Floor Plan Update

Still waiting, but we did decide to change our floor plan. The new one is very similar to the original...just a few tweaks and the footprint stretched out by 3 feet. Since we had to get a few more things done at the city we found that it would take just as long if we switched plans than if we waited for the original one to be completed. We were planning on making a handful of changes to the original plan during construction, but this new one incorporates all the changes ahead of time. So in a way this will make it easier!!


http://www.designsforliving.net/Craftsman%20Order%20Pages/3005C33.htm

Floor Plan Update

Still waiting, but we did decide to change our floor plan. The new one is very similar to the original...just a few tweaks and the footprint stretched out by 3 feet. Since we had to get a few more things done at the city we found that it would take just as long if we switched plans than if we waited for the original one to be completed. We were planning on making a handful of changes to the original plan during construction, but this new one incorporates all the changes ahead of time. So in a way this will make it easier!!


http://www.designsforliving.net/Craftsman%20Order%20Pages/3005C33.htm

Still waiting

It's looking as if we won't be starting the house until after the new year. We've had a few set backs...most having to do with one nasty lady down at the city. We finally have overcome her nastiness and are so close to having approved permits. I was reading some old emails and I found our original submission to the city. We began this process June 20th. I can't believe it's taken this long. I've heard it takes a while to get your plans approved, but this has been ridiculous.

On a positive note - while we've been waiting for the go-ahead we've had time to finish up on some projects. Our current house is all done and has been on the market for the last month. Complete with new roof, carpet, windows, paint, and total kitchen remodel!! Good thing it hasn't sold yet considering we have no place to move to.



And then there was Pine Street........

The down time has also allowed us to finish up on our first adventure in house flipping. Pine Street as we lovingly named it was just completed and as of yesterday it is officially on the market. Anyone need a 3100 sq ft house and a lot to build on??













And yes they are the same color!! I liked the color we painted Pine Street so much I decided to paint our house the same.

Still waiting

It's looking as if we won't be starting the house until after the new year. We've had a few set backs...most having to do with one nasty lady down at the city. We finally have overcome her nastiness and are so close to having approved permits. I was reading some old emails and I found our original submission to the city. We began this process June 20th. I can't believe it's taken this long. I've heard it takes a while to get your plans approved, but this has been ridiculous.

On a positive note - while we've been waiting for the go-ahead we've had time to finish up on some projects. Our current house is all done and has been on the market for the last month. Complete with new roof, carpet, windows, paint, and total kitchen remodel!! Good thing it hasn't sold yet considering we have no place to move to.



And then there was Pine Street........

The down time has also allowed us to finish up on our first adventure in house flipping. Pine Street as we lovingly named it was just completed and as of yesterday it is officially on the market. Anyone need a 3100 sq ft house and a lot to build on??













And yes they are the same color!! I liked the color we painted Pine Street so much I decided to paint our house the same.

Gravel dump

When Andy dug out the new road to the shop at the bottom of our property he created a mud pit. So..we brought in loads of gravel to start filling it in and to hopefully compact into a hard surface. This is just the first load. Yes the photo quality is bad, but that is also due to the horrid rain we've been having. Andy was soaked!!

House update! The city has again contradicted themselves and now are telling us that they won't approve the garage permit until the house has been completely reviewed. Funny, that is not what we were told four months ago when we started. So we are still waiting. Hopefully the house should be approved in the next month (fingers crossed!!) and we can finally get this show on the road. For now, our big pits that have been dug out for the house and garage look like the in ground swimming pool that I've always wanted.

Gravel dump

When Andy dug out the new road to the shop at the bottom of our property he created a mud pit. So..we brought in loads of gravel to start filling it in and to hopefully compact into a hard surface. This is just the first load. Yes the photo quality is bad, but that is also due to the horrid rain we've been having. Andy was soaked!!

House update! The city has again contradicted themselves and now are telling us that they won't approve the garage permit until the house has been completely reviewed. Funny, that is not what we were told four months ago when we started. So we are still waiting. Hopefully the house should be approved in the next month (fingers crossed!!) and we can finally get this show on the road. For now, our big pits that have been dug out for the house and garage look like the in ground swimming pool that I've always wanted.

Nothing new to report

We were hoping that the concrete pour would have happened this coming week, but our plans are still under review at the city. We also had an unexpected delay due to the fire sprinker system. Turns out that the city now requires complete plans of the system before construction begins...of course every sprinkler vendor is backed up. Our other option is to pay to have a new fire hydrant installed 100 feet closer than the existing hydrant. No thanks! Hopefully we can start the garage foundation before heading to Mexico on our much needed mini vacation.

In the mean time.....we have 10 sheep that live next door during the summer months. Here's a picture of Andy introducing himself....proper neighborly conduct. :)

Nothing new to report

We were hoping that the concrete pour would have happened this coming week, but our plans are still under review at the city. We also had an unexpected delay due to the fire sprinker system. Turns out that the city now requires complete plans of the system before construction begins...of course every sprinkler vendor is backed up. Our other option is to pay to have a new fire hydrant installed 100 feet closer than the existing hydrant. No thanks! Hopefully we can start the garage foundation before heading to Mexico on our much needed mini vacation.

In the mean time.....we have 10 sheep that live next door during the summer months. Here's a picture of Andy introducing himself....proper neighborly conduct. :)

Excavation Day 2

Another day of digging. The house and garage are now completely dug out. We have huge dirt piles everywhere. Andy decided to change the existing road to the shop so that it wasn't running through the middle of the property. They moved it over closer to the property line so now there is a road as wide as Hwy 217 running through the lot. Next step is to bring in a lot of gravel to pour on the new road and start compacting. The big piles of dirt that are left will be used to backfill the house once the concrete foundation is poured and to push down to hill to make our yard even bigger. Got dirt?? We need more!
After the lot was excavated we put down tarps to keep it dry from the rain.

Excavation Day 2

Another day of digging. The house and garage are now completely dug out. We have huge dirt piles everywhere. Andy decided to change the existing road to the shop so that it wasn't running through the middle of the property. They moved it over closer to the property line so now there is a road as wide as Hwy 217 running through the lot. Next step is to bring in a lot of gravel to pour on the new road and start compacting. The big piles of dirt that are left will be used to backfill the house once the concrete foundation is poured and to push down to hill to make our yard even bigger. Got dirt?? We need more!
After the lot was excavated we put down tarps to keep it dry from the rain.

Breaking Ground on 10/17/06

Today was the big day - We've officially broken ground on the project. We've had the property ready to be excavated for a few weeks and the day of "the big dig" has finally come! Don Burke Excavating arrived at 7:30AM to drop off the machinery. Traffic on Multnomah Blvd had to be stopped so this big monster could back down the road. I've never seen so much dirt!

Breaking Ground on 10/17/06

Today was the big day - We've officially broken ground on the project. We've had the property ready to be excavated for a few weeks and the day of "the big dig" has finally come! Don Burke Excavating arrived at 7:30AM to drop off the machinery. Traffic on Multnomah Blvd had to be stopped so this big monster could back down the road. I've never seen so much dirt!

Demo

This is Andy & Nick's favorite part so far....Demolition! A few other surprises were found in the run down house that we removed from the property. At first we were going to try to live there while we were building...good thing we changed our mind.

Along with the property we purchased a backhoe....the best investment ever!

Of course we needed more than a backhoe to do demo.....so we rented another toy for Andy and Nick. A Trackhoe!

Demo

This is Andy & Nick's favorite part so far....Demolition! A few other surprises were found in the run down house that we removed from the property. At first we were going to try to live there while we were building...good thing we changed our mind.

Along with the property we purchased a backhoe....the best investment ever!

Of course we needed more than a backhoe to do demo.....so we rented another toy for Andy and Nick. A Trackhoe!