It’s all pretty normal…
Except I didn’t get to go out and push an mud today. Raining too much. SWMBO and I did go and talk to Mike Boyle at North Bay Mortgage about getting financing for our project. He seems pretty sure that we’ll get the $260k this is going to require. (But that’s his job, ain’t it?)
Called Bob the Dome Guy and talked about getting final numbers for building his part.
Got a message back from Mark at the Planning Department. Not good. They’re willing to waive the requirement for the Special Inspectors IF our Engineer (Chris) signs a form taking sole responsibility for the shotcrete and is there every day shotcrete is sprayed. Unfortunately he’d be about 4 times more expensive than having the Special Inspectors come every day for 10 days or so. So it looks like we’ll have to give in and have the SI’s anyway! Damn!

Went out to the property and pushed mud around for awhile. Measured and found that my ‘dome hole’ is about 10 feet too NARROW. Damn! That means I’ll have to take out about 10ft x 8ft x 30ft (or so) of dirt I hadn’t planned on. Double Damn! But, that’s why I bought a dozer, isn’t it? So, IF it isn’t raining tomorrow I’m going to hook up the backhoe and pull some dirt out. Fun Fun Fun!
Well, here it is Wednesday and I still haven’t heard back from Mark @ the Planning Department about the e-mail I sent him. If I had to bet; I’d bet I won’t hear from him either. Guess it’s time to start my way up the chain of command at the Planning Department…

Went to the property to push some dirt around but it was SO muddy the dozer was bogging down. Got frustrated and angry and decided to quit for the day and go home.
SWMBO got me to call our builder and the Mason County Planning Dept Manager, Mark. Conversation with Bob the Contractor went well except he says that if he has to have the Special Inspectors on board every day for 7-18 days he’ll have to hire a guy out of Idaho to come in and spray the shotcrete.
The conversation with Mark didn’t go as well. He is insisting on the Special Inspectors. No, he hasn’t talked to any real experts in dome construction and he personally doesn’t know a thing about them. He also said that he has talked to our Engineer (Chris) and that Chris says the Special Inspectors are okay. Not so! Chris actually said the Special Inspectors are NOT needed. I sent Mark the e-mails between Chris and Kathy to inform Mark differently. We’ll see how that goes. I don’t expect fact, figures or magic to change these peoples minds; they seem pretty set in their thinking.
Mark claims they’re doing this for the safety of us and anyone else that will live in the dome in the future. What they’re actually doing is covering their own butts. If they would take the time to really investigate these types of dome they’d find how safe they are and that they will be erect and strong LONG after we’re gone. If they’d actually pay attention to the experience and knowledge we’re bringing into the design and building of this dome they wouldn’t have the concerns they supposedly have.
But don’t get me started! I’m frustrated with the Planning Department and if I could afford it I’d sell the property and move to Thurston County or somewhere and be building in a month.

But I am Almost finished with the dome hole! Just a couple more days and at least that part should be finished. Then I have to push all that dirt downhill to finish the road. Although the road won’t actually be finished until I put the gravel on it. And I can’t put the gravel on it until I get the trenches for the power and water dug and refilled. Sigh…. Seems like there’s always something to do before I can finish something else…