Family room before and after:
Kitchen before and after:
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Interior demolition
Interior demolition has been fast, furious and unrelenting. The downstairs is almost entirely gutted.
Family room before and after:
Kitchen before and after:
Family room before and after:
Kitchen before and after:
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Fee for adding bedrooms?
Un-friggin' believable. This Public Works person at the city told our architect today that this mysterious $1157.13 "developmental impact fee" was for adding bedrooms, which we're not doing.
Think he'd bother to check the city records? Nope, he's using realquest.com, which indeed does list our house as a 2BR. He said people add on without permits all the time and that it's up to us to provide documentation that the house already had 5BR and that the developmental impact fee had already been paid. Never mind that this "developmental impact fee" doesn't appear in the city's fee schedule, or that previous permitted work we've done clearly indicates more than 2 bedrooms.
Think he'd bother to check the city records? Nope, he's using realquest.com, which indeed does list our house as a 2BR. He said people add on without permits all the time and that it's up to us to provide documentation that the house already had 5BR and that the developmental impact fee had already been paid. Never mind that this "developmental impact fee" doesn't appear in the city's fee schedule, or that previous permitted work we've done clearly indicates more than 2 bedrooms.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Demolition starts
Interior demolition starts today! Keyword is interior.
Please don't look up this date on the Permits Timeline.
Please don't look up this date on the Permits Timeline.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Submitted plans
Architect re-submitted to the city today! Bastards tried to send her away when she arrived at 4:30pm, they close at 5pm. The city has 14 days to respond, COB June 18. She's been working really, really hard. Please take your hands off your keyboard and mouse and join me in applause.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Window sign-off
Met w/window guy, signed off on almost all windows, minus a sizing question or two for the architect. Says I'm the first homeowner who's ever brought an architect in to order windows.
There is not going to be a single mistake in numerous oddball windows, not even handle finish or screen material color. It's nailed.
Later note:
Sliding door backward
There is not going to be a single mistake in numerous oddball windows, not even handle finish or screen material color. It's nailed.
Later note:
Sliding door backward
Monday, June 2, 2008
Developmental Impact Fee
Eventful day!
Met with contractor, discussed how to progress with demolition given the permits delay.
Architect arrived during contractor meeting by coincidence, in pursuit of a sewer cleanout as the city's Public Works requires be added (do we already have one? looks like not). Ah. Nothing like seeing your architect and your contractor talking to each other.
This morning we sent an email to the city asking some of the strange fees on the comments list, expressing waning confidence in the whole process. For example, one of the requirements was to upgrade our water meter -- which we already did in 2004. Doesn't the city have a record of this?
This afternoon, someone from Public Works showed up at our house taking photos. Rare, but Dave and I were both home. We asked the guy about the comment "The new accessory building would add the following fees: $1157.13 fee for the SS" that was hand-crossed-out. He said that was a "developmental impact fee," then asked how many bedrooms we have now (4 or 5 depending on if you count closets), then said it was for adding a bedroom. Shrug when I said it's a suite and might not be two rooms, then something about it depends on how you play the rules. Little did I know at the time he wasn't talking about 4-5 bedrooms to 5-6 -- he thought the house had 2. And what's SS?
Encroachment permit? For water meter upgrade. No way Jose, we already did that in 2004, got the signed and paid permit right here. More hand-waving about a sewer cleanout, saying it had to be half-on city property, but a brick retaining wall forces it entirely onto our property, so how could we need an encroachment permit? More hand-waving. Claims neither of our sewer laterals are in the city's records (what, we're on septic?). All public utilities easements and services are supposed to be on the plans, he claims.
Finally, he put us off about the "developmental impact fee" by telling us to look at the fee schedule on their Web site. We did: City of Sunnyvale Fee Schedule. Nothing obvious about "developmental impact fee."
We're documenting all this and will request a full fee itemization. For almost $10,000 in permit fees alone, we're entitled. Unfortunately, this is costing valuable time too.
Met with contractor, discussed how to progress with demolition given the permits delay.
Architect arrived during contractor meeting by coincidence, in pursuit of a sewer cleanout as the city's Public Works requires be added (do we already have one? looks like not). Ah. Nothing like seeing your architect and your contractor talking to each other.
This morning we sent an email to the city asking some of the strange fees on the comments list, expressing waning confidence in the whole process. For example, one of the requirements was to upgrade our water meter -- which we already did in 2004. Doesn't the city have a record of this?
This afternoon, someone from Public Works showed up at our house taking photos. Rare, but Dave and I were both home. We asked the guy about the comment "The new accessory building would add the following fees: $1157.13 fee for the SS" that was hand-crossed-out. He said that was a "developmental impact fee," then asked how many bedrooms we have now (4 or 5 depending on if you count closets), then said it was for adding a bedroom. Shrug when I said it's a suite and might not be two rooms, then something about it depends on how you play the rules. Little did I know at the time he wasn't talking about 4-5 bedrooms to 5-6 -- he thought the house had 2. And what's SS?
Encroachment permit? For water meter upgrade. No way Jose, we already did that in 2004, got the signed and paid permit right here. More hand-waving about a sewer cleanout, saying it had to be half-on city property, but a brick retaining wall forces it entirely onto our property, so how could we need an encroachment permit? More hand-waving. Claims neither of our sewer laterals are in the city's records (what, we're on septic?). All public utilities easements and services are supposed to be on the plans, he claims.
Finally, he put us off about the "developmental impact fee" by telling us to look at the fee schedule on their Web site. We did: City of Sunnyvale Fee Schedule. Nothing obvious about "developmental impact fee."
We're documenting all this and will request a full fee itemization. For almost $10,000 in permit fees alone, we're entitled. Unfortunately, this is costing valuable time too.
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