I am feeling like a broken record at this point...truly it's a "so close and yet so far" kind of time.
Let's see...so I won the opportunity to get my building permit without the septic permit finalized, so the only thing needed is for PRMD to finish its review processes. In the past couple of weeks, there have been the usual advances and obstacles.
The remaining processes are finalizing the groundwater issue I wrangled last year - getting everything validated and approved related to that and, the building department's plan check. Since that was not moving, I wrote an email (a week ago Friday) to the plan checker to whom it seemed to be assigned, asking if there was any way progress could happen within the coming week for a couple of reasons. I pleaded based on having filed the application in December, and being oh so ready to put shovels in the ground but moreover, my architect informed me last week he'd be away June 10-30! Did not see that coming, and really hoped not to bump into July for getting started...if possible. Basically we had a week to turn this all around...never really thought of myself as someone with an active fantasy life but, if there ever was a moment to check connection with reality, this was one of them.
I got an auto-reply message that he was out of the office until Monday...that kinda put me over the edge that week - so many roller coaster dynamics, I just didn't have any more resiliency in me and kinda melted down - surrender is more like it. Then, at 9:15 pm on Friday night, I got an email from the plan checker, who happens to be the Director of the department, who said "Hi, Taya. I can get to that next week, no problem." Seriously, at 9:15 pm he takes the time to reach out with humanity and reassurance?!!! Big time exhale.
He did his review over the weekend, provided the comments on Monday - and they were voluminous. There are requirements to have an independent third party validate the CalGreen energy calculations - did not know that. Managed to find someone to turn that around in 24 hours, thankfully. They expected more info on the solar plans - all new home construction in CA is required to have solar - but we intend to do that next year, after the house is up and running, and can - but more commentary on that is required. They required new structural calculations from the shell builder, Deltec, and they required a much more exhaustive soils report/analysis from my brother in law the GeoTech engineer. Once those are presented back to my architect, he has to recalculate the foundation plans...and so it goes.
NOTHING about this process is straightforward, swift or reliable. So, everyone's leaning in to deliver quickly, my architect is staying attentive while away and who knows...I've given up entirely on attempting to predict timeframes, hence the title off this post.
In the meantime, we continue to do what can be done - and here's the latest. You might wonder how many times you can look at a bare piece of land, but these shifts in the space are quite dramatic. The site is scraped, and the circle for the structure is clearly visible as is the center pole.
It's kind of wild...I can visualize and "feel" the space so much more...it has a spatial dimension to it now that's palpable. I haven't spent much time just walking it, sitting in it, and I will - this just got done on Saturday. Feels really good though....
So, at the risk of being a broken record, we are, so so close.
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