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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Ventura Highway in the Sunshine
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    22,431

    Two Years Ago Today... A Thomas Fire TR update

    Two years ago the Thomas fire began and burned 280,000 acres of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, the largest fire in California history (at the time, but that record was broken less then a year later by the Mendocino Complex fire.) 1,200 houses were lost including yours truly. My orginal TR of sorts is here. https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...ome?highlight=

    It has now been two years since that "interesting" night when my wife and I left our home of 25 years with the backyard on fire. No point leaving any earlier, right? Well, life has moved on and we are doing well. We are 3/4 into the rebuild. As with any such project we have had untold delays, paper work hassles, idiot inspectors, but also worked with a great architect and builder.

    As many of you know 2017 was a challanging year for us. A week after the fire I tried to die in a car crash, my mother passed away, my associate vet went out for prolonged maternity leave (leaving me as the solo vet in the practice), and my mother passed away, to mention just a few of the stresses we had to deal with. Ultimately that led to me selling my veterinary practice and retiring. That process was stressful in and of itself, but at least once it was over I was finally able to deal with everything that happened and am much better for it.

    Once again, I want to thank all the mags and maggettes who have wished us well and provided moral support through a tough time. Many stepped up with gear and pro deals to get us back on the snow. Props also to Black Diamond and Patagonia for generous discount codes. It was a bit embarrassing showing up to ski the first time in brand kit and gear from head to toe, u
    including underwear. Talk about feeling like the ultimate gaper!

    So, on to a year of rebuilding.

    It took a year to make the decision to rebuild, design and get plan approval from the city. We have a great builder who have been clients for over 30 years who hooked us up with a great architect. We were quite happy with the results.
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    Even though there was a house there for 60 years we still had to over ex 5' of soil under and 5' outside the house footptint.
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    Of course it turned out to be an epic winter in California. It was great because we got to ski into July at Mammoth, but not so good for construction.

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    Once things dried out we got started for real. Things moved along at a good clip.
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    It was nice to get windows to close things up a bit. We are done with rough plumbing, electrical, insulation, heater and ducting, roof, and are waiting for exterior siding and interior drywall.
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    We found a couple up in Mendocino to build a custom front door from salvaged old growth redwood (no spotted owls were harmed in the making of this door, at least not in the last 100 years.) One of them makes the door the other does custom stained glass. Still waiting for it to be shipped, but have a few pictures as it is being built, but can't find the door itself. At least here is the glass.
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    All in all we are well recovered, and just look forward to getting this finished so we can move in and get on with our lives. In the mean time, I hope to see and ski with more of you this season, so cheers for now.

    I agree it is a constitutional right for Americans to be assholes...its just too bad that so many take the opportunity...
    iscariot

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Ventura Highway in the Sunshine
    Posts
    22,431
    Why some images come out upside down is beyond me. It would have been nice in reality to drain all the water out of our foundation.
    Last edited by hutash; 12-05-2019 at 05:10 PM.

    I agree it is a constitutional right for Americans to be assholes...its just too bad that so many take the opportunity...
    iscariot

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Posts
    372
    Cool house!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Seattle
    Posts
    33,546
    Nice job buddy!
    Quote Originally Posted by Downbound Train View Post
    And there will come a day when our ancestors look back...........

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Fort Front Range
    Posts
    1,617
    Glad to see that you are rebounding well. I cant even imagine dealing with all youve gone thru in the last couple of years. Best wishes.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Down In A Hole, Up in the Sky
    Posts
    35,358
    That’s gonna be sweet.
    Love the door!
    Forum Cross Pollinator, gratuitously strident

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    2 hours from anything
    Posts
    10,732
    Glad to hear things are looking up! How was the process with your insurer / adjuster?

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
    Posts
    11,698
    House looks great Hutash! Glad to see things moving forward.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    The Bull City
    Posts
    14,003
    Congrats on getting past the darkness. Your new house looks amazing!
    Go that way really REALLY fast. If something gets in your way, TURN!

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Sandy, Utah
    Posts
    14,410
    i was literally just wondering about an update from you but hadnt searched yet. Glad things are looking up.

    House looks great. Enjoy retirement.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Posts
    17,747
    looking good...

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    "timberridge is terminally vapid" -- a fortune cookie in Yueyang

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    General Sherman's Favorite City
    Posts
    35,237
    To only better days ahead Hutash!
    I still call it The Jake.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Posts
    10,901
    Awesome!

    Rising from the ashes.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    写道
    Posts
    13,434
    Live your life, be happy.

    That door is tits, BTW.
    Daniel Ortega eats here.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    The Bull City
    Posts
    14,003
    Did you say you lost some vintage skateboards in the fire? Shoot me a PM with what you lost and your new address. I might have something similar I'm not all that attached to taking up space. Like all pushers say, the first one's free :-)
    Go that way really REALLY fast. If something gets in your way, TURN!

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    the ham
    Posts
    13,370
    Quote Originally Posted by hutash View Post
    Why so images come out upside down is beyond me.
    Well, that's what happens when you hire J Pio Excavation LLC.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Ventura Highway in the Sunshine
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    22,431
    Quote Originally Posted by neufox47 View Post
    Glad to hear things are looking up! How was the process with your insurer / adjuster?
    Other then being g a bit under insured, Travelers has been great. Paid us 100% for the house with minimal effort. Took a little work get get 100% of personal property, but even that wasn't bad, just had to send a few receipts and they folding
    ed w
    quickly and gave us 100%
    Still have some niggles like code upgrades and landscape.

    I agree it is a constitutional right for Americans to be assholes...its just too bad that so many take the opportunity...
    iscariot

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Ventura Highway in the Sunshine
    Posts
    22,431
    Quote Originally Posted by SumJongGuy View Post
    Did you say you lost some vintage skateboards in the fire? Shoot me a PM with what you lost and your new address. I might have something similar I'm not all that attached to taking up space. Like all pushers say, the first one's free :-)
    I appreciate the offer, but you must be thinking of another mag who lost everything in a wildfire

    I agree it is a constitutional right for Americans to be assholes...its just too bad that so many take the opportunity...
    iscariot

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Ventura Highway in the Sunshine
    Posts
    22,431
    I finally found the picture of the front door. It is just loosely assembled to measure for the glass. It still will get a couple of coats of oil. It is made from redwood cut about 100 years ago, but left I. the forest because it was not commercially viable to hual out. It has been sitting in the forest all this time until somebody found decided there is some quality boards in there.Name:  Outside of door and panels.png
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    The plan is to build the fireplace surround out of the same logs.
    Last edited by hutash; 12-05-2019 at 05:12 PM.

    I agree it is a constitutional right for Americans to be assholes...its just too bad that so many take the opportunity...
    iscariot

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Down In A Hole, Up in the Sky
    Posts
    35,358
    Fugly.
    How could you stand to have that in your house?
    Send it to me.
    Forum Cross Pollinator, gratuitously strident

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    the ham
    Posts
    13,370
    Man that door is nice.

    As for the pictures, just resize them a little or a do a small crop from any side, and they should post correctly.

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    you see a tie dye disc in there?
    Posts
    4,651
    congrats hutash, sounds like wind is at your back, good to hear. I like the single story and size of it.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Not in the PRB
    Posts
    32,776
    Really glad to read this TR!
    Quote Originally Posted by hutash View Post
    I appreciate the offer, but you must be thinking of another mag who lost everything in a wildfire
    Might have been Tap, who lost his home in a fire this summer.
    "fuck off you asshat gaper shit for brains fucktard wanker." - Jesus Christ
    "She was tossing her bean salad with the vigor of a Drunken Pop princess so I walked out of the corner and said.... "need a hand?"" - Odin
    "everybody's got their hooks into you, fuck em....forge on motherfuckers, drag all those bitches across the goal line with you." - (not so) ill-advised strategy

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    you see a tie dye disc in there?
    Posts
    4,651
    Quote Originally Posted by hawkgt View Post
    congrats hutash, sounds like wind is at your back, good to hear. I like the single story and size of it.
    edit: hutash, noticed power lines in the pics. This the same neighborhood originally or ??? I would think with the fire danger, they would have buried the power lines since had to replace anyway.

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    2 hours from anything
    Posts
    10,732
    Can anyone explain the 5’ excavation requirement? Why do you have to do that to rebuild?

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