The Whole Story
One property, start to finish
Every chapter and every week on site, on a single timeline — from the day the idea was "maximize the lot" to the latest field report.
11 Months Fighting SDGE
A 10-foot clearance rule that stalled a 'ministerial' permit, a state complaint, and the redesign that finally cleared the wires
Permitting 5 ADUs in San Diego
One building permit, $72K in fees, and the program that makes one unit affordable
The Lender That Couldn't Fund
4 months, 3 term sheet changes, and a lending model that couldn't find investors
What's Under Your Feet
The soil report that changed our foundation plans and why every builder needs one
Week of December 23 — December 23, 2025
1 day on site. 6 photos. Abatement.
Week of December 29 — December 31, 2025
3 days on site. 17 photos. Demolition, Inspection.
Builder's Risk Insurance: The Policy Nobody Explains
What it covers, what it doesn't, and the gotchas I learned from an insurance broker
Week of January 05 — January 09, 2026
3 days on site. 8 photos. Inspection, Project Planning, SWPPPS.
Week of January 12 — January 16, 2026
3 days on site. 14 photos. Demolition, Survey, Trenching.
Negotiating a $1.37M Construction Contract
How the contract works, what value engineering means, and why we split the savings 65/35
Week of January 20 — January 23, 2026
4 days on site. 25 photos. Inspection, Trenching.
Week of January 26 — January 30, 2026
5 days on site. 21 photos. Earthwork, Foundations, Inspection, Trenching.
Powering 7 Units from One Meter
Solar panels, batteries, smart panels, and the technology that makes one property feel like a mini power grid
Week of February 02 — February 06, 2026
3 days on site. 9 photos. Foundations, Inspection, SDGE.
Week of February 10 — February 11, 2026
2 days on site. 11 photos. Foundations.
Week of February 17 — February 20, 2026
2 days on site. 9 photos. Delay, SDGE.
Week of February 23 — February 27, 2026
5 days on site. 16 photos. Earthwork, Foundations.
The $0 Lien That Almost Blocked Everything
How a piece of paper with no money owed nearly killed our loan -- twice
$47K in Green Building Incentives
Two state programs, smart equipment choices, and how we tripled our initial rebate estimate
Week of March 02 — March 06, 2026
5 days on site. 24 photos. Foundations, Inspection.
The Pivot to Arixa: Saved at the Last Minute
How one phone call replaced 4 months of failure and cut monthly costs from $25K to $3,900
Running a $1.46M Project with AI
How Claude Code became my project manager, analyst, and document processor
Week of March 09 — March 13, 2026
5 days on site. 35 photos. Delay, Earthwork, Foundations, Inspection, Plumbing.
Week of March 16 — March 20, 2026
4 days on site. 42 photos. Demolition, Foundations, Framing, Plumbing, ROW.
Week of March 23 — March 27, 2026
5 days on site. 51 photos. Foundations, Framing, ROW.
Week of March 30 — April 03, 2026
4 days on site. 34 photos. Electric, Foundations, Framing, Inspection.
Week of April 06 — April 10, 2026
5 days on site. 44 photos. Foundations, Framing, Inspection, Scaffolding.
Week of April 13 — April 17, 2026
5 days on site. 57 photos. Electric, Foundations, Framing.
Week of April 20 — April 23, 2026
4 days on site. 82 photos. Electric, Framing, Plumbing, SDGE, Survey.
Week of April 27 — May 01, 2026
4 days on site. 54 photos. DFH, Electric, Framing, HVAC, Inspection, Plumbing, Roofing, Scaffolding, Traffic Coating.
Week of May 04 — May 08, 2026
5 days on site. 78 photos. DFH, Delay, Drywall, Electric, Framing, HVAC, Inspection, Insulation, Plumbing, ROW, Roofing, Solar, Stucco.
Week of May 11 — May 15, 2026
5 days on site. 70 photos. Demolition, Drywall, Foundations, Framing, HVAC, Inspection, Plumbing, Roofing, Stucco.
Week of May 18 — May 22, 2026
5 days on site. 65 photos. DFH, Demolition, Drywall, Electric, Framing, Insulation, Tile, Traffic Coating.
Week of May 26 — May 29, 2026
4 days on site. 56 photos. Electric, Framing, HVAC, Inspection, Plumbing, Stucco, Tile, Traffic Coating.
Week of June 01 — June 05, 2026
5 days on site. 76 photos. Electric, Inspection, Plumbing, Roofing, Stucco, Tile.
Week of June 08 — June 13, 2026
6 days on site. 84 photos. DFH, Drywall, Electric, Paint, Polished Concrete, Solar, Stucco, Tile.
Week of June 15 — June 20, 2026
6 days on site. 59 photos. Cabinets, DFH, Drywall, Gutters, Paint, Plumbing, Scaffolding, Siding, Site Concrete and Drainage, Solar, Stucco, Tile.
The Affordable Unit That Costs Me Almost Nothing
How one deed-restricted unit unlocked five ADUs, why its rent cap sits above market, and the $0 lien I have to re-subordinate at every refinance
Week of June 22 — June 26, 2026
5 days on site. 50 photos. Cabinets, Countertops, Electric, Flooring, Paint, Plumbing, Roofing, Site Concrete and Drainage, Solar, Tile.
Week of June 29 — July 02, 2026
4 days on site. 69 photos. Countertops, DFH, Drywall, Electric, Inspection, Plumbing, Site Concrete and Drainage, Stucco.
Week of July 06 — July 10, 2026
5 days on site. 55 photos. Cabinets, Electric, Paint, Plumbing, Site Concrete and Drainage, Stucco, Traffic Coating.
Week of July 13 — July 17, 2026
5 days on site. 75 photos. Appliances, Cabinets, Countertops, DFH, Drywall, Electric, Flooring, Landscape, Paint, Plumbing, Site Concrete and Drainage, Stucco.
Week of July 20 — July 24, 2026
5 days on site. 34 photos. Earthwork, Electric, HVAC, Inspection, Paint, Plumbing, Site Concrete and Drainage.
Week of July 27 — July 31, 2026
5 days on site. 29 photos. Cabinets, Electric, Landscape, Plumbing, Site Concrete and Drainage, Stucco, Windows.
Week of August 03 — August 07, 2026
4 days on site. 12 photos. Delay, Gutters, Landscape, Paint, Stucco.
Week of August 10 — August 11, 2026
2 days on site. 17 photos. General construction.
One Street Tree Between Me and the Finish Line
A water-meter upgrade, a notarized encroachment agreement, and a tree I was sure was the last gate. It wasn't. Here's what fourteen days of silence and a fourteen-minute reply taught me about closeout.
Four Things Everyone Assumed Were Handled
In construction, every task has an owner. In closeout, the default owner of every task is nobody. What one week of actually auditing my own project turned up.