<p>Re Shadow Hill in La Mesa:</p>
<p>Well, the listing agent got what she wanted, didn’t she – a big fat juicy commission. So she doesn’t care. Too bad for the flipper. </p>
<p>Busy day yesterday. I was able to get my contractor friend over to review our plans. He said that we do need to pour the new foundation pier right under the corner of the closet. So we dug that out and formed it up. It was his opinion that we should just build the stem wall and foundation pier to the plans, pour it and pretend that it was there when the inspector came.</p>
<p>However, there are some ridiculous ‘special inspections’ called out in the plans. The City Structural Engineer and my structural engineer put these ‘special inspections’ into the plans for CYA. Every single piece of rebar that is doweled into the existing foundation, or anchor bolt drilled through foundation has to be epoxied into the concrete. The plans say that I have to hire an independent third party approved special inspector to stand here and watch these bolts get epoxied into the concrete. It is ridiculous, and of course, more $$$. </p>
<p>Bottom line is that I had to run around all day yesterday to find a ‘special inspector’ and pay him to come look at the plans to determine how many inspections need to be done on this project. The instructions on the plans are very vague and the contractor and myself could not determine what had to be inspected. </p>
<p>So, my contractor tells me I want to find the special inspector that lives right here in the neighborhood, but he cannot remember his name but he knows he hangs out at the local donut shop early in the mornings. Great!!! how am I going to find this guy?</p>
<p>There is a local group of old time surfers that go to the donut shop to shoot the BS in the mornings. I know several of them, so I start calling these guys to find out if they know the name of the special inspector. One of them knows his name is ‘Willie’. I go back to my home office and download the City of San Diego approved inspector roster and I start going down the list looking for anyone named ‘William’. I start calling anyone who has the local area code 619!! “Are you Willie that hangs out at the donut shop in the mornings???” Of course, I finally hit the right guy on the last page, out of 5 pages, throwing out the names of my friends who recommended him (including the head supervisor at the City Inspection Office). I beg him to please come over to the project and look at our plans and help us figure out what we need to do with this stem wall. He was really nice - rush back to the project and meet him there in 15 minutes.</p>
<p>Well, we have to have 3 separate ‘special inspections’, but he told me he would only charge me $325 total for the 3 inspections. He was willing to stand there and wait for us to get the rebar epoxied into the original stem wall (south side of house in main bathroom), but we were not completely ready yet and I didn’t want him to have to wait 45 minutes. He told me to call the City Inspector and tell him that ‘Willie’ is going to inspect the rebar and dowels in the stem wall and the City inspector will probably say go ahead with the concrete pour. It’s a big issue because we cannot even start framing the fancy shear wall in this bathroom until the stem wall is poured and cured.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, we are doing some detailed planning to tear off the roof this Saturday. My roofing guy moonlights from his regular roofing job (he’s the supervisor) and so we can only do roofing on weekends. This requires a lot of careful planning to have all the right guys, rent a big truck, etc. This is going to be A LOT of trash coming off that roof for multiple trips to the dump. Then we have to nail on the plywood and get it inspected before we can put the shingles on. Unfortunately he cannot come back until next weekend to get the waterproofing plastic and shingles back on. I just hope it doesn’t rain next week!!! We are watching the weather closely.</p>
<p>Hugs, coralbrook. You’ll have this on the market by the end of January – and for a whopping good price, too. </p>
<p>ETA: Congratulations on finding “Willie”!</p>
<p>Hurray on Willie! I was going to suggest looking for a neighborhood FB page but that old fashioned sleuthing worked!</p>
<p>I was afraid that “Willie” was going to turn out to be the guy across the street!</p>
<p>I called City Inspector yesterday and left a message “Oh, by the way”. He calls me this morning and says he will stop by between 9 and 11 to " discuss the stem wall". Yikes, we are not totally done forming and rebar. Mad rush under housethis morning!</p>
<p>This morning there is mud in street from alley. City inspector is probably going to notice it because they are all scared of Storm Water Authority</p>
<p>Lol, Consolation! Cb, your creativity in slaying the ugly dragon of red tape never stops to amaze me! </p>
<p>Still not sure whether the Storm Water Authority getting involved would be good for cb or not.</p>
<p>Consolation, so funny! I would have been horrified!</p>
<p>Out of the clear blue sky the City Inspector stopped by this morning in response to my voice mail I left yesterday. He looked over the foundation pier forming and the stem wall and told us to go ahead and pour concrete!!! He apologized for missing the stem wall on the plans. He told me that we don’t need a special inspector to watch us put the rebar into the existing foundation - not required by the City for horizontal anchoring, only for vertical anchoring. He said he would save me the $100 for the special inspection.</p>
<p>Quickly called the special inspector and cancelled his inspection today and then ran off to Home Depot to buy 40 bags of concrete. Quickly discovered that 40 bags of concrete weights 2,400 lbs!!! Yikes, had to make two trips carrying about 1,200 lbs each trip. I didn’t want to wreck the truck.</p>
<p>Poor guys have to carry each 60 lb bag up those stairs and tomorrow we are going to have to mix all that concrete in little buckets under the house, one or two bags at a time. Not fun</p>
<p>City inspector advised me to put some more straw bales around the front of the house. He confirmed that it was dirt from the alley coming into the street. He told me that it would probably be best if I didn’t call the City or Storm Water Authority because they would try to blame it on me somehow.</p>
<p>Cb, if you ever get tired of flipping houses, you’d do great as a private investigator. You seem to find a way for everything!</p>
<p>Hooray! I think the tide has turned!!</p>
<p>I am never going to look at a remodel the same way. I am incredibly impressed, coralbrook.</p>
<p>Me, too! This is why it is often easier to raze old places and just start from scratch or bring in modular housing!</p>
<p>You have the patience of a saint, coralbrook</p>
<p>This thread is top of my TO READ list.
CB needs to have a movie made or at least a reality TV. You Are amazing!!
I keep cheering for every little victory and trying to figure out how to help for every obstacle. Just enjoying the D R A M A from afar, but keep sending CB energy and good vibrations. I want to promote this house to sell next. </p>
<p>CB, I am one of probably many who are avid followers of this thread, though I don’t comment. I so appreciate your effort and your posts! I’d want you at my side in any battle.</p>
<p>Thank you all for the encouragement! I’ll take some more pictures today of the infrastructure stuff (not exciting), especially as we try to mix concrete in shallow pans under the house and spoon it into the large stem wall. There are several obstacles in the way - a large original floor joist runs across the top of the new stem wall. This impedes their ability to try to just ‘pour’ into the stem wall. </p>
<p>Guys are all excited because I told them that I would take them out to Chinese Buffet for lunch if we get this concrete poured before noon. I have no idea why, but the all you can eat Chinese Buffet is a big treat to them:) Can’t wait for the looks on the faces of the restaurant workers when we arrive covered in concrete mess (well, maybe the guys, not me)</p>
<p>What would it have cost to have a pumper concrete truck deliver the concrete?</p>
<p>I’m sure it’s more expensive, but it would have saved a lot of backbreaking labor.</p>