<p>Good luck today!</p>
<p>The inspector arrived in his time window and he is a really nice guy!! We got very lucky. He just laughed and signed immediately regarding the Flight Path obstruction clearance. “No way a plane is going to hit this house”</p>
<p>He is not going to make us take everything apart. He could tell we were doing quality work. We just have to dig 2 holes to show him the width and depth of our poured foundation and he wants just one hole dug to see the new sewer pipe. So, I’ve already called for foundation and underground inspection tomorrow.</p>
<p>He was very helpful and walked around and looked at our completed plumbing and framing and pointed out 3 things we need to correct before he comes back for the full framing and plumbing inspection. We still have to frame the main bathroom and do the plumbing into that bathroom so we have a couple of weeks for the big inspection (it’s called the Big 3… framing, electrical and plumbing)</p>
<p>He kept looking at our crazy toilet sitting in the back room and I told him “I insisted that we had to put in a toilet, that’s why all the plumbing and framing is already done in this area”. He then asked “So, are you living here?” Are you kidding me? Who could live here? There is nothing but a toilet with a sheet stapled around it. No running water 
</p>
<p>I learned a couple of new things that must be brand new code:</p>
<p>If you install floor joists with less than 18" from the dirt floor below, the floor joists have to be pressure treated lumber. That’s a new one!</p>
<p>Here’s the one that is kicking me… he told us if there is any window in a bathroom within 5 ft of a bathtub or shower, it has to be tempered glass. This is kicking me, I already have the windows ready to go. I have never heard of this. My understanding is that window inside bathtub or shower area has to be tempered. But a window over a toilet?? I’m going to research this because it’s hard to believe. </p>
<p>GOOD NEWS - Long story… I need to have fully legal egress windows in each bedroom. I ordered a custom design window and asked several times whether the opening is egress. I have paperwork in my window order that says that the windows are ‘egress’. After looking at them very carefully the other day I realized that the ‘cottage’ design window is not going to open up enough for fire egress. I went back into Home Depot today and pointed this out and ordered two new windows that I need for egress. Pointed out that their paperwork was erroneous and they are giving me the windows for free!!! One small savings in the budget.</p>
<p>I posted some photos of the rework we had to do on Saturday. We had to tear off the old siding on the east side (property line) of the Utility Room - because we now have to install a FIRE RATED wall (which is a lot of stuff). We had to replace all the hip rafters with 2 x 6 because the structural engineer called for it in the plans. That required intricate dismantling of the plywood off the roof and dismantling of the 2x4 from each connected common rafter.</p>
<p>Sounds like a great day of progress, coralbrook.</p>
<p>Someone is going to be a very lucky owner of the house when you sell it.</p>
<p>Hooray for free windows!!</p>
<p>Yea! on the windows and the progress!</p>
<p>YEA for the reasonable inspector!</p>
<p>So glad to hear progress is being made. Now of course we are getting rain!</p>
<p>OMG!!! I am so happy. Inspector came this morning and passed us on foundation and underground drain lines even though most of it is covered up. </p>
<p>He is making us put in straw bales over by the dirt alley because of strict storm water regulations. I had to explain the whole history of the dirt alley. He says that if i want something done fast, i should call City and tell them I’m going to report to California Storm Water if mud goes down to street. City will work fast because they can get a big fine from State.</p>
<p>We are ready to move fast now. Inspector says we can put the new roof on anytime we want. I now have to analyze the upcoming weather to schedule everythingjust right. We’re getting some heavy rains coming here.</p>
<p>So the city will remove all that dirt for you? That would be nice!</p>
<p>Since cb is mid-project and has been doing some digging out there for the retaining wall, the city will probably blame her for dumping the dirt there and fine her or charge her for the cleanup. She would then have to prove she didn’t dump it.</p>
<p>Or they will bust her neighbor, and then he’ll get all pissy.</p>
<p>So I am not so sure I would make that call. Hay bales are cheap.</p>
<p>It’s not exactly clear whether they will remove the dirt. But evidently the California Storm Water Authority carries big weight and gives out big fines. He told me that the City got fined $450,000 on a huge condo development that is being built by the I15 freeway. We are getting a big rain storm right now (well, big for us). He says that if there is any mud or dirt that comes down that alley into the street, I can call the City and threaten to call California Storm Water Authority that mud from City alley is going down storm drains into the ocean. That will get the City out here fast, but they will probably put in a drain system in the alley, which is better than nothing.</p>
<p>I’d make the call. The Storm Water Authority is taken fairly seriously, it’s better for coralbrook to call than a neighbor calling and report that she created the problem.</p>
<p>Yesterday we hit a big snag. Right after the inspector left I sat down with my lead to review the plans for the main bathroom area because our priority is to get it framed up as soon as possible so the electrician can come in and finish the wiring and we can get our rough plumbing installed. We looked very carefully at everything the structural engineer had drawn on the plans (I paid $3,000 for the guy to hand draw a bunch of illegible notes on the plans!!!)</p>
<p>Yikes, we see this faint bunch of lines under the shear wall area referring to Detail #1. We go to Detail #1 and the guy is requiring a full stem wall of concrete to be built under the house under the new shear wall that is the back of the closet. What??? we didn’t see that, he never told me that. Way to sneak one in on us, Mr. Structural Engineer!! Meanwhile, the City Inspector has just ‘passed’ us completely for foundation inspection.</p>
<p>This means the guys have to crawl under the house and try to dig 12" down for about an 8 ft length and 24" wide and form up a foundation wall with rebar, etc. while on their bellies. My lead immediately wanted to just cut up the floor so they could get at it from above. I refused to allow that because there is beautiful original hardwood in that closet and he would butcher it and we would lose the hardwood flooring in that closet. So, this is turning into an ordeal because the drawings are not exactly clear on how high this wall is, what the floor structure should be above the concrete, etc. I made a call into the structural engineer and, of course, now he is not returning my calls because he has been paid. Now I have to call my contractor mentor and get him over to the house to try to decipher these structural drawings and chicken scratch.</p>
<p>Meanwhile we are in a dilemma on whether we just finish this stem wall and pour the concrete and keep going, or do I call up the City Inspector and tell him that he missed a component of the foundation and he needs to come back for another inspection. Technically he is supposed to come inspect the form and rebar before we pour the concrete. </p>
<p>And there’s another little issue that we want to avoid. The draftsman placed the foundation piers in this area in the wrong place. There is actually two piers right in the load bearing area. Because the draftsman didn’t have them in the right location, and one pier is missing from the plans, the engineer has hand drawn a new giant foundation pier under the corner of this shear wall. But we cannot even dig and pour this foundation because there are two piers (not exactly under the corner, but 6" away from corner) in the way. I am going to have the contractor mentor look at this and determine if we really need this new pier - but if I call the City in for the stem wall they may just insist on sticking to the plans and require us to build this pier - which will be very difficult.</p>
<p>cb, I don’t think I understand. Did the City inspector pass everything as built, or did he pass it as planned on the structural engineer’s plans? If you missed what the structural engineer wrote on the plans, it’s pretty certain that the City inspector did too. And if he’s passed you as built, I would just continue.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about saving the original hardwood – you said it’s in a closet. </p>
<p>Yes, just had discussion with my agebt who said not ti worry about original hardwood in the closets. We can put in a laminate or engineered wood later that has same color tone as finished wood floor. The guys are very happy because i just gave them permission to tear out the floor.</p>
<p>Going to ask my contractor friend what to do about new stem wall.</p>
<p>Update on Shadow Hill in La Mesa</p>
<p>Whoops - Update on Shadow Hill in La Mesa</p>
<p>Remember the large house that I did not get because the Listing Agent wanted to work with someone who was ‘easier’ (even though they had a lower offer price)??</p>
<p>Purchased for $520k on 2/28/2014
Came back out to market with renovations at $799k-849k on 6/6/2014</p>
<p>Has been lingering on market ever since because it was priced too high
Finally dropped their price to $730k on 10/13 and it went pending. It just sold for $730k. So that is 9 months of holding that property. Flipper had a $465k private loan on the property the whole time. </p>
<p>My estimate on costs =
$27,900 interest charges
$5,100 property taxes
$1,800 utilities
$29,200 commission
$5,000 transaction fees for buy/sell
$75,000 renovation costs</p>
<p>So, I think they still made $65,000 but they had to hold for 9 months. Mostly because the slimy listing agent (who has not bought or sold anything else in 2 years) gave their investor friend an erroneous estimate for listing price. If they had just listed at about the $700k that was my estimate, they would have gotten rid of it a long time ago!</p>
<p>OK, so I stood down in the street to try to determine if there is going to be a ‘runoff’ problem with the rains down that dirt alley. So far the rains have been light and there is no dirt, mud, debris or anything coming down to the sidewalk or street. So, cannot call anyone at this point because nothing is going wrong :)</p>