interiordd.com Blog » Inform and Entertain

Time to meet the neighbors!

Administrator — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 01:17:58 +0000

Tree cutting permits are submitted. We are waiting approval. The approved lot division had to be resubmitted to the county to obtain an official address. We discovered this week that we need to obtain an administrative variance to build the front porch according to the current plans. That is going to require visiting each neighbor that abuts the second lot, and getting their signed approval for the porch. First I have a ten page application to fill out, and then I believe that I have to get a Mylar copy of the plan signed off on as well. Then it may take a few weeks to catch all of the neighbors at home. Should be fun!

Additionally, we’ve been arranging appointments with landscape architects. We’ve met one, who seemed very knowledgeable, but we are looking forward to hearing from more. In the meantime we are having a survey done that will show the slope of the land. The name is long and I would never spell it right, but it is commonly referred to as a topo.

We’ll keep you posted!

Officially Divided

Administrator — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 01:06:46 +0000

We are official. The one lot is now officially two. Right now it appears as tract I and tract II, so I will be working on obtaining an address for the second lot, but that should not slow down the next step of getting the tree cutting permit. I believe all I have to do is fill out the paper work, and submit it with an appropriate check. The question remains as to whether I will immediately recieve the permit or whether I will have to wait on it, but we will get the process under way quickly.

Also on the docket for this week are surveyors and landscape architects. The surveyors will be out tomorrow to set the new pins on the property lines, and I am hoping to speak with one or two landscape architects this week. If possible we’ll get them to the site. We could use their input on several areas including the retaining walls, the placement of the pool and the new drive going in on the property. Plus there is some existing foliage that we will consider transplanting if at all possible.

The picture is of the lot as it is now. We are expecting changes to that view be taking place very soon!

Progress

Administrator — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 23:51:33 +0000

Everything is looking good for the plat division. A representative of the city came and walked the property. I happened to be arriving at the same time, and I was able to give him a verbal tour of the “gonna be’s” for the land. He seemed very receptive and understanding. A few days later I received a phone call from another city representative that told me that everything had been approved. He had called the surveyor and instructed them to send a Mylar copy of the survey to me. Upon my receiving it, I could take it to the county to get the health department to sign off on the water and sewer. Once I got the signature, I was to take it back to the city. They would complete the process.

The short story is that I got it all done. The bigger picture is that it took all day and a ridiculous amount of time and driving, but I did receive confirmation that the process should be complete within two weeks! Wah-hooo!!!

The next step will be getting a tree cutting permit. (I’m amazed at all of the paperwork the government requires of property owners, but we are way too early in this project to risk stepping on the wrong toes.) Hopefully that will be an immediate release and not something that we have to wait on to get approved.

While all of that is happening in the next week or two, I need to make sure that we won’t be held up by any of the plan work. We feel confident that we’ve gotten the house plan worked out, but we’ve yet to establish the pool/guest house or the exact size and shape of the pool. All of these things need to be set before we begin cutting trees. In addition, we will need to establish how many square feet of impervious surface are being added to the lot. Once this is determined, we can see if we need to consider run-off drainage needs. So . . . I need to get to work!

Entertainment Update

Administrator — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 01:41:05 +0000

Wow! What an insane last couple of weeks we have had. With school starting for both of my children and fresh new schedules to learn, it has taken us a bit to settle into our routine. Once we had a couple of weeks behind us, it was time for my annual trek to Las Vegas for the Business of Design conference, or BOD ’07 as we Best Practices Network members refer to it.

The conference was started in 2004 by David Shepherd, and it was there that Designing Profits gave birth to the Best Practices Network. This network is a group of designers from across the nation that agrees to exchange ideas in a non-competitive manner about their business operations. This isn’t to say that all firms operate on the same business plan. There are almost as many different business plans as there are firms involved, and many of them are quite successful. The conference allows each business to address their own position at their own pace. It also enables and empowers each one to advance to the next logical step. By spending two intense days considering a staggering number of options and directions viable for each company, we eventually narrow the field to the most important idea for each. It may or may not be the same as other companies, and like people, some companies have advanced in areas that others haven’t even addressed.

Design Details joined the BPN in 2005. Through membership, Design Details has met other designers that are in similar situations, learned the value and simplicity of specializing within this broad field, and received guidance from other designers with much greater experience that I have. The BPN has provided immeasurable amounts of guidance and direction for growth in the design business.

While in Vegas this year I was relieved to learn that Design Details is on the right track. There are advancements to be made, but those items are ones that we have under way. We are looking forward to seeing these projects come to fruition, and we will keep you posted on our progress.

Survey Submittals and Building Estimates

Administrator — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 15:56:05 +0000

We are moving along! A couple of weeks ago we received the initial survey from the company that we used. They had been exceptional up to now, so I was not surprised to receive the survey so promptly. Upon opening the plat and reviewing the info given I discovered that we would need to change a few things. I called the company and got to speak with the person that created the plat. He assured me that he could easily instate the changes. He waited the day for me to continue reviewing the info on the plat against what the city requires, and we made sure that everything was included and as straightforward as possible. He then made the changes, printed six more copies of the plat and sent them overnight to my door. I received them on Monday, looked over the revisions, and I got everything to the city by Tuesday! The process was painless for me, (and hopefully my questions were not too painful for anyone else!), and everyone was extremely helpful.

Now I am looking forward to meeting . . .Hmmm. . . I don’t know what to call this person. He’s not a General Contractor (GC), and he’s not a builder, and he’s not a sub-contractor (Sub). We’ll just call him a source for now. He is going to help us get a better feel for the cost of our project, and we are hoping he will also help us learn how to value-engineer as effectively as possible. I’ll keep you posted!!

Picking Up the Pace

Administrator — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 19:33:45 +0000

Okay. Now that my client has moved to the area from out of state, I’m sure that we’ll be picking up the pace. We still have to wait on the surveyors to get the survey back to us, and for us to get it pushed through the city. In the meantime, I’ve walked the property with my client a couple of times. After the first walk, we decided that the footprint of the current plan needed to be smaller. L.L. had a plan in mind that needed some tweaking. We redrew the plan making the changes that we wanted so that we could show them to the architect that we were meeting on Tuesday. Unfortunately, that meeting didn’t instill LL with the confidence that she was looking for. So . . . we may be looking for another architect down the road. For now, we’ll be allowing this one to work on some preliminary plans for us.

On the second walk, we staked out the exterior perimeter of the proposed house plan where it would be on the site (with the help of a friend). This gave LL, my client, a better visual of how the house will sit on the land. I’ve discovered that I possess a unique gift. I can visualize projects in three dimensions complete with finishes and furnishing. I’ve also discovered that not everyone has this ability. My challenge is conveying the images that I can see in my head to my client. Some days, communicating is easier than others!!

Meeting Builders

Administrator — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 17:21:01 +0000

In order to expedite matters, I decided to begin calling builders and requesting estimates. This process involves meeting the builder at the site, reviewing the proposed lot split, and walking the site while explaining everything in detail.

The first builder I met with agreed upon a time that he and the architect could both make, and they showed up in a timely manner. It seems that the builder’s partner was also in the area, and he arrived in a separate vehicle as well. (Thankfully there is a long drive to the existing house as we had four cars end to end along the side of it!) We reviewed the site plan that I had for them, and then we walked the property. I found everyone to be easy to talk to and they were open to all of the ideas that I presented. I was very glad that I had done my homework with the City! As the site slopes considerably from left to right, there may be some challenges with the site work. Apparently the builders agreed as their rough numbers reflected that! One of the questions that they asked that I was unprepared to answer was whether or not there were any fees for removing trees. While no one in Planning and Development had mentioned that to me, I had not specifically asked the question either. I clearly still have homework to do!

Inform and Entertain

Administrator — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 17:41:35 +0000

My apologies for the lapse in entries. I moved on July 20^th, and it has taken me a week to get my internet service up and functioning properly. When operating from a home office it is phenomenal how the simplest of things can bring a business to a complete halt. Of course, this may be true of many small businesses regardless of their location. I will optimistically state that from here, things will only improve!

I have to tell you about my latest project. I have been secured to design and build a new home from the ground up! This will be the second home that I’ve ever designed from scratch (for us designers that means without referencing an existing floor plan), and it will be the first home that I’ve gotten to participate in the process of building. I have an excellent client that has some great energy saving ideas that we plan to incorporate into the structure, and I am interview possible builders and architects for the project. I will be posting pictures of the potential site and other items of interest as we progress. I am currently in the process of going through the city’s process of dividing the existing lot. This process will take a couple of months, and we cannot proceed with any construction until the lot size has been properly recorded in the city’s records.