As I said in yesterday’s blog, before we can proceed with our carport project, we have to have a survey done of our property. Here in Volusia County, Florida, in an area zoned residential like ours, you can only have 35% of your property covered with structure.
Looking at aerial views of our lot, it seems like we are probably over that already. When I talked to the people from Stevens Construction, they worried that I might be opening a can of worms because if we are already over the allowed percentage, it would mean that something built on our property did not have the proper permits or it would not have been allowed. This caused me some concern, but when I went to the county’s website and pulled up our lot description yesterday, I saw that everything that had been done before we purchased it had the proper permits. So at least that’s not going to be a problem. The only issue is that darn percentage we have to work with, if any.
As for finding a surveyor, they are apparently as scarce as teeth in West Virginia. You do know that the toothbrush was invented in West Virginia, right? Otherwise, it would have been called the teeth brush. I talked to four different local surveyors yesterday, and all of them were booked up until at least mid-December, and most of them into the new year. However, I did speak to one who does quite a bit of work with our contractor, and they said that since ours is going to be a pretty simple survey, they will do their best to get out here sometime in the next three to five weeks if they have somebody in the area who has the time after they finish another job.
After hearing from readers around the country, I’m beginning to think I’m in the wrong business. Readers from here in Florida, as well as Pennsylvania, Arizona, Montana, and Oregon, all wrote to tell me that they are facing the same delays in getting property surveys done. I guess the current building boom is giving them more work than they have time to do. I knew that home prices were sky high, but I didn’t realize there was actually a building boom going on. Did you? An article from last year that I read yesterday said that we could expect surveying job opportunities to increase by more than twenty percent in the next ten years.
At any rate, that’s what’s going on here. Someday we may get a survey done (or maybe not), and then someday we may actually get a building permit issued (or maybe not), and someday we may actually get our carport put up (or maybe not). As Gilda Radner’s hilarious character Roseann Rosannadanna used to say in her old Saturday Night Live skits, “It’s always something.”
And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us.
It’s Thursday, so it’s time for a new Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an RV camping journal donated by Barbara House. Barbara makes several variations of these, and they all have pages where you can list the date, weather, where you traveled to and from that day, beginning and ending mileage, campground information including amenities at RV sites, a place for campground reviews, room to record activities, people met along the way, reminders of places to see and things to do the next time you’re in the area, and a page for notes for each day. To enter, click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening. Note: Due to the high shipping cost of printed books and Amazon restrictions on e-books to foreign countries, only entries with US addresses and e-mail addresses are allowed.
Thought For The Day – I keep getting run over by the same bike every day. It’s a vicious cycle.
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
Nothing ever good came out of West Virginia, and I know that’s where my ex wife was from.
Nick,
There is definitely a building boom going on in our neck of the western NC woods and a lot of that has to do w/the low interest rate. We are currently surrounded by six homes under construction and a seventh one to start at the beginning of the year. All but one of these homes that we are aware of were sold before being complete and in one case, before the foundation even started because the future owner had to grab one quickly as homes are selling like hotcakes here. That is surprising because of the increased wood costs and lag time in getting supplies. A lot of the new homes built within the past couple of months had rafters built instead of pre-made trusses because there was such a lead time on those.
Lot of building going on in the Yuma Foothills area too.
In Green Valley, Az, our neighbor decided to refinance their home. Appraisers are backed up until December unless you’re willing to pay for priority. Old rate was $545, new rate for appraisal within 14 days is $975. If you live in Austin, Texas the rate is now $2500.
I quote Roseann quite often these days!
Could you attach one of those sundown type awnings to existing structure and just cover your vehicles with that? That might not require a permit.
OK big guy I have the solution to all your problems…
Do you remember that pontoon boat/wide load oversized garage queen now here’s what you do take it out of the garage and sell it along with the trailer and dollies
Now you have room in the garage to be able to get to your porcelain Urinal . I’m sure Miss Terry will be totally happy with one / less China bowl to clean
Now that you have that out-of-the-way you can clean the area and make it ready for the new fancy hi dollar 0 miles dodge Color ? unknown Laramie Seeing as how it’s going to be as long as a big old hearse, that would be a good spot for it . You see once you get it in there you’ll never want to take it out God fer bid a rainy windy dusty too hot day
Now don’t tell miss Terry that I said this but if you take one of her quilts and put it in the back of his fancy big L Dodge pick up bed you have enough room to put all your kayaks in . that’ll give you even more floor room
So with that done…. (just make sure you leave enough room to get to the urinal)
now what you do is you take That low mileage one oil change garage pony and put it to the right of the spotless new garage Queen’. (With Kayak sticking out) (Now you have a match pair)
That’s Should give you enough room to put Miss Terry’s big red chariot behind the garage pony Now if you find that nice woman that Was going to give you $4500 for your Blanco / explorer sell it . that’ll leave you with an excellent Country western redneck Ford pick up truck certainly don’t want to get rid of the pick up truck now that you got the drivers seat broken-in the way you want it . One does not sell it until the seat spring in the middle breaks and catches the back of your pants.
Now here’s where the fun part comes in …. the moneys$$$ you take from the pontoon queen And the yuppie ford car…
Whenever you decide you want to go out an Play Aqua h2o Waterworld in a pontoon boat
You can drive to Daytona Beach and rent a fancy pontoon boat for $60 an hour just think you got room in the garage no boat insurance you only paid for the gas that you use and you can bring it back hard wet and sweaty and tie it to the dock and go home
See all the money that you saved (don’t listen to your account you can always fly first class and splurge)
So you see you can get 2 garage queens one chariot in the garage with complete access to your urinal . and the redneck truck stays outside. ( It doesn’t mind being hot wet and sweaty)
It all works out no canopy No contractor no permits no survey no county inspector you’ll be sitting pretty just think . you have more time to write a book About a happy redneck High mileage ford truck
Good day