It is always a good sign when an architect or contractor is too busy to start a project immediately. About nine months ago we touched base with our architect to start the process for the addition and garage. I met with him on Wednesday. Our meeting lasted just over an hour, and moved from the kitchen and hallway where we reviewed some outstanding issues with the work that was already done, to the front yard, driveway and backyard. A sit-down meeting it wasn’t. Even though it will be about a year and a half before we get the shovel in the ground for the garage (phase 2) and another five years for the addition (phase 3), I felt that it was important to get the ball rolling now, so there will be no time pressure. This way we both have the ability to be flexible. If he gets tied up in other major projects, we have the luxury to put this one on hold for a while without delaying the actual construction.
The garage
Dealing with an architect for a garage may seem extravagant, when DIY kits exist for a fraction of the cost. However we want the garage to either match or complement the house. Therefore, we need to know what the house will look like with the new addition. Building the garage in the fall of 2012 will fulfill the ambition I had for the fall of 2003. Nine years is a long time to wait for something that I expected to have within a few months of moving into this house.
The addition
We talked about some general ideas but did not go into too much detail. He will first come up with a general site plan and that will influence the interior floorplan. I have a pretty solid vision of what I want and what I expect it to look like, No doubt he will come up with something vastly superior to anything I could imagine.
Questions answered
1. We have had an issue with some grout cracking in the bathroom and hallway that was tiled as part of phase 1. The architect said that he had seen this sort of thing before with in-floor heat and that using a flexible grout should solve the problem
2. We also have had a major issue with water leaking in the back dormer. The contractors attempted to address the problem two years ago. At that time, they were three months into a project they originally expected to last a maximum of two months, and the water leak was yet another “while you’re at it” task so I suppose I can forgive them for missing the fact that the window has no drip edge– something the architect noticed right away. The window itself also leaks so we’ll probably get the whole thing replaced.
3. There is some noticeable settling in the bricks at the front of the house. Many years ago, I called out a foundation specialist and they recomended installing helical piers to underpin the foundation. Not wanting to only do half a job, I got an estimate for underpinning the entire house to avoid similar problems elsewhere in the future. As a result, I ended up with an estimate for more than $35,000. Since that time, I have got numerous second opinions. Another foundation company refused to even come out to look at it figuring that it wasn’t an issue. I don’t know how they could tell over the phone, but they saved themselves a trip and lost any possible future business from me. The contractor that worked on our house six or seven years ago theorized that the settling occured due to vibrations during the construction of the neighbouring house.
The architect came up with the most obvious explanation. Some damage likely occured while the house was being moved to its present location. The rest of the damage is the result of the house settling onto its new foundation. Thinking back to the original estimate, I can’t be positive if I knew at that time that the house had been moved. Had we had the financial means we likely would have unnecessarily spent a huge amount of money.
The next step
The architect is working on the site plan. We’ll see roughly how much room we have to work with and then go from there.
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