Home ownership

Randall, did you ask them for clarification on the proposed schedule? at a minimum i'd be curious about what they are assuming for duration of design, permitting, and construction.

have always thought you lived somewhere in the northeast because eagles fan, and some of their proposal may have to do with the time of year the project starts and not wanting to open up the roof of your house in less than favorable weather.

golddog, I already paid the architect (just for plans that I can keep), so I assume it's one year from yesterday.

RED, I asked about time to proposal and overall time. I realize there are other steps including me accepting the design, but I can't imagine that being a long process. Yes, I'm north of Philly. Your point is reasonable, but our winters have been mild recently so I doubt that's it, but maybe.

are you being charged by the architect at a fixed fee, hourly, or hourly to a max?
have you be told a specific duration for the design process, including intermediate milestones and the number of times you will meet with the architect?
has the architect estimated how long the permitting process might be?
has the gc given you a specific start date for construction?
i'm also happy to review and offer suggestions on contract language before you sign one.

It's the very early stages. I paid for the architect for a consultation and initial design. I'd like to at least hear a ballpark estimate before we go much further.

My initial question was a start date, but they gave me a general duration of 1 year for this type of project. I personally think the architect and GC knows what I am trying to do, so aside from a much better design from the architect, then this should be a slam dunk, imo.

It will need to go through a few stages of design and approval. I don't think any variances will be needed, so I don't think permitting should be a big issue.

But I appreciate your help and might ask if I think I need it.

Open ended timelines and uncapped budget always makes me nervous... because a nebulous completion date and a ball pack cost cap is absolutely no completion date or cost cap.

Randall, you really should hold them to some sort of deadline, even if you don't really have one yourself
can you guess which of my dozen projects gets attention last?
yep, the ones without a deadline or fixed schedule are served leftovers

I appreciate at least some delay to give me a more fixed timeline after the consultation. I don't really trust people who promise things without knowing the level of effort.

But you both are right and I know when to push for things especially when I have spent money.

Edit: I'm also going to be unreachable for 3 weeks this summer, so I am giving a little leeway if anything comes up.

Double edit: they don't know about it yet, so it shouldn't change my timeline, but I am sure you will all enjoy it 😉

Do you know if this is actually true in your area? Some places, permitting is no big deal. Other places, even the simplest things take forever.

I'll keep my answer simple. Yes.

Sebastian was here today, finished up the silicone.

I spent some time out in the garage slicing up the bathtub. One of the neighbors is out of town. They OK'd me throwing chunks in their trash as long as I put it out for tomorrow's collection. So, the job's nearly complete.

Going to transfer some $ to checking for the final payment. The guys need to come gather up the carpet protection plastic, do whatever cleaning/final inspection of the work they're going to do, get their check, and we're done.

Does your local city/county require that an inspector come out and do a final sign-off?
If so, your contractor has paper work to file.

Nope, don't have that worry.

Wow... lucky. I can't even lay some bricks on the ground without Clark County wanting a piece of the action.

Does anyone have experience with any of the Smart Films? I have a bay window in my front room and my kitchen where I don't really want to get curtains or blinds, but I would like to be able to privatize them when I want. There seem to be some decent options on Amazon, but a lot of the reviews seem pretty fake.

Edit: I asked the guy who installed my windows and he said be careful, it may void my warranty, lol.

I've got those films on my windows... there is no way they would cause issues with windows. They are just films that can be easily removed. They apply with water.
I have tinted UV 100% on some windows that allow light onto my artwork and I have frosted on my bathroom windows for light but privacy.
Its a little clumsy to apply super clean, but on the windows I use them for I don't really care.

Smart films are the ones that can change from opaque to clear with a switch or remote, or at least that's what I'm referring to. Maybe there's a better term for them, I haven't done a deep dive yet?

What are you waiting for? Hold your nose and submerge!

I'm interested in what you find out. I could use something like that--if it exists and is reliable.

my films are dumb then... 😀

Well, I do have what I refer to as "The Bridge Club" of several ladies that gathers every Monday about noon at one of my neighbor's houses. They might be sorely disappointed if I found a lazy way to block the view through the glass in my bedroom door 😀

Smart Glass film is $$$$ (About $100/sq foot)

I think that's the glass. One company I'm looking at says the glass is $85-140 sqft and the film is $25-40.

I wonder how feasible french doors are with 10 panes in each door?

I don't know. Each pane would have to have a wire going to it. You could probably get a door with a full sheet of glass where the mullions are just surface mounted though

i just got one of these

I wish edibles were legal in my state.