What point will/did you move in?

Started by jenndun, November 06, 2007, 02:55:42 PM

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jenndun

We are planning still. We want to do the 20' Universal two story. We want to make it 20 x40. Our major problem is we are 13hrs away from the land. I plan on going up in the summer to work on it. At what point in construction can we move in. I figure after the outside walls are up, insulation in, water and electric going. My goal is to be in within a year even if it is not finished.

ailsaek

#1
Are you building in an area where you need an occupancy permit?  If so, the town office would be the best place to ask this question.


MountainDon

Ailsa makes a good point. IF you are building under a permit there are more than likely restrictions against moving in, "occupying" the space/building until after the final inspection. They then issue a CO; Certificate of Occupancy.

I got the local inspectors dander up with an addition I made here. We had furniture moved in. After he made his point, he switched gears, told me I'd done a good job, and signed off on the whole thing. CO was in the mail later that week.

IF you're talking about when I'm going to move in to the mountain cabin we're starting in spring, that's a horse of a different color.  ;)  When the place is dried in we intend to set up house keeping.  :)  Any unfinished space will be roomier than the RV. If the weather's still cool we may put the occupancy off until the wood stove alcove is completed and the stove installed.

ScottA

I did the live in the house while it's under construction trick years ago and won't do it again. All your stuff gets in the way and the dust gets into everything. It's a real pain. I'm going to finnish my cabin 100% before I move in. If you are forced to move in early try to get your main living area mostly done before and keep most of your stuff in storage until the rooms it goes in are done. I don't know how others feel about this but I belive a house should have a chance to air out a bit before you live in it. Seems like it takes several weeks for all the glues paints etc. to really dry out fully and stop making fumes.

Scott

Jimmy_Cason

#4
Now, For another point of view.
I have lived in my unfinished house for just about a year.

Pros
1. I pay myself the (house payment) then spend it at Lowes or Home Depot!
2. I have time to get the feel for the next project. I had plywood/cloth kitchen cabinets for 8 months.
This gave me a good feel for the kitchen area.  
3. I live in my own home!

Cons
1. Dust
2. Trying to relax. I am always thinking about the next project. If I kick back and relax I feel guilty.
3. Nothing else! It has been one of the best choices I have made in my life!


Here are pictures showing how soon I moved in. (In October2 006)
Dried in, water, plumbing and electric only.
No insulation No sheet rock interior other than the bathroom \shower area for privacy.
My wife still was able to make it feel like home!


glenn-k

Quote

I got the local inspectors dander up with an addition I made here. We had furniture moved in. After he made his point, he switched gears, told me I'd done a good job, and signed off on the whole thing. CO was in the mail later that week.


[highlight]OMG OMG OMG [/highlight]  Don -- You didn't :o  You tried to use your own house without saying Mother May I. :o :o :o

You failed to recognize his authority.  How could you???   How would you feel if the shoe was on the other foot?? :-? :-? :-? :-

Wouldn't you feel useless and unneeded too?  Wouldn't you feel like there was no reason for you to be there -- or alive for that matter because the home owner just went ahead and used his house without asking you???? :-? :-? :-?


For shame -- for shame, Don. :( :( :( :-[ :-[ :-[

Wouldn't it be very satisfying to tell him to kiss your big white shiny one? ;D ;D ;D


I know, Don --- don't make waves -- You needed the Occupancy Permit, but isn't it OK if I just imagine...  what if.. :)

glenn-k

What was that ---  :-?

A little anti-authoritarian rant.

I'm OK now...

For my part -- it is your right -- pursuit of happiness -- if you want to live in it and it will keep from creating a hardship for you.  It may not be the best but may be necessary.  I realize it is not really your property -- It really belongs to the state --- but I like to pretend this is a free country sometimes. ::)

Good plan Jimmy.  If it is best for you and the police state will allow it, have at it.  

I agree -- it can slow you down and be dusty but if you want to get ahead -it may be a thing to do.


Preston

Scott has a good point about letting the house air out.  Which brings me to a new topic of using fume-free, non-toxic, voc-free paint, glue, and sealants, caulk, etc...

MountainDon

That was the first major change I made here. All 100% legal.

The second change was a garage/workshop building. I had a permit for the structure and a homeowners DIY for the electric. Somehow I never got around to having them come in for the final.  :-[  Years went by.  :-/

That emboldened me and I did a bathroom bump-out that just sort of magically appeared on the side of the house.  I had the RV parked out front hiding most of the goings-on. :D  Did it all myself.


glenn-k

I am proud of you, Don.  I have had many weekend miracles.  

If you are on good terms with everyone around you, then you are usually your own worst rat.  Contrary to what you have been told and made to believe, they do not have a direct link to God and I know it's just a GD piece of paper to GWB, but  the constitution and bill of rights was written to be understood by the common man.  The building codes are ex-post facto laws for protection of the public, and are in violation of our personal rights.  

Sad to say but it is usually easiest to give up your rights -- play prisoner and play their game their way.  I don't encourage anyone to adopt my point of view  --- it could be trouble -- but I don't really give a flip. :)  I'll still do my thing my way and jobs for the public to code. :)


MountainDon

As far as I'm concerned being on good terms with the neighbors is just plain common sense. Help them and they'll help you. We're blessed with a lovable group on this street. Out of the 20 homes on this short street there are only three of us that date back to the beginning, 1985. Back when the street was young and the neighborhood developing I believe there was some "danger" of being caught doing an un-permitted project simply because the inspectors were all over the place. Now, being an established neighborhood the inspectors don't come by unless they're invited by someone.

There was one detail that I did in the bathroom expansion that I know the inspectors would have had a big problem with. I got a nice long cast iron whirlpool tub used. Big enough for two to stretch out.  :) I knew from past experience that being cast iron the water would cool quicker than we'd like. So I bought a hot tub heater for it. The presence of the heater defines the tub as a "hot tub", not a whirlpool.  :o  For some reason the local code calls for many more windows than I have if you have a hot tub inside.   ::) Everything else met code for the day it was built.

I believe the various arms of the government don't talk to each other. Heck, sometimes they don't even communicate very well within the same department. The county assessors will eventually find out about any improvements, even if they were never officially sanctioned by the city development department.


glenn-k

QuoteThe county assessors will eventually find out about any improvements, even if they were never officially sanctioned by the city development department.  

To a point.  They have absolutely no right or legal remedy that will allow them on your property if you will not allow it and tell them they are not allowed.  That may not be to your benefit but it is the way it is.

The building official can get a court to allow him onto your property if you or your property is harming someone else and they complain.  They may try to take more liberties than that if they think they can get away with it.

Just stuff from memory that I have read from property rights sites - I think it is pretty well correct.

MountainDon

#12
QuoteWe are planning still.
Everytime I check back to see what's new under this topic that is the first thing I see.

Each and every time my eyes/mind wants to plug "a" in between your words planning and still.  :-[ ::) 8-) ;D


glenn-k



MountainDon

To make Ethanol. To burn in the Jeep.    ;)  or maybe the RV generator

desdawg

If you didn't get a final inspection the information may not have gotten to the assessors office and may not be refleted on your tax bill. If that is the case you may not be paying your fair share in which case you should immediately send a check to the Building Inspectors Widows and Orphans fund.  ;D
I look at all of the different taxing entities that feel like they have a right to a piece of what I earn and I get really disgusted. Then I say what do I get for my money and I look at all of the people that are employed making sure I get all of these tax bills and I know the answer is pretty simple. Not much!
I hang out on another site with chain saw collectors from all over the world and we get onto the tax rant once in a while. Compared to say Germany and Sweden we get by relatively cheap. It costs a lot to have a group of people employed to tell us how to live.
I look at the oil prices in some of those countries and we are getting by for a lot less than they are and I consider our prices expensive. When I try to weigh that all out I blow a fuse.

glenn-k

Taxes and government are parasitic - they only survive off of those who produce a product of some sort,  Unfortunately there are not enough of us working anymore to support the parasites and they still want blood.  Look for the infestation to get worse.  I think I'll run down to the local vet and have myself dipped. :-/


DemianJ

#17
We moved into our 2 story universal w/o a CO at about 70% completion.  Since we'd been living in a travel trailer with an outhouse, the key tipping point for my pregnant wife was the setting of the plumbing fixtures.  If the timing works, I do recommend trying to finish your bedroom, as much as possible (i.e., it is really hard to do flooring, paint, and sheetrock with all your stuff in the way).  That way, your bed, clothing, and most dust-sensitive belongings can be stored apart from the constructions process.  If you can, I'd also strongly recommend having the drywall hung and finished.  It would be nearly impossible to protect all your stuff while finishing drywall (If you're doing it yourself, I have seen those hand sanders with vacuum attachments which, when combined with a HEPA shop vac and lots of plastic might give you a chance).  A typical drywall or paint crew will wreck havoc on an occupied house.  Also, buy a bunch of window fans to create a strong draft to suck airborne dust out.  We used low-VOC for all the interior finishes (and it was late summer when we moved in, so the windows were open), so fumes weren't much of an issue.

I'm not sure how much they cost, but you could also rent one of those furniture storage containers for a period (or build a large shed first).  

If you're paying multiple folks to do the work, then it will slow down the crew (maybe less so if you're doing it yourself), but not so much that the money saved on rent and time/gas spent driving aren't worth it.  And, as Jimmy points out, you're there to oversee and/or do the work and you get the satisfaction of living in your own house.


Demian

Sassy

We were living in our house in the valley when we remodeled.  Entirely gutted the kitchen down to the 2x4's, bumped out the walls to hold the fridge, oven & microwave, changed the hallway configuration to give me a pantry in the kitchen, a walk-in closet in the master bedroom & another walk-in in one of the other bedrooms.  I did dishes in the sink or bathtub - mostly just microwaved food, so didn't have a lot of dishes.  We'd finish our day at our regular jobs & then work until 1am on the house.  It was worth it  :)  

Daddymem

Quote
QuoteThe county assessors will eventually find out about any improvements, even if they were never officially sanctioned by the city development department.  

To a point.  They have absolutely no right or legal remedy that will allow them on your property if you will not allow it and tell them they are not allowed.  That may not be to your benefit but it is the way it is.

The building official can get a court to allow him onto your property if you or your property is harming someone else and they complain.  They may try to take more liberties than that if they think they can get away with it.

Just stuff from memory that I have read from property rights sites - I think it is pretty well correct.

What you have to watch out for are the ways they are using the aerial photography and GIS.  They are catching the wetland fillers, the non-permitted sheds, garages, and additions with this technology around these parts now.  Don't think they got stuff to see underground yet though so Glenn's prolly safe for a while.


glenn-k

#20
Anybody check to see if they are licensing the program or if they are illegally spying without paying licensing fees?

I won't give up easily, Daddymem. :o

desdawg

I usually like to build a shop or garage before I build a house. Gives me a place to work from. I ran into some old friends the other day and they are building a garage with a kitchen and bath in it with the County's blessing on their 10 acre piece.  It is a block building and instead of installing the overhead doors they are framing in the openings with a window in one opening and a 3'0 door in the other. Upon completion of the house proper they will have 90 days to finish the garage as a garage, i.e. install the overhead doors and remove the kitchen range. I think it may depend on whom you wind up dealing with at your building department. Some of these "rulings" sound pretty unofficial.