We had our plans done by our architect, the structural engineering performed by an engineer, the soils report finished by the geotech.  By now we had amassed $10K in just soft costs and we hadn’t broken any ground (other than the soil sample core drilling on our lot).  Now came the hardest part - the waiting game.  It’s a myth that if you are a homeowner of a single family home that you pretty much have the flexibility to do anything you want with your home.  If you value having a permit and rather not run the risk of getting a stop order (affectionately known as a “red tag” and not one of the ones found at appliance store sales) slapped onto your front door to cease and desist activity or face heft fines - you must go through your city or county hall to receive permits.

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