight, of Knight Builders, got back to us within 10 days (we played phone tag for a number of days) and was highly recommended by Jennifer at Reliable Lumber. His bid came in just slightly above our guesstimate...very reassuring that we can continue with the build. We are still waiting for three other bids.

To submit or not to submit...

We need to submit the finished house (and barn!) plans before the end of the calendar year in order to avoid the new code cycle at the county building and safety department. With the end of the year less than three weeks away it is now time to “fish or cut bait”! Having received the framing and the foundation bids which were within budget, we are feeling much more comfortable submitting the plans and moving forward. We will be meeting with Jim Irvin again next week after the engineering is done on the barn and we will ask him to submit the plans asap.

Barn Beginnings

Last night K and I met with Jim Irvin, of Irvin Designs about the initial plan for the barn. We decided to go with a post and beam design. This will give us an open and unobstructed interior space. The barn will have both a tractor garage and two stalls for animals :) We should get the first draft late this week or early next. Here is the inspiration for the barn from www.barnsbarnsbarns.com.

Our modifications include removing the interior wall for the tack room and having two additional doors. One door into the garage/Shed from the main room and the other from the Garage/Shed to the outside. I am not comfortable with only one door out of a building. The loft will be left out which will allow for a voluminous interior space. 

We also confirmed with Jim that although the contractors we have talked to don't think we can build a house without a certified pad, the county will approve our plans and he has some projects that are currently being built without a certified pad. This will reduce our costs which is always a bonus! :)

HVAC Bids

We are beginning to receive bids back from some of the contractors we have contacted. Our HVAC bids have been the widest ranging. The high bid was nearly $35,000 while the low is just under $15,000. We are owner-builders and will probably be working with our various contractors to see who are willing to complete the portions of the project we can't do ourselves.

First Post

Below are some of my favorite views from our lot. 

Today we are meeting with Jim Irvin, of Irvine Design, to design the barn. We decided we should include the barn in the plans before the county building and safety department implements the new code cycle. Seems no one knows what new changes/requirements will be added. So...we are adding our barn to the plans. I found the basis for our barn design at www.barnsbarnsbarns.com and have modified it to fit our needs.