El Portal Tarnay Residence Repair, 9763 Pine Road

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Leland and Susanna Tarnay have purchased a residence located at 9763 Pine Road in El Portal, California and anticipate taking possession of the residence on September 1, 2008. There are two buildings on the parcel, including the main house and a separate studio apartment (or "mother-in-law"). While there are numerous concerns with both structures, the two most pressing issues exist at the main home. The residential insurance company (USAA) has deemed that these two issues must be addressed within the first thirty (30) days of ownership for the family to retain their homeowner insurance policy.

The first of these concerns is the electrical system. The older section of the main house was built in the 1930's or 1940's and its electrical system is still partially comprised of active knob and tube wiring. The insurance company is requiring the immediate replacement of any active knob and tube wiring. While the rest of the electrical system is more modern, there are still many inconsistencies with current code throughout. The most prudent solution seems to be wholesale rewiring of the older section of the main house to meet current code specifications. A state certified electrical contractor has been retained and will be ready to perform this work if and when approval is received.

The second concern is the improvised and ineffectual roofing system. The current roof consists of a highly decomposed standard asphalt roof, overlaid with woven plastic tarp, covered with another layer of roofing shingles, which are in turn held down by rocks instead of nails. It neither looks like a roof, or acts like a roof. Again, the insurance company is requiring replacement within 30 days. The proposed replacement will be a standard asphalt shingle roof system of neutral earth tones over the standard and required waterproofing membranes. Discrete solar tubes and ducting for central air circulation to improve heating efficiency will be added to increase the amount of natural light available in the residence.

This project was presented at the August Monthly Planning Forum. After reviewing the project description the Management Team verbally approved the proposal.