The Natural Resources Commission meeting is scheduled for the evening of December 11th. We submitted our packet on November 20th, and now we wait for that meeting. Unfortunately, there seems to be five projects being discussed that evening so I do not know how late the meeting will run.

We are also waiting to hear back from the four builders to whom we submitted the design packet. All four have visited the property (although I was only there to meet with two of them). None have asked for extensions, so we expect to get their proposals on December 9th. Their details and pricing will then be collated by our architect and we will schedule meetings with each of them during the week of December 12th to select whom we will work with.

We also had an arborist visit the property to evaluate the trees that we need to remove and those we want to try to save. One tree we were hoping to save turns out to be too close to the proposed location for the new septic system so it has to come down. Tree removal is a big deal in Concord. Any trees that are not in the purview of the Natural Resources Commission are subject to a tree removal law, which means we have to replace them or pay the town based on the diameter of the tree. We will end up doing a mix of the two but I expect tens of thousand of dollars just to compensate the town for the loss of trees (welcome to the liberal Northeast).

Tomorrow we get the existing house evaluated for hazardous materials. I know that there was or is asbestos flooring, but we need an accurate assessment since it impact the demolition process. The one builder whom I talked to thought that the demolition process would only take a day, but I think that is being optimistic.

The two builders I did meet both estimated around 14 months for the build process (starting in April 2025). I am not holding my breath, but it would be nice not to have to drag out the process for years.

Finally, last weekend, we actually started the build process. Ben and I went to the property and replaced the old mailbox with a brand new one. One with a working door (the old one’s door had long since broken off). Here is a picture of the new mailbox (sorry, I obscured the house number). Fortunately, the post was still in good shape, since replacing the post would probably have been beyond my abilities.

Total Views: 23