Free Updates
Navigation
Categories
Search
Archives
| | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | | 29 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
More Links
|
 Friday, August 31, 2007
Approval not so easy
Posted by brandie
We thought final approval was going to be easy after getting preliminary approval so quickly. We were wrong. Our plans had the house built on the same setback as the rest of the homes on the street. When the county planners reviewed our plans for construction they identified that the plans did not meet the setback requirements. Our rebuttal was that all the other houses on the street had the same or similar setback. The county admitted that we were correct but if we wanted to build with this plan we would have to file for a variance and that would take about 3 months. Based on their preliminary approval we have already secured construction funds with a secure timeline and corresponding penalties for delays. A variance isn't going to work. We are now reworking our plans and pushing the house farther down the slope, which is going to mean more engineering, more design changes, and more money. We are regrouping and will resubmit our new plans to the county next week.
County Planning Approval
8/31/2007 10:30:19 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) 
|
|
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
County Planners Approval
Posted by loglearn
It has been a busy week. We received preliminary approval on our plans from the county planners late last week. That approval allowed us to secure our construction financing this morning. Things are moving along quickly, just as we need them to be. We should have final county planning approval by the end of the week. Once we have that approval, we can break ground on the first house.
County Planning Approval
8/28/2007 12:12:01 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Second Property Purchased
Posted by loglearn
We closed on the second property yesterday. We now have nice pieces of property for each of our log cabins. Our next step is to submit our plans to the county planners for approval. We are going to start with the larger of the two homes. We should hear back on preliminary approval by the end of the week.
County Planning Approval
8/22/2007 10:29:03 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Weekend land purchase
Posted by loglearn
With two log cabin kits ordered, the clock is ticking on finding a proper rustic setting to build these homes. In the San Francisco Bay area, homes and property are at such a premium that finding a viable piece of land to build on could to be a daunting task. Some friends told us that property in Lake County, California was not just reasonably priced but also offered attractive rustic views and settings. So this past weekend we took a drive. We purchased a lot on Cobb Mountain in Cobb, California. It is a great rustic setting but there are going to be some challenges. The land has well over 30% slopes with 60% embankment. But we can overcome a few engineering challenges. There are other homes built on the same road with similar challenges. We also liked a second lot diagonally across the street from the one we purchased. We are going to do a little research and see if we can purchase that one as well.
Purchasing Land
8/14/2007 9:43:15 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Friday, August 10, 2007
Floor Plan
Posted by loglearn
I got a hold of the floor plan for the smaller of the two homes and thought it might give everyone a little better idea of our master plan. The floor plan is only of the main floor. The plan also includes a loft but Tim must have that image with the images of the other house. 
Getting started
8/10/2007 10:00:57 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
A little background
Posted by loglearn
I thought you might like to know a little more about me and my business partner. My name is Gary. I have traveled the world installing large refrigeration systems on private ships. I met my business partner while we were both employed by a mechanical engineering company in the San Francisco area. Tim too has traveled the world, but he did so as an officer in the U.S. Navy. He has a degree in civil engineering and interned with the U.S. government in Arizona installing septic systems. He has also gained a large amount of project management experience building multi-million dollar structures and surveying for pipelines. As I said, we met while both employed for the same company in California. Our first business ventures together were a couple of property investments or "flips." We purchased two apartment buildings in Tucson. We renovated them and used them as income properties for a couple of years before selling them for profit. After this successful venture, we decided log homes would be our next venture. And here we are, jumping in with both feet.
Getting started
8/10/2007 9:42:58 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Monday, August 06, 2007
Our Log Cabin fairy tale
Posted by loglearn
Once upon a time... Well isn't that how all fairy tales start? My business partner and I have decided to buy some land in the woods and build a couple of log cabin "spec" homes, which we would then sell to that special niche market of "Log Cabin Lovers." We both have mechanical and engineering backgrounds. We have successfully completed extensive renovation and construction projects previously. Add on, that we both also have extensive project management experience and that my partner is a licensed civil and mechanical engineer with a general contractor license. So we told our wives our plans, and they waved us off on our adventure of building in the woods. My partner saw an ad for "discounted" log cabin kits and went ahead and purchased two kits. They have similar footprints and basic designs with one having a footprint of 1200 sq. ft. with a loft and the other 1700 sq. ft. with a loft. Now we need some land.
Getting started
8/6/2007 12:32:04 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
|