I posted in July about the cutting of holes in the basement for windows and I was a little nervous. The cutting and framing in went wonderfully but it became a saga after that...
We contracted with a company in Jeff City (about 90 miles away) to do the cutting. They had a minimum fee which was about the same price as to cut what we wanted. We pulled a permit with the city like good little citizens. Before the cutting company was scheduled to come, my husband called the city to check on the permit status. He was told that it was approved but the company needed to register with the city and pay an appropriate fee before we would actually have the permit. So when the holes were cut, we didn't have an approved permit in hand from the city - no big deal we thought.
Weeks later the company got their fee paid and Todd was able to pick up the permit. The permit was approved *WITH* modifications to the design...the biggest change to the design required 3 more inches cut into the concrete! Ummm - that means another minimum cutting fee AND removal of the glass block windows which may not be able to be re-used. Todd had the city inspector come out and he did not approve the work that was done because it did not meet city code (we didn't have a double header). It was worth a try to get them approved...Fortunately the city inspector did say that if we could get a professional engineer to approve his plan, then the city will most likely approve it.
So you would think that Todd could get some help from the civil engineering department at school but he didn't find anyone willing to put their stamp of approval on his plans. So he gets a recommendation for an engineering firm here in town and makes an appointment. Nice visit with an engineer and Todd gets a really good pointer on taking a CAD class from the local technical school instead of the university. (Having this class makes him very marketable as an intern/coop type person.) A week later, we get word that the plans didn't get approved but he does have a suggestion that does not include cutting more into the cement.
Todd stews over the option that was presented and talks with my dad and others on their thoughts. We have sealed windows and LOVE the new light that we have. The permit is outstanding for 180 days there isn't any huge rush to do anything. He's also trying to figure out how to do the retro fit without having to remove all of the siding from the back of the house to put in the recommended piece of steel! Fall semester starts and one of Todd's classes is "Structures". He's learning how to figure out if his windows are strong enough to support the house above it and the variables involved with that. He goes back to his design and looks at it and does some more math and some more math.
Finally he comes to a point where he doesn't see why his design doesn't work with what he has learned in school. He schedules an appointment with the engineer again to understand why his design doesn't work - a reality check to see where education and real life do or don't meet. The day before the meeting is scheduled, the other partner in the engineering firm just happens to be at church!
The meeting was great success - the office is a 2 minute bike ride away from the house but Todd had to call before he got home to tell me. The engineer didn't account for one large beam in each window that Todd put in so the plans were approved. Yippee! The engineer invited Todd to come in and apply for a summer job as well! (And Tuesday night is CAD class.)
So this is very much a situation where God works for the good, even though the first indication wasn't something that we thought was good! Todd wouldn't be taking the CAD class now and he wouldn't have had a good lead on a summer position where they have already seen some of this work!
The windows are in the process of being trimmed out now...the light has been truly wonderful!
