4/10/2012 Things have been quiet at the lake. The Asbestos is scheduled to be removed this Friday (YAY!) and then I can get the demolition permits started. For some reason the clean air people who permit the asbestos removal had a 10 day waiting period for scheduling the removal. I’ve been told there will be another 10 day waiting period after it is removed before further demolition can take place. So depending on contractor availability and permit approval it looks like the end of April or the beginning of May before the buildings are gone.
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In the meantime I had a carpenter friend clean out the one shed with the asbestos so they could get to the floor. While he was on site he also flagged the property lines for me and set a few fence posts so that I can easily show anyone who needs to know just where the property lines are. With the weather turning nice I plan to be out there more and start figuring out how I want the path to the lake laid out so that it is easier for me to get up and down. What’s that saying “I may have arthritis, but arthritis doesn’t have me!”
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I’ll post some pics and report back after the abatement on Friday. It is very exciting to be moving forward finally on the project. Stay tuned for all the updates!
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3/17/2012 The Asbestos report came back positive for asbestos in the flooring of the bunkhouse. That’s the little building closest to the lake that has the rotting deck on it. I need to call KCB Environmental and see what the next steps are in getting the abatement done. Then I can finally get the demo process going and see what the lot looks like with nothing on it!
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In the meantime I have been working on some plans for the trailer. Because of the size it won’t meet Passive House requirements, but I am still planning on it being very energy efficient and super cool with a large view of the lake. I’ve got some extremely rough draft ideas that I am working on. Currently the plan has 2 rooms – a bathroom/mechanical room and a kitchen/living/bedroom. I thought up a plan to make a sliding counter unit that would cover most of the bed during the day, leaving the foot of the bed for a couch. At night the sliding counter would be pushed up against the other counter in the kitchen, exposing the bed. Here are some sketches (The scale got a bit off, but you can see what the idea is.)
3/6/2012 The nice folks at KCB Environmental came out to the property today. Because access to one of the buildings is so hazardous I told them they could break in through the side of the building rather than risk the rotted deck. They checked samples of all the materials that were suspect for Asbestos in each of the buildings as well as a pile of mineralized roofing paper rolls that were left stacked outside. The reports should be back in 10 days. While they were there they also checked out the propane tank that is located on a ledge behind the trailer. It’s about 60% full. Evidently there used to be a label on the tank and it is not there now so I will need to figure out who owns the tank once the trailer is gone and have that sorted out.
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I popped into the trailer for the first time since buying the place just to get a quick look at all the cupboards. I couldn’t open all the drawers – the moisture level is so high in there the wood has swelled. The mold is incredibly worse than what I saw when I first toured the property. It really is too bad – the trailer was in great condition before the roof leaked and the moisture invaded. It will be good to have it removed, but whatever I bring in I will need to have some kind of plan for the natural humidity that is present. Even the bunkhouse had mold inside. The area is practically a rainforest so it is not surprising. I even have Spanish Moss on some of the trees!
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Because of the moisture conditions I wondered if there would be a benefit of planning one of the sheds to be a pseudo Passive House construction so that we could monitor the humidity conditions of the materials. This climate is considered a marine climate and will react differently than the humidty of a Southern US location because it doesn’t get the temperature extremes. I think I shall run it past Albert to see if he thinks his SIPS would benefit from that. I could also use the project as a learning lab for teaching local contractors about PH construction. I know I want to do that with the cabin, but that won’t happen this year so the shed might be a good starting point for introducing PH concepts.
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2/22/2012 I got the bid back from the GC – it was a little higher than one I got during the purchase of the property, but there were a few extra’s that would be addressed. I did have a few questions about some additional permits and decided to do the legwork on those myself. It turns out that I need to have an asbestos inspection prior to any demolition – this from a different clean air agency than the county. I also would need to pay timber tax for taking down the 11 trees (which is not a problem, unless the trees come down and you don’t know you need to pay that tax and they are gone and you are left not knowing how much wood was harvested.)
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I would rather know all the hoops that need jumping through up front so I asked the questions that mean more work, but I would rather do it right than deal with the headache of having done things wrong. In the process I have discovered that the different agencies I have had to talk to about permits and what can or can’t be done have been extremely helpful and supportive. Because of the slope on the property I am going to hold off on having the trees taken down for now and just focus on the demolition. I want a second opinion on what needs to be done with the trees and whether or not that would push me into a building moratorium because of the slope. It is really a learning experience, and probably the closest I will ever get to real construction… sigh… but I am enjoying every bit of it!
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For now the plan is to get the asbestos inspection, take care of anything found, get the demo done, then see what the lot looks like without the trailer and old buildings. I have the plans for the sheds, I want to preserve the current septic, water, & electricity routes for use with an RV (or the Gypsy trailer I want to build!), the GC wants a new septic system and new runs on the water and electricity to prepare for the house (which is not happening any time soon) just in case the rules change and I can’t do something later. We’ll see.
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2/5/2012 I met with the inspector last Friday. He answered all my questions and walked the whole property with me and a GC who wants to bid the work. It was a great experience. One of the buildings that I want torn down is actually too close to the water, so my removing it will improve the property. The view rights won’t be a problem since the two adjoining parcels have RV’s instead of permanent homes, so they don’t have view rights and the one place that does will not be impacted with what I want to do. He also said changing the slope of my path to the lake shouldn’t be an issue, but that I should leave the natural vegetation since it is a green belt. That works just fine with what I envisioned, though I was glad when he said I could trim back the huckleberries – I want the native Rhodies to be more prominent (but still have lower huckleberry bushes). I am really looking forward to getting started. The GC is working up a bid and I am like a kid waiting for Christmas!
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Something nice did happen right before the inspection – I missed my turn and ended up driving a bit further down the road. With plenty of time I was more curious than irritated so I looked for a good place to turn around and found the most beautiful spot. This isn’t Lake Linda, but close enough that I can come back and visit it some more. I love surprise vistas! I must explore the area more. I can’t wait to move out here.
1/26/2012 I am such a kid at heart. The County inspector called to set up a meeting next week at the lake to do the pre-inspection. I am so excited I can’t stop laughing. I’ve invited the contractor to come along. I am so looking forward to getting this project rolling!
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1/22/2012 I went out to the Lake to see if the snow we got earlier in the week had melted. There was still plenty of snow on the ground AND it was snowing as I drove up there. The good news is the 4WD works on the Jeep just fine! <grin>
1/13/2012 I turned in the pre-inspection paperwork today to grandfather the lake view rights so I can take down the junky trailer and outbuildings. The guy in the planning dept said I was doing the right thing. I told him that was good to know because I hadn’t done permits before and was having fun learning all about it. In the meantime I started playing around with some ideas for the sheds. I have some plans from http://countryplans.com/ that would work just great for adapting to the two styles I want. They have a great forum too if you have questions about building them.
I looked over the offerings at a used construction materials store and saw some cool doors and windows. I decided that it would be great to pick some out for the Potting Shed. My business is called Existing Resources because I love the idea of using things over or in new ways. What better way to put that to use than on my own lot? Once I get some plans firmed up I’ll post pics.
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1/3/2012 Things are coming along at Lake Linda! I will be submitting for a pre-construction inspection, the purpose of which is to grandfather my lake views so I can tear down the trailer!!! That will be great. I need to draw up the proposal and submit that and things can start happening!
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In the meantime, I have signed up for a class on building Gypsy wagons. I think it would be a lot of fun to build one and it will be right at home at Lake Linda.
12/30/2011 Lake Linda
So it is not REALLY called Lake Linda, except it is my dock and shoreline and for 60 whole feet I have set my flag and declared it Lake Linda. Other residents may know it by it’s real name, but everything I am posting on here involves my little slice of paradise and I shall for now call it Lake Linda.
Paradise did come with a rather junky trailer, but hopefully that will be torn down soon and then I can start fresh.
Paradise also came with a few outbuildings that may look quaint from this view, but they are all but falling down in real life. I am in the process of getting them torn down as well. I will update this page on occasion as progress happens!