The Builder on the Lake

Posted By Dwight on

Have you heard? The next segment of trail paving will be between Inglewood Hill Road and 187th NE (Dobbs Mill/Redmond). Many neighbors have been surprised to find out that their driveways and landscaping are going to be removed and reconfigured. Although the “100%” plans are ready for bid, and construction is scheduled for next spring, you can still review the plans and talk with the County about your concerns. I was very pleased that they listened to my concerns and corrected some bad design work at my house. Call Gina Auld, the project manager, if you have concerns; 206-263-7281. Gina.Auld@kingcounty.gov
Here is a link to the 100% plans on my drop box. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/78452287/ELST-100%25%20Plans.pdf
Copy and paste the text into your web browser and you should be able to access the plans.
Also the SHO group is meeting to review the plans and has opened a dialog with County Council members to make sure that shoreline residents concerns are addressed. If you are interested in attending a meeting let me know.
Best Regards,
Dwight K. Martin
Builder on the Lake

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Tags: Sammamish Trail 100% Plans

Posted By Dwight on

This from the “Home” section of yesterday’s New York Times: 

“There are renovations so ambitious and flawless you can almost see the contractors leaving the property carrying buckets of money.”

Wow!  If someone reading the newspaper was thinking about renovating their home, this line would stop them dead in their tracks.  Sure, I’ve seen some over-the-top renovations that must have cost dearly, but I resist the idea that great work is only possible when massive amounts of money are involved. 

I know for a fact that remarkable work does not require outrageous sums.  And I thought I’d share a few tips with you on how that happens.

First, match the vision to the budget.  My clients usually know what they want in a new home or renovation, and they have ideas and dreams—and sometimes they have a budget in mind.  When a client doesn’t have an idea of costs, one of my tasks is to create a working budget.  When they do have a budget, I find ways to make the dollars produce the dream, or identify possible compromises that can be made.  Either way, a budget has to deliver results, and I find ways to make it work. 

Second, hire the right tradespeople to get the job done.  Getting the right talent at the right price is possible when your builder knows who in the area can do what.  For builders, it’s not only what you know but who you know, too.  It’s also important to hire people who are licensed, bonded and insured. Check out this Department of Labor and Industry site to see if your Contractor has outstanding claims against his bond, what sort of safety record they have, and if they are current on their taxes.  https://fortress.wa.gov/lni/bbip/

Third, conduct regular reality checks.  Renovations are famous for having surprises—added work or expensive last minute selections can quickly bust a budget. Careful planning can avoid most “in the wall” surprises, and choosing all finishes and fixtures before starting will make certain that the right budget numbers are used.  For longer projects, like custom homes, regular budget updates are a must. Fixed price contracts will help avoid the unpleasant surprise that can come from cost overruns on “cost plus” contracts.

By the way, if you want to take a look at what buckets of money can buy, go to New Kids on the Block.  But if you want to see what you can get for great value, take a look at dkmartincustomhomes.com

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Tags: budgets, renovations

Posted By Dwight on

It’s a good idea to check references before you hire a builder.  And if you want to have a truly illuminating conversation, here’s the only question you need to ask:

“Would you have him build another house for you?”

This cuts right to the chase: after all is said and done, would you go through the entire process with this builder all over again?  If the reference says yes and then enumerates the reasons why, listen for such things as:

•          I trust him.  This is essential to any successful relationship—and when it comes to you and your builder, it’s indispensable.  This is the person who has perhaps the single biggest investment of your life in his hands.  When a reference says “I trust my builder,” then enough said.
•          He knows his stuff.  An experienced, knowledgeable builder knows how to build a quality home while getting great value for your building dollar.  This builder also has knowledge of lot-related issues, like shoreline management regulations that directly impact the kind of house you can build—and he can steer you around serious pitfalls.
•          He spoke my language.  You know how most professionals use jargon?  Talk over your head?  Gloss over important details?  You don’t want a builder like this.  You want someone who can communicate with you, who takes the time to understand your needs and can find a way to translate your dreams into reality.
•          I got great service.  There was regular contact.  Records were kept.  Changes were tracked.  Guidance was given.  Calls were returned.  Conversations radiated with respect and consideration.  There’s nothing like great service.
•          He hired good subcontractors.  An experienced builder has a solid network of capable, talented subcontractors—but he also keeps his eye open for new tradespeople who may not always be the cheapest, but whose work instills value in your house.   
•          I’m proud of my house.  There’s something special that happens when a house is built with integrity: it generates a feeling of pride.  This is an element that sets your beautiful new home apart from all others.  It was built just for you, and it was built with integrity. 

If the reference says there’s no way they would work with the builder again, you’ve probably saved yourself a lot of headaches.  But all the same, ask why.  You can learn so much from people who have already worked with a builder you’re considering.  Just ask the right question.

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Posted By Dwight on

It has been some time since we had water levels near normal. The last two seasons have been wet. Debris and growth at the outlet of the lake have restricted flow and remain a concern. This year King County did more than usual, but there are still large obstructions and sediments in the channel. If this is another wet winter, as is expected, then we can expect some very high waters. Batten down the hatches, this can happen very quickly in early fall, mid winter, or spring. I recently surveyed existing conditions at the lake outlet and I will report back after I analyze the data. The County is also working on a contract to have the outlet surveyed, but I don’t see any work being done yet.

Cutthroat Trout are coming in the lake now, and the summer water fowl are gone.

Enjoy the Fall!

Dwight

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Posted By Dwight on

Are you a Henry—or a Henri?

Whenever I meet with new clients, we get to know each other by talking about an array of topics.  In the course of our conversations we explore taste and preferences, lifestyles and budgets.  And we discover who is a Henry, and who is a Henri.

The Henry is an engineer—someone who knows every piece that is going into a project before even starting to put it together.  Like the left-brained Henry Ford building a car.

The Henri, on the other hand, has an idea and selects colors and shapes that fit that vision.  Then, as the vision evolves, the colors and shapes evolve as well.  Like Henri Matisse creating a painting.

Building a home requires both.  It’s a whole brain exercise that entails precision and artistry, sequential logic and spontaneity, and that’s what makes it such an interesting process.

A recent study that compared the brains of expert and novice chess players showed that the experts processed information on both sides of their brains simultaneously.  Further, the study concluded that the ability to use both sides is an acquired skill, not an innate one.

Have you ever taken a test to see if you’re predominately left-brained or right-brained?  If you’re curious, there’s a quick questionnaire at web-us.com/brain/braindominance.htm Even though the test is designed for students, it’s interesting because once you get the results, they outline ways to boost the performance of the less dominant side.

Or you can talk to a whole-brained custom home builder who can see the magnificent creation of your new house in total, while keeping an eye on every important detail.

Dwight

Find the man in the coffee beans

Doctors have concluded that if you find the man in the coffee beans in 3 seconds, the right half of your brain is better developed than most people.

If you find the man between 3 seconds and 1 minute, the right half of the brain is developed normally.

If you find the man between 1 minute and 3 minutes, then the right half of your brain is functioning slowly and you need to eat more protein. If you have not found the man after 3 minutes, the advice is to look for more of this type of exercise to make that part of the brain stronger!  And yes, the man is really there!

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Posted By Dwight on

I think electric cars are fascinating. I love the idea of using home grown fuel to run our cars. As I understand it there is extra capacity in our generation and electrical grid to charge a bunch of cars at night. This is an efficient use of our capacity to generate and of our electrical infrastructure, and it keeps jobs and money in the good ol’ US of A. PSE gets 40% of its’ power from hydro, so no carbon footprint there. Seattle City Electric gets even more hydro. Electric engines are very efficient, most of the power goes right to the wheels. I am not a scientist, but I hear that even if you used 100% coal fired generation it would be cleaner than gas. I am sure there will be more discussion of the whole carbon footprint from mine, oil well, or power plant, but I’ll tell you this much; I would rather sit in traffic behind a no emission electric car than a dieselcity bus! And think of this; around 30% of our nuclear power plant fuel comes from reprocessed nuclear warheads. My cousin goes to Russia as part of a verification program and tells me that 15,000 Russian nukes have been decommissioned, and a similar number of ours. Now that is a great way to generate carbon free power! Check out my video here and please vote for me, I could win a Nissan Leaf. They promise not to spam you. Thanks! Here is the link:

https://www.drivenissanleaf.com/Win/Vote.aspx?b=uz36tcrthsk2

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Posted By Dwight on

At the end of August I was invited to a Small Business Roundtable with Governor Christine Gregoire.  We had a very productive discussion about the issues builders are facing in this economic environment–and how the state can help lower some of the barriers to doing business.

This was a wonderful opportunity for me to tell the Governor how much I appreciate her hands-on approach helping Washington’s builders.  Her work on both the state and federal levels to improve the availability of capital is very important to us; so too is the delay in implementation of a costly new energy code.  I feel very fortunate to have had the chance to hear what she had to say, and add my voice to other small business owners as we looked for ways to do things better.

(Click on the letter to be able to read it more easily.)

 Letter from Governor Gregoire

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Posted By Dwight on

]Jane Hague & Kathy Lambert with Dwight at the weir; this stone “rip rap” is still visible in the mid channel but is under up to a foot of accumulated growth and silt in the high flow channels which drain the lake in the winter months.

On Thursday, September 9 King County Council-members Kathy Lambert and Jane Hague and county hydrologists and engineers joined representatives from Dave Reichert’s office and the City of Redmond–as well as a number of concerned Lake Sammamish residents–to take a closer look at the weir and the area that was recently mowed. This meeting was a result of an earlier King County Flood Control meeting, and was scheduled by Council-member Lambert’s office.

Before the meeting I went out to the weir to set up a few visual aids. I set my laser level–which rotates a full 360 degrees–on top of the weir at a height of three feet. Then I followed the laser beam and tied flags at that height on the vegetation surrounding the weir. This illustrated how high the water gets at Elevation 29: a significant flood stage design level. It also demonstrated how much of this area is filled by the “wall of willows”, logs, root balls, tall grass, accumulated silts, and other debris.

My earlier posts discussed the record high water levels we had this spring. This meeting was a great opportunity to show the County areas where flows are running into accumulations of debris which are blocking flow and were never intended in the original design. I recently noticed what appears to be up to a foot of accumulated silts and turf like growth in the high flow channel. Perhaps years of accumulated materials has raised the channel, which has a direct affect on lake levels. One observation is that the left channel is about one foot higher than the right. They should be the same.

We discussed next steps, I suggested removing the obstructions in the high-flow channel, logs and debris at this critical location are inappropriate. If willows must by maintained just below the weir, then limbing the tangle of low branches so that water can flow more freely would be a step in the right direction. A fish biologist was also present, he pointed out that this kind of habitat promotes bass who devour salmon as they migrate out to sea.

County hydrologists are studying the situation and want to be sure they fully understand it before they recommend a course of action. I am concerned that we are about out of time, fall is in the air and forecasters predict a wet and cold winter. I am glad that the County staff are taking this seriously, and want to thank Council members Hague and Lambert for coming out and marching through brush, water, and mud to see it for themselves!

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Posted By Dwight on

The willows in the center of the photo are blocking the low-flow channel; to the left is the freshly mowed high-flow channel.

Shortly after our meeting with King County and the Army Corps of Engineers, I went over to the weir to see if the clearing had started–and it had.
The county took an important first step in resolving the water flow problem from Lake Sammamish into the Sammamish River. These photos show the results of the mowing operation that began late last week.
Still a concern are the willows and additional sediment accumulation that might restrict the higher flows come winter. On September 9 we’re meeting on-site to discuss future maintenance and what other steps need to be taken to ensure that the lake will continue to drain during higher flows.
As for right now, however, the water–and King County–are moving in the right direction!

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Posted By Dwight on

It’s a rare and wonderful thing when concerned citizens, noted experts, and members of Federal, State and Local government sit down together and take concrete steps to fix a big problem.

Yesterday was one of those meetings.

Followers of this blog know that I’ve been actively involved in a variety of issues concerning Lake Sammamish. The high water levels that occurred earlier this summer have been a focus of my efforts.

The water was not flowing properly from the lake through the outlet at the Sammamish River, and it caused major problems for people who both live on this lake and use it for recreational purposes.

Yesterday a number of lake residents, leaders from local municipalities, officials from King County, the Army Corps of Engineers and representatives of state government sat down and had a meeting of the minds–and formulated the next steps to fix the water flow.

The work is only beginning, and we have a way to go, but we are on a positive path–thanks to all involved.

This is the way government is supposed to work!

Dwight

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