Yes, that would have been a real cluster! Plumbing is one thing that terrifies me.
Mr. B and I once took a ton of schyt to the dump. Never again. Your guys are real contenders for the Strongman title. 
$500 to dump 14,000 lbs sounds like a lot - but is a bargain compared to what we pay here! It would have been close to $1,000.
Just as a comparison on costs…
DUMPSTER - but this would have required a special permit from City of La Mesa to place it on the street (and I’m not so sure it would have all fit into one dumpster, would have needed 1.5 dumpsters
Permit $110
Dumpster delivered $600 + $300 for half dumpster
Overage cost for 6.5 tons $210
Rental of Truck $161 x 2 days
Diesel Fuel $28
Mileage Cost $19
Dump Fees : $720
So, it’s about $200 less to rent a truck and do it ourselves BUT
we probably spent about 10 man hours extra in labor driving to/from the dump and the truck rental place which is not chump change (it’s all about the labor costs!). Probably about $400 in labor
I loaded some photos. All I can say is Thank Goodness my carpenter used to h ave a career has a semi truck driver. He can actually drive this huge truck!!!
Your carpenter’s amazing skills know no boundaries!
The structural engineer is coming for a consultation this morning so I should be able to provide an update on vaulting the ceiling and whether we can open up the wall from the kitchen to the living room.
Fingers crossed for both.
Structural Engineer Review
Yesterday the Structural Engineer came and we went through several modifications I want to make inside the house.
As I suspected, opening up the A Frame ceiling is not going to be too difficult. We have to keep the 2x6 cross beams which are at about 9 ft from floor. I will open it up and have the cross beams (which are at every 4 ft) painted out to match white ceiling. We have to add one post over the dining room window to brace ridge beam, add a lot of strapping, hurricane ties and some more nailing, and build the master bath wall to rafters. All good
I had two choices for opening up the kitchen wall. I could buy an expensive Simpson Strong Wall and open it up with about 2 ft remaining to left… or keep about 4 to 6 ft of the wall and add plywood shear to the wall. Either way, I have to keep the post at the end of the wall or buy an extremely expensive steel beam or glulam beam to run across the entire opening. Since the existing kitchen sink plumbing and the air vent to the roof is inside that 6ft area, I decided to leave 6ft of wall for budget reasons. This way we will not have to reroute a bunch of plumbing, which can get expensive, and we only have to do a new short beam over the opening to the post, and the plywood shear is a lot less expensive than installing a manufactured Simpson Strong Wall.
We opened up the drywall to show the size of the opening and it nails the view!! So, everything is great and we are moving forward.
I loaded some pics of the kitchen opening. Pics still show a couple of feet of drywall at top, but that will be removed. We will create a sink type island to the post so that the post doesn’t look strange just sitting out in the middle of nowhere
It seems that so far, it’s just about all good news. Fingers still crossed.
what have you figured out regarding reducing the width/ height/ size of the fireplace?
We have already removed the big planter appendage that was sticking out into the entry area. We have to stop there or we will get into some major masonry issues
How much would the expensive beam etc., cost to get 6 more feet of openness?
That would also mean 6 feet less upper cabinetry…
There are 2 or 3 issues about opening up the wall more
Brace the whole ceiling and buy a $400 long beam, about $200 more in labor
Big issue with trying to get a HVAC duct through the beam (have to accommodate 8” round duct somewhere) that has to go across the ceiling from kitchen to other side of living room ceiling. Otherwise there is no way to provide heating or cooling in that whole room. This is the biggest issue that requires us to have 2 beams with a post, not really another solution because ducting has to run between ceiling joists east/west
Have to buy a $500 Simpson Strong wall and $250 install for left of wall. We would still need to keep about 3 ft of the wall
Kitchen sink drain is in that wall and goes down into concrete. Also air vent through roof. Would have to move air vent way to the left or right and try to get to the roof either by the post or inside Simpson strong wall. This is the very expensive plumbing change. With the 6 ft wall, vent stays in place and we can drain sink into current drain running in pony wall
I would probably be looking at a $2000 cost
Has anything happened with the couple who wanted to buy the house?
BUYER
Funny you should ask about the buyer. I’ve been laying low on discussing it.
After hard review, I have decided to proceed with the buyers. There are many reasons for this:
The La Mesa market, and the market in general, has slowed way down. There is no guarantee that I will get my number in September. It’s risky
After finding out I need a whole new roof, my costs were going up
I am negotiating to remove a chunk of costs out of my budget, like landscaping, lighting, appliances, etc
They have already signed a listing agreement to sell their house. I sent my agent out to meet with them and inspect the house. It is in excellent condition and priced right. So I am comfortable it will sell.
I have met twice with the buyers and they have been through construction twice before and are very reasonable about expectations.
We are still working through negotiations., nothing in writing yet
I assume your vision and theirs are fairly aligned and hashed out?
I think it’s smart of you to grab the “bird in the hand” buyer when it is right there in front of you. Anything could happen market-wise over the coming months.
I would assume the market slowdown is at least partially related to rising interest rates?
Wow!
If I were a buyer, I would want to get my preferred appliances and fixtures, for sure.
I would want my preferred cabinets as well, but maybe most buyers aren’t as fastidious as I am.
As long as you can agree in advance and there aren’t too many changes during the process, this sounds like a good deal for both of you.
There are two very detailed documents that will get attached to the contract.
Scope of Work
This is a detailed list of what I am going to do inside the purchase price. So far we have nailed down the exterior work. Then there will be a detailed list of interior work. This is where it gets real tricky because she wants me to give her a ‘budget’ for cabinets, countertops, tile, etc. I guess she is going to shop within budget. This is extremely difficult for me because I might find a screaming deal on a vanity or countertop and then allow myself to spend a little more on something else. I can see this going down a rat hole where she saves $100 in the cabinet budget and then she wants to move that over against something else. Back and forth ad nausea
The two main things I have moved off my plate entirely are appliances and light fixtures. Recessed cans are in my scope. I keep explaining to her that she should select her own appliances and buy them herself for warranty reasons. if she leaves lighting choices to me inside an already sold house…I’m going to buy builder grade. I don’t need to get this house show worthy. And, I’ve discovered that people have very wide taste in lighting. I would put in mid century modern lighting and I don’t think that is totally her style, although she does agree with the exterior changes I want to make.
Upgrades
She has asked for the following changes which were not in my plan (or at least they weren’t in my plan in the first week yet)
Build master closet in hallway, bumping into kitchen area
Move entry door to master bedroom further into hall
Add side door into front bedroom/office from side of house for clients
Remove closet inside master bedroom to make more room
Run wiring in all rooms for a center ceiling fixture with switch (this is the most complex issue due to flat roof and ceiling joists
Install kitchen cabinets and new laundry sink and countertop in garage (she decided to sacrifice laundry in garage to get a large walk in closet)
Cover up one of the large skylight openings with roof
Install 2 skylights in other opening