Houston, we have a permit

As promised, Nuñez Engineering got their plans to us on Friday.  I was amazed.  After taking the cat to the vet, I rushed over to City Hall to get a permit.  The whole process, while a little more intricate than I thought, was not that bad.  First you go to the Planning Department.  They give the plans a thorough look, ask you questions, inform you of code.  In planning they seem mostly concerned with the cosmetic side of things (color, height, etc.).  Once done there, they send you to Building Code people on the other side of the room (10 feet away).  Here they take a second look at your plan and determine if the engineering looks complete and up to code and whether you need additional permits (grading, sewage, etc.).   Buildings sent me downstairs to see if I needed a grading permit.  Apparently I didn't.  A few papers to fill out, a dash to the cashier, one check for 366 dollars...And we're off. 



I spent Saturday and Sunday watering the areas to be excavated so that the soil would be loose and easy to get out. 



Things to do today:  1) Head over to Quinn rentals to give them my credit card for a bobcat rental.  I'm going to check and see if I should go ahead and rent a plate compactor too and just keep it on site the whole time.  2) Head back over to city hall to order a 30-yard container where we'll be putting our excavated materials.  Because of the size of our yard, we don't have a choice but to get rid of our dirt.  Besides, given the our soil type (clay), we couldn't use it in construction anyway. 



Tomorrow the real work begins.