Showing posts with label Dome News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dome News. Show all posts

2007-08-12

Phew!

Just had a meeting with the contractors , Jeff & Ken. Phew! After going through almost anything you could think of for building a dome the total comes out to over $371k. Phew! I knew when we first started that $150k wasn’t going to be enough; but, damn! But when you stop and look at it, with the prices nowadays it’s really not that expensive. New stick homes (in our sizes) start at $250k around here. And that’s on a quarter-acre lot! If that! We got our 5.77 acres for just over $19k and the 5.1 acre property next door (unimproved. I mean Nothing on it! POSSIBLE Mt. Rainier view (in their wildest dreams!)) just went on the market for $150k.


So, the contractors are going to really finalize the numbers tomorrow then we’ll go for financing. The monthly payments are going to be a lot; but we’ll both work to pay it off as soon as we can. GOD, I NEED TO WIN THE MEGA-LOTTO!

2007-07-18

I'd Like To Say Nothing Is Going On...

But I've been too busy to say that. Sort of!

Missed our regular Friday night date last Friday 'cause SWMBO drove down to Sisters, Oregon for their annual Quilt Show. She was gone until late Saturday night so it was just Poop Dog and me hanging around the house.

I went out to the property friday and saturday and cut up some wood. Having that digger to hold trees at waist level sure makes it easier to cut them up! I've cut up and transported to the house we're living in about a cord of wood so far. Cool. Now I have to rent a splitter, get it all split and stacked in the 'woodshed'.

Sunday was a pretty regular day. We had friends out to the property for a picnic. Took our new camp stove and grilled ribs. Even made homemade potato salad! (I'm SO cool! <G>)

Monday it finally started cooling down some and it's been raining off and on Tues & Wednesday. Had a meeting with Bob the Dome Guy and his main man Dan at the El Sombrero in Belfair about noon today (Wed). Got a lot of thing about the dome worked out and made a visit to the property. SWMBO's car almost didn't make it up the road because of all the mud! Had a doe and her baby stroll through the clearing while we were all standing around in the dome hole talking. Cool! I like having a piece of property where deer feel they can waltz through....

Not much else going on. Playing on the computer a lot. Mostly converting video's to divx format. I need to get my ass on the scanning I have to do! I'm playing too much though.... Did manage to upload SWMBO's Quilt Show pictures to our galleries. Check it out!

Pretty Quilt!

2007-04-26

What I’ve Been Up To The Past Couple Of Days…

Yesterday I drove over to Union, WA and spent a good hour talking to Rob at Dogwood Construction. He'd be glad to take on our dome project but I have to get him MUCH better plans and a lot more information. Really kind of a productive meeting. The drive over and back was beautiful! Right along the water front from Belfair to Union. Took some good pictures (check out our Webshots site). Got back home and called Bob the Dome Guy about my talk with Rob. We decided it would be best if I contacted Larry Byrnes at Monolithic.com to re-draw the plans. Meanwhile we're hoping that Mason County still issues us a building permit...

Today talked to Larry Byrnes at Monolithic and he agreed to re-draw the dome plans. So I gathered the stuff together to send and got it mailed off. Straightened up around the house a bit. At least stuck my dirty clothes in the washer. Bishop Job dropped off a notice to post on the cyber-church website so I got that done. Watched Smallville (cool show!) and Supernatural and that's about it.

And that's it!



2007-04-22

Proposed Class Action Suit Against “Telebrands”: $ 5,000,000,000.00

For unethical and unfair marketing practices. For not giving the public a way to leave them a message complaining about the crappiness of their products and (most importantly) for not giving us a way to 'opt out' of their damned spam-mail. Anyone Agree?

Things been going well. Passed the EcoEngineer report on where our dome is going to physically sit. Been working for Bob (The Dirt Guy) the past couple of days spreading gravel and breaking septic pipes. Dozer is up and running and I just have to change all the fluids in it to make it just right. Thinking of selling it but I'm not sure if I'm going to need it later or not. SWMBO and I went out to "Fat Rascal's" for dinner last Friday evening. I had the fried catfish. Yummy! Went shopping yesterday instead of our usual after date stop. And that's about it...

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2007-03-23

My Trench & Wire Passed…

the electrical inspection. Cool! The Inspector told me to make damn sure that there are no sharp edged rocks against the wire because over time the wire will be cut. Wants me to walk down the trench and pull about 6 inches of clean dirt (clean dirt?) over the top of the wire before backfilling. I can do that. I actually do (most times) listen to the experts.

Got out at the property about 0900 and started trying to stretch out the water pipe. By the time Brian (our son) showed up I was pretty much soaked to the skin, muddy from head to toe and tired. Rain didn't let up either. We mostly stretched the water pipe out using a blow torch to heat the pipe and a lot of muscle. But by noon I had had enough and called it a day. We're supposed to get some nicer weather in a couple of days and we'll meet back out there and finish it. I may have to rent a smaller excavator to do the backfill. At $185/day it's cheaper than Bob the dirt guy.

I was SO muddy I thought about driving home naked. But then I got a look at the inside of my truck and figured it wouldn't make that much difference! Got home, stripped and jumped into a hot shower to get warmed up and I've just been sitting around (well, if you don't count doing some laundry, dishes, fixing dinner and straightening up) watching tv. Finally got off my ass and built a fire; was getting kind of cool in here.

That's it.

2007-03-20

Busy Busy Day!

Got up around 0730. Got on the phone at 0830. Called the company that is going to do our Special Inspections to get their registration number (they don't have one). But they did e-mail me a copy of their certificate to operate. Called PUD3 (Dianne) to find out if they have to inspect the trench and wire/pipe Bob and I are going to put in Thursday. They don't. However, Labor and Industries does! Labor and Industries? So I tried getting hold of someone there. No go. They all leave the office by 0830 to go out and do inspections. Got online to request an inspection. No go. You have to have a permit. Great.

Called Dianne at PUD3 to find out where I get the permit and how long it would take (visions of wasted time Thursday dancing in my head). Turns out I get the permit at Labor and Industries. Back to their website and $201 later I have a permit and a request for the inspection to be friday if possible.

Back on the phone (and internet) to track down where I get the Poly Pipe I need for water line. First question out of their mouths was "What size?". I don't freakin' know. I'll get back to you.

Called Nicholson Drilling (the folks that are going to install our well) and talked to Jim (who has actually been out to the site) and we talked about 15 minutes about preassure -vs- resistance and how I don't want any turns in the water pipe if possible. What it boiled down to was I need 500 feet of 1 1/2" 200 psi pipe. Back to the pipe companies.

Called several companies but the best price is a HD Fowlers just outside Gorst. At Hd Fowlers 500 feet of 1 1/2" Poly pipe (with 3 fittings to hook them together) will run me about $1100. Phew!

Back on the phone (and internet) to track down the wire I have to run from where the transformer is to where the dome will be. First question out of their mouths was "How much?" then "Aluminium or copper??" About 500 ft and I don't freakin' know. I'll get back to you. Called Dianne at PUD3 and we talked a few about wire. They set up for Aluminium but I need the 250MCM wire which is a bit more expensive than the normal wire they use. I need the 'next-up' size because of the distance from the transformer to the dome. Ok, thanks! What I saved in aluminium -vs- copper I more than made up for in guage.

Back to calling around for the best price on 250MCM wire. Wound up at North Coast Electric (Dennis) where 500 feet of 250MCM wire will run me $1955.78, 1-1000ft roll of direct bury tv cable $161 and 1-1000ft roll of direct bury phone cable for $299.06. Phew! You know what? I ought to go out and remeasure just to be sure this is what I need. I'll get back to you.

Called Bob to let him know where I was in all this. Called my son to ask his help measuring (cause it's hard holding both ends of a 100 ft measuring tape and getting an accurate distance measurement). Started to get some breakfast (about 1100 now) when Bob called back. Said he wasn't doing anything so why doesn't he go out and help me measure (and he wants to take a look at where he'll be digging a trench). I'll be over in a few minutes, Bob.

So we went out and remeasured. It turns out I need only 400 ft of electrical wire. Cool! But I need close to 700 feet of water line, tv cable and phone cable.

Two hours later I'm back on the phone with Dennis at North Coast Electric and my total order of 400 ft of 250MCM wire, tv cable and phone cable comes to ONLY $2169.22 (with taxes)! My Goodness! I get to pick it all up Thursday.

There aren't too many days where I get (or want) to spend $3400!

So, finally (I think) I get to settle down and relax for a moment when the phone rings. It's my son saying he can come and help and he wants to pick up some of his stuff. Thanks, but the measuring is already done. But he did come over and get some of his stuff. Well, he loaded it into my truck and I took it over to his place in Bremerton. ???

Finally got home and settled down around 1830. Aren't y'all glad!?!

2007-03-13

Wow! Talk About “Out Of The Blue”…

A guy that used to work for me WAY back when I ran sick bay on the Turner Joy just sent me an e-mail. Joe Hudock, who I remember as a young Hospitalman (HN). He didn't say much but I answered his message so we'll see...

Not much happening on the homefront. Raining too much to get out to the property and push dirt around. Me and Poop Dog did get out there for awhile yesterday to start the dozer and let it run a bit. Walked around. Well, I walked around. Poop Dog ZOOMED around the whole time we were there!

Got the guesstimate from PCI on the Special Inspectors; $10,847.00! Phew. That just about puts us out of the building in Mason County category! But, I checked online for land over Thurston County way; nothing available that we could move to. Kathy has to be within an hours drive of a Group Health facility for work purposes. Damn! But I did manage to get the Mayes company to consider submitting a guesstimate. Let's see what theirs is before going any further.

SWMBO's been getting ready for her trip to Ohio...

2007-01-23

Posted Earlier But Lost: Back To Square One With Mason County.

Let’s see if I have this right: Jenny N. at the Planning Dept is insisting we hire a company to come out and measure the little wires that will be sticking in the shell (used to measure how much shotcreet is sprayed) and said company (located in Tacoma) will have to come out EACH DAY for 10-18 days at a cost of $45/hr (minimum 4 hours) AND travel expenses each of those days to measure how much shotcreet has been sprayed that day. We have to hire this company because the Inspectors for the Planning Department have not been taught to read a ruler and cannot be taught to read one to measure these wires with any degree of competency NOR will they allow SWMBO or I (who can read a ruler very well) do the measuring ourselves. Well, let’s just add that to the list…

This on top of having to hire a company to take several ‘cores’ of the shotcreet at $400 per because the Planning Department can insist on the tests but are incapable of doing said tests.
This on top of the Planning Department talking to ONLY their ‘experts’ (you know - people that have built swimming pools but have NO experience with cement DOMES) and not to one of the folks we’ve suggested they talk to. Plus putting any decisions on our place on a back burner for a couple of weeks until the new Manager came on.

I’ll tell you: it’s MY opinion that these people don’t know if their heads are buried in the sand or up their butts. (I’d vote for their butts.) I have never seen a more incompetent group of people in one office. (And I’ve seen a LOT of offices. I was in the NAVY for cripes sake!) You’d think anyone would want folks to build more energy efficient, safer stronger homes in their county and be happy to be in that county. Not to mention the bucks these folks would bring in! But these folks seem to have only THEIR butts, and jobs, in mind. I believe they believe if they can make it SO complicated that no one can possibly understand or comply with their ‘rules’ then their jobs are secure. Not that actually DO anything. Seems Jenny N. has set up a series of BAD decisions but is too (proud? Stupid?) to change her mind so she has to keep coming up with things to make her BAD decisions seem legitimate. And she’s so far in that she CAN’T change her mind for fear of looking like she doesn’t know what the heck she’s doing. Mike and Emmet are just as useless as far as I’m concerned. Neither is willing (able?) to tell their workers to get of their butts and DO some research and actually TALK to people that know what the heck they’re doing. Seems strange the the Planning Department can require all these special inspections (read: expensive inspections) but have NO IDEA how to actually DO them themselves. And they charge you a LOT of money to do Nothing.

Am I getting bitter? You bet I am. Stupidity always gets me upset. If I had ran my sick bay this way I’d have been crapcanned early! “Sorry, you need a flu shot. I’ve been trained how to do it but insist you go to this doctor in town and pay $180 for it.” No, wait. That won’t work. I indicated training there. It’s pretty obvious that the Planning Department has NO training nor any desire to educate themselves. Sounds too much like work I guess…