Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020

Day 11 – Foggy at 6:40 a.m. and 58 degrees.  Rob sat out on the cliffside trail with his coffee & camera.  An eagle was calling but he didn’t see it.

A gray foggy day. Cliff Haven, ME

Love staring up at the trees! Cliff Haven, ME

Rob had some phone calls to make to get us ready for the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting tomorrow night at home in NY.  We’ve been at the beck & call of  the Board for months, trying to get a lot setback variance approved for the deck to be built off the back of our house.  Just when we thought we’d satisfied the Board with paperwork fees & submissions, they’ve been putting one after another roadblock in front of us, the latest being requiring a second survey to be done (we did the first when we needed to get the house removed from the FEMA-designated flood plain so we weren’t forced to buy flood insurance when we didn’t need it), but it didn’t show the property setback lines well enough I guess.  The new survey was completed just recently & the paperwork submitted yesterday by the very helpful survey company.  If it’s not one thing……

Jake Spencer of Spencer Construction out of nearby Whiting called, said he was in the area and could he stop by.  We hurriedly printed out our standard package of house drawings, donned our masks, and went outside as he arrived.  A really nice guy, he seemed to know what he was doing, offered good suggestions & asked good questions, and we were impressed.  Jake has over 20 years of experience & his dad works with him; he has 47 years of experience.  Jake is a general contractor & he’d be in charge of everything, making it move-in ready.  He mentioned his favorite guy for foundations & basements is Jason Evasius, who is one of the contractors we’ve called and was recommended to us by Peter Robinson (the guy who built Maureen Sze’s house down the road).  Jake Spencer is definitely a contender.  He is working up an estimate for us.  He can work in the winter but would prefer spring (which is what we were thinking because we want to be here for the whole process & can’t be here in the winter in the RV).

We are feeling more comfortable with the interviewing process now.  We also aren’t feeling so up and down with the emotions; can we afford it, are there any contractors in this area, etc., etc.  We spent the rest of the morning in the screened tent enjoying the view.  The fog had burned off by 10:00.

We came inside for lunch, then back out to the tent, and we both took a nap.  Things are settling down here now.  When we returned to the RV – Jason Evasius, speak of the devil, returned our call – he was in the area & could he stop by for a meeting in about 15 minutes.  Printing out another copy of the “package” and donning the masks again, we met him outside the RV.  

Another really nice guy, he was quick to say that he wasn’t good at being a general contractor, having worked at Timbro Construction previously as a supervisor and not liking it, and he preferred to work with GC’s as the “foundation guy”.  He also has a trash hauling business which keeps him very busy and allows less time to oversee a contracting job.  We asked him if he would mind telling us who his favorite general contractor was, and he said, speak of the devil again, Jake Spencer.  He said Jake is meticulous and a wonderful, organized guy to work with.  We told him that Peter Robinson had recommended him, and he said that Peter does really beautiful work, but Peter is retiring.  Then he walked around and looked at our site from a foundation & basement point of view, offering very helpful information.  We hope that he’s the one who does our foundation work.  Also of note, he is the third contractor we’ve spoken to that recommended Matthews Brothers Windows (out of Belfast), founded in 1854, that is known for the quality of their windows & customer service (we’ve always preferred Andersen windows).  Something new to research!  The high today was 64 degrees alternating between fog, clouds, and sun.  A very nice day.  Oh, there’s been very few mosquitoes rearing their ugly heads.  YAAA!