Preconstruction

In Italy, if you want to work on your house (particularly on the exterior), you must have permits. Some are local (comune level) and others have to go to the Sovraintendenza in Perugia. There are different ways of dealing with it, but most people hire what is called a "geometra" (it's a profession that doesn't exist in the US, but imagine a general contractor who doesn't actually have any employees. He or she will plan the project/create the detailed design drawings/figure out which sections need a structural engineer or other specialty work/subcontract out the specialty work and manage the site construction workers/manage site safety/request permits/and so on and you're close). The geometra has a very important role and can determine whether or not you finish your project in a decent, timely manner or at all.

Since we wanted the boys to have a chance to live in this house before they left the family for greener pastures, speed is of the essence. The good news? We would be allowed to apply for permits under the current owner's name that would then transfer to us upon sale of the house. The bad news? Some of what we want to do requires Sovraintendenza permission, which could take three months.

A good geometra was definitely top of mind.

One of the two builders we wanted to use recommended one geometra. A friend who's a real estate agent recommended another. We got bids from both, just as a comparison. That said, neither of my builders really liked the second option, which gave me pause. The bids came in: the first was nearly TWICE the cost of the second. Gah! Time for a third proposal (meanwhile, the clock's ticking, because we really need to define the work and apply for those permits!), so we asked the geometra who currently works at the property (good reputation, knows the property, may even have drawings that could save us time and money), and then for good measure got a proposal from the geometra my second builder recommends. Now we have FOUR proposals to read through and understand. Of course, the first two were reasonably discardable.

My impressions of the last two were that the current geometra, while honest and friendly, seemed to tell me why I couldn't get things done quickly. The fourth, meanwhile, explained the obstacles and then told me how he'd get around them. These last two had costs that were about those offered by the cheaper of the first two proposals, so the money looked okay.

I went to the comune planning office, where of course the permitting officer couldn't tell me a thing legitimately. But he praised my ability to judge character when I described my impressions.

So: Luca Orlandi was my choice! I hired him on Monday, had a signed contract on Wednesday, and left town on Thursday (having told him what our general ideas were for the house construction). I arrived back on Monday, and he called me on Tuesday having taken detailed measurements of the house and all its rooms, and having developed a few different ideas for doing the construction to meet our needs. The crunch was to figure out which pieces need to go to the structural engineer so that he could work on the calculations while Luca was gone on vacation. That would keep the project going even during the summer break, and would keep us on track. Have I said that I love Luca yet? Because I do. He really reminds me of Michael and Michael's practical approach to the work. He's very flexible about meeting locations (he's not walking distance), and he's been so responsive; every time I think of calling him, he manages to call me first.

We're in mid-August now (Ferragosto, to be specific) as I'm writing this, and the plans are nearing completion for permitting. So exciting!

Love,

Alexandra

p.s.  We got word earlier this week that the permits that go to the Sovrintendenza have already been issued! We're ready to go on the major sections!