Well, it was inevitable. The first hurdle to be thrown up when you're doing a good thing.
Our existing garage (not a part of our remodeling job) is not in compliance with county zoning.
Our GC Todd was prepping to pull permits and noticed on our survey that the garage sits beyond a 45' builder setback from the curb by about 8', and that our new front porch is drawn in a manner that clips it by about a foot as well. While we were under the impression from the surveyor that this shouldn't be an issue, in reality, this was not going to work.
And submitting a variance would not be approved until the public hearing on October 8th.
Blimey!
To top it all off, they could not find any variance which allowed for the garage to be where it is on the property. If there were a variance already on file, we could proceed under that variance. How could that have happened? Our neighbors are on a 35' setback ... did someone think we were also? If there was not a variance, how did our home get approved for occupancy when it was built if the garage was not behind the line? Oy vey.
I tracked down the previous owners in Columbus ... they had no idea. They were either not the first owners or they bought it as a spec house. We're also trying to contact the original builder, but no success yet. We'll keep trying.
Our options? Well, waiting until mid-October is out. Changing the depth of the front porch would help with the new construction, but we'd still have a property out of compliance. For those of you who know me personally, I'm a big rule follower, not a rule breaker. I need to pick up the house and shift it back 10'. Also out of the question, methinks.
This is where a really good GC steps in. And he did in spades. Todd and I had a phone tennis match for the next half hour, and he had been in the zoning office figuring out what our options were. There was a folder for our subdivision missing from records in the basement ... it's possible our variance is in that missing folder. Anyway ... we're going to keep moving and try to work with the zoning office within the appropriate rules and regulations so we can get permits to proceed.
Todd left for a well-deserved family vacation, and we've got our homework to do ... filling out the variance application and getting letters from our neighbors stating they have no objections to the existing garage (which has been there for years, obviously) and no objections to the new front porch. Should not be an issue. Stay tuned.
Breathe in ... breathe out. Ahhuuuummmmmmmmm. [Repeat]
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Early "Contractions"
We met with Todd on Tuesday night to go over the statement of work and the draft contract. It's much tougher than we thought ... so many decisions to be made. Options left and right. But after two and a half hours, we were really close, and I think we've made our decisions about what stays and what goes so the statement of work can be finished and the original quote revised into a more accurate picture of what will happen. At least, as we see it this week.
One of the funnier moments ... we were reviewing the contract and there is a line item in it that talks about the contractor's right to bring other potential clients in during the project so they can see work in progress. The discussion went something like this:
Todd: "Now realize ... I won't be sending someone over to your house to walk around and look at stuff by themselves."
Veda: "Oh, let me tell you ... we've got hawkeyes for neighbors. They have already called in the past saying, 'Veda, there's a guy sitting in a truck out in your driveway,' or 'Veda, I just wanted to be sure you knew that someone is in your backyard.'"
Todd: "Well, we won't have a client just showing up at your doorstep saying, 'Todd said I could come over and look at your new room.' They would be with us."
Veda: "Right. Well, I've told the neighbors, 'There's going to be all kinds of strange men coming in and out and around the house in the next few months, so not to worry.'"
Chip: [Scowls, making that same face when you hear something that's not quite right. If you're not sure what it looks like, go to a mirror and pretend your spouse just said that there will be many individuals of the opposite sex coming to your house while you're not there. Yep, that's the face.]
One of the funnier moments ... we were reviewing the contract and there is a line item in it that talks about the contractor's right to bring other potential clients in during the project so they can see work in progress. The discussion went something like this:
Todd: "Now realize ... I won't be sending someone over to your house to walk around and look at stuff by themselves."
Veda: "Oh, let me tell you ... we've got hawkeyes for neighbors. They have already called in the past saying, 'Veda, there's a guy sitting in a truck out in your driveway,' or 'Veda, I just wanted to be sure you knew that someone is in your backyard.'"
Todd: "Well, we won't have a client just showing up at your doorstep saying, 'Todd said I could come over and look at your new room.' They would be with us."
Veda: "Right. Well, I've told the neighbors, 'There's going to be all kinds of strange men coming in and out and around the house in the next few months, so not to worry.'"
Chip: [Scowls, making that same face when you hear something that's not quite right. If you're not sure what it looks like, go to a mirror and pretend your spouse just said that there will be many individuals of the opposite sex coming to your house while you're not there. Yep, that's the face.]
Sunday, July 20, 2008
About the Contractor
This had to be one of the toughest decisions we've made as a married couple. We started out with five contractors bidding on this job. Originally, we separated the front porch job from the rear addition, but as time marched on, we merged the jobs into one monstrous undertaking.
By the time we were down to two contractors, the decision was becoming almost uncomfortable. We had two Godly men, both displaying integrity and honesty. Both showing that they had the skills to undertake the job. Each bringing a set of positives and negatives to the table that just about balanced out each other. But we could only pick one.
And that selection went to Todd Hanlin of Distinguished Products & Services.
We'll reserve final judgement on Todd for the end of the project, but for now, we've been impressed. He's not only a general contractor with rave reviews on kudzu.com (which is actually where we found him) and excellent feedback from the referrals we called, but he's also the team lead for the D.i.R.T Ministry out of Wildwood Baptist Church in Acworth. They have partnered with a local church in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi for the purpose of helping with disaster rebuild efforts from Hurricane Katrina. As of this posting, they have actually just returned from one of their trips.
So, next step is the contract. Pray for us all on that one! =8^]
By the time we were down to two contractors, the decision was becoming almost uncomfortable. We had two Godly men, both displaying integrity and honesty. Both showing that they had the skills to undertake the job. Each bringing a set of positives and negatives to the table that just about balanced out each other. But we could only pick one.
And that selection went to Todd Hanlin of Distinguished Products & Services.
We'll reserve final judgement on Todd for the end of the project, but for now, we've been impressed. He's not only a general contractor with rave reviews on kudzu.com (which is actually where we found him) and excellent feedback from the referrals we called, but he's also the team lead for the D.i.R.T Ministry out of Wildwood Baptist Church in Acworth. They have partnered with a local church in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi for the purpose of helping with disaster rebuild efforts from Hurricane Katrina. As of this posting, they have actually just returned from one of their trips.
So, next step is the contract. Pray for us all on that one! =8^]
Thursday, July 17, 2008
About the Architect
We chose Peek Design Group to draw up the plans for our addition and the front porch remodel.
This was a debate ... not selecting Peek, but whether or not to have architectural drawings and the expense that comes with it. But boy, was it worth it!
The main benefit is that it gave us concrete plans to hand over to prospective contractors and to say, "Bid on this." Levels the playing field quite a bit.
Dale was great ... he met us back in May (I think) and listened very intently to what we wanted to do. Then he brought out Lauren to draw up initial designs based on our feedback. What we got back was beyond what we could have dreamed up. They were brilliant. Two thumbs up!
These are just the preliminary drawings. The architectural drawings are so detailed, I thought it was just easier to drop the prelims out here.
This was a debate ... not selecting Peek, but whether or not to have architectural drawings and the expense that comes with it. But boy, was it worth it!
The main benefit is that it gave us concrete plans to hand over to prospective contractors and to say, "Bid on this." Levels the playing field quite a bit.
Dale was great ... he met us back in May (I think) and listened very intently to what we wanted to do. Then he brought out Lauren to draw up initial designs based on our feedback. What we got back was beyond what we could have dreamed up. They were brilliant. Two thumbs up!
These are just the preliminary drawings. The architectural drawings are so detailed, I thought it was just easier to drop the prelims out here.
FRONT VIEW
SIDE VIEW
REAR VIEW
SIDE VIEW
REAR VIEW
The journey starts here ...
Years ago, when we bought our current house, we made some choices. The biggest one was selecting a wonderful house that did not have a basement. We knew that would have stipulations on how we would grow with the house over time. But we absolutely love our cul-de-sac, our neighbors and our location. Combined with the current economy, moving has been dismissed as an option.
So now we're building our basement, and you're invited along for the ride.
No, no, no ... we're not digging out a basement under the house. We're adding on ... creating a "wing" if you will. A two-story addition coming off the back of the house. The first floor will be a new "gathering" room. The second floor with have a new bedroom and bath. There will be a new set of stairs to connect the two, and an extension of our breakfast area. We're also ripping up our front porch stoop and replacing it with a true Southern gathering porch.
Why would we do these things? Three primary reasons:
1) We love our home, and we love opening our home to others when we can. We think that God is positioning us to be more active in hosting adult events at our home, such as teaching Intimate Encounters through our church. With adults comes children. Sometimes more kids than adults. And with only one stairwell that lands in the current great room, it makes it tough to have a place for kids to play inside and to come and go outside without interruption.
2) We want to be the home that our pre-teen daughter and her friends want to come and crash at. Watch a movie. Play games. Veda and I both grew up in homes like that.
3) Our oldest is getting to the point where it will be easier on ALL of us if she has her own bathroom. Once she graduates, we'll pass the bath along to the next child.
So, we're in for a fun 3-4 months ahead. Grab a Coke and some popcorn and join in the mayhem. We promise we'll keep it PG.
So now we're building our basement, and you're invited along for the ride.
No, no, no ... we're not digging out a basement under the house. We're adding on ... creating a "wing" if you will. A two-story addition coming off the back of the house. The first floor will be a new "gathering" room. The second floor with have a new bedroom and bath. There will be a new set of stairs to connect the two, and an extension of our breakfast area. We're also ripping up our front porch stoop and replacing it with a true Southern gathering porch.
Why would we do these things? Three primary reasons:
1) We love our home, and we love opening our home to others when we can. We think that God is positioning us to be more active in hosting adult events at our home, such as teaching Intimate Encounters through our church. With adults comes children. Sometimes more kids than adults. And with only one stairwell that lands in the current great room, it makes it tough to have a place for kids to play inside and to come and go outside without interruption.
2) We want to be the home that our pre-teen daughter and her friends want to come and crash at. Watch a movie. Play games. Veda and I both grew up in homes like that.
3) Our oldest is getting to the point where it will be easier on ALL of us if she has her own bathroom. Once she graduates, we'll pass the bath along to the next child.
So, we're in for a fun 3-4 months ahead. Grab a Coke and some popcorn and join in the mayhem. We promise we'll keep it PG.
FRONT ELEVATION
REAR ELEVATION
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