quoted from DJ...

... because it's 4:30 a.m. and I can't sleep. Too tired to rewrite the e-mail he sent (a week ago), but not tired enough to actually fall asleep. I hate that.

"I just got off the phone with Michael La Grand in the Public Works Department and he said we can't really do the road improvements during the rainy season, but there is a mechanism that allows for the parcel to be recorded prior to the road improvements actually being completed.
It's called a parcel map subdivision agreement. All we have to do is write a letter explaining that we would like to request a parcel map subdivision agreement with the county, along with our road improvement plans and a plan check/permit deposit of $X00 to the Department of Public Works*. Once they process the request you should be allowed to record the subdivision, secure financing, and submit for plan check on your house plans. The Building Department will perform their review, but will withhold the actual permit until the road improvements are done, however this could be done in a matter of days rather than weeks or months. You could start building your house the day after the road is finished. You should have plenty of time to secure your financing between now and next spring."

This is really great news. We'll be able to utilize the rainy season for paperwork, and get started building first thing in the spring.

*extortion again; probably the 10th time we've gone through something like this, but we'll do whatever it takes to not be set back any further.

Tentative Schedule

October 2007 - Submit completed improvement plans to County
December 2007 - Prepare Parcel Map
(after approval of improvement plans)
April 15 2008 - Construct Road Improvements
April 30 2008 - Submit parcel map & evidence of completed
conditions of approval (including all waivers, letters, fees & conveyances)
May 30 2008 - Map is recorded.
May 30 2008 - Submit construction plans for the house
July 1 2008 - Start construction on the house

Judging by what we've already been through, I think the parts of that timeline that depend on the county are very hopeful. They will almost certainly take longer. Call me a pessimist, but the system has not been on our side thus far.

I just hope we're in our house before the end of this decade. This process is so frustrating.

APPROVED!!!

Well, we're finally over the biggest hurdle we've come to yet. The Planning Commission approved our lot split plan as is. That's the short version of it... here's how it actually went down:

On Sept. 6, 2007, Andy picked me up after work and we drove to Eureka. We planned on getting some take-out sushi for dinner and eating it at the meeting. We arrived at the sushi place just at 5:30pm, and the one teenage employee was closing up. Bummer. So, we headed to the Co-Op for a quick bite. We ran around the store, picking up random food items since the deli was cleaned out and quickly headed for the checkout line. The checkout was excruciatingly slow. Andy offered to bag the groceries of the lady in front of me because the checker was so slow. It helped, but it still took 10 minutes to get 2 people (including myself and my 6 items) through the line.

The meeting started at 6, and we barely made it in time. We walked into the Board of Supervisors' chambers, and saw Andy's parents and DJ. I also noticed "Neighbor X," the neighbor who had raised a stink 2 days before. My heart started racing. Why was he there if not to testify against our project? Andy and I end up sitting next to his folks and DJ, and right in front of Mr. X. There was also another neighbor there, though I've never met him and couldn't pick him out of the crowd. Apparently, he was on our side, which was nice to know. Andy and I quickly chomp down some food and rustle our bags before the meeting is called to order.

So, the dude starts the meeting, we wipe the crumbs from the corners of our mouths, recite the Pledge of Allegiance and get down to business. The dude makes a motion to move certain more time-consuming agenda topics to the end of the meeting. Done. Next item: he goes through the list, asking for a show of hands if people wish to testify on a certain issue. He gets to our project, #5 on the agenda, and my heart is literally pounding out of my chest. Nothing is said, and I want nothing more than to turn around and make sure Mr. X does not raise his hand, but I resist. Heart still pounding, because I don't know for sure... did he or didn't he? The dude gets through the rest of the agenda items, and recites back the agenda items to which no one wanted to testify. 2, 4, 7... WHAT? I didn't think my heart could beat any faster if I were trying to keep up with Andy in a 5K! One of the other dudes on the Commission pipes up and says the dude skipped #5. THANK YOU!!! The dude re-reads the list... 2, 4, 5, 7, etc. These items are approved without controversy. HOORAY! The dude says people that are in attendance regarding these items are free to leave, so we go, smiling from ear to ear.

We still have plenty of other hurdles to clear, but it looks as though they'll have to wait until spring. For now, we need to get the final map drawn by a licensed surveyor, get the map recorded by the County, get approved for a loan, finalize the building plans, choose a contractor, etc. So much to do, and it feels like forever until spring, but I know it'll be here before we know it.

crisis averted

Yesterday, with 2 days to go to the big meeting, one of our future neighbors decided to oppose parts of our project. They threatened to write a letter to the planning commission and have our project pulled from the Sept. 6th agenda. My understanding is this: they had issues with the possible change in the drainage pattern of rainwater off the road and the basketball hoop that has existed in the in-laws' driveway for the last 30 years.

This was distressing to say the least. Luckily, DJ, our project manager/bomb diffuser was able to meet with these neighbors yesterday afternoon. We believe he was able to make some slight changes to the tentative map to satisfy the neighbors' requests as far as the drainage is concerned. The basketball hoop... whatever. That has nothing to do with our project, and honestly, it has nothing to do with their property either - it's 120 feet from their house. Things might be different if we all lived in one of those new subdivisions where the lots are only slightly bigger than the McMansions built on them, but we're talking about a semi-rural area, where the houses are on about an acre of land each.

Personally, I just think these neighbors are bitter because their property is right next to the busy road, and last summer a house was built to the side of their property. Once our construction is done, the only part of our property near their property will be our driveway and goats. My final thought: quit your whining and let us get on with our life. Yes, I'm upset about this. It's been almost 4 years, and to have things nearly derailed with 2 days to go to such a big step forward is incredibly frustrating. All we want is a place to raise a family. Surely they should be able to understand that.

We might have something to blog about in a week and a half...

I really do apologize for the lack of posts lately. But really, there has been absolutely nothing happening. We went on vacation, but that's about it. Nothing with the house.

The HumCo Planning Commission Meeting is on Sept. 6. That's when we'll find out if we have are able to split the lot or not.

I'll post for sure late next week...

I've been busy.

I made these tiles in my class at the Fire Arts Center. I went a little above and beyond expectations, but I have a vision for our house.

The koi, lily pad and lotus flower tiles will be installed on the walls of the walk-in shower in the master bath, with small mosaic tile around them to look like water.
The small rose tile will be used as accent tiles somewhere... probably on the backsplash in the kitchen.

I've made a lot of other tiles, but I really don't know yet how I'm going to use them. The style of the other tiles varies SO much; I just wanted to see how certain glazes would act on certain clays and to test out different techniques.

It's been fun, but it's not over yet... several more weeks of class (round #2) to go!

WOOOO HOOOO!!!!

PUBLIC NOTICE
HUMBOLDT COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING AND INTENT TO ADOPT THE ASSOCIATED
MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATIONS

On Thursday, September 6, 2007 at 6:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as the matter can be heard, the Humboldt County Planning Commission will hold public hearings in the Board of Supervisors' Chamber, Humboldt County Courthouse, Eureka, California, to consider the matters listed below. It is being recommended that the Planning Commission adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration (finding of no significant adverse environmental effect) on the indicated project. For further information regarding the proposed project and the draft Mitigated Negative Declaration may be obtained from the Planning Division of the Humboldt County Community Development Services, 3015 "H" Street, Eureka, California 95501. Telephone (707) 445-7541 (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)

blah blah blah

1. A Parcel Map Subdivision application, Case No. PMS-06-14; ARTHUR & ANN JONES, applicants; File No. APN 312-131-27; Blue Lake area. A Minor Subdivision to divide an approximate 2.3 acre parcel into two (2) parcels of 1.1 and 1.2 acres respectively. The parcel is currently developed with a single family residence and an on-site septic system which will be situated on proposed Parcel 1. Proposed Parcel 1 will continue to be served with water by the City of Blue Lake and proposed Parcel 2 will be served by an on-site well and on-site septic system. The proposed parcels will be accessed via a 25 foot right of way (Buckley Road) which requires an exception to lot width requirements per Section 325-9 of the Subdivision Regulations for proposed Parcel 2. Powers Creek, a perennial creek with a 100 foot Streamside Management Area (SMA) flows through the northerly portion of the parcel toward the west. No reduction in the Streamside Management Area is requested. The project requires an exception to Section 3112-3(a) of the Firesafe Ordinance to allow for a reduced access road width. THE PROJECT SITE IS LOCATED IN HUMBOLDT COUNTY, IN THE BLUE LAKE AREA, ON THE PROPERTY KNOWN AS 58 BUCKLEY ROAD. NOTE: The Humboldt County Planning Commission intends to adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration of Environmental Impact for this project.

more blah blah...

We're approaching the next hurdle!

whatever...

Looks like we didn't get on the August 2nd meeting agenda either. How were we lucky enough to stumble upon the black hole of bureaucracy?

We know for sure that we won't be able to build anything this year, but if the powers that be don't get their s&!# together, we won't be able to build next year either. There are still several hoops to jump through once the lot split is approved before we can build.

baby steps — backward?

We didn't make it onto the July 19th Planning Commission Hearing agenda.

The roller coaster continues.

baby steps — don't get too excited yet.

So, we got word about a week ago that the CA Dept. of Forestry (CDF) has granted our request for an exception concerning the road improvements! WOO HOO! Our case has also been tentatively placed on the agenda for the July Panning Commission Hearing. This does not mean that the Planning Department has recommended our case for approval, though. Public Works still has issues with it, but the CDF exception should help sway Public Works' decision.

We're not jumping up and down yet, but we are crossing our fingers behind our backs and giggling a little bit. The hearing is on July 19 (my little bro's birthday, which I'm taking as a good sign) and we'd like to invite anyone who is on our side of this whole fiasco to show up and plead our case. I've been told I need to put a pillow in my shirt (fake pregnancy) and sob the whole time. I'm not sure I'll go that far, but it should be an emotionally charged meeting.

the latest? not much.

I hear from Andy's dad that the latest news is that the Planning Dept. has submitted a request to the CA Dept. of Forestry (CDF) for them to approve or reject our road improvement plan. As you may remember from an earlier post (http://bluelakebungalow.blogspot.com/2007/01/recap_543.html), the road improvement is the main dispute in our lot split procedure.

Our plan is to trim back the trees and build an 80' turnout between our new driveway and Andy's parent's existing driveway. The county thinks we should put in 400' of new street with storm drains, sidewalks, etc. CDF is supposed to be the first responders in the event of a fire in our area. However, we know that the Blue Lake Fire Dept. actually would be. Whatever. My understanding of this submittal to CDF is that the county needs to find out if CDF thinks that they will be able to maneuver their trucks around the area given the turnout we have planned.

Andy's dad said that the CDF submittal is a timed thing. (THANK GOODNESS!) Meaning: if CDF does not respond negatively within the time period, it's the same as responding positively. Silence equals consent. In this particular case, I think I like it. Let's just hope the time period isn't 6 months.

still nothing...

Nothing to report, one way or the other.
Shit or get off the pot already, people.
You're wasting the taxpayers' money and our time.

our kitchen in Real Simple magazine

Well, not really, but the photo in this Home Depot ad found in Real Simple magazine is a lot like the vision I have for our kitchen-to-be.

Here are the major differences:
• We will NOT have that awful yellow tile!
• The appliances probably won't be stainless steel.
• The oven will be a range, not separate and definitely not next to the refrigerator. What a temperature regulation/energy wasting nightmare!
• There won't be a peninsula on the left side of the kitchen (like in the foreground of the photo).
• I think the cabinets will be darker, and have more craftsman-style doors.
• The island will be split-level, so that the range side is counter height, and the side with all the drawers (which we won't have) will be at bar height to serve as an informal dining space.
• The ceiling won't have exposed rafters, but it will have exposed wood, probably stained knotty pine.
• We will have pendant lights hanging over the island, but not those ugly ones, and we will add a hanging pot rack and skylights above.

So, other than those minor little details, our kitchen layout is essentially the same as the one in the picture.

Oh yeah, and ours won't have a giant work order hanging from the ceiling either.

argh!

We hear the folks in the Planning Dept. are arguing over the definition of "subdivision."

We don't expect a verdict anytime soon.

cross sections of the house

(Click on the image above to see a larger version. All plans, photos and images on this blog are the sole property of Andrew & Lynn Jones and Cleek Co. They are not to be used without the written consent of the aforementioned parties.)

So, the upper left and bottom sections don't show much other than the dormers going through the roof and into rooms with a vaulted ceiling. The upper right section shows exactly how the ceiling (sidetrack: isn't "ceiling" a weird word?! anyway...) is vaulted in the master and two rear bedrooms, but flat over the bathrooms. This will leave unfinished attic space for storage.

other elevations (exterior sides of the house)

(Click on the image above to see a larger version. All plans, photos and images on this blog are the sole property of Andrew & Lynn Jones and Cleek Co. They are not to be used without the written consent of the aforementioned parties.)

Now it's pretty easy to see the Craftsman bungalow touches on the house. The siding changes to shingles when the roof starts, and there are exposed rafters and end brackets. There are skylights in the kitchen and one small skylight in each of the two small bedrooms, since they are on the north side of the house and won't get as much natural light.

the floor plan and front of the house

(Click on the image above to see a larger version. All plans, photos and images on this blog are the sole property of Andrew & Lynn Jones and Cleek Co. They are not to be used without the written consent of the aforementioned parties.)

So, this is the final plan. We think it is absolutely perfect for us and the way we live. You might notice that the biggest change between the last plans and these is that we went from two stories in the garage and studio to just one. I think this will make everything a lot simpler. The dormers all serve as clerestory windows, letting light down into the rooms below. Light is SO important in Humboldt County!

If you don't quite get one part or another, drop a comment and we'll let you know what's going on. :)

the lot plan

(Click on the image above to see a larger version. All plans, photos and images on this blog are the sole property of Andrew & Lynn Jones and Cleek Co. They are not to be used without the written consent of the aforementioned parties.)

The grey box is our future house, and the snake-like grey strip is our driveway.

woo hoo! they're here!

The new plans are here! The new plans are here!

I'm just going to leave them in pdf form so that they're easy for the computer literate to view, zoom in, etc. On second thought, I'm going to have to try something else because Blogger won't accept pdf's. Rats.

new refined plans

Well, I met with DJ on Valentine's Day to discuss the changes that needed to be made to the original plans he had drafted. It seemed like there were a lot of little changes, but it wasn't too bad. (Especially in comparison to a recent nightmare of a project he had started.) When we were done, I was thrilled. I could hardly contain myself as I drove back to Arcata from Eureka. The little changes had created a space that I absolutely loved. I can hardly wait to see the refined drawings!

Once he e-mails the refined drawings, he said I should take them to our chosen contractor and have him do an estimate. This is really frightening, because this is where fun drawings meet dollars and cents. But it also means things are getting closer to becoming real and tangible. I promise to post the new refined plans once they arrive. :)

new plans!

We got new plans from DJ today. (Real, official drafted in AutoCAD plans, not just my cheesy Illustrator sketches.) We are excited to see things become more solidified, but there still need to be changes made. (That's why I'm not going to post the house plans yet.) Not to mention nothing is going to happen if this dang lot split doesn't go through! We're still waiting...

So, here's the plan...

Yep, this is it. The orange line represents our proposed property line. The new lot will be about an acre in size. The green box will be our house. The grey area will be our gravel driveway. The darker grey patch is an asphalt apron, required by the county. The blue part is where we will build a turnout in order to comply with the county's regulations. The rectangles with thicker grey borders are our neighbors' houses, with Andy's folks' house just to the east of ours. (North is up on the map.)

House plans should be the next post...

recap

As soon as Andy was told that he would be given the lot, I started thinking about house plans. We were living in the Bay Area at the time (December 2003) so I began to e-mail architects and builders for ballpark cost estimates. Of course, they couldn't give me an estimate for a house that was going to be built 300 miles away, so I looked on the Internet for architecture firms in Eureka. There was only one, so I e-mailed them. The person who answered my e-mail happened to be DJ Cleek, a Blue Laker that knew Andy and his folks. He was almost ready to break away from the firm and start his own business, too. So, we hired him, and our lot split and homebuilding process began.

In July 2004, Andy and I got engaged, and the wedding seemed to take most of our time. Andy's parents dealt with the lot split in Blue Lake while we planned our wedding for August 2005 in the Bay Area. We moved back to Arcata in January 2005. This made wedding planning more difficult. since we were still focused on the wedding, we didn't do a whole lot related to the lot split. We were married in August 2006, and really focused on the lot split afterward.

We were told, by the county, that we would need 3 things to split the lot:
1) The new lot would have to be at least 1 acre.
2) The lot would have to have access to power.
3) The lot would have to have access to water.

There were rumors that we might have to improve the road as well, then those rumors were put to rest. We were going to have an acre, and could get PG&E to the house, but water was going to be an issue. At some point we were told that because of LAFCO, a statewide water regulation board, would not allow our house to have City of Blue Lake water and sewer services. Even though all of the houses around our lot have city water, ordinances have passed since those houses went in prohibiting the extension of city services over city lines. Our lot happens to be in county jurisdiction, just on the outside of Blue Lake city limits. The city line happens to run down the middle of Blue Lake Blvd., just one lot away from our lot. So, I guess trying to fight LAFCO was our first step in the lot split process.

We lost the fight with LAFCO, so we prepared to put in a septic system and dig a well. We waited for enough rain to fall to conduct wet weather testing for the septic system. In January 2006 we had had enough rain to go out to Blue Lake with a backhoe, dig some giant holes and have an engineer collect soil samples. Eventually, we were told that we had passed the perc test and were cleared for a septic system. As soon as it was dry enough, in June 2006, Andy's parents contacted a well-drilling company. I think it was August before they came out to drill our well. This was extremely frustrating, because DJ had given us a timeline for the whole process, and the well-drilling delay had just set us back at least two months. Once the well was dug, it was discovered that we had plenty of good water in the well. That was a major relief. With that information, the well and the septic, the acre and power, DJ began to draw up the lot split plans and paperwork for the county.

The preliminary lot split plan was filed in the fall of 2006, and we were recommended by all county departments except Public Works. They had found a loophole or two that would require us to repave the road from Blue Lake Blvd. to the north end of the current property. And it all had to be 20 feet wide with 2 foot gutters on either side. That easily would have cost many tens of thousands of dollars, so we did everything we could to work around it. We have revised our lot split plan and resubmitted it. We asked our neighbors who use our little road to sign a letter against the improvements that the county had requested and they did. We have planned to put in an 80 foot gravel turnout to allow traffic to pass. We plan to clear all of the overgrowth from nearby trees. We will have to put in a fire hydrant on our new lot so that the CDF can fight a fire on our property, even though the Blue Lake Volunteer Fire Department would be the first responders. Ugh. We have made all of the necessary changes and accommodations and we hope that the county will accept our plan.

So that's where we stand. Waiting. Over the last 3 years, I have created well over 100 digital files of plans, elevations, ideas, etc. The whole time, DJ has delayed drafting our house plans because without the lot split, there is no house. (Honestly, it was a good thing, too, because we have been through so many completely different versions of the house that we would have had a lot of changes to make and to pay him for. Now we are settled on a plan that we love.) Last Friday, we met with DJ to take a look at the house plans he had drafted for us. They were great. There were some minor changes that needed to be made, as expected, and there will be more to come, but we're very happy with the way things are headed. DJ said the house that I had created, with input from Andy, would be easy for a contractor to build. That was all the validation I needed. I am glad to have gone through this process even though it has been rough at times. I am still optimistic that we will be in a completed house by summer 2008. However, I'm trying not to get too excited about things, since it has taken 3 years to get this far.

the inaugural post

We are having major internet difficulties right now, so I'm going to have to keep this brief.

We started this blog in order to keep a diary of our homebuilding journey, as well as keep our family and friends updated on the process. If some other people, randomly searching for information, happen to find our blog, great.

The two of us were first told that Andy would be given 1 acre in Blue Lake by his parents in December 2003. The plan was this: split the lot, deed the new lot to Andy, Andy takes deed to bank for construction loan, Andy builds house on lot. Sounds easy, right? Not a chance. It's now just over 3 years later, and we're still hung up in the lot split process. I'll try to give a succinct recap in the next post.

Our objectives with this house are fairly simple. We'd like to give the house as much of a Craftsman bungalow aesthetic as possible. We'd like to make the house as "green" as we can afford. We want to end up with a house that is comfortable, beautiful and functional. Some perks that we'd like to include: a printing studio, room for veggie and flower gardens, homes for an Irish Terrier, two goats, a few chickens, and probably a child or two at some point.

So... check back every once in a while. We hope to create some posts of interest. :)