Yes, it’s been seven months since my last post. Thanks go out to Brandon who reminded me that there are people (at least one person, at least) who would like to know what’s been going on with our cliffhanger of a project. So I'll be posting some updates over the course of the next few days and weeks...
Design Changes
Since our last update we closed escrow and then scaled our project back to fit our more realistic budget. We removed the two secondary structures which brought down the cost by about $350,000 and the total living space to about 3,100 square feet. I think a project of this scale will also be better-received by the community.
Hydrant Redux
I noted in the last installment that our neighbor was contemplating selling her land, which put our plan to share the costs of the new fire hydrant in jeopardy. Ultimately, she decided to sell her parcel which left us on our own to figure out what to do about the cost of the hydrant. We deferred any work on this front since we didn't want to have to ask to be reimbursed from the new owners once her land sold. Surprisingly she found a buyer almost immediately without even listing it on the MLS. In a turn of good fortune, the new owners seem really great and quite interested in splitting the hydrant and other joint utility setup costs.
I’ve since reached back out to both the Fire Marshal and the West Marin Water District to discuss the design of the hydrant extension. As I noted earlier, the Fire Marshal dictates how far away the hydrant can be and the Water District’s engineers design the system and determine how to connect to the existing main. Among the things I've learned about working with these agencies is that it takes a collective 5 voicemails and 3 emails for the Fire Marshal to return a call, and that certain codes are more flexible than they initially sound as long as you are reasonable and do not issue demands.
For the extension of the hydrant the Water District required $2,800 in advance and I assume there will be additional payments due over the course of their design work of the system. We had to hire a surveyor to document the terrain that would be in the vicinity of the new line. We are currently waiting for this survey work to be completed before the design plans can be finalized.
Once the design is complete, the Water District will provide a work estimate if they were to manage the project (this is where the $150/linear foot figure came from, mind you). I learned that even if I was to hire an independent contractor to do the work, I would still have to pay the Water District a surety bond in the amount of their estimate just in case your contractor is unable to complete the project (I guess that ensures that the work is completed one way or the other). You have one year to complete the work and even afterwards they keep part of the bond to ensure no maintenance is required.
Seems a little over-cautious to me, but what do I know?
