Route27

If anyone reading this has gone through this process, PLEASE feel free to vent in the comments section!

So, you want to do some work on your property in the city of Chicago. Here are the steps outlined to me by our Architect, Alex Demeter for our third floor extension.

1) Meet architect, outline the scope of work
2) Get a survey on your property done, the city of Chicago requires a survey of the property that is not older than six months.
3) Measure building to get existing plans
4) Architect Create existing drawings
5) Architect will create concept drawings
6) Review with client until a final concept is achieved
7) At this point our architect recommends that we hire an expeditor to deal with the city of Chicago
Schedule an intake meeting (when I checked this is at least a month away from the date that you call to ask for one)
9) The Department of Construction and Permits (DCAP) AKA “the City” will generate a list of corrections
10) Architect will make corrections and re-submit to the city
11) The city will review and issue permits

Estimated timeframe – 2-2.5 months, and that is a very aggressive estimate!

That’s all. More on the in-depth of step by step to come…

Mara and I took a trip around the world this spring (Apr 15th, May 8th). We are such slackers that we just got around to posting the pictures.

Our route took us through London, Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Singapore, Malaca, Sydney, Cairnes, and Aucland and New Zeland countryside. Then back to the States via LA.

Check it…

Team Easy Riders has completed this years Cowalunga ride sponsored by the American Lung Association. A delightful (and a bit challenging) 190 mile three day bike ride through the rolling hills and picturesque Midwest Wisconsin dairy farms.

Check out the slide show.

If you have more time, check out all the pictures or download bigger resolution pics for printing or publishing here.

Team Easy Riders

After you get the fixer upper, after you get the mortgage (more on that), you must then develop the plan. Well not the plan like a gant chart, the plans of the house.

Thinking I am a pretty handy do it yourselfer, I decided to measure the house myslef, and draw up the existing plans myself. Here it is:

Take a closer look - keep in mind I am NOT an architect, thats right!

Well, my plan to save hundreds of dollars by avoiding the architects come in and measure almost worked. Except that upon comparison to the survey it turned out that the house I measured from the inside was six feet (thats right, we’re talking feet) not inches longer than the outside of the house. Sometimes you are bigger on the inside than you are on teh outside… huh?

Back to plan A…

Home sweet future after-we-fix-this-mess-up home…

Mara Levin and Andrew Kucharski would like to announce to the world our engagement on June 17th 2005.

After looking at 15+ properties Mara and I have decided to bid on a two flat at in Albany Park, a north west part of City of Chicago. The asking price was 335. We wrote up a contract at Bar on Buena the day before my b-day. Morgan Sage our realtor was quite patient with us while the guests for my b-day party came around. We wrote up the contract with beers in hand with more than a handful of contributors and pundits.

The next day we took off for Herberts wedding. The nerves started tensing up when we received a final counter offer for 325. We were told no more negotiations, that was the fnial deal. But I was not satisifed, much to Mara’s dismay.

After one more counter offer, and three days later, we received a txt message from Morgan that read:

“We have a deal at 321.6″

And that is how the DIY fixer upper adventure begins.