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I'm currently involved in assisting with the prep work for setting a new modular house on some property. The process includes transforming the wooded parcel into a suitable lot for a home to completion of the home, including connecting it to all utilities, drilling a well, and installing septic.
Heading into the project I was anxious about the permitting process. The only building-related permit I've ever had to secure before was a permit to put in new doors and windows in my house. I knew this experience would be more challenging. I didn't know what permits were even going to be required, and I wasn't certain which government departments to work with for each permit.
I'm pleased to report that the permitting process has been not only simple, but I've actually enjoyed the work. I was pleasantly surprised when those who were responsible for each of the permits were very easy to work with, extremely willing to offer advice and they kindly and knowledgeably answered any questions I had.
I don't know why I was expecting the permitting process to be a headache. Maybe because I had heard stories about the challenges with permitting, or maybe because permitting happens through government departments and I don't always see eye to eye with government regulations and requirements.
At one point I commented to one of the permitting departments about how appreciative I was for their help and for making it easy to get what we were looking for and the very helpful woman replied, "We take enough of your money for these permits, we better be nice. Besides, we deal with this all the time and most of the people who come to us will only do it once or maybe twice in their lifetime. It's important to be helpful, understanding, and kind about it."
What an incredible attitude for her to adopt! Sometimes when we are very familiar with something because we do it regularly, we forget that not everyone has that same experience or exposure to the activity or topic. We assume people know what we know and then we end up creating a frustrating experience for them when we don't share more information or details. It isn't typically done with malice, we simply lose sight of the fact that not everyone has access to the same information as we do, or they don't have the same experiences as we do.
This house project isn't done yet. The permitting process and the quote process have been smooth for the most part so far. The work to prepare the property is nearly complete. There are still many steps to go until completion, so I hope this column doesn't jinx things moving forward, but if the way it's been so far continues, it will be a pleasant experience.
I am a little embarrassed that I expected great frustration with the permitting process. The experience has been a strong reminder that we naturally tend to base our expectations on past seemingly related experiences and input from others but that those sources aren't always very accurate.
Although the main reason for the success of securing the permits with ease is the people we worked with, I suspect there were other factors the led to the success of securing permits. First, even though I expected it to be more challenging and that I'd have to engage in heated conversations, I went into it admitting I wasn't the expert and that I had a lot to learn. I made sure people knew we appreciated the help they were giving us in the process.
Second, I know this situation is relatively simple compared to other projects. Being on the river may have complicated things a bit, but it wasn't nearly as complicated as I expected, even after having read hundreds of pages of ordinances to try and understand it all better.
Lastly, this process demonstrated to me the importance of networking and relationships. Many of the people we had to interact with in the process were people I knew from previous work. We already had an established relationship without a history of negativity or conflict. Those relationships helped create a positive interaction for each permit, giving us something to connect on before getting into the weeds of the permit.
Thank you to the involved permitting individuals from the township and county the property is in. You know who you are and we greatly appreciate the approach you chose to take to something that can be an overwhelming experience for people who aren't used to it.