A year after we made an offer on this high-bank waterfront lot on the Salish Sea, we have survived a LOT of bureaucracy and started building our new home.
NOTE: People have been asking to follow our progress as Thor and I pursue our quest for our dream home with sunsets over the Salish Sea. So starting with my post of 5/21/22, we set out.
If you’ve followed this blog series (last post was July 29, as there wasn’t much to talk about except one more and one more hurdle to jump before finally getting our permit.) After a last-minute question from Fish & Wildlife re the offshore herring spawning area, we got the building permit!!!! Our builder had kept moving the subcontractors’ schedules out farther and farther, while we got closer and closer to the expected fall rain deluges that we were trying to prepare for with drain installation that required the permit. Amazingly, everyone was available and ready to start work. Hurrah!!!
But before we start, a reminder of the waterfront native-plant buffer we are required to maintain, after the former owner clearcut the lot without a permit. In early summer, it looked like this, and we had help whacking weeds to let the new desired plants grow. Bear dog helped guard the perimeter:
By September, when we were required to submit a detailed report of the maintenance and how many plants had survived, it looked like this in the continued drought and after several whacking sessions. I was hand watering each new plant with the neighbors’ hose — so generous of them to share their water!
Thor and I numbered the plant flags, and he made a map of their locations for the county inspector to use. (Thor’s scientific genes hadn’t been used much lately, so he leaped into action with a plan requiring precise measurements….)
The long-awaited day: Excavation begins!
The excavator was amazing, with that tripod laser allowing him to program the machine for exact cuts and smoothing.
Our feathered “neighbor” was keeping an eagle eye on the proceedings from his favorite tree.
Next step: assembling the forms before concrete footings can be poured:
We were both shocked by how huge the footprint seems to be, even though our square footage in the plan is fairly modest. In front below, the connected garage footprint makes it all look even bigger. Yikes….
We celebrated with a takeout dinner and wine on the bank edge, lingering to watch the sunset.
On the drive back to our rental after watching the red sun sink into the sea, we were agog to see a red harvest moon rising over the mountains and reflected in Semiahmoo Bay. What a beautiful area we’re lucky enough to inhabit!
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You will find The Rambling Writer’s blog posts here every Saturday. Sara’s latest novel from Book View Café is Pause, a First Place winner of the Chanticleer Somerset Award and a Pulpwood Queens International Book Club selection. “A must-read novel about friendship, love, and killer hot flashes.” (Mindy Klasky). Sign up for her quarterly email newsletter at www.sarastamey.com
