WE ARE HOME!

 Yes, we are finally in our new home. It's been a long haul. Here's a brief timeline...

July 2020 - We purchased our lot and closed escrow on it right at the end of July.

October 29, 2020 - We ordered our home and submitted the building permit. The long delay from the purchase of the property was because of numerous tests and surveys that needed to be done for the submission of the permit.

January 2021 - The permit was kicked out because of some unmet requirements of Cal Fire.

April 2021 - We were informed the permit would not be issued until we had a well onsite. This was contrary to everyone's expectations and prior experience - even the well company!

June 14, 2021 - Well drilling commenced! After completion of the well, the water was tested and a report submitted to the county.

June 29, 2021 - Building permit issued!

July 31, 2021 - House arrived onsite.

November 16, 2021 - Final inspection completed. WE ARE DONE!

November 18, 2021 - First night in the new house.

Obviously, a lot happened in between, mostly summarized in previous blog posts. Here, I'll capture what's happened since my last post.

One story about the final inspection, and the huge bullet that we dodged. Our driveway plans called for a slope of 11.9%. Slopes above 12% grade trigger a Cal Fire requirement for an "all weather" driveway - one that's paved with asphalt or concrete. That's really expensive: like, $30K or so!

Unfortunately, the plans and the reality didn't mesh. Our grading contractor couldn't get the grade below 15%! How could this happen? Lots of finger-pointing here: the grading contractor, plan engineer, survey company all felt the other guys were at fault. At the end, we decided to wing it. Our contractor said he'd never seen a fire marshal pull out a grading level to check the grade.

So, the fire inspector pulls up. First words out of his mouth were, "You guys planning on paving this?" 

"No, we weren't."

"You got the plans handy?"

"They're inside."

We walked into the house; he took a look at the plans, saw the grading plan, commented "11.9%" and never said another word about the driveway! Cathy and I worked really hard not to bust into our happy dance until the guy left!

Prior to final inspection, we continued with the numerous pre-move-in tasks we had set for ourselves. This includes things like installing ceiling fans (5) and assembling a lot of furniture. Bear in mind... we essentially had no furniture. Aside from a TV, a piano, grandfather clock and antique library table, we were starting from scratch. So, we spent a number of days assembling bed frames, a TV stand, end tables, dressers, etc. 

We also had all kinds of deliveries. We had movers move our belongings, including the piano, out of storage on the 15th. We had ordered recliners and a sofa; they were delivered on the 15th. 

Oldest daughter Sherry spent Thanksgiving with us, and it was great having her here. Not the least of the reasons: time spent with her was time we weren't spending working like field hands around the house! It was a welcome break in the action.

Right now, the house is pretty much assembled inside. We don't have anything on the walls yet, but we have a number of items set out which will get hung in the next couple of days. We are starting to morph into a more "normal" life style for us: Cathy's busy organizing the inside of the house and I've been able to focus a little more on outside activities. We are busy planning on having the whole family here for Christmas. Not surprisingly, we've got a bunch of things to do before then, but they'll all get done - I think!

Was it worth the wait? You bet. Here's the view out our back door...