We've been gathering photos and some items we have figured out. Others....not even close. But we've been so focused on the design and technical aspects it will be nice to switch gears and think about what finishes we want in our new home.
Thursday, April 9, 2020
Beckley Residence Specifications
Just when we thought we were in for a long wait and lots of dead time, our builder sent us 6 pages of details to figure out. It covers everything! Gutter type? Color? What type of stone on the siding? What type of sink in each location? Faucets? How many hose bibs? Where? It goes on and on.
We've been gathering photos and some items we have figured out. Others....not even close. But we've been so focused on the design and technical aspects it will be nice to switch gears and think about what finishes we want in our new home.
We've been gathering photos and some items we have figured out. Others....not even close. But we've been so focused on the design and technical aspects it will be nice to switch gears and think about what finishes we want in our new home.
We're Finally Feeling the Impact of the Shutdown
We've been very lucky over the past month of the state shutdown for many reasons. One reason is our architect and civil engineer were willing to work on our projects from home and get them wrappe dup. It was a close call and took some work, but we were able to get finalized plans and drainage engineering during a time when businesses were stopping work altogether. The day after the architect finished our plans she was taking time off.
Another reason is the well drillers decided to start and finish our project. Residential construction is not allowed currently, but technically work that provides water to people is an essential business. They were already staged to drill so they got it done...just barely and on a technicality.
A third reason is even though King County Development has closed their offices, they are still allowing limited types of permits to be submitted online, including Residential Building Permits. So we were able to apply for our permit and get the ball rolling despite the shutdown.
But now, we're feeling it. We can't demo the old shed, decommission the old well, or remove the well road because none of that work is allowed until at least May 4th. But really all of those things should be done before the county comes out to look at our site. A little nervous about it all, but not much we can do about any of it!
Another reason is the well drillers decided to start and finish our project. Residential construction is not allowed currently, but technically work that provides water to people is an essential business. They were already staged to drill so they got it done...just barely and on a technicality.
A third reason is even though King County Development has closed their offices, they are still allowing limited types of permits to be submitted online, including Residential Building Permits. So we were able to apply for our permit and get the ball rolling despite the shutdown.
But now, we're feeling it. We can't demo the old shed, decommission the old well, or remove the well road because none of that work is allowed until at least May 4th. But really all of those things should be done before the county comes out to look at our site. A little nervous about it all, but not much we can do about any of it!
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Permit Application Officially Accepted!
Once the engineer signed off on the Grant of Easement as sufficient proof, intake was able to invoice us for the permit. We paid and it's now "under review"!
King County is running at limited capacity for now. Before the shutdown, they were taking upwards of 20 weeks to process building permits, according to our builder. So this could be a very long wait. But we're happy to have this big step behind us.
King County is running at limited capacity for now. Before the shutdown, they were taking upwards of 20 weeks to process building permits, according to our builder. So this could be a very long wait. But we're happy to have this big step behind us.
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Easement Hunt
King County Permitting requested a copy of the easement showing we have access to the road. Our legal description states the property has an access easement. The Statutory Warranty Deed from 1958 which is our Proof of Legal Lot shows the property has an easement. But that wasn't enough.
I spent hours compiling proof the easement exists. I dug through online records. I was able to find a recorded survey of the neighbor's parcel showing the easement along the road, and a King County Assessor's Map showing the easement running past our property...not good enough. I knew the recording number of the document I needed, but the document was too old to be found online. I emailed King County Archives, but they are closed and not searching microfiche records until they re-open. I was stuck. I submitted what I had and crossed my fingers, but they let me know it still wasn't sufficient proof.
Fortunately the person from the county was nice enough to call and verbally recommend I look through the Title Report from our closing documents from when we purchased the property. He said if we're lucky, there should be a hyperlink to that old recorded document. Sure enough, there it was! I've never been so happy to see a Grant of Easement from 1958 in my entire life!
I spent hours compiling proof the easement exists. I dug through online records. I was able to find a recorded survey of the neighbor's parcel showing the easement along the road, and a King County Assessor's Map showing the easement running past our property...not good enough. I knew the recording number of the document I needed, but the document was too old to be found online. I emailed King County Archives, but they are closed and not searching microfiche records until they re-open. I was stuck. I submitted what I had and crossed my fingers, but they let me know it still wasn't sufficient proof.
Fortunately the person from the county was nice enough to call and verbally recommend I look through the Title Report from our closing documents from when we purchased the property. He said if we're lucky, there should be a hyperlink to that old recorded document. Sure enough, there it was! I've never been so happy to see a Grant of Easement from 1958 in my entire life!
Thursday, April 2, 2020
Thursday, September 12, 2019
Sold
After a very smooth closing process, we officially became the owners of 4.87 acres in Fall City on Jeremy's birthday! The kids helped me load the picnic table into the trailer and gather party decorations while Jeremy was at work. That evening we surprised Jeremy with a little birthday celebration on the new property.
Sunday, July 21, 2019
We Found the One!
I'm starting this blog in April 2020, just as we're applying for our building permit. But I'm creating posts for significant events which have already happened so we don't forget. And the day we first visited the land seemed like the best place to start.
I remember seeing our land pop up in a saved search email. I mentioned it in passing to Jeremy but neither of us felt the rush to jump in the car and check it out. We were busy and burned out from thinking about our housing situation. We were tired of hauling the kids to a piece of land, hacking our way through blackberries and looking up at power lines, knowing it wasn't for us.
One week later things had changed slightly. We'd made the decision not to add on to our current home. The estimate from the contractor was outrageous. The situation with our neighbors was getting worse. We couldn't get excited about the project and it didn't make sense financially to move forward.
The day we first saw our new property, we were headed out of town for a day trip to Bremerton to look at potential rental properties. On a whim we decided to swing by the piece of land that came up for sale the week before. I'm so glad we did.
I remember pulling up, getting out of the car, and saying, "Oh." This property had a completely different feel than all the other land we've looked at. It instantly felt like a very special place.
In a crazy stroke of luck, the neighbor saw us there and came over. He also happened to be the listing agent. He walked the property with us, answered questions, and gave us the whole scoop on the parcel and the neighborhood, then left us to explore on our own.
We decided right there in the woods to make an offer and go for it. Buildable land was being snatched up so quickly, we were really lucky it was still an active listing. But we didn't have a realtor! I remembered researching realtors a couple years prior and had emailed a good one about land in the area. So we found her phone number online, gave her a call, and told her we wanted to write up an offer. She didn't hesitate and jumped right in.
When she reached out to the listing agent (the neighbor) to let him know we intended to submit an offer, he let her know another potential buyer was submitting an offer that day as well. But unofficially he said he really liked our family and wanted us to get the land! He couldn't do anything unethical to make that happen (and we wouldn't want him to), but it was nice to know he was rooting for us. In order to tip scales in our favor, our relator asked us to write a letter addressed to the seller, telling her why we wanted to buy the property and how excited we were. "Tug at her heart strings" was the advice we were given. So that's what we did. And something must have worked because our offer was accepted. The clock immediately started ticking on our time period to research the property and it's feasibility for building. And the rollercoaster began.
I remember seeing our land pop up in a saved search email. I mentioned it in passing to Jeremy but neither of us felt the rush to jump in the car and check it out. We were busy and burned out from thinking about our housing situation. We were tired of hauling the kids to a piece of land, hacking our way through blackberries and looking up at power lines, knowing it wasn't for us.
One week later things had changed slightly. We'd made the decision not to add on to our current home. The estimate from the contractor was outrageous. The situation with our neighbors was getting worse. We couldn't get excited about the project and it didn't make sense financially to move forward.
The day we first saw our new property, we were headed out of town for a day trip to Bremerton to look at potential rental properties. On a whim we decided to swing by the piece of land that came up for sale the week before. I'm so glad we did.
I remember pulling up, getting out of the car, and saying, "Oh." This property had a completely different feel than all the other land we've looked at. It instantly felt like a very special place.
In a crazy stroke of luck, the neighbor saw us there and came over. He also happened to be the listing agent. He walked the property with us, answered questions, and gave us the whole scoop on the parcel and the neighborhood, then left us to explore on our own.
We decided right there in the woods to make an offer and go for it. Buildable land was being snatched up so quickly, we were really lucky it was still an active listing. But we didn't have a realtor! I remembered researching realtors a couple years prior and had emailed a good one about land in the area. So we found her phone number online, gave her a call, and told her we wanted to write up an offer. She didn't hesitate and jumped right in.
When she reached out to the listing agent (the neighbor) to let him know we intended to submit an offer, he let her know another potential buyer was submitting an offer that day as well. But unofficially he said he really liked our family and wanted us to get the land! He couldn't do anything unethical to make that happen (and we wouldn't want him to), but it was nice to know he was rooting for us. In order to tip scales in our favor, our relator asked us to write a letter addressed to the seller, telling her why we wanted to buy the property and how excited we were. "Tug at her heart strings" was the advice we were given. So that's what we did. And something must have worked because our offer was accepted. The clock immediately started ticking on our time period to research the property and it's feasibility for building. And the rollercoaster began.
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| Listing Photo |
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| Listing Detail |
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| Letter to Seller |
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| Listing Photo Showing For Sale Sign |
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