Casita update, permit edition
May. 21st, 2022 04:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elizillaIn 2016 when we built our house, we hired a local house designer, Kyle, to create the drawings for us. Kyle is very talented, good at what he does, but let’s just say organization is not his thing. So we knew this going into it, and we hired him again. Well, after a ton of hounding, last week he produced some terrific drawings. He has not cashed my check. I wonder if his wife will have to ask us for a replacement check, again? Lol!
I was able to get the soil erosion permit without Kyle’s drawings. It took three weeks but they got it done. The guy who came out to look at the site was great, he was able to reduce the silt fence requirement because of how the ground sloped. I was just gonna do the whole perimeter to be on the safe side but he crossed it off.
Michelle at the city refused to issue a zoning permit without the drawings, and Kyle is slow. But she knows Kyle too so she put an oar in, nagging him in my behalf. Lol! When I finally had drawings, Michelle was out for a few days. Our town is small, she’s the only one that can do it. When she came back she scared me with a demand for a surveyor, but then figured out how to not need one. Now she says we have everything needed except the water people have to sign off. Once again, small town, they know us and will help asap. Michelle assures me I will get my permit on Monday. Then, I get to take the first two permits back to the county and apply for a building permit. I hear the county is understaffed and their queue is six weeks. I have no personal contacts there.
I wish we had decided to build this casita six months ago, so I could have worked through all this paperwork before building season started. Because I do believe in this process! I want all those inspections! I mean, I am not a professional, I know I am vulnerable to construction guys doing shitty work. My dad is all about avoiding permits and inspections and we have been cleaning up the aftermath of that for two years now, over at my parents house. But I sure wish permit and inspection queues were faster. The pace is just glacial and it’s aggravating.
Building supplies take forever, too. I am going to start ordering and paying deposits this week, even though I don’t have the building permit yet. Because it’s six to twelve weeks for some items. If I wait, we won’t have any materials before winter.
Why am I doing this kind of stuff? I am the general contractor. No one has time to be project manager, this year, but Homeland will send us some of their subcontractors to do the site work, foundation, and put up the SIPs. And they will install the radiant heating system. Our project is tiny and will fill in little gaps in their other projects.
I am supposed to find people for the rest. The trim carpenter who worked on our house, loved working with us and is keen to come back. He says he can also do the flooring, the tile, and the siding. Excellent. And we have two people willing to be grunts. Still looking for roofing, drywall, a plumber, an electrician, and a painter.
Anyone have any leads?
More notes…
Since SIPs create such a tight building envelope, you have to have mechanical ventilation. But with radiant heat you have no ducts, and the casita is tiny anyways. I found a great system, the Lunos E2. You have two fans with a shared controller. One blows in and the other blows out, and they flip directions every 70 seconds. Not huge noisy fans - they are very quiet, like radon mitigation system fans. They have ceramic cores in them. So when the indoor air is warmer than out, the ceramic core gets heated during the exhaust cycle, and gives the heat back during the intake cycle. So you don’t lose all your heat out the fan. They make versions for bathroom and kitchen fans too. Which is good because conventional exhaust-only fans struggle in the tight building - the air they push out, has to come from somewhere.
Kyle has recommended a frost protected shallow foundation. I never heard of it, so I looked it up. It’s got all kinds of advantages. Less disturbance on the site, less concrete, poured as a monolithic slab so there’s no separate footing inspection. Well insulated. Approved in the building codes. Sounds great!
Kyle also wants us to get a metal roof. We’ll see. In this labor market it might be best to stay conventional just because it’s easier to hire someone.
Everyplace my dad has lived, ever since I can remember, he has talked of putting a shelf around the perimeter of the ceiling, for a model train. He always starts building it and never gets far. Well, a train shelf will be meat and potatoes to our trim carpenter. Kyle got fired up about it too. My dad might get his wish. I have already acquired 62 feet of color changing LED strip lights that work with Alexa, to illuminate the tracks. This can be a treat for everyone once we get the real work done. 😀
Other relatives report that my dad is talking the casita up, to them. He is excited about it. Great! I just hope we can get it done.
I was able to get the soil erosion permit without Kyle’s drawings. It took three weeks but they got it done. The guy who came out to look at the site was great, he was able to reduce the silt fence requirement because of how the ground sloped. I was just gonna do the whole perimeter to be on the safe side but he crossed it off.
Michelle at the city refused to issue a zoning permit without the drawings, and Kyle is slow. But she knows Kyle too so she put an oar in, nagging him in my behalf. Lol! When I finally had drawings, Michelle was out for a few days. Our town is small, she’s the only one that can do it. When she came back she scared me with a demand for a surveyor, but then figured out how to not need one. Now she says we have everything needed except the water people have to sign off. Once again, small town, they know us and will help asap. Michelle assures me I will get my permit on Monday. Then, I get to take the first two permits back to the county and apply for a building permit. I hear the county is understaffed and their queue is six weeks. I have no personal contacts there.
I wish we had decided to build this casita six months ago, so I could have worked through all this paperwork before building season started. Because I do believe in this process! I want all those inspections! I mean, I am not a professional, I know I am vulnerable to construction guys doing shitty work. My dad is all about avoiding permits and inspections and we have been cleaning up the aftermath of that for two years now, over at my parents house. But I sure wish permit and inspection queues were faster. The pace is just glacial and it’s aggravating.
Building supplies take forever, too. I am going to start ordering and paying deposits this week, even though I don’t have the building permit yet. Because it’s six to twelve weeks for some items. If I wait, we won’t have any materials before winter.
Why am I doing this kind of stuff? I am the general contractor. No one has time to be project manager, this year, but Homeland will send us some of their subcontractors to do the site work, foundation, and put up the SIPs. And they will install the radiant heating system. Our project is tiny and will fill in little gaps in their other projects.
I am supposed to find people for the rest. The trim carpenter who worked on our house, loved working with us and is keen to come back. He says he can also do the flooring, the tile, and the siding. Excellent. And we have two people willing to be grunts. Still looking for roofing, drywall, a plumber, an electrician, and a painter.
Anyone have any leads?
More notes…
Since SIPs create such a tight building envelope, you have to have mechanical ventilation. But with radiant heat you have no ducts, and the casita is tiny anyways. I found a great system, the Lunos E2. You have two fans with a shared controller. One blows in and the other blows out, and they flip directions every 70 seconds. Not huge noisy fans - they are very quiet, like radon mitigation system fans. They have ceramic cores in them. So when the indoor air is warmer than out, the ceramic core gets heated during the exhaust cycle, and gives the heat back during the intake cycle. So you don’t lose all your heat out the fan. They make versions for bathroom and kitchen fans too. Which is good because conventional exhaust-only fans struggle in the tight building - the air they push out, has to come from somewhere.
Kyle has recommended a frost protected shallow foundation. I never heard of it, so I looked it up. It’s got all kinds of advantages. Less disturbance on the site, less concrete, poured as a monolithic slab so there’s no separate footing inspection. Well insulated. Approved in the building codes. Sounds great!
Kyle also wants us to get a metal roof. We’ll see. In this labor market it might be best to stay conventional just because it’s easier to hire someone.
Everyplace my dad has lived, ever since I can remember, he has talked of putting a shelf around the perimeter of the ceiling, for a model train. He always starts building it and never gets far. Well, a train shelf will be meat and potatoes to our trim carpenter. Kyle got fired up about it too. My dad might get his wish. I have already acquired 62 feet of color changing LED strip lights that work with Alexa, to illuminate the tracks. This can be a treat for everyone once we get the real work done. 😀
Other relatives report that my dad is talking the casita up, to them. He is excited about it. Great! I just hope we can get it done.
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Date: 2022-05-26 03:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-05-26 03:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-05-26 03:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-05-26 12:36 pm (UTC)But skins are just decorative. I have my iPad in a case, for protection and a stand. The case would cover the skin so why bother? My preferred case is the Zugu. I got a Zugu case for Steve as well. I wish Zugu made cases for Kobo ereaders, I have yet to find an ereader case I like as well as the Zugu.
no subject
Date: 2022-05-27 12:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-05-30 12:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-06-15 10:54 pm (UTC)(Got a new motey-bike to show off, too - Fiona the Enfield has moved on).
-R
(this space for rent)