Rocky Fire or the Tale of Two Cottages

A year and a half ago I was able to assist the Zen Center being built in Lower Lake with two cottages that were being used to house the workers from Japan who are here to build the hand crafted cedar temple imported from Japan.

June 2015

 

 

Two weeks ago a wild land fire (the Rocky Fire) started at the same corner as the Zen Center.  At first the wind was favorable but then Friday night the fire morphed and 22,000 acres burned in 5 hours.  I was certain over the weekend that the half built temple and the cottage were gone as they were dead center in middle of the fire.

 

 

 

But then on Monday the Zen Center saw one of the news photos that showed the lumber being stored in the parking lot.

 

 

After the fire was under control, it turned out that a friend from Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue was involved with the engines there and sent some photos.

 

 

 

 

When the smoke cleared the grading contractor was able to go to the site to see how things were.

 

 

Temple with the fire behind it and to the right.

 

 

Road from the temple to the cottage.

 

 

 

Road past the cottage.

 

 

Caretaker's House and Office.

 

So obviously the firefighter who were on the lines here were amazing as you can see how close the fire was to all of these structures - within feet.  But almost 100 structures were lost and I also have to attribute the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) code also know as Chapter 7A that is being applied in many rural areas such as this helping with the saving of these structures. 

 

Non-combustible exterior materials, enclosed soffits, fire rated windows and doors and minimum 6 x 6 posts all contribute to making flying embers from spreading to these structures.  In many ways these codes that may seem expensive at the time of construction in the long run they may be a great savings.

 

 

 

 

 



How a Framing Package is Built?

Sometimes a video is worth a thousand words!!

 

 

To view the video click below:

How a Pacific Modern Homes Framing Package is Built

For more information go to www.northcoastpackagedhomes.com

Using a General Contractor, Acting as an Owner/Contractor or an Owner/Builder

Some of my clients use a General Contractor for the entire home building project.  Others act as an Owner/Contractor hiring and supervising their own sub-contractors.  And others do some or all of the work themselves. Some of the major influencing factors in making a decision on how to proceed are obviously skill and interest.  Time is another major factor especially in doing some of the work as an Owner/Builder.

Most of my clients do a combination using a contractor for the foundation, sub-floor and the assembly of the framing package. And plumbing and electrical require a special skill set that require a professional be hired for the job whether by the owner or the general contractor. And no one seems to want to tackle drywall, tape and texture.

And then many of my clients love to get involved in the finish work either using a hobby and skill that they already have - or learning new skills.

The following pictures were sent to me by a client building their retirement home and I love how involved they have gotten in truly making this their dream home. (And retirement here is a word I use lightly as I think they have been joyfully 'working' harder than ever!!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Customizing Your Framing Package

A common request that I get is to see a "model" home of one of our framing packages.  Our framing packages are actually the bones of the structure and how the home is finished is completely up to you, your needs, your personal style and your budget.

For many of my clients this new home is their dream home and frequently they add personal touches that make these homes unique and special.

 

Day 5 1/2 we got tile cut as far as we can go.  Tomorrow morning I'll cut in the circle to place the "Tree of Life" artwork that we hand carried from Jordan in 2008 as a side trip from Israel.  We're real happy how nice the colors complement each other.

 

 

Our deck tile took shape today, with the mosaic tile set and the 12" diamond pattern selected and cut to fit with symmetry.  I'll set the inner tile tomorrow, cover with tarp to wait until after the storms before I grout.  Brenda selects and arranges all of the tiles.  I cut them to fit and set them in place.  (This pattern with slate was a lot of work!)

 

This octagon shape, we learned on our Israel trip, was used for the first home Christian churches, please find a short description of S. Peter's mother-in-law's house that we also visited in 2006.  A fitting application of this shape for where we will enjoy most of our meals.

 We have a round glass table with lazy Susan to plop down in the middle of this room.

 

 

This is the first of what looks to be three days for the Taylor team to add stone to the house front.  Tahoe River Rock is the name of the cultured stone we selected for our house.  Individual stones are smeared with an ample heap of mortar and then it is squished onto the wall.  As Brenda realized today, "it's an art form" to apply these stones.

 

 

Each of my clients add those special touches to make a house a home.

 

For more information go to www.northcoastpackagedhomes.com

 

 

What services for obtaining a permit are included in the sale of the framing package?

A common question especially when one is looking for property is what services are included and what services are available but at an additional charge.

"I have located a 5 acre parcel with an existing well.  Please describe to what extent you are able to assist including lot preparation, septic system, and any permits in addition to factory house and foundation."

 

When searching for land it is important that one works with a seasoned agent who is familiar with construction and land sales.  If you have simple specific questions I am always happy to help.

 

 

As part of the sale of the framing package the factory will prepare the fully engineered drawings wet stamped with the structural calculations, truss plan and truss calculations.  We have a consultant who will prepare the energy calculations and guide you through this process for $400.  And we will provide you with CAD files to give to your sprinkler sub so that they can prepare the sprinkler plan.

 

The site plan would be done by the civil engineer who is designing your septic.  If a grading and/or drainage plan is required then this person would most likely prepare that also. If there is a significant slope a topo might be required for the design of the septic and grading and this would be prepared by a surveyor.   If a geologist report is required for the design of the foundation this would have to be completed prior to our structural engineer can design the foundation.

 

I am a licensed architect and I work with clients on design (either changes to the pre-engineered plans or completely custom plans) and guiding clients through the entire permitting process (other than what we provide with the package as outlined above) consulting for two hours for free.  This work would normally be done after you own the lot. 

 

BUT this is where I normally say that you need a good real estate agent to guide you fully through the due diligence phase of the purchase process where you would determine all of the costs involved (good estimates) in developing the property and also provide you with a Comparative Market Analysis of what the property would sell for if completed the way you intend – to make sure that the new home will be competitive in the market.  In other words if it is going to cost you $600,000 to completely build the home and site work, etc. and the house would only sell for $400,000 then the lot is most likely overpriced.  Although I have worked with clients in the buying process – and my background is that I was a real estate broker also – I generally prefer to recommend that you use your agent for this process as this is why they are making the big bucks and you should not have to pay me to do their job!!

 

And so that you can plug a number into your spreadsheet – I typically find that most of my clients build for about $165 a square foot for medium grade finishes acting as an owner/contractor (hiring and supervising their subs) excluding the cost of the land, permits, utilities and site work (ie. driveway).  This for a level site and normal perimeter foundation.  Your will most likely have additional cost for the wild land fire code. 

 

I am able to assist you with the purchase of your property but I do charge for my time at a rate of $150 an hour.  And much of this work your agent should be assisting you with.

 

I hope that all of this information is helpful.  (And if you want to send me the link to the property I will throw my two cents into the discussion.)

For more information go to www.northcoastpackagedhomes.com

Is It Time to Start Your Plans??

Are you planning on starting construction in June?  If so, you are not alone so obtaining a building permit can take longer than expected – so let’s review some time frames.

 

Planning is the place to start inquiring about what you can do (or not do) on your property.  Setbacks and lot coverage are basic requirements but many planning departments (especially city planning departments) are now requiring design review.  It is critical to find out if this is required for your project as the design might be dictated by architectural guidelines.  Additionally, there might be extensive plans required for the review such as civil drawings, landscape plans and even water efficiency plans.  Getting through design review, if it is required, can take a minimum of a month to prepare and then the review itself can take a few months. 

 

At the same time it is important to find out what the Building Department is going to require in order to submit for Plan Check.  We will assist you with the fully engineered drawings, structural calculations, truss plan and calculations.  Our energy consultant can assist you with Title 24 and CalGreen checklists.  A sprinkler plan will be required and we will provide you with the CAD/PDF files so that your sprinkler contractor can design the system for your home.  One critical report to find out if it is required is a geologist’s soils report.  Not to be confused with a soils report for the design of a septic system, this report is required for the design of the foundation.  It may take 4 to 6 weeks to obtain this report.

 

Every property is unique and the steps required to obtain a building permit can vary greatly from quite simple to very complex.  But with the June 30^th deadline to submit for plan check in order to avoid having to comply with the new energy codes – we highly encourage you to allow between three to six months to prepare the drawings and other documents required.

For more information go to www.northcoastpackagedhomes.com

 

 

Five Months After the Delivery of a Brentwood Model

And the progress continues on up in the Gold Country on this modified Brentwood Model:

 

 

 

 

And per the client:

 

This is the first of what looks to be three days for the Taylor team to add stone to the house front.  Tahoe River Rock is the name of the cultured stone we selected for our house.  Individual stones are smeared with an ample heap of mortar and then it is squished onto the wall.  As Brenda realized today, "it's an art form" to apply these stones.

The Taylor team got it done a bit faster than expected, just 2 1/2 days and we really like the finished look!

You may be thinking, how did they stone our house so quickly?

They stoned us when we were having our early breakfast,
& they stoned us when we walked up to work
& they stoned us while we were trying to work so good,
& they stoned us when we were walking through the doors,
Now you should’ve known, that we're the only house on the block that got the Taylor stone.
We would not feel so all alone, if every house got the Taylor stone...
Aaaa, they stoned us when we were riding in our truck,
& they stoned us when Brenda tried to read her book,
& they stoned us when we went out for lunch, and you know!
We would not feel so all alone, everyone must get the Taylor stone!
And you know, they stoned us as we took our lazy naps,
& they stoned as we fed some big old bucks,
& they stoned us when we were cutting up the tile,
& they stoned us when we laid it on the floor, and you should know!
We would not feel so all alone, everyone must get the Taylor stone!

 

And one of my favorite things about our framing packages is that each one is a completely custom home.

Day 5 1/2 we got tile cut as far as we can go.  Tomorrow morning I'll cut in the circle to place the "Tree of Life" artwork that we hand carried from Jordan in 2008 as a side trip from Israel.  We're real happy how nice the colors complement each other.

For more information go to www.northcoastpackagedhomes.com