I’m so sorry that I have not been posting on College Confidential for about 6 months!!! I am currently drowning in too much work and so far, it’s nothing sexy or exciting. Trenching, pouring foundations and framing.
My project last fall was converting a garage into a studio apartment and adding a half bath and laundry to the main house. This was in a central Allied Gardens neighborhood across the freeway from San Diego State University. I took the job to fill in while waiting forever and ever for the City permit approval on current big job. Cost for garage conversion was $62,000, not including permit / drafting costs. Everyone thinks they are just going to do a quick conversion to get a rental in their garage, but it costs a lot of money. Starting with having to level and raise the concrete floor because a garage floor is sloped. The owner is going to furnish the place and try to get Travel Nurses to rent. But, months later she still hasn’t even put in a walkway from the sidewalk or done anything to the weeds and dirt in front yard. It is not very appealing to a renter.
Current project scope:
Tear out primary bedroom/bath/closet and expand 4 ft out on two sides
New 2 1/2 car garage on new foundation
1 bedroom ADU on top of garage
Estimate $250,000
I really don’t have any pictures right now. We are dealing with two big issues causing big cost overruns. The original main electric panel and the wire running to the SDGE pole in alley were on the middle of back wall of original house. This panel is right in the middle of the new bathroom and the wire runs diagonal across where the 2nd story is being built. We immediately knew we had a big problem and installed a Temporary Power Pole ($1800!!!) to move the power line until we could finish the 2nd story.
Unfortunately, as soon as I submitted my application to SDGE for a simple power line move I find out that SDGE is now suddenly 14 weeks behind on processing any requests!!! Submitted request the day our permit was approved November 1 and we are still waiting for this power line to get moved. We have a gaping hole in our roof and cannot get 2nd story and roof over this project. Water is just pouring in everywhere!!!
Garage floors are built sloped out because they are built like a patio, slight slope in case water heater or washer floods. Maybe so they can be hosed out? Don’t really know why that is standard
Completely understand!
Our architect kept being delayed by the City.
We began dealing with the City last April. Fortunately, our records were good, but the city lost our original plans. Our Architect had to measure and re-draw the original plans.
The original builder got away with a lot of wonky walls and lines that weren’t square? Then the architect had to submit the new plans, including putting in support beams for the second story. I had 4 feet deep holes in my dining area!!!
It took them weeks to hand dig dig through the hard decomposed granite Then they had to put rebar in with the new concrete.
It was worth every penny because I now have a whole new first floor and it’s absolutely gorgeous!. I like that it’s your level of quality too! It’s was not an easy remodel, nor cheap, and I think everybody should plan on going over budget by about $30K in doing any remodels. That’s not even including the supplies (New energy, efficient, windows, shutters, tile, wood flooring, and the appliances).
Some jurisdictions are so ridiculous with their permits reviews!! Ours is like molasses. Moving with glacial speed… our permit to replace the deck exactly the same way it was built… took a couple of months to get approval!
Why do permits take so long to get? Are all these departments understaffed? Do they need to go to the site to check everything before approving? Do they not trust the engineers/architects/contractors to draw up plans accurately??
In my neck of the woods simple permits are pretty quick but there are some major exceptions. Major renos need architect drawings and those seem to take at least three month to approve with significant back and forth. So much so that architects have two pricing tiers- hourly or all in inclusive. Everyone and their brother said to do the more expensive all inclusive because of the back and forth. They were right!
And the big one for us is “any change visible from the street” in a historic district needs to go through preservation. They only meet once/month. They never approve anything on the first pass. Expected wait time for approval is 6-12 months minimum.
At first the City of San Diego blamed Covid. Then they put in a new computer system where all plans/reviews/resubmittals are done online. They do not allow anyone to go into the office anymore, sometimes they have virtual appointments available for certain reviews.
Used to be able to take plans in, wait in line and get them ‘submitted’. Everything was reviewed right at the desk to ensure complete package. Now, you wait weeks for someone just to review the package in the computer queue.
Then it goes off for ‘review’. We have at least 5 disciplines that review. With the new computer system they can go simulataneously, looking at the plans online. But that first review takes at least 45 days, even though they advertise it will take 2 weeks!
Then they send back corrections and it takes the draftsperson/structural engineer 4 weeks to turn around the corrections for some reason.
Then you go back in for another 45 day review and cross your fingers that they won’t ask for more corrections. On my last two projects they came up with more crazy stuff on the 2nd review. For example, the City required owners to execute and notarize (at a cost of $750 to draftsperson because we needed a ‘drawing’) an Encroachment Agreement. In our City, everyone’s property comes out to a sidewalk and then has a curb strip. The sidewalk and curb strip technically are on City property. Now you have to record a document promising that you will maintain or remove anything in the ‘encroachment’. It took weeks to get that document into City (has to be hand delivered with wet notary signature) and then they have to record it before you can finalize the permit.
Then they finally give you outrageous invoices for School Fees ($4,500), water/sewer fees ($4,200) and the final permit fee. You can’t just pay these online. You have to drive out to the School District office, only open 2 days a week, and pay directly to School District. Then they snail mail in proof of payment to the City. It is just a giant Hurry Up and Wait exercise.
The irony is that the Mayor and the State have given huge lip service to ‘speeding up’ permitting for new housing / ADUs. Permits are supposed to be approved within 60 days. The reality is very different.
Too ingrained! When I went into the City of San Diego, (waited 3 months for the appointment) this past April, I was the ONLY person in there with about 9 clerks pushing papers! I still had to wait! They had a separate line for contractors which went faster!
Then, when my plans didn’t exist, all of them commented on it! Sooooo inefficient and no urgency to get stuff done! Poor hierarchy and management.
So after yesterday’s doctor visit and the evening viewing of Nyad, I felt guilted into doing more exercise. And by “more,” I mean that subjectively, as in “any”. So today I took a walk the block and a half up to @coralbrook ’s flip. It’s moving apace!
I took a number of pictures and will post in numbered groups. CB explained everything in detail but I didn’t memorize it all so will leave it to her for further details (when she has time!).
