Building Five Talents - Post 3

Carol Reed

In Memoriam
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Location
Coolidge, AZ
And so it begins.

Five Talents is the name of my little piece of dirt. I intend to build a small home and decent sized shop, whatever that turns out to be. :rofl: Today I will schedule a meeting with a septic company to get that process started.

First up building-wise is a storage shed. Now I need it to store the gennie and construction tools. I can build a 120 sqft building without the permit. That is big enough, for the lot is a only little over 5100 sqft. After construction is complete, I can use it for yard things and seasonal items. Already planning on not sharing the shop with inappropriate items. :rolleyes: :thumb:

Eventually, I'll have power in the shed. Right now I am wondering about locating power on the property. The feed is aerial but I want it underground by the end of things. I can get a construction meter. I don't yet know what that will cost. Do you think it would be better to build a meter pedestal near the electrical pole which is on the NW corner of the lot? Or go with the construction meter fed aerially with the final meter location somewhere on the building? Admittedly I have yet to talk with the power folks as they would not speak with me until I was the owner of the property. Later today I will schedule a project manager to take a look. That will take upwards of ten days. My point today is to arm myself with some options to talk about. The goal is least hassle and least expensive without sacrificing undo convenience and flexibility.

FWIW, this is a corner lot, the NW corner anchoring Park Street and Canyon Drive. So, a pretty visible spot. The meter pedestal I envision would be part of a planter and minimized visually with rock, plants, and brick. It may not matter as the smart meters don't need to be physically read anymore, but they do need to be accessible.

I would like to have this pretty much decided before I site the storage shed. I'd like it to be in the SE corner (the inside corner) of the lot. Requirements are that it be no closer than 2 feet to the property lines, but the shed books I have been looking at suggest 3 feet for maintenance accessibility. I'd like power in the shed eventually anyway. It sure would be handy while under construction. And yes, that requires a permit. And a site plan. And a septic plan. And the whirlpool of priorities begins.

Of course I am relying on your help to keep me mindful of things I need not forget. You are all like big brothers with the occasional big sister thrown in. Family, remember? How very cool this is and will be.

Welcome on the ride. Bring on your comments. May we all have a hoot.
 
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Looking forward to this journey. So you're at about 1/8th of an acre. I'm curious what they have planned for the septic system, I think our county requires about 2 acres to have a septic system/leach field. So will the system have a leaching field or are looking at just a storage tank that gets pumped from time to time?

If you're looking at burying the electrical I'd probably still lean towards a temp pole closer to your build site to make things easier for you and your sub contractors.
 
I am going to give the same advice I gave my Dad either build a gambrel roofed shed with the extra height something close to 4' at the top of the roof line, or build it tall enough for good head clearance & a partial second story for light stuff you don't use very often. It won't cost that much more but will help keep lot of stuff out of your shop. Also put good ventilation in the gable ends.

Dad chose the 10' x 12' gambrel roofed shed & put a second deck in with a hole in the center to pass items through & he stored a lot of stuff up there.
 
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I like that you have a name - and the name is really cool.

I actually had a contractors license for a while in Mass. Mass allowed a 120 sq-ft with no permit rule also. Essentially that is a 10x12 shed.

One thing you need to consider though is the distance from the property line that you can build that shed.

Also - there is no stipulation as to how many 120 sq-ft buildings you can build.

A 10x12 is a nice size shed actually. You could even consider a folding work surface outside with a hinged leanto sort of door for tool storage. Heck - if yer up to it - a "loft" - maybe even with a bed up there.

If you "really" get to it - 12x10 is actually big enough to live in. People DO do that. 2-3 of those 12x10's gets you a long way. I could do it. Could raise chickens for meat and eggs. Could grow veggies. Could raise rabbits - they are tasty.

OK - so I think a little differently than most folk.
 
Do you really want to put all your stuff in a shed on an empty lot ?????

Are you planning on having your motor home on the lot while you build this ??

Are you sure that you can have a septic system on only 1/8 acre ??

Raspberries are delicious but they grow faster than weeds, can take over your yard in 1 season, and have nasty thorns.
 
Shed set backs were covered in the first post.

Drawing of the lot will be posted later.

"All' my stuff will not be in the shed on the empty lot. Just what I am using on a day to day basis.

I don't plan to put the MH on the lot while building, but later I would like to put the Putter Palace and the PPX there. That will represent all the tools though.

I have a septic guy who is reputed to get a system on 'difficult' lots. There are approved systems for small lots.

With any luck the raspberries will multiply like weeds. I love 'em. But I don't have a green thumb at all so this may be an exercise in futility. We will see. If the raspberry bush survives my bumbling attempt, I will try a veggie garden.

I wish the county would let me live in a couple of 10x12's but no-go there! Living in small spaces is cool. And I do think a lot like you, Leo. But I travel too much to have livestock.
 
My recently retired co-worker has a country property, and just had their septic re-done as part of a house renovation. He reported that septic technology has changed a lot and they can do it on much smaller lots. His system as pumps and chambers and alarms on it that help "speed" the process and they have a much smaller system than before.

Also, I have been up north several times to cottage country, where lots are even smaller than Carol's and they also have septic systems.
So all you nay sayers who think you need two acres... It just ain't so, guys.

Sorry, Carol, but I can't really advise you on the whole pole placement.

One question - does your zoning have rules about percentage lot coverage? Also does it have rules about how large an outbuilding can be in relation to the main building?
(My brother is currently house hunting and was thinking about one lot that had a basic bungalow, with plans to slap up a 24x30 garage for his shop, but then he discovered that the zoning of that city stated that a detached garage could only be up to 40% of size of the house footprint, which limited him to something like 19x20 or thereabouts.)

best wishes on this! I love watching a house build!
 
My personal preference is to have the meter at the street. in a shrub.

It keeps the exterior of the house more tidy looking. I'm sure you have seen homes

where the electrician (helpers) have made an ugly mess of the power area on the side of the home.

Undergound is usualy the best looking way to go. You own everything behind the meter, so when you decide where to

run the power lines, it does not have to be shortest distance point to point. So you can avoid going under

a driveway or other area if you want. But remember copper costs too.

Are you General Contracting the place, or self building it?
 
Until I really retired last month, I did site planning for a living. I hope you have already done this, but just in case, here's what I do. First thing to do is a buildable area analysis, which determines the actual area of your property the county will let you use. This can be done by going to the SD county GIS site and looking your property up APN (1871443600). That will give you zoning, special overlay districts etc.
http://gis.co.san-diego.ca.us/COSDMAPS/Viewer.html?Viewer=PPMPublic
Then you can go to the zoning ordinance and figure out what your setback and yard requirements are, so you can establish the envelope within which you need to site your buildings, access, septic etc... If I found the right parcel, it looks like you are Rural Residential (RR), setback B, height G, building type C, overlay CN for a start. Corner lots can be trickey, so you need to consult with the county planners to determine how they treat the street frontages. If they apply front setbacks from both streets, that could further reduce the buildable area. Also the acute angle of the property will affect building placement. It's a good thing to sketch these things out well in advance to see how things shake out. This should get you started:
http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/pds/zoning/formfields/PDS-444.pdf
1.jpg




 
I did that, Ted. The profile for this lot has special set backs. The site status shows 15' front, 35' back, 5-10' sides. I need the front on Park to make this work.

The lot has been surveyed and corners are marked. I plan to go out this weekend with strings and sticks and mark off the set backs so I can see and walk what should be buildable. I am told the septic guys will be of help here as well.

Here is the proposed plot plan at this point.

Canyon lot.jpg

Interesting story with the septic guy, John. I was told to talk to John only. I waited until the property closed and recorded before I called. Property recorded late yesterday. I called this morning. Got his voice mail. "Hi, this is John. I am not available at this time. I am celebrating my 40th anniversary. I was told that if I wanted to celebrate my 41st anniversary I would not take any phone calls until April 7. Talk to you then. 'Bye."

Guess I'll call next week! :rofl:
 
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Building Five Talents - Post 1 - Plot plan pix

Not as qualified as others to offer an opinion at this time, but coming along for the ride just the same!
 
Well, round two.

A week ago I got a septic guy recommended to me. And on Sunday morning I met with a lady extremely knowledgeable in building projects and working with the appropriate agencies. She is from church and will be very helpful.

I met with the septic guy on Wednesday evening before his choir practice. He feels this project is doable, though somewhat unusual. Fer sure! I"M unusual! :rofl: We talked some about the fire departments requirements and he gave me some important information about what to share and what not to share when asking questions and getting quotes and stuff. Yes! Insider stuff!

Next up is the civil engineer. I met Kevin the engineer at the county health department back in January when I was doing due diligence. He had drilled a perk hole on my property in the past. Bonus. John, the septic guy, highly recommended him. I have an email in to him.

We're on a roll!

And Five Talents will have its own tractor by May Day. WooHOO!
 
just some ramblings

Carol,

Back a few years I bought small pieces of land, converted them to homesites, and resold them. Also lived on many of them. I don't know how many I did, maybe a dozen. You are doing right with the septic guy and I advise continuing that policy. My septic guy that has put in a handful of systems for me is known to all the local gubment people and known to do quality work. His permits get rubber stamped! Some known for cutting corners not only get inspected to have everything in place perfectly they may get a bit of harassment which of course lands on you indirectly. Extra perks, my jobs were done right, fast, and the tidy lot left behind left my neighbors green with envy.

Being nice to the local czars of their little kingdoms comes naturally to you I'm sure but it usually pays dividends. Another small trick, when dealing with difficult people let your husband handle the ladies and you handle the gentlemen. There is still a little of the code of chivalry left and it can be very useful.

Final thing, when all else fails get mad! I had been hassling with getting electricity on some property for four months. The utility company was coming out and put it the day after I left on a three week trip. I came back to no electricity. Needed something else from the people I had asked if all my ducks were in a row. To get that I needed something else from another office. To get that I needed a notarized letter. I had came home on a Thursday and the city-parish offices were only open a half day on Fridays. I went storming through offices and scared my lawyer's poor little notary half to death just because I was so big and angry about other things. By noon I had everything in place and the crew scheduled out to bury electricity early the next week. I told the city-parish they had made a mistake showing me that one morning losing my temper accomplished more than four months being nice. Also promised myself I had bought my last piece of land in that parish.(county)

Expect some frustrations and annoyance, sometimes over the simplest things! Excellent advice to build the shed overheight and put storage above. I got a little carried away with that concept with my twelve by twenty shop and have to take the roof off to move it though. Probably going to wind up giving it to the landowner where it sits but that is a five thousand dollar investment with wiring, insulation, and air conditioning.

Hu
 
I came home with Big John, my new-to-me John Deere tractor yesterday. Now to get it off the truck by myself. Life always has its little challenges. I also have to look into Bruiser's (my diesel pick-up truck) power steering pump issue. I added some Lucas Power Steering Fluid with Leak Stopper to get back here. Now I have to see where the leak is.

I found an email from Kevin, my civil engineer waiting. Yea! I will contact him for a meet-up at 5 Talents. Hopefully we can make that happen next week. Once that plan is approved, we can start moving dirt! The plan is to get this done in 90 days. Nothing happens fast, you know. Its all in the Boss's hands.

One note for Hu. No hubby to take on the ladies. I have found I can deal with most people without too much help. :rofl: But we do begin with nice and then become the immovable object as needed.

So the fleet is expanded. One funny note from the trip. Stopped for food/fuel/pottie. Upon returning to my rig, I get asked if I want to sell my John Deere! Yeah, right! :rofl:
 
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