It all started so innocently

So when we looked for our new house one of my criteria was that it had boat/RV storage. Dawn was nice enough to agree and we found one that had this.

side-yard-before-boat

So I filled it with this

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and it left me with this

before-dog-run-00

After a couple years we (Erin and Dawn) got a dog and I thought I would build a dog run / potty place on the side yard so the lawn and landscape survived. When I moved the bender board and removed the rocks I found a sewer clean out. Initially I wasn’t happy, but then my brain got creative, ambitious even. If I am able to do what I want over the next few years it will be pretty awesome. Here is the beginning:

dog-run-before-sewer-01

I obtained a permit with the city to not only extend the sewer out further from the wall and closer to the boat but to make a run around to the back yard. The extension will be super handy as I have a porta-potty in the boat for the girls. It has always been a little sketchy bringing it into the house to dump in toilet. So I began digging, measuring, moving and testing for each phase of inspections.

sewer-before-drop sewer-pressure-inspection

After my final inspection for this phase it ends up being pretty damn uninspiring but done. The RV/Boat sewer clean out is in now closer in a nicely marked Carson box. The run to the back yard is now stubbed up in temporary Carson box ready for a later phase.

sewer-donesewer-box

So what is my grand plan you ask? A picture is worth a thousand words I always say. I am teaching myself CAD drawing, which was not taught when I got my engineering degree all those years ago, and here is my vision!

bbq-cad

First I add the 5’x15′ dog run on the side yard by the A/C unit. The dog run will have drain under it so I can rinse out the piss periodically. I am also leaving enough room between the dog run and A/C unit to add a door to laundry room. This was an option on my model which I don’t have and I will add later. This will be handy to keep wet kids from running across my hardwood kitchen floor on way to bathroom when they come in from swimming.  The laundry room is adjacent to bathroom just so ya know and all the floors are tile there.

Now Dawn asked what the was in front of my office window. She couldn’t believe it and scoffed at it. I said that it will happen and it will be glorious! A pop up TV!!! like this.

tv-lifts

The extra large stainless steel sink will have a burly (commercial)  garbage disposal underneath it. When I extended the sewer I had the option to reduce diameter to 2″ but I kept the 3″ pipe so I could put fish and abalone guts down it if needed. I positioned it to Dawn as a sink for doing outdoor art projects.

Anyway the next phase is to get back on the dog run that got delayed. More digging and maybe pouring some concrete. I still have not decided on flooring material, concrete most likely. The BBQ counter (TV/sink) will be next year most likely and the main BBQ area will be a year after that. Wish me luck.

 

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Good Day! De-stressed!

I called the HOA and followed up on the boat parking letter. She asked if I got the second letter rescinding the first?! I said no… She said after going back and  reviewing things that I was in compliance with the 85% coverage rule. All is well. They informed Board and the boat can stay as is. I can’t tell you how happy that made me. Wow!

I also got the candy out at work as “Holiday” instead of “Christmas” candy. Now I can focus on family and normal work instead of that for two weeks plus during mid December,  the busiest time year for me. I will enjoy the holidays if I have anything to say about it.

Now if I didn’t have to drive to Fresno/Clovis for a volleyball tournament and could go surfing instead I would have had the trifecta. Oh well two outta three ain’t bad. Maybe next time.

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So it begins

Friday I got the cease and desist from the HOA about parking my boat on the side yard. I tried to call the HOA service company, who sent the letter on behalf of the board, but it was late and I didn’t get a call back. I guess next week things will get rolling. I hope this resolves itself in a reasonable manner and does not turn into one of those things that read about on the internet that gets ridiculous.

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Finally!

Well it has been a little over five months in the new house and I finally got the boat to our home. For now at least. I put it on the side yard behind the fence. Now I have to see if anyone complains and contacts the HOA. I think I am OK (compliant) but you never know with an HOA how they might interpret things. After that I need to get some quotes to enlarge the parking pad. We have a preliminary landscape plan that Dawn has ok’d, at least for the boat parking pad part.

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The move went well with only minimum chaos and no injuries. That is saying something as I wore my flip flops for the whole week of the move. With my Mom’s help the kitchen was packed and then unpacked as soon as the boxes hit the house. Thanks Mom! The most of the rest got unpacked shortly thereafter and other than the stuff that will never get unpacked we are done. We even have art on the walls in some places.

We thoroughly enjoyed having our own pool during the heat of the summer. Erin became a much better swimmer and I can worry a little less about her around water now. I was even able to SUP paddle train from the edge of the pool deck so when I went SUP surfing I was not totally out of shape. It made a big difference catching waves to have a strong, familiar sprint stroke. The pool area gets the delta breeze nicely when it kicks in and it makes the back yard amazing. Dawn commented that we used our backyard more in one month than the whole ten years we lived in the old place. Nice!

We turned the formal dinning and living room into Dawn’s art studio and she seems to be settled in and enjoying her space. Cranking out art just like always.

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Let the Chaos Begin!

This morning we get the keys to our new place from the tenant. I am not going over empty handed though. I am bringing the first load of yard stuff. Tonight we do our walk through with their “relocation specialist”. The rest of this weekend is moving the garage, yard and shed.

Monday and Tuesday we have painters, deep cleaners and carpet cleaners coming. So by Wednesday the place will be a clean slate. This includes turning the formal living/dining room into Dawn’s art studio. My folks are also coming up Monday afternoon and helping out through Thursday morning most likely. They are the veterans of many moves from when my Dad was in the military. I am sure having them will be super helpful by just having another set of packing hands and a car to move small loads will help. The goal is to have everything that the heavy movers are not responsible for gone.

Then Thursday afternoon the movers come for the heavy stuff and we will spend our first night there. Hopefully we are done at the old place except a little cleaning. Then do a walk though to get our deposit back Saturday.

As a bonus we can start using the pool, which is now running smoothly, and the hot tub. The hot tub just have a major service Friday which included a purge, filter change and water change. I am so going to need that for my expected sore body.

I already got one thing wrapped up on Friday which was getting Kyle transportation that won’t leak oil on the driveway. That is an HOA no-no apparently.  Sold his car with 190M miles on it and leased a nice subcompact for a nominal monthly amount. It is good to have friends who are GSM’s at local dealerships. The first year of payments were covered with just the things that various mechanics recommended I do anyway. That and I pick up reliability so I won’t be picking him up on the side of the road at some ungodly hour. Add in better mileage and regular vs premium and I about offset insurance bump.

So let the chaos begin!

 

 

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