12/2/08

Reality Bites/Life goes on
Yes, it’s been longer than just a few weeks—just about six months from the last entry. But I’m not giving any excuses —we all know what is going on right now. We stopped all work on the shop months ago. I made the decision that instead of risking more cash that I would suspend construction until things get a little more sane. None-the-less I have been busy finishing up the plans with the architect and also had the builder close up the shop to prevent any damage or safety issues. The final set of plans look very good and are ready to go. (elevations above) Bob and his crew did a great job on all the details and I’ve spent hours and hours going over them. It’s killing me, but I will use this time to get everything just the way it should be. It’s good that we did not commit to a loan before this financial crisis and now be staring at pretty hefty payment. 2010 or 11 is a long way off but I think that is what we might be looking at. Unless something wonderful happens.
I’ve decided to return to the blog and fold it into some of my personal interest—art, design and architecture.

6/13/08

Materials and Systems—Daikin VRV-S A/C System
I have decided to start to review some of the more important systems and materials we intend to use. This is provisional but I will try to stay to the things we are most likely to stick with. The HVAC is perhaps the most costly and important of all. The climate in North Georgia dictates that cooling and heating be given just about equal emphasis. It’s cooler in the mountains and can freeze-up and we are also well south of any hope for summer comfort without A/C. This said — it would be possible (and cheaper) to go with wood heat and passive cooling but on a remod we would be really challenged to make this structure work in a passive cooling mode. I also believe that the likely use of the structure by others without my supervision might make these methods impracticable and uncomfortable. The only caveat is loss of electricity during storms. Most of the old-timers in this area have a propane heating, but electricity has and should continue to improve in reliability. The system will be capable of both heating and cooling so will eliminate the use of two separate systems and double the hardware. Daikin is a Japanese company that has loads of experience in Asia and Europe—they are now expanding over here. The Variable Refrigerant Volume System (VRV-S) system uses one compact outdoor heat pump teamed with individual units in each area. It’s more of a commercial type unit but will work well in this application and is outstandingly efficient. It allows us to control individual areas and minimize wasted energy. It is single-phase, has a space saving design, is quiet, and highly reliable. The interior units vary in size and design - some are wall mounted others ceiling mounted. The controllers are wireless and can be programed for a variety of needs.

5/30/08

Property line -Quick response
A few weeks back we had a setback that I should have chronicled. The questions about the property on the north section of the building which has been such a source of hope and frustration finally came to unequivocal end— Be it a negative one. Mrs. Henry, who I have never met returned my request for a easement to overhang her property by all of three feet with a registered letter and a resounding lawyer backed denial. So I had to go back to Mr. Cain and have him shave the roof off and consequently decided to do it on both sides for appearances sake. I don’t like it, but I’m not fighting that battle. I then contacted the original surveyor up in Cleveland to find out our exact clearance on that side of the property. $150 later we have a grand total of 6 inches to play with. On the bright side my e-mail to Mr. Cain about our slow progress resulted is an immediate reply and some release of stress with his updating on the progress of estimates by builder Jim and his plan to review and adjust materials and detail as needed to come in on budget with the proposal. I’m a pushover and just the slightest bit of light brightens my day.

5/28/08

The Waiting Game—Sketch Up Dreams
For the last month all I have done is wait for word from my builder on cost estimates. I need them to go to the bank with before I can get the loan. In the mean time I've been paying the design fees out of my own pocket. I've called him several times and still have nothing to review and no progress to report. I have reached the end my patience but in reality with the economy the way it stands I may be better off taking my time before I commit to taking on a lot of debt. Still I feel taken advantage of and I will email the architect this week for suggestions.
While waiting I have taken the opportunity to do a completely new Sketch Up model—this one vastly more accurate and with more detail. It's almost like living virtually in the structure and has helped me review all the changes made and the new materials. I now accept a few of the decisions that seamed wrong made by the designers after working through it in the model. One example is the bathrooms which are small. I now see that the tankless toilets save quite a bit of space—even thought they cost quite a bit more. I was even was able to download exact tile samples and use them to do the layout in the colors and finishes I wanted. I was also able to ad the plot in with approximations of the contours. I can now illustrate and investigate just about any aspect of the current plans from the basement to the roof. As we progress with more details I hope to update the model to show plumbing, heating, and furnishings with as much acuracy as possible. The slide show has been updated with views from the current model.

4/15/08

Kid in a candy shop—Detailed plans
The day came and it was time for the first serious meeting with everyone involved at the R. M. Cain Architect office in midtown Atlanta. My builder Jim Johnston, Carmen Stan, Bob Cain and myself. The revised plans were enough to keep me captivated for days. They now contain much more detail and incorporate some of the changes I requested. Most importantly access to the second bath without having to enter the guest bedroom, a fireplace, and a slightly larger master suite. I was delighted with most of the ideas except the fireplace. They suggested a free standing alcohol fireplace between the dinning and living room areas. I thought a traditional fireplace would work work along the studio wall — they want that space for art display. The problem is two fold — space and money. This is a minor issue and overall the plans are now more tailored to my needs. They eliminated one door in the shop and came up with an initial lay out for the woodworking tools. The new plans now also include the basement. I was overwhelmed with all this information and have taken several days figuring things out. Carmen has since sent me an entire set of details on materials, doors, windows and more that I will review in additional postings.

3/31/08

Robertstown - wouldn’t you know, named after a guy named Roberts
No entries for a month —then two in 24 hours. Easter Sunday I was in Robertstown checking on a few things and taking some photos when I bumped into a few locals who told me you could see Robertstown from a grave yard across the river (Chatahoochie). So I decided to check it out and drove across the bridge and up a road on the opposite side, up a hill and found the entrance to a graveyard that I had not noticed before. Sure enough when you walked to the edge of the yard you could see down to Robertstown and the square. I looked around a bit and came upon a grave that looked to be the oldest in the yard. It was very unique in that it had a carved tent like top of fine marble and on the sides was inscribed : To Charles Roberts Born Weedon Beck Northhamptonshire England, Died at Atlanta (22 May 1907) aged 44 years.
When I got home I did a search and found a historical society in Weedon Beck and emailed the photo above to them. Next day came the response:
Dear Ed Many thanks for the photographs and details. I have found Charles on the 1871 census age 8, living with his parents in Weedon. His father is a builder. He was not found in the 1881 census but in 1891, he is recorded at his parents home (now at Gayton, about 8 miles from Weedon) as ‘son, visitor’ and his occupation is given as asst engineer, DPW India (DPW seems to be Department of Public Works). Also with him was another engineer, born in India who was presumably visiting home with him. I cannot find out anything about him in Robertstown, other than it was named after a Charles Roberts who apparently owned the land on which it was built. The Ellis Island website has him arriving in New York on Feb 18 1895 on The Servia. again, he is recorded as an engineer. Hopefully, someone else may be able to add to these details and if so, I will let you know. Once again, many thanks for passing on this information. With kind regards Angela Northants FHS

So this is the guy who Robertstown is named after. Interesting in that he was only in America twelve years before he died at a very young 44. He must have been fairly wealthy and if his grave is any indication some one well respected. I have searched for more information on the web without luck — I’ll see if the locals can fill me in.

3/30/08

Final design meeting set—Property mystery solved
It's been quite a while since entries. There is a meeting at the architect’s this Friday after a delay of a week to review the plans. My builder will be attending too. They should be close to done on the design side. I’m sure there will be some changes but I should have enough to go to the bank with—I’m very excited to see them. This might be the formal start of construction.

I did some detective work on the Methodist church property. I e-mailed White County’s mapping office and they were very kind to provide me with a satellite map of the area. It does not show any additional property the other side of my building other than the lot owned by Mrs. Henry. I then e-mailed the assessors office and after a few back and forths got this in final answer:
“After talking to a co-worker who is familiar with the properties, we realized that our mapping was not correct. We show you own the old Robertstown school house on .33 acres (plat book 58, page 72) and the little house south of you belongs to Mrs. Allison. So that means your property IS ADJACENT TO Angela Henry’s property at the end, near Elrod St. She owns the last 50 feet between your building and Elrod St. We have corrected our maps to show this arrangement. Previous tax bills have been verified as for the correct acreage and buildings.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
The parcel we showed as being owned by the Community Evangelical Methodist Church does not exist, and the parcel records have been deleted to correct our records.
So, now, parcel H04E-039 is Allison to your south, H04E-040 is your property, and Ho2e-041 is Angela Henry on the corner.”

So this clears up the question of ownership and my hope to pick up some room on that side. Mrs. Henry owns all that land and I must now get her permission for the roof overhang. I called her but she is elderly and I’m not sure if she knew what I was talking about. I will send her a letter like I did with the Allisons to see if we can get a written easement. I am still worried about access to our building though her lot and possible damage to her property.