Ok, so now that the applications for permits are in and under review, there is some very important work to be done.
LETS GET SOME BIDS!!!!!
We will likely use the same supplier
for many of the materials but just thought I'd list
everything out so you could see the long list of the decisions that need
to be made. Here's hoping our marriage survives...
Excavator
Concrete
Septic installation
Well installation
Rough Carpentry (house framing)
Siding
Windows
Garage Doors
Electrical
Plumbing
Utilities installation-see prior blog entry
Roofing
Gutters
HVAC
Drywall
Finish Carpentry
Doors
Door hardware
Kitchen cabinetry
Kitchen appliances
Bathroom (we'll have 3) cabinetry & fixtures
Flooring-hardwood, tile, carpet
LIGHTING-for everywhere!!
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Permit Application has been submitted
So we got the final floor plans and outbuilding plans. Worth every penny, they are perfect! Or at least I hope the county thinks they are perfect and issues our permit pronto.
So I headed over to county to submit the permit applications and drawings and that was fun. I asked if we could pick out our own address. That got a good laugh.
But actually it went pretty well. Our architect had given us a name of someone to speak with, who I called in advance. He was very helpful and gave me a couple pointers. I did also try to sweeten the application, literally. I brought donuts. I can hear you all now, and no, I am not trying to bribe them. It's just my way of saying Thank you...in advance.
So, lets see what happens in another week, will we have an address?
What about 2 weeks from now, will we have permits?
Guess you'll have to tune in to find out.
Did I mention that I also picked up our APPROVED Septic and Well PERMIT from Environmental & Health. The Planning & Development team needed it anyway, as part of their permitting packet.
By the way, we are having a party this weekend at the property. I am calling it the "we submitted our plans for permit approval" party. But really it's a party to cut down more trees, clear more brush and split logs. The weather is turning spring-like, the permits are submitted and we are getting all our contractors bids. Things are starting to move along and hopefully before too long I'll have some cool pictures of house building progress!
So I headed over to county to submit the permit applications and drawings and that was fun. I asked if we could pick out our own address. That got a good laugh.
But actually it went pretty well. Our architect had given us a name of someone to speak with, who I called in advance. He was very helpful and gave me a couple pointers. I did also try to sweeten the application, literally. I brought donuts. I can hear you all now, and no, I am not trying to bribe them. It's just my way of saying Thank you...in advance.
So, lets see what happens in another week, will we have an address?
What about 2 weeks from now, will we have permits?
Guess you'll have to tune in to find out.
Did I mention that I also picked up our APPROVED Septic and Well PERMIT from Environmental & Health. The Planning & Development team needed it anyway, as part of their permitting packet.
By the way, we are having a party this weekend at the property. I am calling it the "we submitted our plans for permit approval" party. But really it's a party to cut down more trees, clear more brush and split logs. The weather is turning spring-like, the permits are submitted and we are getting all our contractors bids. Things are starting to move along and hopefully before too long I'll have some cool pictures of house building progress!
Monday, March 9, 2015
In the meantime
Time for an update folks!
In case you hadn't guessed, we still don't have our final plans. The house is ready but they needed more time for the outbuilding. So we decided to wait to submit the house, as the outbuilding is already on the site plan and we would be bidding and constructing at the same time, so it only makes sense to submit them for permit at the same time. We have our appt set to pick up plans this Wednesday and we are really hoping to walk out with them, as the longer this goes on the longer it's likely to take the county to review and issue our permits, since we are now getting towards the busy construction season. Did anyone notice how beautiful it was out today?!
In the meantime we met again with our first choice builder. He took the "almost" final plans from us and is going to start getting bids from some of his subs. We also went to the lumber yard to start discussing materials. Decisions will be upon us before we know it.
Lastly, I thought I'd share something else cool we discovered. There are draft plans to put a very nice conservation area right across the main road from our new property. Being near a park for the kids and accessible biking and running trails were 2 things I knew I would miss about our current home location.
While currently there are no funds or timeline to develop the park, it is a step in the right direction that a final plan is drawn and up for vote in June. Just as we hope to see happen with our house, a plan can turn into reality before you know it...
In case you hadn't guessed, we still don't have our final plans. The house is ready but they needed more time for the outbuilding. So we decided to wait to submit the house, as the outbuilding is already on the site plan and we would be bidding and constructing at the same time, so it only makes sense to submit them for permit at the same time. We have our appt set to pick up plans this Wednesday and we are really hoping to walk out with them, as the longer this goes on the longer it's likely to take the county to review and issue our permits, since we are now getting towards the busy construction season. Did anyone notice how beautiful it was out today?!
In the meantime we met again with our first choice builder. He took the "almost" final plans from us and is going to start getting bids from some of his subs. We also went to the lumber yard to start discussing materials. Decisions will be upon us before we know it.
Lastly, I thought I'd share something else cool we discovered. There are draft plans to put a very nice conservation area right across the main road from our new property. Being near a park for the kids and accessible biking and running trails were 2 things I knew I would miss about our current home location.
While currently there are no funds or timeline to develop the park, it is a step in the right direction that a final plan is drawn and up for vote in June. Just as we hope to see happen with our house, a plan can turn into reality before you know it...
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Update on our Floor Plans
We got good news today. They have made the final revisions to our floor plans and have passed them through their quality controls. Our main architect at the firm has them on his desk and has promised me to send via email tonight or tomorrow morning. This will give us one last look and then we can schedule to go in and pick them up.
In the meantime, Alex and his dad have been working on the Garage plans. Those are shaping up very nicely.
We've decided at this point to see if our architect can review those as well. It just didn't make a lot of sense to submit without having a more trained set of eyes on them. A bit extra time (and possibly cost) on the front end will hopefully save us time and money on the back end.
So... I'm still hoping to get everything submitted to the County by the end of this week. Even though the temps keep dropping and thus there is no excavation on the near horizon, I am stressing about this part and pushing everyone. Not only because I feel a couple of days could make a big difference in the review process (again, I would like to submit now while their workload is light), but because honestly I am sick of window shopping. I am ready for the plans to be done so we can get to the bidding part of the project. I'd like to see if all my research and budgeting has been somewhat accurate. Or better yet, it would be awesome to see some of the line items come in under budget. Afterall, I would like to plant some grass and a garden at the new house when it's done!
In the meantime, Alex and his dad have been working on the Garage plans. Those are shaping up very nicely.
We've decided at this point to see if our architect can review those as well. It just didn't make a lot of sense to submit without having a more trained set of eyes on them. A bit extra time (and possibly cost) on the front end will hopefully save us time and money on the back end.
So... I'm still hoping to get everything submitted to the County by the end of this week. Even though the temps keep dropping and thus there is no excavation on the near horizon, I am stressing about this part and pushing everyone. Not only because I feel a couple of days could make a big difference in the review process (again, I would like to submit now while their workload is light), but because honestly I am sick of window shopping. I am ready for the plans to be done so we can get to the bidding part of the project. I'd like to see if all my research and budgeting has been somewhat accurate. Or better yet, it would be awesome to see some of the line items come in under budget. Afterall, I would like to plant some grass and a garden at the new house when it's done!
Friday, February 13, 2015
Working with the Utility Companies
NICOR-GAS
Our new construction representative has been out to the property to locate the nearest gas main. It is on the other side of the road. He has given me quotes for boring all the way back to the home or for just boring under the road and then trenching thru the property. We will opt for boring. It's more expensive, but will make sense given the limited space we have.
We will submit our application for service when we are in the foundation backfill stage. This will give them time to have their field supervisor come out and firm up the project.
COMED-ELECTRIC
I met with the new service coordinator out at the property. She was quite frank in advising me to have our electric trench dug and installed by a private contractor vs the utility company doing it. We will need what she calls a "primary package". Meaning, Comed will install a pole at the front of our property and we will install a pole in our "yard" to connect it to. Then our line will run (over or under) until reaching a transformer, which Comed will supply to us.
I then reached out to her recommended contractor who visited the property and let me know his recommendation is to run the first 125' from their pole to our pole overhead (thus the pole will be half way down the driveway. Thus getting that first 125' free from Comed. At that point it will drop down and run a trench out to the transformer. He couldn't quote me specifics, but after asking he did say it would save us a couple grand if we do the trench work ourselves. He is thinking it is going to be extremely rocky and full of tree roots....
In the meantime he suggested getting our ticket open with Comed asap so the pole they are putting in is done (he said they could take up to 2 months). I advised that I would do so as soon as we have an official address-which we won't get until our permit is approved.
AT&T-PHONE & INTERNET
This was probably the biggest run around. I spoke to one person who said they don't have service where we are. However, we can see their lines. And our neighbor confirmed he had service.
I called back and it was clarified they don't offer Uverse but a landline could be installed. She said we would need to trench ourselves. I confirmed with private electrical contractor (see above) that he could lay the line. My uncle said to just leave 20' coiled at each end and then call them for the hook up.
Our new construction representative has been out to the property to locate the nearest gas main. It is on the other side of the road. He has given me quotes for boring all the way back to the home or for just boring under the road and then trenching thru the property. We will opt for boring. It's more expensive, but will make sense given the limited space we have.
We will submit our application for service when we are in the foundation backfill stage. This will give them time to have their field supervisor come out and firm up the project.
COMED-ELECTRIC
I met with the new service coordinator out at the property. She was quite frank in advising me to have our electric trench dug and installed by a private contractor vs the utility company doing it. We will need what she calls a "primary package". Meaning, Comed will install a pole at the front of our property and we will install a pole in our "yard" to connect it to. Then our line will run (over or under) until reaching a transformer, which Comed will supply to us.
I then reached out to her recommended contractor who visited the property and let me know his recommendation is to run the first 125' from their pole to our pole overhead (thus the pole will be half way down the driveway. Thus getting that first 125' free from Comed. At that point it will drop down and run a trench out to the transformer. He couldn't quote me specifics, but after asking he did say it would save us a couple grand if we do the trench work ourselves. He is thinking it is going to be extremely rocky and full of tree roots....
In the meantime he suggested getting our ticket open with Comed asap so the pole they are putting in is done (he said they could take up to 2 months). I advised that I would do so as soon as we have an official address-which we won't get until our permit is approved.
AT&T-PHONE & INTERNET
This was probably the biggest run around. I spoke to one person who said they don't have service where we are. However, we can see their lines. And our neighbor confirmed he had service.
I called back and it was clarified they don't offer Uverse but a landline could be installed. She said we would need to trench ourselves. I confirmed with private electrical contractor (see above) that he could lay the line. My uncle said to just leave 20' coiled at each end and then call them for the hook up.
Getting ready to submit for permit
We are in the stretch now where I am buttoning up loose ends, so that we can submit our application for permit as soon as we get our completed plans from the architect. Here's a look back on some of the things I've worked on to prepare.
Impact fees:
School District-did you know that if you build a home in subdivision, your builder incorporates these fees into your price? When you are building for yourself, you pay directly to the school district you will live in. I called someone there in finance, who told me to call city/township. I told her we are in Unincorporated, but she didn't seem to care. I called county and they confirmed, pay to district. I called township, she called district, we got it all figured out. I paid. FYI, you'd be surprised how much this costs....
Fire District-Headed over to the FD that will service our property. .I had previously spoken to them, just to ensure there wouldn't be any specific requirements for sprinkler system in the home or our driveway width. I paid the small impact fee. I really pray we never have to use their services however.
Note: Many other towns will have Park District impact fee as well. We didn't. Basically you look on a tax bill to see what may be impacted.
County Road access-remember our Christmas Culvert? I contacted the permitting person to confirm whether or not they would issue a certificate to be submitted with my permit. They said just to give the permit. I will be printing that email and attaching it to my application. LOL.
I also made a few calls to County to see how their current workload is, to have an idea of what turnaround on our permits will be (remember the contractor who scared the bejeezus out of me).
Environmental & Health Dept-they will review septic & well permit application, including our site plan. They are currently at 5 days or less for turnaround. I don't anticipate any problems, our site planner is Awesome.
Planning & Development-they have a 3 pronged review:
Stormwater-they will look at how much land is being displaced, are you in a flood plain, etc. Again, don't anticipate any problems, as our site planner already prepared me for what they might require, as we will have a intermediate project (vs Minor) b/c we are displacing more than 20,000 cubic feet of soil-simply b/c we have a long driveway, a home and an outbuilding.
Zoning-they will look at ordinances, etc. Given we went through the variance process and I will be attaching that letter, there better not be any additional surprises that come up on this property!
Plan Examining-they will review the drawings of the house from our architect and the drawings of our outbuilding (from Menards). This is the one that scares me a little. Don't get me wrong I have complete faith in our architect, but he has also said that the county plans examiners are hit or miss, it will depend on who gets assigned.
In the end my calls told me that P&D is at a 1 week turnaround for new applications (typical is 4-6) and 2 weeks for resubmittals (so when they want you to address any concerns). I think I can live with that, given the ground is covered in 18 inches of snow.
The key will be getting the application in during this "slow time". The longer we wait, the more likely that others will be start thinking of their spring projects and submitting their applications too.
I'm trying to light a fire under our architect at this very moment....
P.S. In the meantime I've also being obtaining insurance quotes for a Builder's risk policy. This will cover our materials and liability.
Impact fees:
School District-did you know that if you build a home in subdivision, your builder incorporates these fees into your price? When you are building for yourself, you pay directly to the school district you will live in. I called someone there in finance, who told me to call city/township. I told her we are in Unincorporated, but she didn't seem to care. I called county and they confirmed, pay to district. I called township, she called district, we got it all figured out. I paid. FYI, you'd be surprised how much this costs....
Fire District-Headed over to the FD that will service our property. .I had previously spoken to them, just to ensure there wouldn't be any specific requirements for sprinkler system in the home or our driveway width. I paid the small impact fee. I really pray we never have to use their services however.
Note: Many other towns will have Park District impact fee as well. We didn't. Basically you look on a tax bill to see what may be impacted.
County Road access-remember our Christmas Culvert? I contacted the permitting person to confirm whether or not they would issue a certificate to be submitted with my permit. They said just to give the permit. I will be printing that email and attaching it to my application. LOL.
I also made a few calls to County to see how their current workload is, to have an idea of what turnaround on our permits will be (remember the contractor who scared the bejeezus out of me).
Environmental & Health Dept-they will review septic & well permit application, including our site plan. They are currently at 5 days or less for turnaround. I don't anticipate any problems, our site planner is Awesome.
Planning & Development-they have a 3 pronged review:
Stormwater-they will look at how much land is being displaced, are you in a flood plain, etc. Again, don't anticipate any problems, as our site planner already prepared me for what they might require, as we will have a intermediate project (vs Minor) b/c we are displacing more than 20,000 cubic feet of soil-simply b/c we have a long driveway, a home and an outbuilding.
Zoning-they will look at ordinances, etc. Given we went through the variance process and I will be attaching that letter, there better not be any additional surprises that come up on this property!
Plan Examining-they will review the drawings of the house from our architect and the drawings of our outbuilding (from Menards). This is the one that scares me a little. Don't get me wrong I have complete faith in our architect, but he has also said that the county plans examiners are hit or miss, it will depend on who gets assigned.
In the end my calls told me that P&D is at a 1 week turnaround for new applications (typical is 4-6) and 2 weeks for resubmittals (so when they want you to address any concerns). I think I can live with that, given the ground is covered in 18 inches of snow.
The key will be getting the application in during this "slow time". The longer we wait, the more likely that others will be start thinking of their spring projects and submitting their applications too.
I'm trying to light a fire under our architect at this very moment....
P.S. In the meantime I've also being obtaining insurance quotes for a Builder's risk policy. This will cover our materials and liability.
Our finalized site plan
I am back from submitting our finalized site plan at County, for our septic and well permit! It feels good to have something submitted, feels like PROGRESS! Once again JR (our site designer) came to my rescue, he met me there to give me the plans and get paid, but since he also had some other items to take care of at County, we dropped off our stuff together. It certainly does help to have someone with you who is so knowledgeable and respected.
A bit of the back story....
We did have to send out a soil engineer to do 3 more soil borings, as the original soil borings were spread throughout the parcel, due to the fact they had intended on building 4-5 homes on the lot.
For the purposes of submitting our septic permit application JR felt it in our best interest to get new borings in the immediate area where our septic field will be on the site. That's all well and fine, except when there is 18 inches of snow on our "driveway" and lot. And there are still trees and brush covering a great deal of the land. So, last weekend the guys finished clearing a path so the soil engineer could get his truck back there. And he was truly a sport to get out there this past Tuesday and we had new reports by Wednesday.Which we sent immediately to JR, who then responded that the new soil results will save us money b/c we don't need as large of a septic field as originally drawn, b/c the soils are that good.
And ta-da here is our finalized site plan, which, as previously mentioned, has now been submitted to County for permitting.
Keep your fingers crossed!
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