Naturally Phine: May 2010

While it has been almost a month since the start of the BP oil spill, the negative impacts of the oil are still being felt today - and they will continue to be felt months (even years) into the future. I mention this now because I just came across some really incredible/sad/devastating/upsetting/eye-opening photos of the impact the oil has had on the natural world around the Gulf of Mexico, and I wanted to share them with everyone.

As you look through the photos, try to think about what you can do to help stop this from happening again. While I made a post earlier about the overuse/dependence on plastic, I feel like I need to take this time to expand that thought to the dependence on oil as a whole. This is a serious problem and it is one that people need to actively discuss and work on changing. Although not everyone can go down to the Gulf and help clean up oil or save injured wildlife, we all have the power to decide how we spend our time and money. It is through these choices that we can all have the biggest impact.

Rather than just continue to live our lives the way we have grown accustomed to, take a few extra seconds (or even minutes) to really think about what impact our choices have and consider these questions. Is driving a car really necessary for that trip down the street? Is driving really needed right now, or can it wait for another time? Where is that bike of mine that I have neglected for too long? Do I need all of these items individually wrapped/bagged? Why don't I have a reusable water bottle? Where are my reusable grocery bags? Should I buy more since I always seem to forget them at home? Do I really need a straw with my drink? Is it that difficult and out of my way to recycle? Can I feel good about myself if I walk past plastic (or any trash) laying in the street right next to the storm drain, knowing that it will end up in the ocean during the next big rain if I don't pick it up?

The questions are endless but the idea is there - we all have the ability to make positive change. Sadly, we all (myself included) have the ability to make excuses too. But the more we live a philosophy of "do what we say" and stop making excuses, the better off life will be - for us and future generations. If one really wants to help make a change there is also the avenue of politics to pursue, as one can try to persuade the oh-so-lovable politicians of the city/state/country to make policy reform. Though, if that sounds like "too much work" one can always easily support non-profit organizations that are already working with governments to help improve our lives. Regardless of how one chooses to make change, the reality is, we (as a society) need to use far less oil and embrace alternative options for renewable energy (and OPPOSE ANY MORE OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING).

Needless to say (and with much sadness), the problems are not going to disappear any time soon. However, improvements (even small ones) can be made on a daily basis by each and everyone of us. After choosing to make a positive change in our own lives, the next step is to encourage all of our friends and family to do so as well. We can have honest, meaningful, intelligent discussion with them (with anyone) about why things need to change - and why it is something that everyone must do.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us and the world will live as one." - John Lennon

I know I have been a bit lacking in my recent blog postings, but I've been a bit busy doing actual work on the house rather than just talking about it online. Several weeks ago I finally got all of the "art" supplies I needed and started hand-drawing the house plans required by the City (which include the existing and proposed floor plans and elevations for the house, as well as details on foundation and wall construction.) During this time I discovered that I really enjoyed drafting and hope to continue drawing up more plans in the future, even if I'm not actually working on a project at the time. After nearly two weeks of drawing I took my precious originals in for copies so that I could then face the wrath of Charleston's Zoning and Building Departments as I sought out the elusive building permit.

It was over this next week or so that I quickly learned firsthand how crappy and bureaucratic City policies can be. Before heading over to the Building Department for approval, I first needed Zoning to approve of my proposed plans - which at this stage is a small addition off of the back of the house. To my dismay, I was told I could not do things as I had planned because of the Pecan tree in the backyard. Apparently, the Pecan tree was the one who signed all the paperwork and bought the house because the way the City explained things to me, I didn't really have free-will to do as I wanted with what I owned. Instead, the tree had first priority over the property and the tree had to be considered before any approval was made. Now, as you are all aware, I am a very nature conscious individual and I want to protect/incorporate nature as much as possible into the home. The City does not need to be sending out employees to look at the property and tell me that I must save the tree - especially since getting rid of the tree was never even thought of.

After finally clearing things up with Zoning (which meant erecting a large tree barrier around the Pecan) I was ready move on to the Building Department, only to discover that they did not like the plans I had approved from Zoning. What issues they had with my plans were considered small technicalities in my mind yet the City felt the best option was for me to pay an engineer to do the plans (Read: not cheap). I just didn't see what the big deal was considering I had followed the building code book and had done things to a degree beyond what was regulated. After making the changes they suggested (without ever getting an engineer) I headed back to the Building Department excited to receive final approval. Well, either the plan reviewers made mistakes the first time or they just like to mess with my mind, but as I had the plans reviewed again they found a few more changes they wanted. Long story short....this happened 4 more times! Every time I went in they would come up with new "mistakes" that I needed to change, and most of the time they didn't even look at the previous changes I had made. Anyway, after numerous trips to the City Building Department I finally got what I wanted - a building permit.

I received the building permit on the morning of May 6, and it was that evening that my parents flew into town for what was to be an 8 day work marathon. Needless to say, it's a good thing I got the permit when I did because once my parents landed it was non-stop progress from there. The next day, Friday, I woke up earlier than I had months, picked up my parents and then headed to the house to begin work bright and early. Priority one was Operation Protect The Tree since a city inspector was coming out later in the day to make sure the barricade was properly in place. Since this barricade was a prerequisite to doing any other work (of which we had a lot planned for the upcoming weekend) I really wanted to make sure it was done well. I also spent much of the morning getting rental supplies and doing prep work/planning before we got going on all of the real physical work. Needless to say, once all the prepping was done, it was work, work, work....and man, did we get a lot done.

For the next 8 days my Dad, Mom and I worked 10 hour days as we focused on getting the addition added to the existing house. While each day had a lot of work to get done, we met our daily goals and overall had everything work out very smoothly. In summary, here is what was done each day:

Day 1 - Planning, site prep, demo of the back exterior and continue demo of kitchen (which Sean & I started in April).
Day 2 - More demo work, jack up house and hand digging of all foundation trenches
Day 3 - Setting up forms for foundation footings/walls and getting all rebar in place
Day 4 - Pass inspection (yea!), finish last details of forms, pour concrete
Day 5 - Construct floor joists and install subfloor sheeting
Day 6 - Start framing of new walls
Day 7 - Finish wall framing, begin roof framing, begin installing wall sheathing
Day 8 - Finish roof framing (and sheathing)

While I was extremely tired (and sore/bruised/bloody) after each day of work, I am very happy with all of the progress made. Actually seeing the physical changes accomplished is a great way to avoid thinking of the pain and certainly a positive step in restoring the house to a beautiful home once again.

With Day 9 being my parents last day in town I was able to convince them that we needed to enjoy Charleston a little bit, so we only worked 3 hours in the morning (during which time we tore done the back dining room wall). Once we called it quits for the day (and reached the end of my parents "working" trip) we went to enjoy the Charleston Farmers Market and get some excellent breakfast (crepes and omelets) and fresh lemonade (buy the Jumbo size, it's that good!). By the time I was driving my parents back to the airport later in the day all 3 of us were completely spent - both physically and mentally - and sleep was likely the only thing on our minds.

All in all though, it was a wonderful visit from my parents as we certainly got a lot done and made excellent progress. Needless to say, I owe a lot to both of them and I am forever grateful for their help, suggestions and overall support - although an extra thanks needs to go out to my dad who knows SO much about building and who taught me a lot during his visit. What we accomplished in just over a week would have taken me at least a month without him, so, in short...Thanks!

Here are some pictures of the work accomplished each day (captions are listed below each photo).