Friday, November 5, 2010
October Ouches
We returned to Rancho on about the 3rd of Oct. We had been keeping in touch with Eric about our lot while we were gone. He asked us to go stay on his lot when we returned so that they would have more room to work and also we wouldn't have to be living in the middle of the construction. So we did.
His lot is nice. It is also on the golf course with a big pond. There are reeds growing up in the water so there are tons of fowl. they have Koots,ducks, loons, Herons, and the white osprey. It was nice, but we wanted to be on ours.
While we were gone they poured the concrete which was colored and stained the original concrete to match.
They also started building our deck with a leaf pattern in it.
This deck pic is actually toward the end of the month because I had them take out another pillar.
They continued to work on the framing of the living room entertainment area and continued on the landscaping.
Living room, entertainment center, storage and storage benches
Kitchen counter on left with most of appliances; Island has micro, drawer, oven & storage
Since we came back they have continued their work and we have had to make some changes. One was to change the shape of the entertainment center so it wasn't blocked from the kitchen, or so it wouldn't block the view.
We took out another pillar at the back of the deck to enlarge the deck and also because it was absolutely unnecessary.
During all of this build out obstacles keep getting thrown at us. The really frustrating thing is that they are outside changes.
The first step in all this is to submit a plan (drawing) to the Architectural committee here at Rancho. Once they approve it you go down to the county and get your electrical, roofing and plumbing permits. Due to the metal being used to build the walls and cabinetry we were not required to have a building permit from the county. The committee approved our plans and we obtained our permits in July. So we proceeded. Eric started digging and forming and Greg started putting in all the underground conduit for the electrical. Then we had the inspector come in for the underground electrical. It passed, but while here the inspector told me if we did not have a plumbing permit we could not cut a hole for a sink or run any pipes up to the counter or he would make us rip it all out. I passed this on to Eric. In the past you could do what are called "futures" and get everything ready but not hook it all up until you had the permit. We knew we could not get a plumbing permit until the septic system was certified and that was supposed to be done while we were on vacation.
When we got back we found that we had not been certified and in fact our septic sys failed and has to be fixed which will be a couple months from now (it is 4 Nov as I write this) Ok, so no washer, sink, dishwasher for a while. So we continued.. The counters got all built so Greg put in all the wires and boxes for switches, plugs, lights etc. The inspector came out to inspect his rough in and would not sign off because he wants Eric to have a permit for his walls. This is a change and they were not required when we built the walls. Frustrating. So Greg cannot go any further.
Meanwhile, Chris, who is going to build our Palapa was supposed to have submitted his new drawings to the engineer and get the new permit while we were gone but he never got to it. Now the county is really backed up and he has 2 weeks of no work because he is waiting on 3 permits and he hasn't even put ours in yet. We have no idea when we will have our palapa started.
Work progressed and we continue to be patient.
One day we decided to measure the width of our rig at it's widest point with the slides out. So we did and took these measurements over to our lot. We discovered that when the rig is in place with all the slides open there is only 2 1/2 feet between it and the counter on the island where bar chairs are supposed to go. Not enough room to get around if someone is sitting at the counter. So, we had to get them to move the counter. Much better now.
Themonth was coming to an end and someone wanted to rent Eric's lot for the entire month of November. Lucky for us and him. For us it meant we got to go back to our lot. So on the Friday of Halloween weekend they cleaned up our lot and we got to go home.
The next obstacle was that Pete of the Arch, committee came by and told me the President of the Homeowners Assoc was going to make me take out our Canary Palm because some of the branches hang into the street. He also told us the section behind our lot which has a mow curb and will have plants, decomposed granite, and flag stone has to come out because they don't want them to have them anymore. I was very, very, very unhappy about that. Then the following week, the straw that broke the camel's back, was that we can't have any 220 elec. which means no dryer or oven, AND all the appliances have to be built in with "door" covering them. I hit the fan. The electrical was the last straw and as I was talking to Eric about it he told me he had a meeting with the Arch committee that morning and would I like to come. OH YEAH! I had three hours to prepare so I grabbed all the paperwork I had pertaining to the CC&Rs, the Arch. committee guidelines, the HOA rules and regs and I went through them and I highlighted everthing that had to do with our lot. And I showed up. First sitting at the table were just two members of the committee, but while we were waiting for Eric who was stuck in traffic they went and got the Pres of the HOA and the secretary to take notes.
Now I have talked we two of the three committee members and the Pres of the HOA at various times since we started, making it clear that we were following the rules, not doing anything without permits, getting updates about the septic sys so we could get our plumbing permit etc. I actually have a good relationship with all but one member and that is only because he has been away and just came back. He is the one who told me about the tree and the back.
Well, I went through all my highlighted documents and pointed out the regs and how we had to have approval, and how they had approved everything and pointed out their signatures and the dates of the approvals etc and any changes they want to make for people building after me is fine and dandy, but they already approved me so stop f------ with me. They were first shocked, then impressed, then agreed with my point and stated that I was fine. Now my issue is with the county and only with the county and so I will have to go and talk to the honcho down there.
I will again have to point out that we have permits to do certain things and that changes they made after they issued our permit must affect those after us and they must honor the permits they gave to us. Soooooooo please fine family and friends, keep us in your thoughts and keep your fingers crossed that they will honor our permits and let us go forward with our plans or the whole thing will have been a total waste of a lot of money.
Mean while, here are more current pictures as of today (November 5th)
Our fountain in the center of the golf cart turn-around with its landscaping
Our view from the kitche into the dining and living rooms and deck
From the front with the rig on it
Utility area left and right are bike lockers, the center is for the washer, dryer and storage
The back extension which will have plants, decomposed granite and flagstone
His lot is nice. It is also on the golf course with a big pond. There are reeds growing up in the water so there are tons of fowl. they have Koots,ducks, loons, Herons, and the white osprey. It was nice, but we wanted to be on ours.
While we were gone they poured the concrete which was colored and stained the original concrete to match.
They also started building our deck with a leaf pattern in it.
This deck pic is actually toward the end of the month because I had them take out another pillar.
They continued to work on the framing of the living room entertainment area and continued on the landscaping.
Living room, entertainment center, storage and storage benches
Kitchen counter on left with most of appliances; Island has micro, drawer, oven & storageSince we came back they have continued their work and we have had to make some changes. One was to change the shape of the entertainment center so it wasn't blocked from the kitchen, or so it wouldn't block the view.
We took out another pillar at the back of the deck to enlarge the deck and also because it was absolutely unnecessary.
During all of this build out obstacles keep getting thrown at us. The really frustrating thing is that they are outside changes.
The first step in all this is to submit a plan (drawing) to the Architectural committee here at Rancho. Once they approve it you go down to the county and get your electrical, roofing and plumbing permits. Due to the metal being used to build the walls and cabinetry we were not required to have a building permit from the county. The committee approved our plans and we obtained our permits in July. So we proceeded. Eric started digging and forming and Greg started putting in all the underground conduit for the electrical. Then we had the inspector come in for the underground electrical. It passed, but while here the inspector told me if we did not have a plumbing permit we could not cut a hole for a sink or run any pipes up to the counter or he would make us rip it all out. I passed this on to Eric. In the past you could do what are called "futures" and get everything ready but not hook it all up until you had the permit. We knew we could not get a plumbing permit until the septic system was certified and that was supposed to be done while we were on vacation.
When we got back we found that we had not been certified and in fact our septic sys failed and has to be fixed which will be a couple months from now (it is 4 Nov as I write this) Ok, so no washer, sink, dishwasher for a while. So we continued.. The counters got all built so Greg put in all the wires and boxes for switches, plugs, lights etc. The inspector came out to inspect his rough in and would not sign off because he wants Eric to have a permit for his walls. This is a change and they were not required when we built the walls. Frustrating. So Greg cannot go any further.
Meanwhile, Chris, who is going to build our Palapa was supposed to have submitted his new drawings to the engineer and get the new permit while we were gone but he never got to it. Now the county is really backed up and he has 2 weeks of no work because he is waiting on 3 permits and he hasn't even put ours in yet. We have no idea when we will have our palapa started.
Work progressed and we continue to be patient.
One day we decided to measure the width of our rig at it's widest point with the slides out. So we did and took these measurements over to our lot. We discovered that when the rig is in place with all the slides open there is only 2 1/2 feet between it and the counter on the island where bar chairs are supposed to go. Not enough room to get around if someone is sitting at the counter. So, we had to get them to move the counter. Much better now.
Themonth was coming to an end and someone wanted to rent Eric's lot for the entire month of November. Lucky for us and him. For us it meant we got to go back to our lot. So on the Friday of Halloween weekend they cleaned up our lot and we got to go home.
The next obstacle was that Pete of the Arch, committee came by and told me the President of the Homeowners Assoc was going to make me take out our Canary Palm because some of the branches hang into the street. He also told us the section behind our lot which has a mow curb and will have plants, decomposed granite, and flag stone has to come out because they don't want them to have them anymore. I was very, very, very unhappy about that. Then the following week, the straw that broke the camel's back, was that we can't have any 220 elec. which means no dryer or oven, AND all the appliances have to be built in with "door" covering them. I hit the fan. The electrical was the last straw and as I was talking to Eric about it he told me he had a meeting with the Arch committee that morning and would I like to come. OH YEAH! I had three hours to prepare so I grabbed all the paperwork I had pertaining to the CC&Rs, the Arch. committee guidelines, the HOA rules and regs and I went through them and I highlighted everthing that had to do with our lot. And I showed up. First sitting at the table were just two members of the committee, but while we were waiting for Eric who was stuck in traffic they went and got the Pres of the HOA and the secretary to take notes.
Now I have talked we two of the three committee members and the Pres of the HOA at various times since we started, making it clear that we were following the rules, not doing anything without permits, getting updates about the septic sys so we could get our plumbing permit etc. I actually have a good relationship with all but one member and that is only because he has been away and just came back. He is the one who told me about the tree and the back.
Well, I went through all my highlighted documents and pointed out the regs and how we had to have approval, and how they had approved everything and pointed out their signatures and the dates of the approvals etc and any changes they want to make for people building after me is fine and dandy, but they already approved me so stop f------ with me. They were first shocked, then impressed, then agreed with my point and stated that I was fine. Now my issue is with the county and only with the county and so I will have to go and talk to the honcho down there.
I will again have to point out that we have permits to do certain things and that changes they made after they issued our permit must affect those after us and they must honor the permits they gave to us. Soooooooo please fine family and friends, keep us in your thoughts and keep your fingers crossed that they will honor our permits and let us go forward with our plans or the whole thing will have been a total waste of a lot of money.
Mean while, here are more current pictures as of today (November 5th)
Our fountain in the center of the golf cart turn-around with its landscaping
Our view from the kitche into the dining and living rooms and deck
From the front with the rig on it
Utility area left and right are bike lockers, the center is for the washer, dryer and storage
The back extension which will have plants, decomposed granite and flagstoneSeptember stress Releif
Many have been complaining that the blog is way out of date, so here we go with the update.
Our lot continued to develop at a snails pace. A wall was built at a different angle than the original drawing and that threw EVERYTHING out of whack. Two counters with planters that were supposed to be at right angle to each other and three feet apart suddenly ran into each other so one had to be eliminated. It was a bit of a nightmare and created nightmares for me causing an inability to sleep. We were having to point inconsistencies out on a daily basisAdditionally, our contractor kept thinking we wanted tons of privacy and so he kept closing us in. We wanted everything open.
To make matters worse, we were going on vacation for 2 1/2 weeks so would not be here to supervise. They surrounded our very small deck with 7 pillars? Why??!! Privacy?! No, no, no, take them out.
We finally got to the point where we thought we had made our wishes clear enough for them to understand and felt pretty comfortable about going on vacation.
We left on the 13th and headed to Fresno for a couple days where we visited with my Dad & Stepmother and celebrated my brother's 52nd birthday.
Then we grabbed my Mother and her darling little Yorkie named Charlie and headed to Washington State. The first night we stayed in Redding, CA, the next night in Bend, OR and then arrived at Lake Chelan, Washington on Friday the 17th. It was a pretty easy trip going up.
The purpose of the trip was to spend time with my cousins from Seattle, their kids, and their father who is my Uncle. My uncle Art is my Mother's brother-in-law and she has known him since she was 9 years old. That always amazes me. He is in his 90s.My cousins rented a house on the lake for a month and a half. Unfortunately, they didn't get their reservations in early enough so had to move out for one weekend (the weekend we arrived) and then back in on the following Monday for the duration.
Lake Chelan is beautiful.. Very comparable to Tahoe. It is northwest of Wenachee.
It is only about 90 miles south of the Canadian border.
My cousin Ken and his wife have a boat, their son Ty has a jet ski, they also have a kayak, and of course there is swimming. The only problem was that is was overcast and raining most of the time we were there. We did, however, get a couple days of golf in without getting rained on and about 3 bike rides all of which ended early either due to rain or the threat of rain.
Sooooo, we spent our time playing pinochle, drinking wine, eating delicious food to include picked straight off the trees (or bushes) apples, peaches, and blueberries. Yum Yum. We also had great laughs and wonderful time catching up and visiting with everyone. We ate several meals at this wonderful place called Blueberry hill which is a bluberry ranch; We took the boat way down the lake to their favorite picnic spot where we all had to swim out (through the freezing water) to this big rock. It is tradition! It is just a really beautiful area.
Cat, Barb & Mom @ Blueberry hill
Rob & Cat at Blueberry Hills
Rob & Cat on the dock at the house in Chelan
My second cousin Ty with his son Braden
Cat swimming to "the Rock" .JPG)
Ron & my cousin Ken
My cousin Ken & Uncle Art playing poker..who's the card shark?!
charlie, Cat, Mom, Barb & Uncle Art
One especially crazy night was spent playing Pictionary with Mom, Rob, my cousin Ken and his wife Barb, her sister Gail and Gail's husband Ron. We play guys against gals. OMG we laughed so hard we were in tears and begging to stop for just a minute so we could breathe.
Ken and Barb's oldest son announced their engagement and plan to marry at Chelan next year so we will go again.
Unfortunately, vacation ended so we had to leave the lake. The first night we drove to Portland, OR and put Rob on a plane to go home. Mom and I continued the journey on our own.
We went to Grant's Pass, OR for a couple days to visit her cousins. They live in the woods in a beautiful area. They have a motor home and extra hookups for electrical and water. Only problem was I had to back the RV in down this very, very narrow dirt road and avoid all the overhanging trees. But, I masterfully succeeded! Charlie and I stayed in the rig and Mom slept in the house with them. We went out to dinner and had a fun day exploring Ashlan..
Fulton's home in the woods, Grants Pass, OR
Mom with her cousins; Jim and Marty Fulton
From there we drove to Sacramento and spent the night at Cal Expo's RV park, then to Fresno.
I stayed in Fresno for a couple days visiting my Dad & Barb and then continued on home.
I had a great time with my Mom and am so happy that I was able to spend the time with her. Originally she didn't want to go, thought it would be too much, but it all worked out really well. She did great in the RV and her little dog is a sweetie, and it was all good.
Rob, in the mean time had a trip to Hawaii and then stayed in the trailer at LAX so we could go together to see the work that had been completed on our lot.
Our lot continued to develop at a snails pace. A wall was built at a different angle than the original drawing and that threw EVERYTHING out of whack. Two counters with planters that were supposed to be at right angle to each other and three feet apart suddenly ran into each other so one had to be eliminated. It was a bit of a nightmare and created nightmares for me causing an inability to sleep. We were having to point inconsistencies out on a daily basisAdditionally, our contractor kept thinking we wanted tons of privacy and so he kept closing us in. We wanted everything open.
To make matters worse, we were going on vacation for 2 1/2 weeks so would not be here to supervise. They surrounded our very small deck with 7 pillars? Why??!! Privacy?! No, no, no, take them out.
We finally got to the point where we thought we had made our wishes clear enough for them to understand and felt pretty comfortable about going on vacation.
We left on the 13th and headed to Fresno for a couple days where we visited with my Dad & Stepmother and celebrated my brother's 52nd birthday.
Then we grabbed my Mother and her darling little Yorkie named Charlie and headed to Washington State. The first night we stayed in Redding, CA, the next night in Bend, OR and then arrived at Lake Chelan, Washington on Friday the 17th. It was a pretty easy trip going up.
The purpose of the trip was to spend time with my cousins from Seattle, their kids, and their father who is my Uncle. My uncle Art is my Mother's brother-in-law and she has known him since she was 9 years old. That always amazes me. He is in his 90s.My cousins rented a house on the lake for a month and a half. Unfortunately, they didn't get their reservations in early enough so had to move out for one weekend (the weekend we arrived) and then back in on the following Monday for the duration.
Lake Chelan is beautiful.. Very comparable to Tahoe. It is northwest of Wenachee.
It is only about 90 miles south of the Canadian border.
My cousin Ken and his wife have a boat, their son Ty has a jet ski, they also have a kayak, and of course there is swimming. The only problem was that is was overcast and raining most of the time we were there. We did, however, get a couple days of golf in without getting rained on and about 3 bike rides all of which ended early either due to rain or the threat of rain.
Sooooo, we spent our time playing pinochle, drinking wine, eating delicious food to include picked straight off the trees (or bushes) apples, peaches, and blueberries. Yum Yum. We also had great laughs and wonderful time catching up and visiting with everyone. We ate several meals at this wonderful place called Blueberry hill which is a bluberry ranch; We took the boat way down the lake to their favorite picnic spot where we all had to swim out (through the freezing water) to this big rock. It is tradition! It is just a really beautiful area.
Cat, Barb & Mom @ Blueberry hill
Rob & Cat at Blueberry Hills
Rob & Cat on the dock at the house in Chelan
My second cousin Ty with his son Braden
Cat swimming to "the Rock" .JPG)
Ron & my cousin Ken
My cousin Ken & Uncle Art playing poker..who's the card shark?!
charlie, Cat, Mom, Barb & Uncle ArtOne especially crazy night was spent playing Pictionary with Mom, Rob, my cousin Ken and his wife Barb, her sister Gail and Gail's husband Ron. We play guys against gals. OMG we laughed so hard we were in tears and begging to stop for just a minute so we could breathe.
Ken and Barb's oldest son announced their engagement and plan to marry at Chelan next year so we will go again.
Unfortunately, vacation ended so we had to leave the lake. The first night we drove to Portland, OR and put Rob on a plane to go home. Mom and I continued the journey on our own.
We went to Grant's Pass, OR for a couple days to visit her cousins. They live in the woods in a beautiful area. They have a motor home and extra hookups for electrical and water. Only problem was I had to back the RV in down this very, very narrow dirt road and avoid all the overhanging trees. But, I masterfully succeeded! Charlie and I stayed in the rig and Mom slept in the house with them. We went out to dinner and had a fun day exploring Ashlan..
Fulton's home in the woods, Grants Pass, OR
Mom with her cousins; Jim and Marty FultonFrom there we drove to Sacramento and spent the night at Cal Expo's RV park, then to Fresno.
I stayed in Fresno for a couple days visiting my Dad & Barb and then continued on home.
I had a great time with my Mom and am so happy that I was able to spend the time with her. Originally she didn't want to go, thought it would be too much, but it all worked out really well. She did great in the RV and her little dog is a sweetie, and it was all good.
Rob, in the mean time had a trip to Hawaii and then stayed in the trailer at LAX so we could go together to see the work that had been completed on our lot.
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