I know it's been a while since I have posted, but this past week has been rather busy. The good news is that I have heard back from both the City and the local alternative materials architect regarding the project that I have been determined to get approved. So, let me give you a quick breakdown of how the project is moving along.
The City Reply
In our last episode, the city had passed on my initial request to the Planning and Zoning board to see if the project itself could be considered. This is because certain codes were put in place after my covered patio in the back were constructed, and could present a problem.
The final word on this was that the planning and zoning specialist that I had contacted last week needed to consult with some other specialists to determine if this could be possible. In the midst of that conversation, I learned that extending the covered area would be a problem. This means that my covered greenhouse section has become a problem, and I am unable to complete that particular project. No matter, I will come up with another project on that front. It will, in fact, simplify the porch project, and give me more garden area.
Also, the use of cob as a building material was placed on the condition of an engineers report from the State of Utah. As I am unaware of any engineering reports within Utah, I contacted a local alternative materials architect to see if they were aware of any reports of that nature. That is where it was left with the City.
The Architect Reply
Today, I received a reply from the architect, Angela Dean. Here is her reply:
"Hello Jeremy,
It sounds like an interesting project. I know permitting cob can be problematic, and most build without permits. I would wonder though, if you are not using the walls structurally, why the city would have any concerns? I would be happy to chat with you to find out more about the project and input I could give."
So, she pointed out that there shouldn't be an issue with the walls regardless, and that I may not even need a permit. So, there is a way out should I keep running into that particular wall with the city on the particular building material.
So why don't I just keep quiet and build it anyway? Keep in mind my original goal with this project. I wanted to make the process of permitting the constructional use of cob as a building material easier, should anyone else wish to build their own home using cob. Why? Well, the first answer is selfish: I want to eventually build my own home with cob on a future farm that I have been planning for most of my life. The second answer is more altruistic: I want to provide the option to others that may want to build their $200,000 home themselves for about $4,000. And finally, the last answer is also selfish: The farm I want to build is going to house several building styles, all from the Ancient world. But that is a subject for another post.
So, that is the progress so far. I will be talking with the architect again for a quick consultation, and see what we can find out. As I get more information, I will post the progress.
Showing posts with label Progress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Progress. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Broadband Blues: The West Side Story
For those of you who are not aware, various municipalities within Utah are working together to build an interlocal fibre-optic network called UTOPIA. Already currently running in some areas, the project allows for transmission of Internet, VoIP phone, and Digital Television to the participating municipalities for a relatively low cost. The revenue generated then go back to the municipalities that are participating.
The project is very ambitious, but worthwhile as participating customers can have a minimum of 10Mbps synchronus internet access, and for the same price as DSL connections tend to be. It's faster than Cable internet, faster than DSL, and even faster than wireless connections. It can allow home developers to build and host their own websites without a fear of bandwidth problems, or even host their own Television stations if they so choose. It's the Utopia that every tech geek would want... If they could get it.
There are a number of limitations to the UTOPIA project, the first of which is distribution. Currently only 14 cities within Utah are participating, and that means not everyone can have that kind of development. It's also highly distrusted by the dominant telecommunications companies in Utah (Namely Qwest and Comcast) because they see less-expensive competition moving on their turf that doesn't have to use their network. And finally, it's moving very slowly in it's deployment due to recent funding issues and construction costs.
In particular, West Valley City (the second largest municipality in Utah, and to the West of Salt Lake City) has been moving very slow. While they are currently building the project on the East side of the city, it is not expected to reach the West side (and incedentially, the side that I am on) until late 2008 - early 2009. This means that I have to settle for more conventional, and slower, internet connections until that fibre-optic cable is connected to the house.
The problem is, there are not a whole lot of broadband internet options within the west side of West Valley City to begin with. Qwest has yet to provide a decent DSL connection to the area, perhaps punishing the city for it's involvement in UTOPIA (but that's just my opinion). Comcast is available, but as the only wired internet provider in the region the connection speed is split too many ways to be useful.
Luckily there is a wireless option with The Blue Zone, which offers reasonable rates for it's connection speed and remains very reliable. But, while I don't want to sound disloyal to the best internet service currently available to me, it's not the 10Mbps or 100Mbps that I would want to have in order to explore the internet options that I have envisioned. Currently I have the option of hosting my own website (though no server to serve it up...yet), but I have a vision that includes distance learning options, video streaming, and perhaps even some VoIP communication options. But in order for these goals to be met, I need to have the bandwidth to handle the traffic.
So that's why I have the Broadband Blues... I have the vision, I have the projects outlined and ready for development, but I don't have all the necessary tools to get the job done. What is the major hole in my progress? Bandwidth. To get the bandwidth I need, I would have to host my servers at a data center (like Xmission) for more money than I can afford. So the ideas that I have are currently floating in mid air, waiting for the Utopia that can bring them to a reality.
The project is very ambitious, but worthwhile as participating customers can have a minimum of 10Mbps synchronus internet access, and for the same price as DSL connections tend to be. It's faster than Cable internet, faster than DSL, and even faster than wireless connections. It can allow home developers to build and host their own websites without a fear of bandwidth problems, or even host their own Television stations if they so choose. It's the Utopia that every tech geek would want... If they could get it.
There are a number of limitations to the UTOPIA project, the first of which is distribution. Currently only 14 cities within Utah are participating, and that means not everyone can have that kind of development. It's also highly distrusted by the dominant telecommunications companies in Utah (Namely Qwest and Comcast) because they see less-expensive competition moving on their turf that doesn't have to use their network. And finally, it's moving very slowly in it's deployment due to recent funding issues and construction costs.
In particular, West Valley City (the second largest municipality in Utah, and to the West of Salt Lake City) has been moving very slow. While they are currently building the project on the East side of the city, it is not expected to reach the West side (and incedentially, the side that I am on) until late 2008 - early 2009. This means that I have to settle for more conventional, and slower, internet connections until that fibre-optic cable is connected to the house.
The problem is, there are not a whole lot of broadband internet options within the west side of West Valley City to begin with. Qwest has yet to provide a decent DSL connection to the area, perhaps punishing the city for it's involvement in UTOPIA (but that's just my opinion). Comcast is available, but as the only wired internet provider in the region the connection speed is split too many ways to be useful.
Luckily there is a wireless option with The Blue Zone, which offers reasonable rates for it's connection speed and remains very reliable. But, while I don't want to sound disloyal to the best internet service currently available to me, it's not the 10Mbps or 100Mbps that I would want to have in order to explore the internet options that I have envisioned. Currently I have the option of hosting my own website (though no server to serve it up...yet), but I have a vision that includes distance learning options, video streaming, and perhaps even some VoIP communication options. But in order for these goals to be met, I need to have the bandwidth to handle the traffic.
So that's why I have the Broadband Blues... I have the vision, I have the projects outlined and ready for development, but I don't have all the necessary tools to get the job done. What is the major hole in my progress? Bandwidth. To get the bandwidth I need, I would have to host my servers at a data center (like Xmission) for more money than I can afford. So the ideas that I have are currently floating in mid air, waiting for the Utopia that can bring them to a reality.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)