And we're back!

We were on vacation September 1-11. Talk about slightly stressful timing. It ended up being 100% fine.

Thursday the 1st they laid they poured concrete.

However, then the weather quit cooperating. It was a very rainy week we were gone in Minneapolis when we were gone, and since the build team hadn't brought in all their equipment I think they opted out of playing in our mud lawn.

However, the lumber was delivered yesterday morning so if they didn't start framing yesterday, I'm sure they will today.

We're still talking to people trying to figure out all the interior stuff. I thought we had made a connection with someone to do some cabinet work with repurposed wood, but that didn't work out. However, we have a meeting next week, and I'm hopeful that will get us on the right track!

 In other news, Beltrami Neighborhood Council had the ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday for their new park pavilion. We were able to thank Vanessa from the Neighborhood Council and Jacob Frey, our City Council Member, for all their help in getting to this point. Napa also had her first trip to Beltrami Park. Pretty sure she's ready to move right in, though she'll miss all her squirrel friends in Loring Park.

The Next (of hopefully many more) Miracles

Well friends, this update has been a long time coming (strap in, it's a long one). I last posted that we had a clean title. Honestly, that was a great news. However, we were a little doubtful as to what would come next (you could probably round that up to a lot doubtful). We pretty much told no one what we were working on because having to follow-up with bad news was something we just couldn't go through again.

The biggest hurdle has been the money piece. Over the year, we have talked to 13 banks. Yes, you read that right, THIRTEEN. We had a new bank in place for the construction loan. When things fell apart at Bell Mortgage last spring, Dave Hill (who I still highly recommend to anyone buying a traditional home or just looking to access your situation for future buying) reached out to his contact at Star Bank in Eden Prairie. They said they would be willing to do our construction loan if we could find an end loan provider. If only we knew then what we know now, we might have realized that what we were asked to do was NOT an easy task. This is where the 13 banks come in.

Each of those 13 banks was unwilling to sign the end loan on our tiny house because it "wouldn't hold it's value on the secondary market." That's code for when you two (who have excellent credit) default on your loan and foreclose on your house, we won't be able to resell it. Don't even get me started on this - why do we even HAVE credit then?! I digress.

We were ready to quit. We emailed our fabulous contractor and architect team and broke the bad news. We had run out of options and were pushing pause on the project, maybe indefinitely. But John replied and asked if we had tried Stonebridge Bank. That was, miraculously, not one of the banks we had contacted so he provided a name, and I sent an email. I'll admit, we weren't optimistic. We maybe weren't even that nice to the person who emailed us back. We didn't want to fill out yet another credit application (and get yet another notice in the mail saying that we had too may credit inquiries over the last 18 months) unless we knew that the type of house we were building was an option for their underwriters. Eventually, we received a pre-approval letter from them stating they would take over our loan once construction was finished. To say we were filled with disbelief may be an understatement, but after a little bit more back and forth and some work to get last year's appraisal re-assigned, there we were - ready to set a closing date for the construction loan. Then the date was set for April 18th. April 18th arrived, no emails about pushing it back. Felt unreal. We were waiting for the bottom to fall out...again. It didn't. We signed the loan one week ago today, which if you follow either of us on Twitter, you may have known already.

So today we gathered our fearless team together again. Contractor and his Project Manager, Architect and us. Talking about our plan but for real this time. I feel as though the next few weeks will seem slow as we wait for the permit process to be completed (because let's be real, anytime this house has needed someone else's approval there has been a hang up), but then all of a sudden we'll be picking out windows and doors and all those other things.

Now I guess you could call us cautiously optimistic because we really are. It's been a long, long road but perhaps this story will actually have a happy ending after all. Thanks for sticking with us!

Another Box - Check!

We have good news! (Seriously!). We met with our contractor last week and signed our contract with him - the last step before we go for financing. In the end, the team ended up exactly as it was originally.

The rooftop deck is back in the plan. We still have a lot to get through between now and move in date, but we are definitely not too far from "on track" in terms of the original time line.

Hopefully by next week we'll have all the documents we need for financing, then we can sign our lives away to the construction loan, and then we can apply for permits. Once we do that, maybe this will start to feel real.

It's a lot. And each step feels like we've done so much, and yet we've barely taken any steps. But the best things in life don't come easy, which we all know. This blog is a reminder to me of all that we've accomplished so far, and I know that at the end of this road, our tiny house dreams will have come true.

I apologize for the negativity in the last few posts. Those last few hurdles were tough. I'll do better - I promise! Thanks for being on this journey with us.

Tiny Dream Woes

The good news is we got the tax assessment on our property from last year and it was valued at double what we paid for it.

The bad news is our “team” doesn’t seem to understand our vision. My fears are coming true and the builder is trying to squish a regular house into our 500 square feet of livable space. The bid came in almost double our ideal budget and doesn’t include the temperature controlled garage, the finishing, the labor of the students… the list goes on.

It is like all the ideas and vision boards we have brought to the table were 100% forgotten or ignored. I cannot even explain my frustration.

I see countless stories of people building 300 square foot tiny houses for under $40k – you’re telling me you can’t build a house that isn’t even double the square footage for more than double the budget?! When you have student labor involved?

I’m sorry. I don’t buy it.

The problem is, I’m not a builder. I don’t have the knowledge to be able to push them. I don’t know the questions to ask. I don’t know where we should cut corners and where we should not. I don’t know what “cutting corners” looks like while still having a presentable house that we like, that is energy efficient and can be comfortable in all the extreme seasons that Minnesota offers us.

Mostly I just feel sad. Like the odds of us getting the house that we actually want are slim to none. And then it’s like, well, what’s the point? 

Here's to the next update being a positive one...

Five Hundred Dollars and a Signature

Monday was a big day in tiny house dream land. We had a meeting at Dunwoody College of Technology to meet with more members of Team Tiny Dreams.

It was pretty cool to walk into a big conference room and sit across from three builder brains all excited about our project and wanting to help! At the end of the meeting we signed our design contract with John Dwyer, our architect, and talked layout. We could potentially be ready to bring something to the city by the end of the month, which would be amazing. Once a design is submitted, "our" lot is taken off the market - and that would allow us to breathe a sigh of relief as we navigate all the red tape associated with buying a city owned lot.

Also at the table was Heather Gay, Program Manager to the Construction Management program. Let me tell you, this lady is going to keep things moving. She's all about figuring out the next steps. Today she wanted to talk "Building Performance." I probably gave her a blank look, not knowing what she was asking. But basically she wanted to know what our goals are - besides just having a house.

She mentioned the smaller footprint and environmental benefits as one of the things she likes about the tiny house movement. We agreed with her, of course. Then I added two additional things. A smaller mortgage to be paid off more quickly so we have more money for travel and things (which I've mentioned before when we were trying to pick a lot). And two, minimal maintenance - this includes cleaning, yard work, anything that will keep us from fun.

It was fun to explain that side to the team, and I think they appreciated the perspective. For them, this is a great teaching experience and they want to help their students understand the "buyer" perspective.

The final member of the Team is Andrew Nelson of A-Squared - our general contractor. He comes to the table from a different perspective, but it was great to hear why he was interested in being involved in the project. He doesn't want to be pigeon-holed doing kitchen and bathroom remodels forever. He appreciates the diversity of this project and being involved with something out of the ordinary.

Perhaps the best thing is that everyone at the table sees the bigger picture - both of the tiny house movement and the value of helping it arrive in Minneapolis. I'm very thankful that this team has come together, and I have no doubt that they are the right people for the job. Our house will be on the large end of what is considered "tiny" but being in the city was part of our Tiny House Dream, and I believe we have the team we need in place to navigate these waters.

The Money Puzzle

Today we met with a team about our financing options. We knew it was going to be a little more complicated than a traditional build since there are so many oddities to this project. Regardless, the duo we met with (The Dave Hill team with Bell Mortgage) were extremely helpful (and patient!).

I've worked with Dave in the past, as have friends and family of mine, so I already knew he was great to work with. I just didn't know if he was the expert for this kind of project. However, they have the right people in that office and between them - our questions were answered.

I'll admit, we left feeling pretty good about things. We both have credit scores over 800 (woo!). More importantly, if things go as planned, our monthly payment will end up being about 1/2 of our current monthly payment for a 15 year mortgage (double woo!).

We have our list ready for things we'll need from the build team. Hopefully meeting with them next week, and if the contract is signed, I'll be able to tell you all about that element.

Tomorrow Brent is hopefully going to talk to the people at the City to get some questions answered from that end.

Slow and steady. We'll get there.

p.s. If anyone has any leads about incentives related to building green, please send them our way as well!