We are in plan check!!

After nearly two long weeks of going back and forth with the plans to get everything right, I finally dropped them off to the Palm Springs planning department to obtain construction permits ... so we are officially in plan check! The process takes up to ten days (tap tap tap), but that will give me time to meet with more contractors to get bids for the larger components of the project.

Planning the pool and spa

While getting another round of bids to refurbish and move the pool, I've decided to draw the outline to help visualize positioning and size of the final product. Because of where we are adding on to the house, we are forced to move the pool a bit to abide by Palm Springs city codes and be within allowable distance from the house.
So this is the diagram:

Moving the pool 6ft West

Here is the outline of the new pool, showing the added spa on the west side of the lot. Note that the pool equipment will be moved behind the grapefruit tree, out of sight:

This is the West side of the lot, showing the new pool outline with the <large> spa.

Standing on the east side of the yard, in the new master bedroom (bottom left line on the image below shows the line of the new master), we can see where the pool line will be once it is moved 6ft west, leaving a comfortable 10ft between the master bedroom and the edge of the pool:

Linda's new pool once moved over 6ft to the West

Next we need to figure out whether we want to do regular plaster or mini pebble on the pool bottom and whether we do salt water versus traditional chlorinated water... stay tuned.

... tap tap tap

Other than waking up the neighbors at 7 am with the jackhammers so we could complete the new gas line, yesterday was pretty uneventful.

7am destruction of the street to add the new gas lines - great way to make friends with the neighbors.

Otherwise, the plans are still being fine-tuned ...  We're almost there and ready to submit to the building permits office .... almost.  One of the items which is stalling the process is dealing with the logistics of the heating & cooling systems.  Figuring out how to run the ducts efficiently without having to go with a hideous rooftop system has been quite challenging.  Especially considering that we're somewhat limited by the floor plan and architecture, due to the fact that there are some very low ceilings in the original part of the house. Our engineer/technical guru Fred has been more than patient and putting in quite a few extra hours to sort it all out.

To Swamp Cool ... or not

Over dinner with friends last night the topic of swamp coolers (or evaporative coolers) came up. We are hearing different stories here in Palm Springs regarding whether or not it is an efficient way to save energy... and stay cool in the summer months when temperatures can reach 120 degrees.

One main advantage of a swamp cooler vs. air conditioning that I am drawn towards is the fact that you can leave windows open in the summer. Because you are using less energy and circulating a high rate of moisture, you can create a comfortable balance inside the house without being locked in. OR is that not correct?

Image by Nevit (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

On the down side, one of the issues of adding a swamp cooler to the central air system is the addition of yet another big box somewhere on or around the house.
Another thing to keep in mind is that if we build a well insulated, efficient home with new AC systems, the cost to keep cool should be manageable. The possibility of adding solar panels as source of electricity in the years to come might even play well with only focusing on AC units... is that not also a responsible approach?
We have time before making this decision, but this is a topic that is bound to come back.

Patio lounge chairs

Linda is far from being ready for furnishings, but we nonetheless acquired 4 new patio lounge chairs from Asylum for her. Rest assured, they will be put to good use at our current location until then.

bathing suit on, cocktail in hand... ahhh

Sweat Equity, 1st installment

On Tuesday, I delivered the first installment of sweat equity. Yep, dug a ditch for the relocation of the new gas meter -- we're moving it from the inside of the yard to the front of the house. This also allows us to create an unobstructed courtyard between bedrooms 1& 2.

The Ditch!

We were very lucky to have requested the move from the gas company when we did, as our area is due for pipe upgrades and so the company took care of most of the cost for the move. $656 was our part. Not bad.