HERE WE GO!!!

Can this really be happening? Can anything wipe off the huge grin Sandi is sporting all day, every day now?

We got our permit, and are now Mired in Mud.

Well, Sandi started a blog entry. I was thrilled, but laid low on the praise or even acknowledgement as she gets shy sometimes. She didn't post it, though I have it and may do it if she doesn't. The problem is, things age and we keep going whether we post or not.

It looks like our permit will be ready early this week. I've given a heads-up to the earthwork and foundation guys, and am in contact with our supplier for the geo-thermal system. I'm going to get a big machine to cut the building site and while it's here we'll bury the "slinky" loops in the ground. An 800' spool of pipe yeilds about 100' of coils. And we need five, buried 5' deep and a few feet apart from each other.

If all goes well we should have significant framing completed by the end of May.

In the meantime, I'm working furiously on the media room in the garage. I know once the house is going my time will have to be over there. My goal is by the time I have to change focus the room will be in a substantially-complete state so we can use it. We painted this last week, and this weekend we'll put the faux finish that Sandi picked out. She really is good with color and style, and is guiding those finishes. I'm getting the lighting going right now, which is almost done and looks really good. A Lutron RadioRA system is going in, and having dimmers really makes the room look cool. I'm sure flooring and furniture will help too!

It's been a good experience doing this room right before starting the house. It's reminding me of how much there is to do and how long all the little stuff takes. And you can't skip any details, for rish of having a crappy outcome or more work later.

I have taken pictures, kind of sporadically but I have some. Perhaps next time I sit down for a sec I'll post some (if I can find them!). Until next time.....

Think Snow! (OK, we're not done skiing but Spring is in the air!)

Uhm, where were we?

Holy crap, it's been TWO MONTHS?? I thought this would happen. And once again it's late enough that I won't do too much detail, but will wax about "I'll get another update out soon" to alleviate my guilt. OK, I'm done.

What motivated me to get on tonight was not so much to update the blog, but the fact that Sandi asked about it in the context of contributing to our story. She can write well when she wants, but may need some encouragement to get started. So I'll send her the link, and you send her an email, OK? We'll see what evolves as we move along here.

And speaking of that, the short version of everything is that we are in Plan Review and expect a building permit in the next couple of weeks. We are interviewing framing, siding and roofing contractors and getting our task lists in order. We are building a home.

I'll get another update out soon.

Hurdle Cleared, More to Come

We've gotten through the re-finance of our place, and sign the Monday after Thanksgiving. Obstensibly the biggest deal, I'll hold judgement on that until we're done. What is means, though, is that with funding we can move forward. We're pretty happy that we didn't get swept up in the availability of a jumbo mortgage after a construction loan, which we were offered just before the industry went to shit. This way, using our unencumbered funds, resources and resourcefulness, we should be able to build the house we want on the schedule we want and without the major burden of a $450,000 loan (total construction plus existing note). While the math is not yet complete, we clearly have enough to get a dry shell erected in 2009. We'll see about the finishing phase, it may take ten years or it may take one.

So we're pretty happy here, going into the Thanksgiving weekend. We're pretty much loaded now, at 10:30pm Tuesday, for our jaunt to the Tahuya State Forest where we'll join friends in communion with nature, spirits and a beast-feast on Saturday

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving time!

Accumulation

OMG I scored some gear. Obstensibly demo gear for work but I'll demo it from here. Some Sunfire and Elan gear came available that used to be NPF repairs, evaluation and test machines for thier technical support department. For pennies on the dollar, I have a system controller and whole-house amp for the house audio system, and a Sunfire home theater. Do a search for the Theater Grand V and the Theater Grand 7400 and the Solitare 12 combined with Klipsch RF series speakers and you'll get a vague idea of what I'm building. I have a detailed description of the garage and its systems that I'll post sometime after I'm a bit closer to being what I've written.

Our appraiser was out yesterday to photograph and complete the appraisal. We're on a wait, then hopefully on to the project of preparing our permit application. We still don't have drawings, but that's pending also my finishing the Klipsch 7.1 Reference home theater for the architect.

Worked on framing in the attic tonight, pretty much done in the alcove and dropped in some insulation. I still have to finish some plumbing before I cover, but I can count on two hands the number of sheets of rock left to hang. Every task completed is a milestone.

The picture is October 2007 near Keechelus Lake at Snoqualmie Pass. We're getting ready to go camp at Tahuya over Thanksgiving with friends, and looking forward to getting away.

Does is feel warm to you?

Holy crap, it's been HOW long? I was afraid that'd happen, starting something new and letting it fade away. But we're BACK! And things have evolved! At glacial speeds, anyway.

This house is where I was first on this earth, in Evergreen Park, Illinois. I was in the area for a few days, and took a tour. I don't remember it.

I'm not going to get into it too much, as it's midnight and I'm tired. Our loan is approved, largely because time has passed and we've kept on it. Sandi has, anyway. Dilegence and communication, me thinks, a big part of this whole process.

So our plans are with a new architect and engineer, one I'd recommend especially if you have a commercial project to do. CDA/Pirscher Architects in Shoreline, WA is a sharp outfit. Those should be back to us by next week, at which time we'll submit to the county. Our foundation guy is on notice, and I have to work deals still for digging equipment and operator time.

We're going to build this damned house. You watch.

What? It's only money!?!

OK, so we're not perfect. Well, pretty far from perfect to be honest. And before I get too far down on myself, you're not perfect either! Anyway, reality is stryking home where it concerns our credit. Now we're not destitue, and we make all right dough for 1-1/2 incomes. But it was not all that long ago that we were one income, and it was sometimes a challenge to keep up with the bills and expenses. But we've had our eye on this project for awhile now, and have been buckling down in our discipline. And since Sandi went back to work last year, we've been able to get ahead a bit by paying off credit cards and doing things like the septic system and moving the old house.

The thing is, the bankers don't give a crap about any of that. They're robots. Data entry clerks. Heartless worms caught in a poison trap that is the economy, hanging on only by the depth of thier corrupt parent organization. OK, maybe that last was a bit harsh, but it is true that the economy is in turmoil and as it was caused in part by irresponsible lending practices and over-valued real estate they now have greatly revised and restricted criteria for handing out credit.

So because of Sandi's return to work, our tax returns don't reflect our current income. And credit score standards have gone up with the price of oil, so what was a year ago "good" credit is now only "fair" credit and they seem to want "excellent" credit. That's not a killer for us, as we're on the "good" side of "fair", but in terms of ultimately borrowing over a half-million dollars we're on the edge.

There's another hitch too. We don't have a builder. We don't want a builder, but how can an anonymous investor know whether we know which end of a faucet to connect a pipe to? I understand it, and we'll have to deal with that aspect hopefully without a great deal of additional expense. The one builder we talked to early on wanted $5,000 a month to manage the project. We can't do that. Not with the house we want. So we need someone to sign but mostly stay out of the way. Referrals accepted!

So the bottom line is, we're stalled on the launch pad. The possibility is very real that we may need or choose to wait until next spring, due to weather. It would not be a good thing to have open framing in the rainy season, and I know from experience what a drag it is to build stuff outdoors when it's near freezing inside.

We're meeting with another financier later this week, as well as the original framing contractor who also happens to be a general contractor. He told me that things are so slow in this area that his earlier price to us would drop another 15%, so that may be a good thing.

Will somebody please loan us $300,000? You'll definitely get an invitation to the housewarming party!