Starting our new life

[ultrarunner]

Wow... just Wow!

Zoning/Restrictions here is going the other way... when I bought in WA I had several home sites... now no more... all the new critical habitat took care of that.

In the Bay Area... they took residential zoned land and implemented restrictions... so very much the same.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Yep... and people wonder why there is a lack of affordable Housing here... (Per the Media Reports)

It is simply the high cost of having just about anything done plus all the fees required to various agencies... making it really only viable to build High End Expensive Homes.

One of my good friends built his home... he is a contractor and the last home he built was his last in the Bay Area...

He built in an area already built up... single family homes... his lot was a flag lot... one of the requirements to build was to provide a fire hydrant... it cost 50,000 to do this and only the municipal water district could do the work...

Never mind this is a public hydrant benefiting all... new regs that went into affect prohibited new construction in area not meeting the fire hydrant requirements...

Again the area was 99% built out with average 10,000 square feet lots.

The property my parents owned was zoned single family residential with 5,000 minimum lots... new building regs mean maybe 3 homes can go where 11 were allowed... kind of a not in my backyard approach... so the only way to develop would mean the 3 homes would have to sell in the 1.6 million range each...

Rarely do things ever get easier... especially when there is layer after layer having a say...

Wow! The next time we eat out, I will leave a written tip: "Don't build a house in SF/Oakland area". It could save a person a million bucks...

 

[goeduck]

Personally I favor high density high rise development in the big cities, build them to the moon. Then in the rural areas, keep it rural with minimal development.

 

[ultrarunner]

Personally I favor high density high rise development in the big cities, build them to the moon. Then in the rural areas, keep it rural with minimal development.

Thurston County is doing this now... with the protected gopher, past building moratoriums, wetland setbacks, water side restrictions, critical habitat... etc. None of which was in place when I bought

 

[cat fever]

Update;

I have the main water line in and inspected. (passed too:laughing Sorry no pictures.

Next week we'll back fill the foundation, the floor in the crawl space will be poured and framing will start.

We picked out our fire place yesterday. (wood burner) All I can say is WOW!!! I had some bad sticker shock to say the least.

It's a Quadra-fire Pioneer 2. (Although I might change to the 7100) I like the big window, really like to watch the fire burning.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Does a fireplace heat as well as a stove? I saw the price and agree. Ouch!

 

[ovrszd]

Years ago an elderly carpenter gentleman said to me in regards to heating systems.

"Build a good house and it's heating system is secondary. Build a poor house and it's heating system is secondary."

Good to hear of your progress Lynn!!! This week we buried our electrical to the build site. I buried 250ft of the sewer system. Another 50ft will go in once the house pad is poured.

Next week the water district will install 1/2 mile of water main and I'll bury 250ft of service line.

 

[cat fever]

Kyle, until yesterday I thought they were one in the same. I guess in the past I've always had a wood stove insert. This one is called a fireplace but it does the same thing. The salesperson claimed the new one will be much more efficient than anything I've had in the past.

Richard, sounds like you are making good progress. I think our electrical service will be a big headache until its done. There is another guy building a home between the power lines and my house, so we thought we could share the cost (to his home) and get power to both homes. Talking to the power company about doing this is like explaining calculus to a toddler. :confused2:

 

[ovrszd]

My power company has been great to work with. They buried a cable 250ft from the powerline to my build site. Set the transformer pad. Set the meter and 400A disconnect. My side is split in two 200A circuits. One to the shop and one to the house. I had to pay $1200.

Excuse the mess.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Kyle, until yesterday I thought they were one in the same. I guess in the past I've always had a wood stove insert. This one is called a fireplace but it does the same thing. The salesperson claimed the new one will be much more efficient than anything I've had in the past.

Richard, sounds like you are making good progress. I think our electrical service will be a big headache until its done. There is another guy building a home between the power lines and my house, so we thought we could share the cost (to his home) and get power to both homes. Talking to the power company about doing this is like explaining calculus to a toddler. :confused2:

If it truly parlays into reducing your firewood needs, then I can surely see the benefit over years. But remember, just how many times firewood warms you up before you burn it??? I don't see much firewood in your scenic photos. It it over the hill?