While awaiting better weather, we are trying to make some progress where opportunities present themselves.
Since the Marvin windows and doors have arrived (Scott called on Tuesday), I realized we might be able to move ahead with the production of the stained glass window to be mounted above the south door. The plan that we discussed with the art glass company in early December was to take the actual Marvin window to the glass shop and let them fit their stained glass to the frame. I call the "Salesman" Mike (Marvin dealer) today to see if they will release that window to us. Mike said that would not be a problem and he would go find the window. I then called Gerald (art glass company) to see what their current schedule looks like. Gerald was not in, but I talked with Kim. I told her that the window had arrived and we were wondering if their schedule would be permit work on the glass if we were to bring the window over. Kim remembered our early December conversation and said she would discuss it with Gerald when he came in and have him call us back. By the end of the day, we had not received a return call from Gerald.
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Yesterday, we received another response from Christine (Alderwoman) regarding the question of the status of the roadway (aka "alley", aka "driveway") along the backyard. Her brief note said that she was going to consult with the City Counselor's office and that she has sometimes found conflicting information when looking into issues like this. She further suggested that we might want to bring in a surveyor or real estate attorney and requested our thoughts.
In our lengthy response, we noted that there have been several surveys done over the last 12 years and the property boundaries appear to be very clear. We told her that we were interested in what the City Counselor had to say, but that we felt the main thing that has to happen is for the City to officially acknowledge any jurisdiction and/or obligation it has regarding this roadway. If the answer is "none", then we are back to our original understanding that it is private property. However, since it has City street lights and utility lines along it and a main sewer line buried down the middle of it, our original question comes back to the surface. If we decide to pave a portion of this roadway, are there any approvals, permissions or notifications required to avoid any imperial conflicts or other unintended consequences?
Since we moved in, the property boundaries of all the properties bordering this roadway have been marked several times, for a variety of reasons. There is no doubt that the individual property lines converge in the middle of this roadway. Being the case, it seems clear to us that the City does not own this alley, but rather it is shared by the owners of the individual properties. However, this raises another unsettling question. Is there a publicly recorded easement that would prevent any of the owners from reclaiming their portion of the alley, thus denying access to others? Sometime in the distant past, access on the east end of the roadway was closed off and that portion of the roadway was reclaimed by the two property owners on either side of it. This is the portion of the roadway that Christine said she found City documents "vacating" that portion of the roadway. It was this finding that started the on-going question of ownership of the roadway. If the roadway is private property, there would not have been anything for the City to vacate.
There are four property owners to the west of us. If any of these four owners were to "reclaim" their portion of this roadway, it would be devastating to us, denying us access to our new garage. There are a total of ten properties that border this roadway. Of these, only four properties rely upon this roadway for access to their off-street parking. Ours is one of these four properties, with the other three being east of us. With the east end of the roadway already blocked, if we loose our access from the west, the other three property owners east of us will as well.
I went back to our mortgage documents, looking for some statement or notation that such an easement might exist. I could not find anything. The several appraisals that we have had done actually stated that there were no conditions (including easements) that could negatively impact the value of the house. Anyway, this is still an open question. In our response to Christine, we asked her where we might start our search of public records for such a recorded easement. If there is none, then the only recourse we would have, should one of our westerly neighbors decide to reclaim their roadway property, would be to file a lawsuit to prevent.
Friday, January 9, 2015
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Baby It's Cold Out There, Again!
As forecast, the north wind shifted since yesterday, coming out of the south now. While this resulted in the temperature getting into the mid-20's, it felt colder than yesterday. It was bitter.
While no work was accomplished in the back yard, the new vaulted trusses showed up. I observed the flat bed truck back into our west neighbor's drive and the driver started unstrapping the trusses. I called "Our" Mike to ensure he was aware they had arrived. He said he was aware and that he was on his way. I told him that I hoped he had consulted with our neighbor prior to using their driveway. Mike said he told the driver to let Mike know 30 minutes prior to arrival (he did not) and then to wait until Mike arrived (he did not). When Mike arrived, he and the driver unloaded the four trusses and placed them along the west side of our house (half way through our gate).
Mike came to the door before he left. Since I never was told the outcome of Frank's (HVAC) analysis of mounting the interior unit of the heat pump on the vaulted truss, I asked Mike if that was finished. Mike said it was and there was plenty of room. When I asked about the plan to start raising the trusses, I got a vague response about it may be a bit warmer next week.
A little later, we got a call from our west neighbor. They have been very accommodating and patient during our project. Today however, not only did we fail to secure their permission to use their driveway, but the flat bed truck got off the drive and into the yard. To top it off, the steel bands and cardboard used to bind the trusses were left in the neighbor's yard. Needless to say, the neighbor was very upset, as I would be as well. The neighbor told me that he wanted the person responsible for today's activity to know that they were not pleased and that the use of their drive was not to be taken for granted. I apologized and made sure he knew I understood. I immediately called Mike. I told him that the neighbor was very upset and now I was as well. From the beginning of this project I have made it known to all the contractors that special consideration was to be given to not inconveniencing our neighbors. Today's events went past just inconvenience. I told Mike that today we "burned a bridge" with the west neighbor and that Mike was not to make any future plans on the assumption that we could use their driveway. I told him to "not even ask"!
Today is the 150th day since our construction permit was granted. The permit was for 184 days to February 11, 2015.
While no work was accomplished in the back yard, the new vaulted trusses showed up. I observed the flat bed truck back into our west neighbor's drive and the driver started unstrapping the trusses. I called "Our" Mike to ensure he was aware they had arrived. He said he was aware and that he was on his way. I told him that I hoped he had consulted with our neighbor prior to using their driveway. Mike said he told the driver to let Mike know 30 minutes prior to arrival (he did not) and then to wait until Mike arrived (he did not). When Mike arrived, he and the driver unloaded the four trusses and placed them along the west side of our house (half way through our gate).
Mike came to the door before he left. Since I never was told the outcome of Frank's (HVAC) analysis of mounting the interior unit of the heat pump on the vaulted truss, I asked Mike if that was finished. Mike said it was and there was plenty of room. When I asked about the plan to start raising the trusses, I got a vague response about it may be a bit warmer next week.
A little later, we got a call from our west neighbor. They have been very accommodating and patient during our project. Today however, not only did we fail to secure their permission to use their driveway, but the flat bed truck got off the drive and into the yard. To top it off, the steel bands and cardboard used to bind the trusses were left in the neighbor's yard. Needless to say, the neighbor was very upset, as I would be as well. The neighbor told me that he wanted the person responsible for today's activity to know that they were not pleased and that the use of their drive was not to be taken for granted. I apologized and made sure he knew I understood. I immediately called Mike. I told him that the neighbor was very upset and now I was as well. From the beginning of this project I have made it known to all the contractors that special consideration was to be given to not inconveniencing our neighbors. Today's events went past just inconvenience. I told Mike that today we "burned a bridge" with the west neighbor and that Mike was not to make any future plans on the assumption that we could use their driveway. I told him to "not even ask"!
Today is the 150th day since our construction permit was granted. The permit was for 184 days to February 11, 2015.
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Baby It's Cold Out There!
We awoke this morning to a light snow frosting.
The high today was 11⁰F with a pleasant northerly breeze resulting in a wind chill of -10⁰F. If I still had a mustache, it would be frozen.
Not surprisingly "Our" Mike apparently did not find anyone anxious to work on the backyard. However, the cable company did show up to hook up the ground wire they did not hook up when they rerouted the cable line to the underground conduit. Please don't assume the cable company did this on their own initiative. While complaining to the cable company yesterday about our dismal internet performance, I mentioned to a Supervisor that this wire was never hooked up. He said he would enter a ticket to get it hooked up. I am pleased he did what he promised.
T and I spent the afternoon at the Art Museum, having lunch at the Boathouse in Forest Park.
I love retirement!
Tonight, it is forecast to get down to 0⁰F. Tomorrow it will warm up to about 25⁰F. No word from Mike if there will be any activity in the backyard.
Interestingly, we got an email from our Alderwoman (Christine) yesterday about the alley issue. She apologized for never responding to my October request to continue our conversation and wondered if we needed to discuss the matter further. I responded today that, yes, we do need to continue the discussion, but that we have more time than I thought last fall to resolve the issue of ownership of the alley. I recapped the conversation we have had to date. We'll see if we hear back from her.
BTW, today is the 149th day since our construction permit was granted. The permit was for 184 days to February 11, 2015.
The high today was 11⁰F with a pleasant northerly breeze resulting in a wind chill of -10⁰F. If I still had a mustache, it would be frozen.
Not surprisingly "Our" Mike apparently did not find anyone anxious to work on the backyard. However, the cable company did show up to hook up the ground wire they did not hook up when they rerouted the cable line to the underground conduit. Please don't assume the cable company did this on their own initiative. While complaining to the cable company yesterday about our dismal internet performance, I mentioned to a Supervisor that this wire was never hooked up. He said he would enter a ticket to get it hooked up. I am pleased he did what he promised.
T and I spent the afternoon at the Art Museum, having lunch at the Boathouse in Forest Park.
I love retirement!
Tonight, it is forecast to get down to 0⁰F. Tomorrow it will warm up to about 25⁰F. No word from Mike if there will be any activity in the backyard.
Interestingly, we got an email from our Alderwoman (Christine) yesterday about the alley issue. She apologized for never responding to my October request to continue our conversation and wondered if we needed to discuss the matter further. I responded today that, yes, we do need to continue the discussion, but that we have more time than I thought last fall to resolve the issue of ownership of the alley. I recapped the conversation we have had to date. We'll see if we hear back from her.
BTW, today is the 149th day since our construction permit was granted. The permit was for 184 days to February 11, 2015.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Ameren Part 2
Around 8:00 am this morning, from my second story observatory, I noticed an Ameren (power company) boom truck sitting in front of the house. The driver got out and went around to the back yard. A few minutes later, the driver returned to the truck, did a three-point U turn on Russell and headed west. He sped just past the entry to the Russell-Longfellow alley, slammed on the brakes, threw it into reverse and proceeded to back into the car following the truck, despite the frantic horn blasts from the car. I watched as the truck driver and the lady from the car get out and discuss the damage. Thinking this was a good moment in history to capture, I grabbed my iPad and went down stairs to get a good shot. By the time I got to the door, both vehicles were gone. Moments later, the boom truck showed up in the alley behind the house. I guess the lady did not believe the damage was worth reporting or perhaps there was no actual contact. If the later however, I am not sure why they both got out of their vehicles to discuss the matter in the middle of the street. Regardless, it appears the truck driver was very lucky as it would be a tough situation to explain to the boss.
By 8:15 am, we had two Ameren trucks in the back alley. Believing this was an indication that we will finally get the overhead power line rerouted today, I went down to the basement and unlocked and unbarred the basement door, expecting the electrician to arrive. By 8:30 am, a third Ameren pickup truck had arrived with a cable spool in the truck bed. It certainly appeared they were serious about "pushing" a new cable today.
At 8:40 am, I noticed that Judge Carol, our neighbor at the end of the alley, was ready to head off to work. The guy with the cable spool rolled up the cable he had unrolled and backed out of her way. To my surprise, once Carol had passed, the cable spool truck followed her out. Then the boom trucks left as well. Very odd.
About 9:30 am, Spenser and I were walking along Compton and noticed that both the boom truck and the cable spool pickup truck had staged themselves in the parking lot of a church about a block away. The only thing Spenser and I could think of was that they were waiting for the electrical contractor (Rob) to arrive. If true, I hope Rob is more punctual that he has been in the past.
10:15 am, the two Ameren trucks were back in the alley. No sign of the electrical contractor. I talked to the Ameren Foreman and he said the delay in the work earlier because they discovered they brought the wrong cable. They now had the right stuff and should have the work done in about 45 minutes. He did not anticipate the electrical contractor needed to do anything to complete he job. By 11:00 am they were done, with the old cable gone, the new 400 amp system installed and the power back on.
It is nice to have the overhead lines gone and not having them hanging off the back of the house.
I called "Our" Mike to let him know the power line was down and that I assumed we could therefore start putting the trusses into place. He said we certainly could, if he could find anyone who would be willing to work in this weather. A very disconcerting comment. While it is cold outside, it is a beautiful sunny and calm day.
Late in the day, we received a call from Scott at the Marvin Window vendor. He said our sunroom windows and doors have arrived and to let them know when we are ready for them to be delivered.
By 8:15 am, we had two Ameren trucks in the back alley. Believing this was an indication that we will finally get the overhead power line rerouted today, I went down to the basement and unlocked and unbarred the basement door, expecting the electrician to arrive. By 8:30 am, a third Ameren pickup truck had arrived with a cable spool in the truck bed. It certainly appeared they were serious about "pushing" a new cable today.
At 8:40 am, I noticed that Judge Carol, our neighbor at the end of the alley, was ready to head off to work. The guy with the cable spool rolled up the cable he had unrolled and backed out of her way. To my surprise, once Carol had passed, the cable spool truck followed her out. Then the boom trucks left as well. Very odd.
About 9:30 am, Spenser and I were walking along Compton and noticed that both the boom truck and the cable spool pickup truck had staged themselves in the parking lot of a church about a block away. The only thing Spenser and I could think of was that they were waiting for the electrical contractor (Rob) to arrive. If true, I hope Rob is more punctual that he has been in the past.
10:15 am, the two Ameren trucks were back in the alley. No sign of the electrical contractor. I talked to the Ameren Foreman and he said the delay in the work earlier because they discovered they brought the wrong cable. They now had the right stuff and should have the work done in about 45 minutes. He did not anticipate the electrical contractor needed to do anything to complete he job. By 11:00 am they were done, with the old cable gone, the new 400 amp system installed and the power back on.
It is nice to have the overhead lines gone and not having them hanging off the back of the house.
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| After |
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| Before |
I called "Our" Mike to let him know the power line was down and that I assumed we could therefore start putting the trusses into place. He said we certainly could, if he could find anyone who would be willing to work in this weather. A very disconcerting comment. While it is cold outside, it is a beautiful sunny and calm day.
Late in the day, we received a call from Scott at the Marvin Window vendor. He said our sunroom windows and doors have arrived and to let them know when we are ready for them to be delivered.
Monday, January 5, 2015
Power
It was very encouraging to observed two Ameren (power company) trucks in the alley this morning. I kept watching to see if the electrical contractor (Rob) would show up since "Our" Mike said they would be coordinating the power line relocation with Ameren. Rob never materialized, but I soon learned why the survey company had remarked all the underground utilities last week. The Ameren crew started boring an 18" diameter hole next to the existing power pole. Spenser and I decided to investigate. Sure enough, the Foreman said they were going to replace the pole. When I asked why, he shrugged and said he was told to replace the pole. The old pole is at an angle, but I've seen much worse. The hole they bored turned out to be eight feet deep. The Foreman said we would be without power for a couple of hours. Not just us, everyone who pulls power off this line (probably everyone on the alley). He said he did not know if it would happen today, as he was not sure when the new pole would arrive. In response to my question about selecting the color of the new pole, the Foreman said "certainly, as long as you want wood grained".
The Foreman asked me if I thought our west neighbors would be receptive to allowing them to use their driveway to deliver the new pole. I told him that the neighbors have been very accommodating during our project, but he needed to get their permission.
Spenser and I wished the Ameren crew well and continued on our rounds. During that journey, we realized that neither of us actually knew whether or not these guys were going to reroute our overhead power line in addition to installing a new pole. Once we got back to the house, Spenser suggested I go back out and ask. I did and the Foreman said that "pushing" the new power line through the new conduit is part of their job scope, but he doubted they would get to that today. Therefore, we may have a couple of power outages this week.
Thinking back to a story "Our" Mike told us about when the power company replaced the pole in front of his house. The power company did their job, but then the phone company and the cable company both needed to move their lines over to the new pole before the old pole could actually be removed. I believe Mike told us it has been over two years now and those lines have never been moved. He still has two poles in front of his house.
When we left around 10:30 am to go out for breakfast and visit the store, the Ameren crew was waiting for the new pole to arrive. When we returned around 12:30 pm, our power was out, the new pole was in place and the crew was installing a new transformer.
Power was back on around 1:30 pm. It was probably off a couple of hours. They cut the old pole off just above the cable and phone lines. I bet it stays there a long time. No word regarding when they will be back to "push" the power line through the underground conduit. Maybe tomorrow???
They left the old transformer frozen in a water puddle. I wonder if they did that to make it harder to steal? These guys did a nice job and obviously knew what they were doing.
The Foreman asked me if I thought our west neighbors would be receptive to allowing them to use their driveway to deliver the new pole. I told him that the neighbors have been very accommodating during our project, but he needed to get their permission.
Spenser and I wished the Ameren crew well and continued on our rounds. During that journey, we realized that neither of us actually knew whether or not these guys were going to reroute our overhead power line in addition to installing a new pole. Once we got back to the house, Spenser suggested I go back out and ask. I did and the Foreman said that "pushing" the new power line through the new conduit is part of their job scope, but he doubted they would get to that today. Therefore, we may have a couple of power outages this week.
Thinking back to a story "Our" Mike told us about when the power company replaced the pole in front of his house. The power company did their job, but then the phone company and the cable company both needed to move their lines over to the new pole before the old pole could actually be removed. I believe Mike told us it has been over two years now and those lines have never been moved. He still has two poles in front of his house.
When we left around 10:30 am to go out for breakfast and visit the store, the Ameren crew was waiting for the new pole to arrive. When we returned around 12:30 pm, our power was out, the new pole was in place and the crew was installing a new transformer.
Power was back on around 1:30 pm. It was probably off a couple of hours. They cut the old pole off just above the cable and phone lines. I bet it stays there a long time. No word regarding when they will be back to "push" the power line through the underground conduit. Maybe tomorrow???
They left the old transformer frozen in a water puddle. I wonder if they did that to make it harder to steal? These guys did a nice job and obviously knew what they were doing.
Sunday, January 4, 2015
2015 - We Begin Again!
Tomorrow starts the first full work week of 2015. We are very hopeful that we will make some good progress while the weather is kind to us. The forecast is dry all week with temperatures around freezing. Wednesday is the exception when, while still dry, the high is only supposed to reach 11⁰F. As mentioned before, we noticed a person in the alley early last week looking at the power pole and taking photos. Our assumption was, and still is, that this was an Ameren representative. We hope they will show up early this week to complete the power line relocation. We did not notice, until pointed out by a neighbor, that the underground utility locator has been back, marking the utility lines in the alley around the power pole. We are not sure who requested this latest survey since we should have completed all the digging needed for a while. That locator service probably does not need directions to find our house since they have been out so many times over the past few months.
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