<p>I am on the verge of getting really ill at this point, extremely frustrated. Today the Planner notified me that there ‘is an issue with the gas meter’. The gas meter is on the North side of the house and has been there for 80 years. It’s a Smart Meter but I have no idea how the gas company can get to that meter without climbing up the dirt mounds in the dirt alley.</p>
<p>Meter is located 4 ft under existing kitchen window and has been in same location forever. If I even want to retrofit that window with dual pane, or modify it in any way the gas meter has to be 8 ft away from any window opening. There isn’t even 8 ft available between the two old existing windows. This means I have to forget about my great kitchen sliding window and it has to be a fixed window with no ventilation. And I can forget about my French door near the gas meter. And without the French door I might as well forget about a deck on that side of the house since there would be no way to get to the deck.</p>
<p>Going downhill fast… now you know why I avoid going down this path at all costs. To move the gas meter is going to cost thousands of dollars and take at least 6 weeks. I’ve already called and had a discussion with gas company.</p>
<p>Since the neighbor put dirt and cement on your property, I think you should move the gas meter the extra four feet to his property. </p>
<p>Not funny to you, I’m sure. </p>
<p>Seriously, we will all put on our thinking caps and see if we can come up with a solution.</p>
<p>So what you’re saying is that current code requires the gas meter to be a minimum of 8’ away from any window or door? Seriously, is it feasible to put the gas meter for your house on the neighbor’s property, or does it have to be on your property? Because that would be an extreme hardship.</p>
<p>Currently there is 11 1/2’ between the original kitchen window location and the dining room fixed window location. There isn’t even 16 ft to try to get a meter between those two old locations, let alone between my new French Door and expanded kitchen window location. I’m not clear on whether this is measured diagonally, left/right, or what. </p>
<p>Came across this same situation when I pulled permits for an old house in North Park, however I paid to have the gas meter moved to the back of the new room addition. First the Gas Co comes out and finds out that my main gas line on my property was actually split out to neighbor property also. Turned into a giant fiasco. The Gas company planner located the new meter right next to a window on my plans - none of my business. The Gas Company installers came and refused to hook up the new meter because it was near a window. Had to personally trench over to a new location, redo the gas lines, etc. and the Planner just said ‘Oh Sorry’.</p>
<p>It makes sense that it is a safety issue if it is under a bedroom window, but if it’s 4 feet under a kitchen window (non sleeping area), does it really matter? There are no flames or sleeping people on that side of the house. </p>
<p>I just checked my house… gas meter is located under a bedroom window (which is rarely open). I bet if you guys check your house that old meter is somewhere near a window or door </p>
<p>We brought gas into the house when we redid our kitchen in 2001. The gas company ran a line from the street and installed a meter. It’s at the corner of the house, about 4 feet from two windows on the first floor, and under two bedroom windows on the second floor. All fully permitted and inspected</p>
<p>If you go all the way around my house, there is no spot where you could put a meter 8 feet away from every opening.</p>
<p>In my first house the meter was in the basement, which exceed a pain when it needed to be read.</p>
<p>I guess the rules are different here… maybe it’s an earthquake safety thing? </p>
<p>We just has gas installed last week. I think they said the meter had to be 3 feet away from windows, electric meters, etc, and on the actual exterior of the building, that is, not on a porch. There is virtually nowhere, between the basement windows and the first floor windows and the wrap-around porch, that fits that description. Turns out that they can run a vent line from the meter. You might want to look into it. </p>
<p>The house definitely needs gas because you can’t sell a house without a gas stove. Most buyers want a gas stove. Not to mention brand new heater under the house already, plumbing for the gas tankless heater outside also.</p>
<p>I called the Planning Department at Gas company and I think I heard him wrong. He kept repeating ‘8’ but I just downloaded the entire Gas Company Installation Guidelines manual (hundreds of pages) and read through everything for single family residence regular gas meter. Every word and every drawing indicates an opening of any kind (window, door, telephone, cable, etc) must be 18’ from centerline of riser. That’s a huge difference from what the guy was telling me!!!</p>
<p>A fixed window can be above the meter. I think I am saved… thank goodness I got a slider for that large kitchen window. The ‘fixed’ portion of the slider is over the gas meter. The opening portion is at least 24" to the left of the meter!!! and my French door will just have to be adjusted to be at least 18" to the right of the meter. </p>
<p>Saved by doing detailed research. Someone at the City is going to have to convince me that the Gas Company manual is ‘wrong’ at this point.</p>
<p>I honestly don’t know how the Gas company was reading this meter. It was buried under years of overgrown bushes and trees. We could not find it until we cut everything away. And, the guy has to crawl up that steep City dirt alley to get to the meter. I think they were relying on ‘smart meter’ readings</p>
<p>Just loaded some pics of the new French doors arriving and our new foundation piers under the house. Nothing sexy going on at this point although I will be selecting exterior colors for the house soon because that is about the only thing we are allowed to do.</p>
<p>@coralbrook, I know this whole permit experience is horrible for you, but for purposes of this thread, it’s probably one of the most educational things that could have happened. I’m certainly learning that flipping houses is not all puppy dogs and unicorns. </p>
<p>To distract myself last night I had a long email discussion with my real estate agent. I begged her to do a new comparable sale analysis to help me determine what the future sale price is going to be. For some reason she did not include the $900k sale on Niagara and she cannot include the $850k sale directly across the street because it is more than 6 months old. She came up with only $765k as sale price. I just don’t think she understands how important views are in our neighborhood. She discounted the $900k sale because it is about 200sq ft larger and no telephone lines in view.</p>
<p>I dug deeper into the $850k sale of the little house across the street. Somehow one of my competitors bought that house all cash the first day it went up for sale for $550k. Asking price was $649k and they got it for $100k under asking price on the first day it went on the market. Why doesn’t that happen to me??? Instead I get to pay $100k OVER asking price after days of fighting uphill against the slimy listing agent.</p>
<p>Then they somehow got their plans and permits approved in 7 days!!! I’m guessing that the same neighbor (who lives next door to that flip) threatened them also with the permit police.</p>
<p>I’m just waiting for the day that I can stand around in high heels, perfect hair and perfect makeup and make $100k on my flip Just like on TV</p>
I don’t understand this. I know there are rules like this for appraisals, which may make sense in a declining market, but for a market analysis or price opinion I don’t see why any property isn’t fair game, as long as you adjust for changing market conditions.</p>
<p>If you do under-price it, a bidding war will probably quickly push it up to where it should be.</p>
<p>
Because you won’t play the game. The chances of this being entirely above-board are small, IMO. Did the listing agent get both sides? Did the same agent get the listing when it came back on? An all-cash, 12 hour offer puts a lot of stress on the seller, especially if the agent is pressuring the seller. I got one of my rentals by using a very short duration offer. If the owner had held out maybe he could have gotten more, but he decided a deal in hand was worth more to him than a better non-existent deal in the future (we didn’t get $100k off, though).</p>
<p>Or it was in the bag from the get-go and the actual “sale” was just for appearances.</p>
<p>I just don’t want to think about how the neighbor might have gotten a permit for my competitor faster than I’m going to get one! Although, my curiosity is piqued now and I may just waste time down at the City looking for the plans and/or permit submission for the house across the street.</p>
<p>“Most buyers want a gas stove.” - I agree. I personally adore my smooth top electric range (which is mostly a landing pad for hot items out of the microwave). But it seems gas is more popular. Many are avid cooks who love the ability to control the heat. I get that. Others I think just want the “today” look of a gas stove. </p>
<p>Today was another waste of time!! Back and forth with the draftsman and the structural engineer. Draftsman refuses to put my detailed measurements of the foundation stem walls onto plans - says he doesn’t want to be liable for them, it has to be on the structural engineer plans. Structural engineer says that he has reviewed my plans and suggests that I need to submit first set to City for review so that I don’t pay twice for structural engineering - City is probably not going to approve the small laundry room addition that connects the Utility Room to the main house.</p>
<p>So, I send the plans to a printer $$$$. Then I drive down to the City and leave one set of plans for the Code Compliance guy who has to ‘stamp’ them. Then I waited 1 1/2 hrs in line to show the plans to a ‘Permit Help Desk’. Asked him for opinion on whether the laundry room addition will be approved and Utility Room remodel. He started going off that there is no way to prove that there was a bathroom permitted in 1936 in the Utility Room. He said that I had to provide proof, even though they don’t have any records of the original construction.</p>
<p>Then he was so curious he took the plans back to three supervisors. One said No Way to laundry addition or remodeled bathroom in Utility Room. Second one said we could keep the bathroom, but the Utility Room had to stay detached from main house because it cannot be ‘liveable’, no laundry addition. Third one said that I should submit the plans through permit process and they might be able to make it work.</p>
<p>So at this point it is after the hours they allow permit submittal. I have to take everything back down there, plus a bunch of photos for historical review and stand in line again to apply for a permit. I have all my paperwork filled out and I’m ready to go.</p>
<p>What’s the issue with the laundry room addition? The utility shed/ new office is already in the setback. Since that’s grandfathered in, what objection could they possibly have with connecting it to the main house.</p>
<p>This system really seems like it is broken. There’s something wrong when complying with the law becomes so onerous that a large percentage of generally law abiding people are driven to skirt the law by avoiding the process. I don’t know what the answer is as to how to make the permitting process for renovations more reasonable.</p>
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