It’s been a while since my last update. The short version is that not much appeared to be happening. The longer and more honest version is that a lot was happening, just almost entirely out of sight.
My last post was around Halloween. At that point, our house had been fully demoed, but we still didn’t have the permits needed to move forward. What followed were months that felt stagnant from the outside and exhausting on the inside.
One of the first surprises was learning that a prior builder had never obtained a proper site plan. That discovery alone forced us to step back and start over with a new site plan, which immediately slowed everything down.
Around the same time, we ran into a major code requirement tied to FEMA regulations. This wasn’t a new rule, but it is one that the City of Tampa enforces very strictly, especially after recent hurricanes. Any interior walls on the first floor below FEMA height are required to be removed to prevent future build-outs in flood-prone areas.
In our case, a few of those walls were intended only for storage. Unfortunately, they were also load-bearing.
That single issue triggered a domino effect. Removing load-bearing walls meant changes to the truss plan. Truss changes required updated architectural plans. Updated plans had to be reviewed again by engineers and resubmitted to the city. Even when corrections could be turned around quickly, the city has up to three weeks to review each resubmission. Fast fixes didn’t always lead to fast reviews.
At the same time, Tampa transitioned its permitting process to combine site plan and build plan reviews. In the long run, this is actually a better and more efficient system. Unfortunately for us, we started the process while the two were still separate, which meant navigating multiple reviewers and timelines before the transition was complete. That overlap added complexity and delay that future projects will hopefully avoid.
From the outside, it probably looked like nothing was happening. Internally, it was organized chaos. Almost daily texts with our builder and architect. Follow-ups with planners. Calls and emails with engineers. Conversations with other builders just to understand how to navigate the system better. There was a lot of coordination happening behind the scenes, even when progress felt invisible.
One of the longest delays came from the FAA. A federal government shutdown paused approvals entirely for about 45 days. When things reopened, weeks passed with no movement. After finally getting a direct FAA contact, we learned that what had been submitted was a standard request, but our home height required a different form altogether. That meant starting over.
That moment was rough. I remember feeling sick, thinking we were facing another 45-day delay. Thankfully, the contact I had connected with was incredibly helpful and pushed our approval through in about two weeks instead of the standard timeline. Our FAA approval came in the week after Christmas. Our site plan approval arrived around the same time.
One unexpected bright spot was help from a builder across the street. He offered guidance on how, as the homeowner, I could engage directly with the city. He also helped me get the FAA contact that ultimately moved things forward. It was a good reminder that sometimes progress comes from asking questions and leaning on the right people.
At one point, our builder staked out the exterior corners of the house. Seeing it on the ground was eye-opening. The footprint was larger than we had expected, and one corner ended up being only about three feet from our RV. That discovery led to additional demo work and reinforced just how tight everything is on our lot.
Looking back, I still wonder if there were moments where I could have pushed harder or asked different questions to avoid some delays and cost impacts. I also wish some of these issues had surfaced earlier in the process. But when you’re in it, you’re making the best decisions you can with the information you have at the time.
The real turning point came last Thursday when the building permit was finally approved.
I was on a conference call when I saw the text come through. I asked the employee I was speaking with for a moment because I had just received a message about permits. When I opened it and saw the approval, I had instant happy tears. She knew what we had been dealing with and was genuinely excited for us. That moment felt like a release.
The relief spread quickly. Even my husband seemed relieved, with a noticeable hop in his step. As a family, it felt like a weight we’d been carrying for months finally lifted.
Since then, things have started moving. Additional demo is complete. The lot has been prepped and graded. We’ve signed with an interior designer. The surveyor is scheduled. Contractors have a schedule, and subcontractors are lined up and ready.
There are still things that make me nervous. The proximity of the RV to construction is tight, and timing matters, especially with our loan execution coming up next March. But for the first time in a long while, forward motion feels real.
Living in limbo has been hard, especially worrying about the impact on our daughter. We’ve talked about moving into a rental, but as a family we’ve chosen to stay where we are and push through together. That decision hasn’t been easy, but it’s felt right.
One of the biggest lessons in all of this has been realizing that even when I’m not in control, I still have influence. Construction isn’t my area of expertise, but asking questions, understanding the process, and knowing when to step in has made a difference.
If there’s one thing I’d tell anyone starting a rebuild, it’s this: the process is far more frustrating than you can fully understand going in. People warn you, but you don’t really get it until you’re living it.
Today, though, I feel relief and gratitude. We’re doing well as a family. We’re moving forward. And for the first time in a long time, I’m genuinely excited about the next steps.
Two Dogs and a Demo 