Well…it’s been a few weeks, and while we might not feel like much has been accomplished, we have made some ground. One of the biggest challenges about our new cottage is the lack of storage. So we knew, from the beginning, we would need to build a garage. But, being in the Historic District of Summerville was going to mean a process we haven’t had to go through before. This is a two step process for us due to the structure we are building and the size of it. We were having to present to the Board of Architectural Review and the Zoning Board.
Of course, we decided on the garage and contractor the day before the meeting we need to apply for. As we began to look at the process, we learned that all requests to be on the agenda for either of these boards were to be submitted at least 15 days before the meeting. Because of this, we were pushed to the March meetings for both zoning and architectural review. On the bright side, they do make the agenda based on the order that requests were made, so we were first on both of them!
While working on the process of getting the garage approved we have done lots, and lots, or yard work! There is so much brick through this yard and the leaves certainly needed a good raking! We want to keep as much greenery and buffer as possible along the main road, but we had a TON of yard debris to pull out of the yard!
The entire process was much, much simpler than I anticipated. I really thought we would have to a lot of time with both boards arguing for the garage. That wasn’t the case at all. Everyone was extremely pleasant and the whole point was to just make sure regulations are followed and our beautiful town continues to maintain the charm we love about it!
So, we are approved and just waiting on the final permits to come through. We are doing all we can to prep in advance for the project to begin as soon as we get the go ahead. We have had to bring in A LOT of dirt for the project and have gotten our privacy fence installed. As soon as we can get those permits in hand we will be ready to get the process moving and we won’t have to continue to dance around bikes in the house every day!
While we are at a holding point though, we are on to our next adventure….we are Aruba Bound!
Coles Adventures 