Hello everyone. Has it only been two weeks? Many things to catch you up to speed on, including windows, zoning, permitting, health departments, design phases, and surveys.

First, last week we officially (officially!!) ordered all of the windows for the house. As we detailed in the last update, these windows are being built in Germany, imported, and will eventually be delivered to Sugarfield around August or September.

We went to the county building to clarify some permitting steps. We’re trying to go through the residential structure primary home application process. We’re on step one, collecting the septic permit from the health department, and a concern was raised that we needed a special exception application. We went to the Building Commission office and confirmed which form we needed to fill out and what dates to put on the calendar, including a meeting that wouldn’t be held until June 28th. This wasn't looking good because this was not anticipated for the building permit and could add a 6-8 week delay.

We came home, and while writing an email to our architect and bank loan manager, Josh discovered an important detail. Sugarfield is zoned R-2, which, by definition, means we can build a single-family home without exception. Because while we are exceptionally special, we do not need a special exception.

Elizabeth learned that we would have multiple surveys for this permit, including a commercial surveyor and one by the county surveyor’s office. The surveyor’s office also is full of wonderful maps. Also, the county health department has its act together! When you arrive in person, they hand you a welcome folder. Everyone else hands you a stack of forms and applications.

On Thursday, our surveyor pulled up as we were getting ready to head out of the driveway to go camping. Stacey will make the final drawings the county needs to determine the location of the house, driveway, and septic. We were so excited to see her because the survey is critical to obtaining the all-important permits. Stacey also brought her city doggo out to run around and explore the 6+ acres of Sugarfield.

We had the final design meeting with our architect on Friday at our campsite. This doesn’t mean all designs, such as tile and cabinets, have been decided, but the building design is finished! We reviewed the placement of light fixtures, switches, and outlets. Josh accurately described the plans as spiderwebs of information. The design phase has lasted just over one year!

In other random exciting news, the following events happened since our last update…

• 1st rhubarb crunch of 2023. Not one crunch was left unattended.

• 1st homemade carrot cake of 2023. It was dangerously delicious.

• On an evening walk, Josh and Liz planned to locate a fence post of legend in the back of the property. So deep in the woods and down a steep bank of trees that no one would want to go, especially since the bottom of the woods is often very boggy. Spray paint can of yellow in hand, we climbed down the steep embankment and located the rogue corner post. After painting it yellow, we found the fence line and painted many of the remaining posts. Then, in a boggy section, we discovered a shoe! That shoe was being inspected when Elizabeth and Joshua’s legs were SUCKED into the bog past their knees. After much struggle, we made it out alive. Crawled up the bank, and left behind the shoe as a warning.

• Josh found his wedding band that he had lost for over two weeks. He was out messing with a large burn pile the next morning, and his ring went missing while tossing in unburned sticks and logs. It was two weeks and multiple rains later, while on a walk, we both decided to look around the large 45-foot circumference burn ring, and Josh spotted it! Plain as day!

• A rose-breasted grosbeak was spotted at our bird feeder!