Layouts and changes... again

Okay, so the last time we showed you anything there was the assumption that the work would be done by us and therefore cost and construction was a key piece of the design.

Well now we've chucked that all out the window.

We're at a point where we've been through one 'designer' (really a structural engineer... who was NO help whatsoever), and have now submitted designs to the Oakland Housing authority for review. That being said, we've finally done another key change to the layout of the house.

After much discussion, much feedback and much fighting, we've changed the layout once more.

Key thing... we got an architect (an actual professional, certified by the state, with papers to prove it) and he's actually responsible.

Thanks be to family for the feedback - as it was good.

As you can see we've killed one bedroom in favor of creating a massive dining room. We've also added an internal staircase that will go down to the lower level. Plus what's not shown, is that we've gotten bigger; Both sideways and lengthwise, we've added around 250 sq ft to the original drawing by going out 10 ft more and 3 feet on either side. This creates a kind of 'wing' effect to the house.

Positives: we gain an awesome dining room, a formal foyer, an even awesomer kitchen... and I even get a walk-in closet. (i hope.)

One big note to keep in mind, this was the first pass - and the actual design has changed somewhat for relevancy to us, and structural requirements. So this is NOT the final plan that was submitted for review by the design board for the county, nor is it the design that we'll be building to.

Now comes the fun part, getting someone to build this for us.

More advice - the worst kind of vice...

So it has been a very long time since there was an update regarding the house, its progress and any new information.

That is partly due to the fact that after discovering the 'hack-job' that was completed on the underside of the house we came to the conclusion that we couldn't finish this project on our own. It simply got too big, and too complex. What started out as moderately complex, now became unrealistic for two DIY-ers to do on evenings and weekends.

We bit the bullet, hired an architect, and began researching the permit background on the house. In the time that we've done that I've learned several things:

1. DO YOUR RESEARCH before starting any job. OMG, why don't I follow my own damn advice I'll never know.

If we'd done this first, (which BTW is really quick and easy to do in Oakland) we would have found out that the 'addition' wasn't legal in any sense of the word. It was originally a porch that was enclosed, poorly at that, and even the porch wasn't in the original plans for the house.

2. If you hire a 3rd party, DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!

Again, I am stupid for not following my own advice. The first architect that we went with... well he was a complete and total flake. To just avoid further pain we paid him off for 4 months of not calling, producing substandard drawings and leaving us in the lurch with permits. (e.g. he'd never filed for permits, and provided only external elevation drawings - no structural drawings of any kind)


3. Be patient, but consistent with everything.

One piece of advice we got from a cousin who does commercial and residential renos; Make sure that you hire someone who has solid business sense over an expert craftsman. Truer words could never have been spoken.

In my limited experience with contractors and subcontractors, I'd rather deal with the business person who shows up on time, provides updates, checks in with me (without me having to hunt him/her down) provides paperwork and completes the job as requested; than work with the craftsman. Remember the craftsman is an Artiste in the truest sense of the word... as a result the work, (when and if completed) is a thing of beauty. But its worse than having your molars pulled by a team of Clydesdales hopped up on amphetamines to get the craftsman to actually do the work, and do it on a budget and in a reasonable amount of time.

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editorial note: I added this entry, as this was about the date and time when we expected to get a response back from the design office regarding our permits. unfortunately we didn't.