My first setback

Well, I went to the permit office today for my first attempt at getting a permit. I got through the first two reviewers easily, but by the time I got to the third person I got stuck. I need a provide a plan for the construction waste. Hmmm, this is really the first bad surprise I've had. It's not insurmountable, it just sets me back a bit. I was really confused by the form and the requirements, and had to quit the permit office for the day and go to work. Also, the person I needed to speak to about construction waste (who doesn't work in the permit office) wasn't in today. I'll try to work on the form this weekend and hopefully Monday I can make some calls and find out what I need. Part of the problem is that I haven't hired all my contractors yet, and if you are handling your waste by having the contractor haul it away you have to provide the contractor name and where they will haul it. There's a circular logic problem here - I can't complete my permit without knowing who the contractors are. I can't hire a contractor without knowing when they can start, which I need a permit to figure out. I had planned to get a construction waste dumpster for demolition and then ask certain contractors such as the roofer, landscaper and window person to haul away their waste. I also have to provide estimates in cubic yards and tons of how much waste I'll produce in this remodel. Wow, how can you possibly do that?

I felt really overwhelmed by this and I was concerned it would set me back weeks. As I thought about it though, I calmed down. It's like any other project I've tackled to date - I just have to keep asking questions until I solve the problem. I have to remind myself there is a solution to this, I just need to find it. One of my favorite sayings (especially with the remodeling) is "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."