Things Progressing

Floor joists next.

A large visitor.

Ann in the imaginary root cellar.

Mechanicals

Ann at the imaginary front door.

Looking west from the rear of the house.

For perspective note what's peeking over the mountain of sand, the front yard light.

It Can't Be THIS Easy

After all my whining, my angst, my frustration, my stepping out on to the ledge, it all came down to this: Step 1 Call a local independent insurance agent. (Note: It helps if it's a friend.) Step 2 Describe the issue. (Hint: Do not let someone in the throes of whining, angst, frustration or suicidal tendencies do the talking.) Step 3 Write out a check.

I still don't get it. You may have to enlarge these images by clicking on each, but if not, I will try to note the important sections.

Page 1 (of 1) (Top arrow) Box is checked; 'Flood Zone' is its heading. Bottom arrow--'No' is checked. Heading asks "Is Building in special flood hazard area (Zones beginning with letter 'A' or 'Z'?)

Page 2 (Written by Harleysville Mutual Insurance Company)

Top arrow--Estimated Replacement Cost $417,000

Middle arrow--Building and Contents Coverage Combination--$250k for building

Bottom arrow--"B0 Is the building located in a special flood hazard area on a flood hazard boundary map, or on a flood insurance rate map zone A, AB, A1-A30, AO, AH, A99, V, VE. V1-V30, AR Ar dual zones AR/AE, AR/AH. AR/AO, AR/A1-A20, AR/A?" (X) No is checked.
So, in conclusion, if I'm reading this right here's the summary. We bought flood insurance on the constuction site for $388 yearly premium. This covers a house, which is not yet there, up to a maximum of $250,000 despite the fact that its replacement cost will be $417, 000. Furthermore, this proposed house is NOT on a flood plain, nor in any of the various zones contained by a flood plain.

It is in no danger of flooding as determined by the DNR; is regulated by Federal dams at both ends, which are approximately 20 miles apart so that the water level varies only by an inch or two.

These dams are tested yearly, unlike state dams, to verify their ability to do what they are supposed to do.

BUT OUR LENDER IS REQUIRING FLOOD INSURANCE. So we paid the bribe.

Are we done? Oh, I don't think so. I will fax these copies to our lender and await his determination. At that point the next chapter will begin.

Round Robin (subtitle "Let Me Off This Merry-Go-Round"

I hit the wall yesterday (yet again and over yet the same issue).

As you may have been following along, you'll recall that the old house has been torn down and carted away; that the garage is almost completed; that the basement walls are poured and the cap is in place. Monday is scheduled for backfill and the in-floor radiant heating is installed before the slab is poured later in the week.

AND WE STILL HAVEN'T CLOSED ON THE CONSTRUCTION LOAN.

I wish I would have been keeping better track of these follies, but it goes something like this:

Our lender says we need flood insurance. Our insurance company says they don't think so. Our lender sends us a FEMA application for a variance that costs $800, takes 60 days, requires another survey along with an elevation certificate with no guarantee of acceptance as well as requiring a subsequent application when the house is completed.

The surveyor says he doesn't think another survey is necessary and views this as more government intervention into our lives. Our insurance company, wants to see what the lender sees so they fax several questions.

So for the past three weeks (or is it years?) I've been playing round robin with these entities. All the while our contractor is waiting to be paid.

I even begged the insurance company to sell us the most expensive policy they have and they still required the elevation certificate that the surveyor has deemed unnecessary.

To her everlasting credit, Ann saw me spinning out of control yesterday and took over matters. She talked to our builder who talked with the lender who now blames the insurance company who blames the surveyor who blames the government.

Monday we'll contact a local insurance agency to see if they will sell us a unnecessary flood insurance plan that avoids a survey and will be good enough to obtain the construction loan.

Brainstorm and Rainstorm

As Ann supervised the placement of the garage trusses, she noticed that they were spacious enough to hold stuff, specifically canoes and kayaks and skiffs. As she pondered this, she thought of barn doors with an arm that extends out and sometimes has a winch or a pulley for hoisting hay.

So she said, "Hay!" "Hey!!!"

The next thing I know, she's on the phone with Charlie, after consulting with Bob, and Charlie says that it would take nothing to do that.

Bob loans Ann his trusty measuring tape; Ann hops down to the shed to measure the base of the canoes and next thing I know, we have a barn door, or at least the opening for one.

Unfortunately I don't have a picture yet of the new barn door opening because the 40 year flood was about to happen and we (Ann, Emma and I) found ourselves huddled inside the garage, while the Toaster was left to fend for itself.

But before the storm hit I managed to click off a couple of snaps of the basement walls and drain

.

Garage Roof Trusses

Jay informs Bob that he sees a potential garage; Bob is unimpressed.

Jay describes how he landed a 60" muskie; Bob remains unimpressed.

From across the foundation walls of the house.

Pouring the Basement Walls

After a long weekend of inactivity due to threatening weather, Monday broke beautiful, so the pouring of the basement walls commenced with vigor.

The huge, (did I say HUGE) concrete pumping machine stretched itself over the treetops to allow the guy at the other end of it direct the concrete into the forms. My brother, Marc, can easily recall schlepping wheelbarrows full of this stuff along creeky, thin wooden planks to pour.

This seems faster and safer.

And the thing is operated by remote control, "like a big video game", says Ken, the operator.

Here it is in action:

July 17 (40 year anniversary of leaving the Army!)

View from the river.

Visible Progress

Emma has staked out her own special place (as is her wont).

Garage walls are up! I guess we wanted our cars to have a nice view since we have oversized windows.

And the footings are poured for the house. The entryway is on the right and the sunroom is the bump out closest to the guy on the left.

Exterior garage wall.

My favorite part of the garage. Up here during certain times of the year stuff freezes on the cars, then melts when they're in the garage. A floor drain was installed in the center of the floor. But unlike any garage floor drain I've seen, they also included a drain pipe out the lowest corner. After Tuesday night's deluge, a fluvial plain was formed.

From the Ashes

For a gadget guy like me, this borders on miraculous. The guy with the stick has a gadget attached that communicates with the excavator, (aka The Beast) which triangulates with up to 5 satellites and let's the operator know, within centimeters, where the ground is level. The Beast operator then scrapes (or adds) sand to make the whole area of the future basement level.

FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) lumber at the ready.

The very same beast that destroyed the house, now functions to ready the ground for the new one. First the hole in the ground; next the levelling.

Nuts and bolts are poised for the base plates and walls.

Little garage in the woods.

"There Goes Our House"--Ann

It was not a pretty sight. And it happened all too quickly. Ann couldn't watch. I lasted only slightly longer.

And in two days, it was a memory. In fact, when Ann said, 'There goes our house' we were standing at the sink of our temporary home and a truck was taking pieces of our house to the landfill.

Watch the destruction below:

More pics and vids may be seen by clicking here.

Bubba's Back!!!!!! Just in time (or because of) the 4th!

We are in that never never land between houses, (not to be confused with Neverland). And it's frustrating. Invariably what we need is at the other place.

I'm waiting for the day when what we need is packed away in the storage shed 11 miles away.

The first of every month is dog medicine day. Can you tell things are a little out of sorts? I asked Ann to remind me to Frontline the dogs, guarding against ticks and fleas, and Heartplus, which takes care of heartworm.

But the dog stuff was at 4734. With ill temper, I hopped in the Gator and sped over to retrieve what I needed and floored it coming back.

It was a good thing because as I crossed the creek, who should I see about 20 feet away, but an old friend, Bubba. I skidded to a stopped, we stared at one another for a few seconds, I said, "Good to see you!" He ran away.

I seem to have that reaction from many people lately.

But we feared that he was killed last fall by a teenage girl hunter and are so glad he's still around and looking good and running fast.

This Old (Historic) House

Going through an old house and deciding what to keep, what to store, what to give away, what to sell, and what to pitch can be a gut-wrenching nightmare. It's less so for me, because I've only lived here a relatively short time in the life of the home. For Ann, each new (old) discovery, whether it's a picture, a tie tack, a certificate, a wallet, a pipe, brings a flood of memories and often evokes strong, very strong emotions.

But amidst the Goldwater buttons, the Wallace tie tacks, the toy soldiers and certificates, one item, hidden deep within the recesses of the house, brought the most interest. Close friends ask about it first when they hear that we are deconstructing the house to rebuild on the same spot.

The item is 18 foot birchbark canoe, stored in the crawlspace. With the excavator looming on Wednesday of next week, it was time to see if it could see its way to daylight after 25 years in seclusion.

This is not an everyday 18 foot birchbark canoe as if there is such an animal. Faithful readers (both of you) of these pages will recall an article written on March 20, 2006. Here is a reminder. The article describes the passion and dedication of a "Renaissance Man" who, JUST FOR FUN, built birchbark objects--drums, baskets, and canoes. One of his more famous efforts, a 36 footer, was used in Voyageur reenactments in the 70's.

(Author's Note: A teacher in School District U-46, Reid Lewis, created, organized and successfully completed a year's worth of Voyageur related activities for schools throughout Wisconsin and Illinois. U-46 students, including the school board president's son spent a year performing these activities while earning credit toward graduation. I strongly believe that the canoe they used was Paul Munninghoff's creation. A former Larsen Middle School teacher, living in Hayward, WI, came into its possession I believe through Lewis. The canoe now resides in a resort just east of Hayward.)

Extracting our 18 foot historical artifact was no easy task. Years of storing other items around it as well as a couple of well placed (and well built) walls caused the task of springing this vessel to be more difficult than anticipated. Fortunately for us we had tremendous help in the form of our friends Bob and Dedie Hanson.

After some swearing and sweat and sledhammer work, the canoe emerged in pretty good shape--not seaworthy, but not falling to pieces either. Our local restorer friend is already licking his chops trying to get at this.

Bob, imagining an ancient well-kept native secret asked Ann what her father used to create his unique insignia. The anwer? Magic Marker. Ann said that her Dad often said that if the Indians had Magic Markers and staples available, they would have used them too.

Some Renderings (Clicking on the image makes it enormous)

Looking Northwest (Bruegel not included)

Looking southwest. Double doors go to deck.

Looking south down the driveway (Rocky Mountains not included.)

A little longer view looking south. It'll be interesting to see how these depictions compare to the reality.

Almost There

This morning's meeting with the planning and zoning commission went swimmingly. I guess I should use a different descriptor as being close to the water was whatcaused the speed bump in the construction process. There, that's better.

We have a permit for the garage; and we will pick up the permit for the house tomorrow morning. So I learned my lesson from last time. The i's are not yet dotted, but the t's are crossed.

Thanks go to Charlie, our builder, and Denise, his wife who must have spent most or all of the weekend digesting rules and regulations of FEMA as it relates to flood zones. And I thought root canal was bad. They really came through when it was required.

The Roller Coaster Ride Goes Around a Second (or is it third?) Time

When Friday ended we were in the black pit of despair. It looked like our project was going to be scrapped because, suddenly, we were on a flood plain.

Charlie told us we should stop packing and everything was placed on hold, except the stuff that we had already shelled out some cash for--electric, phone, movers. So the weekend was a real downer and it was not only because the Cubs lost to the White Sox.

On Sunday we went to a small brunch with friends in honor of a recent retiree and asked another friend about our dilemma.

He said that every other body of water up here that is not regulated is at greater risk of flooding than the river.

He graciously wrote the following for us:

I have been working on the Wisconsin River for over 30 years and was the coordinator for the FERC license renewals on all Wis River dams for DNR. It is my opinion that the Munninghoff Marsh area is not very flood prone since it is not a natural system, hydrologically speaking.The flows, elevations, and flood provisions are controlled by FERC licensed dams above and below the marsh. The Rhinelander Dam ( which determines the Munninghoff Marsh water elevation) must maintain an elevation within 0.3 foot above or below the target level by manipulating the dam to release flood waters as necessary. The flood flow capacity of both dams is ordered by FERC to handle the "Probable Maximum Flood", which for our area is aprox. 21" of rain one day and another 21" the next day. This rainfall event has literally not happened since the glacier and will not likely ever happen, but the owners of Rhinelander and Rainbow Dams have been required by FERC to provide gates and other mechanisms to insure that the PMF will can be handled by the dams without failure. Annual inspections demonstrate compliance. The Wis DNR, in contrast, only requires protection to the 1000 year flood level and inspects ,on average, every 17 years. Other natural lakes, rivers, or Wisconsin authority dams have far less control potential than FERC dams. Any flood event that causes failure of the Rhinelander or Rainbow Dams will obliterate the entire upper Wisconsin River basin and is not, therefore, a reasonable design standard for construction in the area. Bob Martini.

We received an early morning call from Charlie who said that he took the surveyor's numbers from Friday and talked with Planning and Zoning one more time, and . . . they said, that if the numbers can be certified, we'll get the permits.

I hesitate to write those words because something else will probably happen between now and 9am tomorrow when we meet. But at least now there's hope.

Mourning the Shed

Before the glitch (at least we hope that's all it is) about the flood plain, we were well into the process of getting ready for the garage to be built beginning Monday.

In fact, the old shed, that looked like it was on its last legs was in the direct path of the garage approach.

But first all the stuff in the shed had to be hauled out disposed of, or otherwise moved. Then the 'skin' of the shed, some rough sawn pine with the bark still on it needed to go. After all that was done the old thing just had to be teetering on its pegs.

After a couple of tries, it appeared to be stronger than first diagnosed. After a few more tries I decided to get serious. After a few more tries I was getting agitated, thinking that it was held together with 12 foot lag bolts.

But finally, . . .

The Old Shed Finally Meets Its Match from Northpith on Vimeo.

Katrina and FEMA rear their @#$^&*% Heads

Yesterday's post, prematurely entitled, "I's Dotted; T's Crossed" is today officially inoperative.

Allow me to explain (vent).

It was suggested that we get a zoning department official to make a trip out to the building site and offer opinions on potential problems and get a preliminary go ahead. The trip cost $75 which is then deducted fr0m the fee for the permits.

We did that. The official gave his blessing as long as we stayed within the same footprint. We could go outside the footprint of the existing building if it was 40 away from the water's edge.

Based upon that, the planning ensued.

We applied for a load at People's Bank in Minocqua and received our 'stellar' financial ratings. A week ago, our loan officer, before leaving for a one-week vacation left a cryptic message on our answering machine, which said, in effect, that when doing their due diligence, FEMA claimed that our house was located on a flood plain.

He did not sound too concerned and proffered that the worst thing that he thought could happen is that we would have to purchase flood insurance. As the walkout from the ground floor is now approximately 20 feet from the Wisconsin River, this, too, caused no concern on our part. He suggested that I call our insurance company to check out the purchase of this insurance.

I did so. And in conversation with them, they said that we were not in a flood plain and, in any case, our house was listed as 'low risk' for flooding.

Concurrently with the permitting process for the detachment and reattachment, our builder requested and we provided copies of a building permit from 1986 that showed the details of the septic installation.

It also showed the details from the building addition. On the permit, copies of which were obtained from the county planning and zoning department, it states, "This property is NOT (emphasis added) on a flood plain."

Yesterday after the contract was signed, our builder went to obtain the necessary permits. He was refused because the same department that made the site visit, the same department that said we weren't on a flood plain, now says that we are on a #$$%&*@ flood plain.

So after some substantial research our builder discovered that the magic number is 1560, that is 1560 feet above sea level. He scramble up a surveyor who came up with 1566.8. However, that was measured from the front of the current house and not the walkout of the ground floor.

So fortunately some of the deconstruction involves the use of a sledge hammer, a fairly substantial one I must say, and seems to be a productive way of venting frustration.

That and writing this @#(%#$ blog.

I's dotted; T's crossed

Well we're a lot poorer, but hope to have a decent house in which to live within four or six or eight months. We signed a contract with Charlie yesterday, went out and celebrated at noon and continued packing and tearing down the shed (video to follow soon) like crazy.

The plans are pretty much as we posted last week, but the kitchen is a huge bugaboo for us. Every plan we've seen doesn't quite trip our triggers, so Charlie is going back yet again to see what he can come up with.

That sun room bump out seems like too good of a space to use for kitchen cabinets. So we're going to actually try to use it as a sun room.

Any ideas are welcome.

Latest Doings

After another visit with Charlie, we believe we are almost almost virtually almost in agreement on a design.

Some changes--it looks like geothermal is out; the technology is still new and it takes energy to run it. Additionally it's tough to find a reputable installer up here in the hinter lands.

The good news is we think we're headed for a solar collector. So many rebates and/or tax credits are available, these things are hard to pass up. Geothermal, however, still won't work for us.

We went to the Midwest Renewable Energy Association fair on Saturday. I haven't seen so many hippies since our last family reunion in Lanesboro, MN.

One of the ideas I am most jazzed about is a product called Earth Clay. Click here to see their product. We met with the plasterer/artisan, Tim at the fair and we're much impressed. Check out his work at t2techniques.com and click on 'the clay room' for his portfolio.

We're planning, or I should say, we were planning, on garage construction on the 29th--I say 'were' because we may have a snag or two with the site. We wanted the garage up first so the construction guys would have a dry place to work. As of this writing we have enough places for storage. We'll keep you posted on that, with pictures where appropriate.

This weekend, the Pith spent 'deconstructing' the shed. We moved all the wood to the back yard and now just a skeleton remains. I'll try to remember to get a shot of that tomorrow.

Inside Views

The bedroom has a screened in porch for summertime sleeping and relaxing.

The kitchen will be a busy place.

And the view of the marsh is maintained.

We're creeping closer!

We're sneaking up on completion of the initial task of design with great strides taking place this past week.

Here is the ground floor layout with a bathroom added; the mudroom more detailed and, wait for it--a root cellar. This was an idea from a friend and a great one at that (the friend and the idea!)

The view from the river shows the bump out has grown in size.

And the layout of the main floor reflects some changes as well, mostly small ones.

5-29 Update

We've had a busy week here particularly on Monday and Tuesday when we focused almost exclusively on the new house.

You can hopefully see some changes if not in the perspective immediately below, then in the layout toward the bottom of the page.

The dormer is slightly smaller to make the truss building easier and the sunroom below has expanded to match the dormer's size.

Inside we have rearranged the master bedroom area including adding a glass block shower which we're quite jazzed about.

In addition, the staircase has opened up and seating at the counter is easier because of the sunroom.
We have a new kitchen designer, Ann's pool partner, Wendy, and we are very very excited that she has agreed to work with us and Charlie on the kitchen specifically, but she has also come through with great ideas for the rest of the house in just a brief sitdown on Tuesday.

As always your thoughts, reactions, comments, ideas, jokes, riddles are greatly appreciated.

Home Theater

We have sent the following message to our designer. What do you think?

The inclusion of a home theater is critical to the distinctiveness of our new home. To be able to enjoy movie classics such as Apocalyse Now, Platoon, Dr. Strangelove, and even some more subdued flics like Fantasia from the comfort of our pontoon boat would be priceless. We would love to have you and Denise over for such an event.

And think about what it might mean for passing motorists on Highway 47, to say nothing about the constant stream of boaters! The option of charging admission would certainly help the local economy. (Could a projector be run by solar power or would wind storage work better?)

And finally we are sensing that the wildlife on the marsh are becoming bored, with spring spawning near completion and child rearing setting in. A diversion, such as envisioned might make the cranes and herons settle down a little more comfortably.

For other architectural innovations, check these out.

OK, as promised here are depictions of the latest rendering.  I'm predicting 50 such iterations before the eagle lands (just kidding, Charlie!).

As always, we welcome feedback anytime, anyplace, any form.  (No farting noises over the phone, please.)

We moved the entrance, actually Charlie did.  We moved the guest room/office to the basement (that may end up being the coolest room in the house); we shrunk the house to accomodate the front deck;  we added a sun room off the bedroom; and the dormer and glass now appear over the living room.

Clicking on a picture ENLARGES it.

May 8 Meeting, etc.

We visited Charlie's house as a launching pad for ideas as well as visting some of the projects--completed, nearly so, and in progress.

We came away feeling very good about the quality of ideas along with the quality of workmanship.

First the ideas.

The proposed house is now a little smaller to accomodate a deck facing the river.  But for some strange reason (maybe it's the software), judging by the pictures, which I hope to share soon, it feels more liveable.  We left Charlie with a few more suggested improvements.  Here is a website to check out regarding a relatively new wall treatment.  As always, comments and/or reactions are most welcome.

Here it is.

Charlies showed us three of his projects, the first a remodel from a Wausau home.  This abode is located on Fishtrap Lake with a very steep incline (decline?) to the lake reminiscent of Spider Lake in Mercer.

The treatment this couple used to access the lake?  A tram.  I'm not kidding.  I would have loved to have taken a ride.

The second house was built on what everyone said was an impossible site--one sort of a smallish mound.  Charlie made it work and did so with distinction using existing material (barn posts) and created a spectacular screened in porch in the process.

And the last house looks like it came out of Architectural Digest, with a minimalilst exterior and a warm, radiant floor interior overlooking a path to their lake, whose name I have forgotten.

In other news Ann may have found us a place to live during construction.  And the real strange thing is that it's located two 'doors' down from us at 4734.  It's a cozy little place with two bedrooms, a greenhouse, and a good sized garage with a goodly amount of stuff in it.

We meet with the owner, who has had the house on the market for four years, on Monday.

Here 'tis.