First Round of County Revisions…. Baby, Here we COME!
Posted by Key2See Team on February 19, 2020
Remember week 41 of pregnancy, when you got asked “oh you haven’t had that baby yet…”
This building process is a direct correlation to both of my pregnancies… 9 long months, 10 days past my due date, only to be put on Pitocin (medically induced labor ) for a 12-hour labor…. But hey Olivia & Dane were worth the wait I am sure this house will be too. 😊
One year ago nearly to the date 2/22/19 we applied for our first permit; Driveway approach… approved. 4/25/19 geological assessment - processed and immediately approved. Life is good… 4 months in and moving right along. Per usual next step, site plan (septic design, well location house location etc)
Easy… can do this in my sleep (a little nausea, but all appointments quick and easy; 1st trimester).
From the eyes of an outsider and the last 3 times we have done this, applying for your Building Permit was as simple as submitting your building plans, site plan (map of where house will sit, septic location, well location etc.) drainage plan, all along with the actual application from the county. Oh wait…. NOW this needs to be done by a surveyor & engineer (sorry all you DIY builders out there, us included)
We are now at the mercy of “other people” (time slowing down a bit… but still no hiccups; 2nd trimester)
Fast forward a few months… My darling mom gets the question more often than we do…. “wow kids still living at home huh” – (yep, still pregnant 3rd trimester).
12 Months Later - Step #1 Complete. . . Still Pregnant
One year later, we have now submitted ALL of the applications, building plans, engineered drawings, fire suppression plans, septic designs, landslide tests, eagles, owls, salmon oh my... to get to our first round of “REVISIONS.”
This is when I wish we could go back to the old fashion way and sit across the table with all the paper and the county planners could ask us questions and we could answer them. Instead Zach and I check back to the website every 20 minutes to see who has reviewed what, who has approved what and or who has further questions for clarification. Don’t get me wrong I love tech, I am a REALTOR we rely on tech but this lack of human interaction isn’t doing anyone any favors.
I wish instead of making it nearly impossible to get a single building permit the county would spend more of their time with big box builder requirements…. Like requiring design criteria rather than allowing our cute town to start looking like the set from the 1998 film The Truman Show!
I am not asking for the old cowboy way that my dad refers to where you waltz into the county and flash Shirley a smile to get yourself an appointment with your to do list…. But I am asking for a face to face meeting (with the Engineer I just paid a fortune, the septic designer who I gave my left kidney to and the land surveyor that now has rights to my unborn children) to sit together, review and ask questions ending with a big beautiful stamp of approval to get this show on the road.
What’s Next:
We are now in the past due date stage of pregnancy… so we sit and wait. Our first round of revisions aka “redlines” came across, we have answered them and gotten the county the additional information they need…. Here’s the big question will they induce our pregnancy or make us wait 3 more weeks for our baby?!
Welcome to our story! Stay tuned for more to come as we patiently wait for our permit! It is our hope to keep you intrigued and also answer questions you might have throughout this process… or maybe just maybe make you feel not so crazy as you go through this process yourself. Feel free to ask us anything!
- Check back in each Wednesday as we dive into our House building adventure!
- Jenn Hawkins Hansen @gigharborjenn https://key2see.com/east-bay-build
- Zach Hansen www.ZachHansen.com/Blog