Have a friend who purchased land in Whitesboro TX area, a few years ago. That is likely far out enough from DFW and most definetly Houston. But yep 60,000 new apartment dwellers, in a small town that used to have likely very little, that is a big change. And not for the better.
Bye bye big city!
- Thread starter Texas82GP
- Start date
I apologize for the slow response. I've worked as hard this year as I ever have in my life and just haven't been posting much. Work has been balls out since coming back on 1/2/24. Dad gets just about every Saturday on his detached garage reno, and there is always a project on Saturday. I usually work until about 2:00 PM on Sunday and then 2-8 PM on Sunday is time to rest. I've done lots of stuff you guys would probably enjoy reading about but just haven't put in the time to post it. It's a shame Dad's garage reno isn't a thread. I think a lot of you would enjoy it and the transformation is impressive at this point. We've been at it for about 10 months now. Dad has really brought the entire property around at this point. He has neighbors stopping to praise the transformation.
On our exodus from Harris County, we're moving forward. It's been a heavy lift. I'll try to give a complete but succinct update:
Financing
1. The Home Equity Line of Credit on our current home closed last week
2. The Construction Loan is expected to close this week or next - This has been a three-month process and hasn't been fun. My brother and sister-in-law have been handling the financing exclusively. I just hear about it. We've split up responsibilities to get this done.
Home
The contract with the home builder has been signed.
Pool
The contract with the pool builder has been signed.
Shop
A final decision was made that it will be a 40'x50'x14' building with a 15'x50' lean-to. A final decision has been made that it will be pole-barn construction. After getting that far, I got five bids. We've selected the builder for the barn, and I signed the contract and put down the deposit on Friday.
Permitting
1. I went through the process to assign an address to the lot a few years ago.
2. I've obtained the Certificate of Compliance (permission to build) from the City of Huntsville. They have a say because we are located in their Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction (I believe within 5 miles of the City Limits).
3. I've obtained the Development Permit from Walker County.
4. I've obtained the permission to build the On-Site Sanitary Sewer Facility (Septic) from Walker County.
5. I've obtained the Storm Water Pollution Prevention Permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
ARC Submittal
We haven't submitted to the Architectural Review Committee, yet. This is the last major hurdle and it's a high one. It's a very detailed submittal including samples for the shingles and brick, renderings of the pool and shop, the plans for the house, exhibits that show the garage doors we picked out, the fencing we picked out, etc. We're waiting for the drainage plan to make that submittal and then we'll see what we have to change or what else we have to provide to get ARC approval. It's a heavily restricted community. We knew that going in. We're prepared to meet the requirements. The restrictions will keep it nice, and we can do everything we want to, within the restrictions.
Drainage Plan
We have a platted restriction on our lot that limits us to 10% impervious cover (roof, paving). We are proposing 23%. Because of this, we had to hire a Civil Engineer to perform a drainage study and prepare a drainage plan. That is due around 5/27. Ideally, the study will come back and say we don't have to detain any run-off, but my expectation is that we'll have to mitigate the runoff created by the additional 13% of impervious cover. There is a shallow natural drainage course that runs through the middle of the lot, in what will be our back yard. My expectation is that we'll have to detain some water in that drainage course, but we'll see what comes back.
We're planning to make the ARC submittal next month. We're hoping to have approval and be under way in July with clearing. Thanks for the interest!
I like all of it but the ARC submittal part. I understand it, just rubs me the wrong way. Do what you have to.
Would the run-off issue be affected by digging a small pond somewhere on the lot?
And, yes, we'd like to see your dad's shop.
Would the run-off issue be affected by digging a small pond somewhere on the lot?
And, yes, we'd like to see your dad's shop.
I know we'll in the high heat environs the reasons to prefer concrete for walkways, driveways, etc, but, would permeable paving be an option to reduce the calculated percentage?
Also, what about a cistern to collect runoff for use in agricultural watering as a mitigating feature, aside from a possible pond/water feature?
considering he's in Houston with all the recent storms/flooding 🤷♂️
but HOA restrictions typically dictate what you can/can't do. even if it's obviously a great idea to have a cistern/pond, if HOA says no then nothing you can do. most HOAs remind me of the Monty Python skits with the Gumbys
as for impermeable cover, I've always thought that was a stupid idea counting that against you because you're going to capture or re-direct the water into a retention pond on your land so it's controlled and goes back into the aquifer anyway
That brings me to a sort of another question...
Is this an HOA situation, or, just a development wide set of restrictive covenants regarding development features?
We've had the latter twice, the difference is that it has no power going forward to make new rules, levy assessments and fines, etc. It's there to limit what you can build, and how, (construction types, minimum square ft and design features, etc) but thats it.
Hoas just get scary to me long term when the busy bodies hijack them
They would look at a retention pond in need of a perk test for drainage. But also a mosquito issue or children hazard depending on how sticky the HOA wants to be ,but definitely a good idea. Heck of a circus and flaming hoops to navigate!
I get it. It's fairly heavily restricted and getting approval by the ARC was a heavy lift but it keeps the development classy. We're in no danger of having a dump next door. There is a shallow natural drainage course that runs through the "Center" of the lot. There is about 5-6 feet of drop across the lot, east to west. We're essentially converting this drainage course into a detention pond. We've constructed an earthen berm on the west (low side of it). We have two 6" PVC pipes, which are the outfall for the pond. The infall is a single 12" pipe. The runoff from our improvements is directed to the pond. The two 6" outfall pipes restrict the rate at which the pond will drain, thereby mitigating the 13% of impervious cover we've proposed above the 10% we are allowed.
Permeable paving would have reduced the impervious cover, but gravel was a no go for us for the driveway or the walkways. I'm considering a few rain barrels on the property for watering the garden, storing water. See above for our drainage solution.
Without the improvements (earthen dam and pipes mentioned above) we wouldn't have been detaining our runoff. Our POA (Property Owner's Association) doesn't have a restriction against a detention pond. In fact, they they've had record rain out there this Spring/Summer so having the Engineer that did the plans for the subdivision do our drainage plan helped grease the skids with getting approval from the ARC.
It's a POA. Yeah, we would have preferred unrestricted land but this is a compromise. The POA is a negative but keeping the development nice is a positive. City water and Fiber Optic are also nice positives. Dad is only 25 minutes away. My sister-in-law and I can still reasonably get to the office when we need to. My sister-in-law can keep her doctors. My brother and I will be able to do everything we want to on the property, within the restrictions.
It's been a part time job coordinating everything. Because of my land surveying background, I've done the boundary and topographic survey, the form survey, the tree survey, the site plan, the clearing plan, coordinated the drainage plan, coordinated the SW3P, coordinated all permits with City of Huntsville and Walker County and on and on. I'm also handling all aspects of the pole barn. Between all of that and being as busy at work as I've ever been, It's been really hectic.
Better not let on that you have expertise in the surveying arts or you'll be having your door beaten on incessantly by other residents who need to deal with those same issues.
Nick
Nick
It's hard to believe it's been two months. We spent the week of July 4th on the beach at Galveston. About a week later we had a Category 1 Hurricane run right through town. We're blessed. We escaped any damage this time at our home and never lost power. We've been here 17 years. We always lose power.
There's been a lot of progress at our lot in Walker County:
Here I'm standing a little east of the center of the south boundary of the lot, looking north. The stake with blue flagging in the foreground is where I want the City to set the water meter. In the mid ground is the pad for the house and in the background is the pad for the pole barn. In between the two building pads is the back yard and detention pond. We saved as many trees back there as we could....
Same view, zoomed in a bit....
I know the forms/pads look slanted but I assure you, they are level. The road and land are sloping down from right (east) to left (west). It makes for an interesting optical illusion. The forms are within 0.02' of perfectly level, which is really beyond the level of precision for our surveying equipment (total station).
The red stake in the background in the following picture is where Entergy proposes to set our drop pole and transformer.....
Here's a view of that stake from inside out lot, basically on our east property line (stake in the background with pink/blue flagging is our southeast corner) looking south across the roadway. The power pole across the street will be where our electric service comes from....
Here, I'm standing in our driveway, looking north. The house forms are in the foreground on the left, the pad for the pole barn is visible in the back....
Here, I'm standing near our east property line, looking northwest across the back half of the lot. In the foreground is the infall pipe to the detention and the driveway back to the pole barn. The pad for the pole barn is visible in the background....
Here's a shot from the other side of the driveway, looking at the same pipe....
Here's a good shot of my left middle finger tip with the lowest part of the detention pond in the center of the screen. There is about 5-6 foot of drop across the pond. The berm is visible in the far background....
Here's a shot from a few weeks ago, looking at the house forms and the pad for the house. This is looking north....
Here's a shot from near the northwest corner of the pad for the barn, looking south. My brother's truck is in the background, in the driveway....
I guess that's it for now gents. I'll update in a month or so. Thanks for the interest!
There's been a lot of progress at our lot in Walker County:
- We got ARC approval for the house in mid-June.
- ARC approval for the pool and pole barn followed. We got the approval for the barn last, while we were on vacation. I think 7/2.
- The culvert has been set and the construction entrance (gravel base of the future driveway) has been constructed.
- Clearing is substantially complete.
- One of my colleagues and I staked the location of the building envelopes on 6/22.
- The building pads for the house and the barn have been constructed and their compaction has been tested.
- The forms for the house have been set.
- The plumber has roughed in the plumbing that will be in the slab.
- One of my colleagues and I did the form survey last Saturday 7/20. We got it over to the ARC on Tuesday and now have approval to pour the foundation for the house when it is ready.
- The pipe for the driveway crossing the drainage swale has been installed (forms the east end of the detention pond).
- The berm along the west line of the lot, which blocks our runoff from running onto the lot east of us and forms the west wall of the pond has been constructed and the outfall pipes have been installed.
- I've ordered the windows for the barn. I expect them in the next week or so.
- I ordered and have received the post protectors for the barn.
- Today I obtained the Water Tap permit from the City of Huntsville, which sets the ball rolling on getting them to run their water service line across the street to our lot and for them to set the water meter.
- I'm coordinating with Entergy, our electric service provider to get them to set a power pole and transformer in the southeast corner of our lot and string a power line across the roadway. That pole will have a drop for the electric service and then everything on our lot will be in the ground, in conduit.
Here I'm standing a little east of the center of the south boundary of the lot, looking north. The stake with blue flagging in the foreground is where I want the City to set the water meter. In the mid ground is the pad for the house and in the background is the pad for the pole barn. In between the two building pads is the back yard and detention pond. We saved as many trees back there as we could....
Same view, zoomed in a bit....
I know the forms/pads look slanted but I assure you, they are level. The road and land are sloping down from right (east) to left (west). It makes for an interesting optical illusion. The forms are within 0.02' of perfectly level, which is really beyond the level of precision for our surveying equipment (total station).
The red stake in the background in the following picture is where Entergy proposes to set our drop pole and transformer.....
Here's a view of that stake from inside out lot, basically on our east property line (stake in the background with pink/blue flagging is our southeast corner) looking south across the roadway. The power pole across the street will be where our electric service comes from....
Here, I'm standing in our driveway, looking north. The house forms are in the foreground on the left, the pad for the pole barn is visible in the back....
Here, I'm standing near our east property line, looking northwest across the back half of the lot. In the foreground is the infall pipe to the detention and the driveway back to the pole barn. The pad for the pole barn is visible in the background....
Here's a shot from the other side of the driveway, looking at the same pipe....
Here's a good shot of my left middle finger tip with the lowest part of the detention pond in the center of the screen. There is about 5-6 foot of drop across the pond. The berm is visible in the far background....
Here's a shot from a few weeks ago, looking at the house forms and the pad for the house. This is looking north....
Here's a shot from near the northwest corner of the pad for the barn, looking south. My brother's truck is in the background, in the driveway....
I guess that's it for now gents. I'll update in a month or so. Thanks for the interest!
