Do you see it?
Perhaps we should take a closer look.
If you have been keeping up with our renovation adventure I'm sure you are thinking "I'm pretty sure I have seen these pictures before." Well you are not completely wrong. The first picture was me being all excited to have a new door and couldn't wait for it to be installed. This second picture is one I took over the past weekend. And to be honest I'm feeling just like that poor tarp looks. Putting up a good fight but feeling a little worse for wear. The short answer for the questions I'm asked is always "Nothing. There is NOTHING going on for the renovation so the blog has stalled." But let's catch up so I can be more specific.
I last left you with discussions of plans for the main floor, and the new door entry. We decided to concentrate on the door for a few reasons. We thought that if we started there, it would give us more time to work on the plans for the main floor, and if the front door was moved to where we wanted, it would be much easier to bring materials into the building.
So the guys we organized to put in the door also drew up plans for the door. We submitted those plans. The inspector declined the plans, asking for specific blueprints. So, we asked Chris (our home designer) to draw up the plans so we could submit and receive a permit before it got too cold. We were denied again. They told us that the minimum set back on a side yard is 4 feet. Even though our address suggests that where we want to put the door is the front of the house. Technically it's the side. So, no door. But that is not how we roll in this house. We put up a fight when things are not fare or are wrong. We set up a hearing with the Development Appeal Board. The meeting was held at the town office.
Unfortunately, they didn't understand what our plans were, and they felt there was an increase in the area of non conformity and they did not feel that we could move the location of the non conformity to another part of the building. We appealed to the Saskatchewan Municipal Board because we feel that the zoning bylaw does allow us to move this door. (How lucky are we that Will reads bylaws as part of his job so he actually understand what the town can and cannot do).
So that hearing was on July 18th and they have 60 days from the day of the hearing to give us a ruling. The catch is that every time they ask for more information, that 60 days resets. They have currently asked the town twice for more information. Will is optimistic and thinks we will hear back from them by the end of September. Personally this whole experience has been such a disheartening one that I keep telling people that it won't be till around Christmas. It's been over a year that we put in our first set of plans to apply for a permit. There have been many times I've been ready to throw in the towel. Like I've come close to just saying "let's just move back to the city". But thanks to the friends I've made here, and having an amazing summer, I'm back on track and ready to keep fighting!!
It's not that we have done absolutely nothing. We went from having no eaves troughs,
to having them installed. The building went for so long without them that we have a dampness in the basement during the summer months (and with that the WORST spider problem).
And the yard has had a bit of an over hall. We went from having seven pine trees way too close to each other and not having any way of properly using the yard, to having a huge veggie garden space.
Trees
Rototilling
Rototilled
Potatoes!
So there you have it. You are caught up to what is going on around here. I really hope to have good news when I next speak of the door. Please keep your fingers and toes crossed for us that everything will work out.
In the mean time, we will keep demoing, and Chris sent us the next round of plans for us to go over.
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