Spring 1994: Permitting and getting started...what will we build

Winter of 1993 through spring of 1994:

We spent the winter/spring getting plans together and navigating the permit process.  In Addison, you go before the zoning board and basically plead your case on why you should be allowed to build a house. After reviewing too many building plans, we (I) settled on a simple cabin with a loft and scheduled our zoning review for an April 27th review.  A few days before my review, June and her sister (Jean) informed me that they did not approve of my simple cabin, they wanted something that was more of a house than a cabin. I did not have an alternative design, so I went to my zoning review and got an approximate footprint with setbacks etc. approved. I was very light on the design specifics and was able to leave us enough flexibility to comply with our permit by fitting our final design to the footprint. It was stressful, but in the long run it was the right call, I forgive Jean. 

The drawing I took into the zoning board.

By early May of 1994 we had our permits and could start clearing a place for our cabin house and lining up contractors. 

This is the driveway being cleared. 

As soon as the weather permitted, I started clearing trees for the property.  

Mother's Day, May 8th 1994: 

Emily on June's Mother's Day Present

On Mother's Day I gave June a swing to put down by the lake. Emily loved it.

The house will go here.

We brought our pickup camper and dropped it onsite so that on weekends we could sleep over. In reality, it was usually just Matthew and I, since our bathroom was a Porta Potti and bathing in the lake is a bit chilly. 

It was a start, we were going to build.