Big Day -- Handed in the permit applications

So, today the permit applications were handed in to Newfield Borough. The inspector immediately noticed that he also needed the "cubes", so I called the architect and that information is on the way. Nice feeling. I am beginning to see that this may actually get started.

If it goes as the building inspector thinks -- since he says "they" are not busy, I may have permits in hand next Tuesday. Of course, I am not that optimistic. The various ones are put out to "subs" because the inspector himself is not versed in all the categories, so each has to be looked over and okayed by a different person.

tales of the address problem

So, sometime after I bought the house, for 9-1-1 call purposes, the address was changed from 225 to 227. This let my cousin's house be 225 instead of 225A. Seems a simple change right. Well, the county records and deeds and plots have never been updated. That includes all the old plans for septic systems and gas lines and water lines.

When the soils engineer showed up for the septic testing, he found that the gas company had flagged the wrong property. Fortunately, I knew that where the backhoe was going, there never had been a gas or water line, so we could go ahead with the testing.

I got a copy of the septic system design yesterday that was going in for the county permit and guess what -- it had the wrong address! Right block and lot number but wrong address. Sigh. I called as I spotted it. I hope this won't hold up the permitting process as I just wrote my first check to the general contractor today.

Soil test revealed good gravel bed

So the new septic system can go where I hoped. The field drains will go in approximately where the shed shows in the photo but they are take up a larger area. This will protect trees and leave room for the sweeping driveway. The other good news is that the field drains will be downhill from the septic tank so there is no need for an additional pump or raised field drains. Whew.

Layout of new house

Some of my friends in far off Seattle area have asked to see the plans. I don't want to put much up because I paid for the architect designs and they are very custom. However, here's a general plan of the property that shows the existing buildings overall and the new configuration. Note there is a garage that faces away from the street and a sweeping driveway to get into it. Also, the plan has been very careful to preserve the over two hundred year old oak trees near the house.

Got zoning permit .. Next adventure is septic permit

Getting the zoning permit was anti-climatic because I found out that in order to even have the other building permits submitted I have to have a septic permit from the county Board of Health. No way did the building inspector explain this in the fall when I started the permitting process and asked what I would have to do. Sigh.

So I called the Gloucester County Board of Health and talked to the head guy there. I had been hoping that 2 existing systems could be upgraded. Well, they don't even have records of any systems that went in before 1970 and those between 1970 and 1990 are sparse. The upshot is to get a permit, I have to have a whole new system designed and okayed by the county and then the system built. The flow time for just the permit will be about a month.

I got some recommendations on who to contact to install the system and one of them pointed me to a firm of septic engineers who will be designing the system. My month starts now.

More good news

Last fall I contacted the electric company here to see if any updates to the pole and transformer would be needed when I added the new air conditioning unit. I had already upgraded the service to 200 amps and put in a whole house surge protection system.

NJ has growth and non-growth zones and I was in a non-growth zone and they wanted $1800 for a new pole and transformer as they will be needed.

Imagine my surprise this morning when I see a telephone company truck install a new pole. I called my contact at the electric company and he said he had worked it out with the telephone company to put in a new larger pole and with his supervisor that the current transformer was already overloaded and they needed to replace it anyway. So, that extra cost of $1800 has disappeared. Sometimes patience is rewarded :-)

Construction mortgage has been approved!

Now I have to get final contracts with general and heating contractor!!!

Can you tell I am excited....