Today is V-Tree Day

I've confirmed that, according to state law, I have every right to cut a tree limb that encroaches on my property. I don't need the neighbor's permission, and I don't even need to give them notice. Therefore, at 10AM today the tree surgeon will meet me at the lot to cut the limb. The end hanging in the neighbor's yard will have to fall as it will. The lawyer told me I could offer to come over and clean up their end if they give me access to their yard. But I don't have to do that.

In other news, the temporary electric service has been hooked up, so I now have power at the site.

Progress on the Tree Limb Fiasco

According to the lawyer I used for creating the contracts, I have the right to trim any tree limb from any neighbor's tree if it crosses into my property and prevents me from using my property the way I choose to.

Actually, by law, I can make the tree owner pay for the cutting. I'm not interested in this because I would be affecting the wrong neighbor. And actually I was wrong yesterday: the tree trunk isn't completely in my rear neighbor's yard. It actually straddles the line between my rear neighbor and my side neighbor (see updated diagram below).



I'm waiting for the lawyer to call me tonight or tomorrow morning so he can put a copy of the relevant law in my hands. Then I plan to cut the limb tomorrow or the next day. The only trick will be how to cut the limb so that I minimize how much will fall into the neighbor's yard. I'm assuming at this point that she's not going to invite me into her yard to do the cutting.

I'm very disappointed that she's forcing me to start off our relationship this way. You figure you want to have good relationships with your neighbors. Oh well...

Stakes in the Ground... And the Tree Limb Fiasco Begins

The stakes marking the location of my pilings have been placed! I know it's a small thing, but it's exciting just to have people working at the lot and showing signs of actual progress!

But alas, there has to be a complication. The pile driver says he can come do the job anytime now. That's great! There's just a minor issue over a tree limb that snakes across the corner of my property from my rear neighbor to the side neighbor (see graphic). The side neighbor has always indicated she would like to keep the limb for her yard, while her adult son has said he'd be fine with us cutting it down. The pile driving equipment cannot get to the piling in the corner of my garage with the limb in the way.

Tonight, I went to the neighbor as a courtesy to ask if they'd mind me cutting the limb because of the problem with the equipment. Now, the limb would have to go eventually anyway because it not only poses a danger to my fence (it hangs low), but also to the roof of my garage. After a discussion, the lady told me she wasn't willing to lose "her tree", and that I would have to get an attorney!

I believe I'm well within my rights to cut the limb because it crosses into my property. I'll verify that on Monday. And I reminded her it's not "her tree" at all, but it belongs to my rear neighbor.

When I first bought the lot and considered where my house and driveway would be, there was a shaggy-looking pecan or elm tree close to the street. It was just on their side of the property line, and some of it's knobby roots spread out into where my driveway would go. I asked her if she would consider letting me pay to have the tree removed so that the roots wouldn't interfere with my driveway. She thought about it for a day or two and called to say it was okay.

Tonight, she conitnually returned to that event saying that she did that for me when she didn't have to, and now she regrets getting rid of that tree because she loves trees. And she's not willing to give up "her tree" in the back yard. Yes, it was nice of her to let me remove the front tree. I acknowledged that and reminded her that she did not object but gave me permission. If she had felt that strongly about it, she could have said no then. However, it's a completely seperate issue. The front tree was "hers" and she had a choice. I appreciate her cooperation in that instance. This time, she doesn't own anything, and it's my right as a property owner to trim or cut a limb that hangs into my property.

It's ridiculous anyway because there are several limbs hanging into her yard from the same oak tree. Only one runs through my property. Her landscape isn't going to be drastically transformed if this one goes away. There's also more going on here than just being a plant lover. There were several untended shrubs and plants growing on my side of the property line when I had to build my chain wall. She had commented that she hated to see the plants killed. I gave her ample opportunity to dig them up and transplant them if she wanted, and she never touched them.

We're Go for Saturday

The slab contractor confirmed that he's going to be out to stake the pilings tomorrow. I hadn't thought about having the port-o-let out there for them yet. But he said they could to the staking without it.

The First Signs of Construction??

The slab contractor I've chosen says he should be ready to skate out the piling locations this Saturday. I'm supposed to get confirmation tomorrow. He also promises that I'll have all of his insurance documentation before any work begins. We'll see.

Today I bought some piling stakes. At least, I think they're piling stakes. They're 1x2 inches and about 12-18 inches long. So I'm ready if he does show up.

I also called the power company today to see if they're received the permit from the parish to install my temporary electric. They have not. My electrician friend says it has been called in to the Parish for them to inspect the pole. But something must be holding it up. I have to call them tomorrow.

I recently went to take a closer look at the Pella windows. The jamb liner seemed like it was cheaply made (a thin, fuzzy strip). I'm going to look more closely at the Marvin and Allenco windows before making a decision.

End of the Slab Contractor Search!

Well, the contractor in my last post didn't work out. He took forever to get back to me and then wanted to charge about twice as much as the most expensive bid I have so far ($5 per square foot vs. about $2.50). No thanks. I think this is the first time someone has really tried to play me because I'm young or I'm new at this, etc.

So I kept looking. I circled back with other bidders in other trades to ask for slab references. The lady at one lumber yard gave me a name. I met this guy at the lot. His price is $1.60 per square foot, which doesn't include equipment or materials. Even so, he's about the least expensive guy I've found. This past Friday, I took my mom & dad with me to check out slabs he's done in a subdivision on the westbank. They were pouring two more slabs that day. I got to watch them for a bit and then walk through two others that are at the framing stage. The work was about the best I've seen.: flat surface with no honeycombing and minimal voids in the brick ledges. Even the areas surrounding plumbing pipes were fairly level.

I'll be contacting this guy tomorrow to put things in motion. Looks like I'm ready to begin actual construction!

Electric Pole Installed; Slab Contractor; AC Bids

My dad and I installed the temporary electric pole before Thanksgiving. My electrician/friend said that I'd need to add a 220V receptacle to pass the parish inspection. I bought most of the pieces I needed from an electrical supply store (the receptacle, a metal box to mount it in, a circuit breaker with GFI protection and a weatherproof cover). On the weekend after Thanksgiving, we went to Home Depot to buy the rest of what we needed (mostly conduit and fittings). Then we installed it. (Hooray for Jerry, an HD employee who was really helpful & knowledgeable.)

My electrician is coming to inspect it before he calls for the parish inspection. This is good since I don't want to electrocute anyone!! The funny thing is, he says that the 220V will probably never be needed during construction. But the parish requires it. At least I should be able to reuse components of it in the house.

Chain-Wall Leakage
While we were there, we also repaired a spot along my chain wall where sand was seeping underneath into the neighbor's yard. Their lot is low, and water from a rainstorm found a spot to break through under the wall. So we dug it out from both sides and filled in some concrete underneath about 4-5 inches deep and maybe 18-20 inches long. Neither me or my dad knew of anything else to do to fix it. So hopefully, it does the job.

Slab Contractor
I think I might have found my slab guy! There was a crew working on a slab up the street from my lot. I stopped and got their information. Since then, I've let him take my plans and look them over, and I've gone to see a commercial slab he did recently. It was well done, with no honeycombing or voids. Just one depression in the top where some rain water had settled. (I don't expect it to be 100% perfect.) So this looks like it might be the guy. He says he uses the vibrating rod to make sure the concrete settles everywhere. Now I just have to get him to call me back with his price! It's been a few days. I've called him a couple of times. He tells me he's been waiting to talk to his partner, who has been out of town.

Air Conditioning Bids
My preferred air-conditioning contractor has had some business and family problems that kept him out of touch for about 3 months. But he finally gave me the quote today: $14,200 for everything I wanted. That includes a 16 SEER Trane system, 4-ton, with variable speed air handler (vertical installation in the attic), electrostatic air filter, etc. While I was waiting for him, I got a couple of other bids: $12,200 and $7,900. These other two are quoting brands other than Trane. I'm not sure why the third guy is so low.

Got the Permit!

I'm ready to go, permit-wise. Yesterday, I went in to the parish permits office. My intent was to go upstairs and deal with another form that they told me I'd need filled out before I could get the actual permit. I hadn't planned on leaving that day with the permit, but the timing worked out for me to get the whole thing done.

Upstairs, I needed to visit the public works (utilities) office for them to verify that my property has the infrastructure for water, sewerage, etc. That didn't take too long. Then I went back downstairs to the permits office. The guy I spoke with last time was out sick, but I get the next best person to process the application. So I'm now the proud owner of a piece of cardboard that says I can build! :)

I also got a temporary pole with all the components from my uncle. He last used it in Mississippi. We're going to the lot to put this in the ground today. If all goes well, my friend who is doing my electrical work can get the licensed electrician to call in for the inspection soon. Then I can get hooked up!

Silly Parish Plan Reviewers! And Other Assorted Updates

After my last post, I went back to my engineer with the vague list of requirements I got from the parish permits office. The plan reviewer had told me that I needed to be under the 2006 code (too late for 2003 code) and that parts of my house & garage near the property line needed to be "fire rated for one hour". Well, the engineering office had my request for this clarification letter for weeks, and the hold-up was supposedly that the girl they assigned it to left on maternity leave... yada yada. They kept reassigning the task to someone new. Each person would (eventually!) get around to asking me for the letter the parish gave me describing what they wanted. This didn't exist, and the engineer would inevitably get confused and go slobber in a corner somewhere and not call me again. Finally, I decided it was time for me to go back to the parish and get rock solid details about what needed to be in the letter...

I'm glad I did! This time I requested Sal at the permits office (a guy who seems to know his stuff, and who has been recommended to me by others) instead of taking whoever came up in the rotation. I told him what the last guy had told me. He was disgusted because the last guy should have known that I'm still elligible for the 2003 code under the grace period because I started this process before the new code went into effect. I still needed a letter from the engineer, but now it needed to say less. And I got specific details about what it needed to say. The morning I went in, all their computers were down. So Sal took the time to go through my plans and make all the markups that will be necessary so that I wouldn't need to wait the next time I come in.

After leaving that office, I called the engineers again to give them the new info and light a fire under them to get it done. Within a few days, I had the letter from them. There is still one visit I need to make to another parish office (in the same buidling) before I go get the permit. But otherwise, it seems I'm ready to go as far as the permit is concerned.

In other news...

My new utility pole has been installed! It's on the parish easement by the street, and it's just on the other side of the property line. This places it just right so that I can put my driveway out to the street without the pole in the way. My temporary electric pole will go right next to the new pole.

Which brings me to my next topic. The latest slab guy I talked to may work out. He's a second guy recommended by the framer across the street from me. This guy reminded me that he'll need electricity when it's time to start forming the slab. I've been talking to my friend, Matt, about the prices of bids I've gotten. He builds houses for a living, and he's offered to do the electrical work for less than my other bids. I talked to him this morning about what it takes to get the permit process going for the temporary electricity. He said I may be able to apply for the permit myself since it's my house I'm building. I need to check on this.

The Gears of the Bidding Process Turn Slowly... and Other Delays!

I've had a few breakthroughs in getting recommendations for subs in trades that I was having trouble with. For example, I finally brought my plans to the excellent framer across the street from me. Although timing may prevent him from doing the work, he gave me a price and he also gave me names of a slab guy, a plumber, and a recommendation for a lumber yard. When I called the lumber yard, she gave me two other recommendations for framers. My mom's friend gave me the number of a plumber he really recommends. I also had the Laplace concrete company to refer me to two other slab guys.

I've visited three slabs now done by people bidding on my job. Each one has had its weak points. Either the top was rough/uneven or the brick ledges and sides were a mess. I'm not sure how much of the sides I should worry about since they may come back and finish it off later. But the top definitely needs to be level, flat, and smooth.

I made my first attempt at a permit this week. Right away, the plan reviewer found things he needed clarified in a letter from the engineer. Apparently in Jefferson Parish, any part of a structure that's less than 5 ft from the property line needs to be fire rated for one hour. Two walls of my garage, and the overhang on one side of the house are within this limit. So I'm working on getting that letter now. At the same time, the reviewer told me the wall between the house and the attached garage needed to be fire rated and he was able to just write that in on the plans. If he could write in notes about the interior wall, why couldn't he write in the notes about the exterior walls?

Oh, and the permits office told me that they have nothing to do with giving me my address number (which contradicts what they told me over the phone). When I told him I didn't know the address number, he seemed aggrivated. So he sent someone around to figure it out. In their computer system, my lot and the neighbor's lot (which was one big lot at one time) still had the old house that straddled the dividing line. Eventually, they were able to determine that my house number is 624. During the visit, he pulled up aerial photos of the area to verify that there were indeed two lots and that a new house had already been built on the adjoining lot. I wish I could have gotten a copy of that photo, even though it was taken shortly after Katrina and still had all the trees on it.

On the positive front, the power company is on schedule to have the new utility pole installed by Nov. 1. Then I can have my temporary electricity feed off the new pole. Speaking of electricians, I'm waiting on two other electrical bids and my HVAC bid.

When visiting a slab today, I met the owner of the house who told me three things to make sure I have before my final inspection:

• Your house number posted (and make sure the numbers are large enough)
• Any steps are the right height/size, and
• Your mailbox installed

He also told me about another company besides the citizen's FAIR plan for obtaining wind and hail insurance. It's Republican Insurance. A quick Google search revealed more than one match. I'm not sure which one he was talking about, but he said you can save a lot by going through them.