Novemeber 2014 - the plan

It all started in January 2014 - we interviewed a couple of contractors with a view to adding a bathroom. They recommended architects and we hired Pete Moyer to draw up our plans.
Most of the contractors suggested that adding an additional bedroom along with the bathroom would not add that much cost so we decided to add a master suite. Stephen also really wanted better access to the back yard, so "bringing the outside in" was also added to the list. So that meant the bathroom had to moved, along with the living room to give us better access to the back garden.
By the time we settled on plans, it was May and they looked like this.

We spent the summer tweaking the plans, getting a structural engineer to add the structural component and by September our plans were in 'plan check' at the city.

November 2014 - Our house remodel begins

After 10 months of planning we finally got our building permit to start our remodel. What started as needing an extra bathroom has morphed into a 500 sq ft addition plus 300 sq ft interior remodel. Our new house is going to be fabulous - we just need to get going!
Here I am with our building permit outside City Planning offices in Redondo Beach. Getting a permit was a bit of an eye-opener. First of all, all cities are different, so in Redondo Beach, you need three permits: Mechanical, Electrical and Building (i think!)
Then, there is a list of items on each that you have to pay for. Even if you already own it and are just moving it to a different location. So, for example, I had to pay $10 each for my washer and dryer that I already own!! Just cause the laundry room is moving a couple of feet. And you have to pay for each electrical outlet, switch and light. It's a bit of a racket, if you ask me, but I am so happy to be finally at this point that I just write the check and move on.