Homeowner’s Blog about Home improvement.
Categories: Coral Gables, Life & Style, Real Estate News
hiHOMEOWNER’S BLOG: Earth Date 08.0425.00
It is Friday and not much has happened until yesterday when I received an email from the structural engineer asking me what is the “aggregate alteration area”. As he put it, if it is more than 50% you are $%#&@. Remember that we are dealing in construction language that has many of those symbols.
I had to make certain assumptions; document those assumptions; and run the calculations. Based on those assumptions the total aggregate alteration area was 46% which keeps it from becoming a Level 3 Alteration. A level 3 alteration means that the whole building has to be brought up to today’s code and that costs bocuu dollars.
Of course, now we need to submit that information along with the corrections requested by the building department and in about a week or two I may know if I am still $%&#@ or not. If not then we proceed to get the permit - if yes I may have to review the scope of the work and reduce the scope.
Someone asked me why I start each blog with “HOMEOWNER’S BLOG: Earth Date 08.0409.00″. For most homeowners, home improvements is like a Star Trek journey. It is a journey into the unknown.
Homeowners think they know what they are going to do, but as they get into the permitting process, they find out they are doing much more than planned. They also think they know how much they are going to spend, but quickly learn that assumption was also wrong. Finally, some actually believe the contractor when he says - “it should be done in about 3 months”. However, they don’t know that the contractor meant 3 Saturn months. A year later he still saying “it should be done in about 3 months”.
Finally some inquiry minds wanted to know why I have .00 after the numbers that represent the date. As construction gets started (if we ever get there), there may be multiple entries. For example; “.01-today the plumber is coming to rough in the plumbing”. Later in the day, I may say “.02-the plumber did not show and now the tile setter who was scheduled to come tomorrow has to be rescheduled”. Later that evening, I may have another entry “.03-the plumber called and said he is coming tomorrow - maybe!” The last entry of the day could be, “.04 I lost my patience and threw him in the septic tank - am looking for a new plumber”.
With exception of the septic tank incident, the rest is a typical construction day, if you don’t get the right contractor and sub-contractors. Hopefully I will have some good news next week like; I got the building permit with no additional changes… dream on!
