Building a dream home in Oakhurst

[seaside_bob]

Greetings,

I'm Bob and am new to this forum. A brief history... My wife and I currently live on the Central Coast of California. We've enjoyed 15 amazing years on the coast and now it's time to experience life in the mountains. Our goal is to build our dream home in Oakhurst someday soon. http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/happy.gif

We are in the begining baby steps of research and planning. I'd love to read the experience of those who have recently built their dream home in Oakhurst. Information about permiting, water, cost per sq/ft, contactors and best locations to build would be greatly appriciated.

Cheers, Bob

[Patagoniamaniac]

Call my husband....
He has one of the best reputations for building custom homes in the mountain community.
website will be up and running soon with lots of pictures of his work...thanks!
www.apexconstruction.com (http://www.apexconstruction.com)
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j44/patagoniamaniac/apexbusinesscard.jpg (http://photobucket.com/)

[seaside_bob]

Thanks for the info about you husband's construction business. I'll add it to our contact and info folder. Right now I'm interested in reading the experiences of those who have recently built a home in the mountains.

By the way... web site development is my line of work. I'd be happy to get your husband's site up and running! www.medallion-services.com (http://www.medallion-services.com)

Cheers, Bob

[Patagoniamaniac]

THanks for the offer on the web site development. Actually, the Couple that is designing it purchased the domain for us and is designing it as a gift for building their house. The picture of the house on my husbands website is of their house...You have our number..You'll love the mountain area!....We have been blessed to live here.

[Dawn]

My parents like the mountains but now that they are old in age they don't think it's safe to live here because of their health problems. They don't want to be so far away from the hospital.

[Summer]

Dawn, I have heard this from so many of the elderly and/or ill people. To travel daily to Fresno for chemo or dialysis treatments can be quite taxing. Many have moved out of the mountains for this reason only. If you are in good health the mountains is the place to be. Regarding building. I know many people who have built and ALL have had problems with the County of Madera regarding permits. I guess its a real challenge. Delays are usually a year or more. Of course once you get it all done its great. Maybe there are people on this forum who haven't had any problems at all. But if it was me I would buy an already built house, there are plenty on the market - and it is so much a buyer's market now. If I was adament about building I think I would go out of state. It's incredibly inexpensive compared to anywhere in Calif. But heck, who wants to leave Cali?!

[citizen]

Another thing to consider when choosing your location is employment. Are you planning on retiring when you move? We have a million web developers in this small community. Many of them have to commute to Fresno or work from home for clients out of the area. If your going to work and commute, Coarsegold or North Fork may be a better option for you. YLP is a short drive to Fresno. If you are going to retire or work from home, perhaps a higher elevation would be better for you. Bass Lake is nice if you can afford it.

[Chem101]

Patagonia... Was it your husband that built my buddy's house just below Rivergold elementry school?

Originally posted by seaside_bob:
Thanks for the info about you husband's construction business. I'll add it to our contact and info folder. Right now I'm interested in reading the experiences of those who have recently built a home in the mountains.

By the way... web site development is my line of work. I'd be happy to get your husband's site up and running! www.medallion-services.com (http://www.medallion-services.com)

Cheers, Bob

[seaside_bob]

Originally posted by citizen:
Another thing to consider when choosing your location is employment. Are you planning on retiring when you move?

Citizen,

Thanks for info about all of the web developers you have in the community. That's useful information to me. I currently have a large base of clients throughout the Central Coast and some in Southern Cal. I plan to continue to work out of my home and on the road when traveling in the RV. Lucky for me all I really need is a decent reliable Internet connection to ply my trade..

[Lacey]

Welcome to Oakhurst Online, Bob. And future welcome to the community. Oakhurst is a wonderful place to live. I don't live there any longer, but I loved living there and would move back in a heartbeat, if possible.

I have lived in both Fresno County and Madera County and have known many people who have built in both places and it seems the problems with permits and such when building are the same no matter where you go. It just comes with the territory.

From what I've seen, the worst part of the permit process is trying to get a property split, so I'd advise you to purchase an existing parcel. As for the areas best for building in, there are several to choose from in the Oakhurst area. A local real estate agent could help you best in that department. I am an agent, but I now live in Tollhouse, so I probably wouldn't be your best choice for Oakhurst. We have a couple of local agents who post on here, though, and I'm sure they'd be thrilled to help you.

If you decided to go with an existing home, I have an absolutely beautiful listing over there in the Stillmeadow area, which is one of the most desirable areas in Oakhurst. I think this link will take you there. http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/happy.gif

Stillmeadow listing (http://ygar.fnismls.com/publink/default.asp?GUID=ec5fb170-1bae-4414-90f9-4cee186de2d7&Report=Yes)

Good luck with your plans. I know you will love Oakhurst no matter which way you choose to go. There is a lot of construction there, so it must not be all that bad to do! http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/happy.gif

[Patagoniamaniac]

Originally posted by Chem101:
Patagonia... Was it your husband that built my buddy's house just below Rivergold elementry school?

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by seaside_bob:
Thanks for the info about you husband's construction business. I'll add it to our contact and info folder. Right now I'm interested in reading the experiences of those who have recently built a home in the mountains.

By the way... web site development is my line of work. I'd be happy to get your husband's site up and running! www.medallion-services.com (http://www.medallion-services.com)

Cheers, Bob </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

yep..That was him......

[Parvo Pup]

Bob - I am a little over a yeaar into building a second home in the high country so can't speak directly to the Oakhurst itself info - but can give you my take on building in Madera County in general.

Permits - UGH!

Unless building has slowed dramatically since I filed in 2005 - plan on upwards of 6-8 months before your plans finally make it out the black hole in Madera's Building Department. I was originally told that plan checks would average 2-3 months, it took 7! And no - polite status inquiry phone calls did make it go any faster.

(*I don't know how true it is - but I have since been told by some local GCs that an "expedite fee" can help - just don't pay by check if you get my drift)

Unless you have plenty of time - DO NOT even consider using "new technology" in your home. By this I mean ICF (insulated concrete forms), PEX plastic plumbing systems, integrated solar roof panels to name a few. I found that Madera's knowledge of these ICBO approved building technologies was somewhere between a "What's that?" to a "We are still reviewing that usage".

Stick to plain jane building technologies to save mucho headaches.

Along similar lines - plan on having to hire a Structural Engineer in addition to any architect/deisgner that you may be using. Madera requires that any home built in the "mountains" be assessed by an engineer in order to provide a "Lateral Structural Analysis".

In a nutshell - they want to see numbers and graphs that shows that your home can withstand a 3.8 earthquake, 75 mph winds sustained for one hour and 80 percent of potential maximum snowload.

Get this tho - they want to see numerical proof that the home can withstand all three HAPPENING AT THE SAME TIME!!!!!

I thought Madera Engneering was pulling my leg at first but they are serious. I even told the guy - "what your are describing is called Armaggedon - if all three happened at once, my house is going to be the least of my concerns at that point" - but to avail - DING - another 3 grand.

Be prepared for a lot of grief from the Environmental Deprtment in terms of septic systems. They will want to peruse your property for ANY signs of "natural" watercourses - including what are called "vernal pools". These can be anything from a seasonal stream to a pothole that collects water during the rainy months. The idea behind this thinking had to do with protecting overall water quality via proper setbacks to protecting possible endangered species - frogs and salamanders in particular.

Be prepared to fight their decision - there are a number of environmental compliance firms in the greater Fresno area that will review your land for usage compliance to combat any possible "no-go" decision that the county may throw at you. Just a heads up - may not apply to your case.

Also - Madera County now requires that your land be inspected by a representative of the local Paiute/Mono Nations to indentify any evidence of Native American presence on your land. This inspection must be done prior to any excavation work and again while your foundation excavation work is being done. So don't drop any bingo chips around the place or you are SOL. http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/happy.gif

Some weird things that I can recall from our first inspection -

1. Entire property lines had to be "strung" prior to the first inspection. I have one full acre that took my wife and I a full day to run yellow mason's string around. When the inspector showed up he was really only interested in the area immediately surrounding the house. Why then did we have to string the whole lot we asked - "because" was the reply. Still don't know why to this day.

2. Street number on a curb. I think they may have backed off on this one - but since we are VERY rural - there are no curbs. "Put one in" was the retort from the County. So what I did was go to a landfill and picked up a 10 inch long broken off piece of curb, painted the number on it and laid in in the road - there's yer ******* curb boys! It passed by the way!

Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?

Finally, some practical tips to consider in your design -

This is mountain and snow country - so expect power outages during the winter. Talk to your electrician about either parallel wiring the house for 12 volt DC for emergency lights that can run off a battery or better yet, prewire a generator transfer panel next to your main panel. This will allow you to easily plug in a standby generator to run essential appliances during outages. I suggest a propane 7-12kw genny plumbed off a dedicated run from your main propane tank - best 3k I spent so far.

Water lines - particularly the ones inside your house. Even with 2x6 construction and Title 24 insulation codes - they can freeze when you least expect it if the lines were run in an exterior wall. Work early with your designer and your plumber to route water lines through interior walls wherever possible. The little buggers have a bad tendancy to pop while you are away on vacation for some evil reason.

You mention you are a web designer - so I imagine DSL is a must for you. I would suggest asking SierraTel for a DSL deployment map that would help identify areas where DSL is AND is not available. I know they are upgrading their fiber network as we speak - but DSL is limited to about 15K feet from a telco office - so be prepared to find out that your hilltop lot is too far away for this service. By the way - satellite broadband sux!

Other than that - it's a beautiful area up here and I don't regret any of it.

Good luck - and no, drinking heavily does not help things progress faster - but it does kill the painhttp://oakhurstonline.com/icon/happy.gif

[seaside_bob]

Parvo Pup - Thanks for low down on permitting/building in Madera County. You have passed on valuable information that I will definitely put to use! Based on the response to my post, it's nice to see how friendly and helpful mountain folks are. http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/happy.gif

Cheers, Bob

[Chem101]

Originally posted by Patagoniamaniac:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Chem101:
Patagonia... Was it your husband that built my buddy's house just below Rivergold elementry school?

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by seaside_bob:
Thanks for the info about you husband's construction business. I'll add it to our contact and info folder. Right now I'm interested in reading the experiences of those who have recently built a home in the mountains.

By the way... web site development is my line of work. I'd be happy to get your husband's site up and running! www.medallion-services.com (http://www.medallion-services.com)

Cheers, Bob </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

yep..That was him...... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Very cool Pat.... I thought so. I've know Dennis for 28 years now. In fact, I was the one who told him to look around Coarsegold for property.
Dennis introduced me to your husband one of the times I visited during construction.

[Patagoniamaniac]

Thats great! I hope he is pleased with his home. I loved the inside layout of that home...very cozy!

[Sandman]

Originally posted by Lacey:
Stillmeadow listing (http://ygar.fnismls.com/publink/default.asp?GUID=ec5fb170-1bae-4414-90f9-4cee186de2d7&Report=Yes)


Thanks for posting this Lacey! My best friend bought and remodeled this home. It took a long time, but it's finally complete! I'm going to do some banner advertising for you and Bill. You can send me a PM with any specific info you want on the ad.

For those of you looking for a home, this one is gorgeous! It's huge and has a pond, views, swimming pool, workshop... it's very amazing! I wish I could afford it. I'd love to live in this place. http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/yes.gif They did a great job with the remodel.

[Lacey]

We wish we could afford it, also. It's the ultimate home!! Perfect location, acreage, view and lots of really cool ammenities. Thanks for the banner, Matt. That's so cool!

[Surfus]

Dont forget to Pre/plan for your Alternative heating/cooling.
Dont settle for what a builder or Designer wants to put on the plans.
go to www.climatecontrolsystems.org (http://www.climatecontrolsystems.org)
and feel free to email me with any questions.

[seaside_bob]

Originally posted by Surfus:
Dont forget to Pre/plan for your Alternative heating/cooling.
Dont settle for what a builder or Designer wants to put on the plans.
go to www.climatecontrolsystems.org (http://www.climatecontrolsystems.org)
and feel free to email me with any questions.

Thanks Rod, I'll check it out. Bob

[MtnEagle]

Originally posted by seaside_bob:
Parvo Pup - Thanks for low down on permitting/building in Madera County. You have passed on valuable information that I will definitely put to use! Based on the response to my post, it's nice to see how friendly and helpful mountain folks are. http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/happy.gif

Cheers, Bob

As a helpful balance to your information collection, might I suggest that you research your future neighbors as much as is legally and coordially possible...

Mountain Folks there ARE friendly and helpful... But as is with all places, there are bad apples among the bunch, and since a land and home purchase is basically a fairly permanent choice, you would be wise to know before you go... http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/wink3.gif

[cak]

Dont forget to Pre/plan for your Alternative heating/cooling.

That reminds of a neat thing I just saw. It's a bit pricey, maybe, to order via mail order on a whim, but it seems like a really good idea.

Heat Wave Woodstove Fan (http://www.modernoutpost.com/gear/details/te_heat_wave.html)

[Surfus]

They work
but Pricy and dont move a LOT of air.
but enough to get some heat off the top of the stove.

[Kahlua Kid]

Best to also do a water test on the well - some areas have better production that others. And don't go by the well pumps' ability - you want to know what the well actually produces per minute! (We had both production and potability done to be sure when we bought our home.)

Also, good to have a survey done, just to make sure the markers are in the correct spots. (When we bought our place, it was off a good 5 feet one direction and 3 the other side, which actually made the property line run quite different from the fence line. The new computer/digital equipment readings are more accurate than the old fashioned survey equipment was the explanation we got as to why the markers weren't in the right spots...

[seaside_bob]

Best to also do a water test on the well - some areas have better production that others. And don't go by the well pumps' ability - you want to know what the well actually produces per minute! (We had both production and potability done to be sure when we bought our home.)


Thanks Kaluha kid,

Any idea's on what a well test and survey costs to have done? Also, does anyone have a rough idea of what the cost per sq/ft is to build an average 1800 - 2000 sq/ft house in the Oakhurst community?

Cheers, Bob

[Yosemite_Wolf]

Love your avatar there Bob.... making me yearn for the coast.

[seaside_bob]

Originally posted by Yosemite_Wolf:
Love your avatar there Bob.... making me yearn for the coast.

Yes... I took that photo from the East West Ranch trail. If you are ever in Cambria, I recommend this trail. It's an easy walk along the coastal bluff. The county has just finished building a nice wooden boardwalk over about half of the trail. You can find out more about this trail and others in Cambria at http://cambriachamber.org/hiking.php.

Cheers, Bob

[Parvo Pup]

Bob -

Regarding survey costs - if the lot is fairly well de-brushed and most of the original corner markers are still in place - costs seemed to run in the 700-800 dollar range. On the otherhand, if much bush whacking is involved and the markers have long since rusted away - costs can run as high as 1200. Call around to the 3 or so outfits in town for current estimates.

Also, when I got surveyed, the local firms were also running survey parties as far away as Los Banos - meaning we had a 3 week wait until they could shoot my place - so ask about timeframes as well.

Cost per square foot - the county figures at roughly $95 per square - a truer figure was more in the $110 range. Of course, luxury add ons and complex exterior/framing/roof designs will only shoot that price upwards.

Definately shop around - building seems to be slowing compared to the last two years, so the builders may be getting hungry again which could bring the labor costs down a few bucks.

You can always swing by the Building Department in Bass Lake and ask for a "Permit Package" - it will provide you with a list of county code requirements and if they are being nice that day, they will run a spec sheet laying out the fee structure based on square footage.

Another thought to consider - materials. Both price and availability. When I first started our build - we ran into a number of delays due to availability (lack of actually) building materials.

The national building boom both in the US and in China! had created shortages of cement, OSB, plywood and even pea gravel for roadbases!

So when you interview for a GC - ask about the current state of affairs on materials - and then still figure on a 10-15% increase in costs by the time you actually get building.

[Kahlua Kid]

Parvo Pup is right on the money with his answers... exactly what I would have advised you.

The cost for the water test is around $250.

The cost to drill a well... a very different matter entirely. You pay them to drill, not find water... and unfortunately, it is a bit of a crap shoot, but local drillers have experience with the fractures and usually give their best estimate of where to find water. Other locals use water witchers to find out where to start drilling. I have old-time neighbors who swear by water witching.

To drill costs a set-up amount (somewhere around $1,500) and then somewhere in the neighborhood of $16 a foot... water is being found anywhere from 50 feet down (for the extremely lucky) but more sustainable water is really 400-900 feet down. And then, lets talk the water pump... that can range from $300 - $10,000 (yes, $10,000) if they find water very deep at a high rate of production you need a specially ordered pump. It just all depends on what you find and where you find it.

We used Jones and Snyder for our surveying needs multiple times now and have been happy with them. Used them for a lot-line adjustment also.

We were very happy with Wellco Drilling and Wellco Pump. I can't say enough good things about Steve Franco!

And of course we favor Climate Control!

And... its a small town, we all get to know each other. I really like that about living here versus my entire prior life in the Los Angeles area.

[Ironhorse]

My parents used a watch-witcher to drill their well. It was fascinating to watch him, and he was right on with the location he indicated the well should be drilled.

[seaside_bob]

You can always swing by the Building Department in Bass Lake and ask for a "Permit Package" - it will provide you with a list of county code requirements and if they are being nice that day, they will run a spec sheet laying out the fee structure based on square footage.

Thanks for the info!! We are planning a trip to Oakhurst the first part of January. I'll take your advise and see if I can get my hands on a permit packet. I'll send my wife in as she's far more charming then I am http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/laugh.gif Better chance of success!

Cheers, Bob

[Lookout Lee]

After driving up steep gravel roads to inspect a house site where we would need to drill a well, down muddy dirt roads where one has to stop and open a gate for access (do we want to do this in our 80's in the middle of a rainy winter night?), finding a lot next to "questionable" neighbors (trash and cars lying all around - who knows what activities they are involved in?), we found Meadow Springs Ranch in Coarsegold. All utilities at the 2.5+ acre lots (phone, water, elec. pole, fire hydrants every 500 feet), paved road, CDF (fire guys) 1.5 miles away.

On a friend's recommendation we went with Western Homes, a volume home buider with many satisfied customers. I visited their models in Madera. Other local builders, like Bricker and Oak something have models there too. find out there requirements before you get your land.

Our 2170' 4 br, 3 ba home started at $123K. Your can make any changes you want - you will have to pay extra for the upgrades.

No problems with permits at all (and there seems to be one required for everything you can imagine, and some you can't)

Be sure to consider health care before you choose a place to live! We are happy older Kaiser members and therefore unable to live in SLO where I have 2 daughters. There is a clinic in Oakhurst, and hospital in Fresno.

Do you really want to tie up all your retirement $ in a roof over your head? We have a terrific new house that will not need major maintenance in our lifetimes - and $$$ left over to travel!

[seaside_bob]

Thanks Lee,

Great advise!! Looks like I have more areas and options to research. What's the weather like in Coarsegold on average? And how hot does it get in the summer and how cold in the winter?

Cheers, Bob

[Yosemite_Wolf]

it still gets cold in Coarsegold. Meadow Springs is Below the actual town of Coarsegold, yet above the Casino and rd 417. You are just above 2000 feet.... so snowfall varies.... It takes a really really cold weather system to make Coarsegold white. (had snow for 2 weeks one yr in Indian Lakes.... ) I live in YLP and we get snow very rarely... but YLP is famous for very steep and hard to manuver driveways.

Hope you find a good spot o land and enjoy living here.
(I can't believe that you would want to leave Beautiful Cambria!!!!!.....my favourite town)

[MtnEagle]

Originally posted by Lookout Lee:
...finding a lot next to "questionable" neighbors (trash and cars lying all around - who knows what activities they are involved in?),...

This made me chuckle... Some of the cleanest yards may have the most obnoxious owners...

http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/wink3.gif

[Dawn]

Summer is extremely hot here

[Surfus]

Originally posted by Dawn:
Summer is extremely hot here
?? extremely ??
it gets real hot over 90 for about 20 days in the whole summer. the rest of the summer is normal central california heat.
You want to see Extrem heat go to Phoenex
the photo is a graph of the temp for the summer of 2006

[Surfus]

here is the Indian Lakes in Coarsegold Weather station Data. Coarsegold had about 30 days over 90
but not 30 days in a row.

[seaside_bob]

Originally posted by Surfus:
here is the Indian Lakes in Coarsegold Weather station Data. Coarsegold had about 30 days over 90
but not 30 days in a row.

So I'm to assume that air conditioning is a must if we choose the Coarsegold area... Also, is Coarsegold high enough above the Central Valley smog cloud? I heard on the news the other day that do to excessive smog in the summer months asthma is becoming a real problem with children living in the Central Valley.

Cheers, Bob

[Yosemite_Wolf]

eply
if its hot in coarsgpold.. its hot in oaky

as for stove use.. if ya have a propane tank.. you can u the stove

[Kahlua Kid]

If I had to say a range

Summer - can get over 100, but usually 90's

Winter - usually 40's during day when the sun comes up to warm everything - can get down to 30's - overnight, I've seen it as low at 18 one time... but usually 20's/30's

Spring and Fall - my favs - when the temperatures are just beautiful.

One thing I miss terribly - 70's... we don't get many of those days - it tends to "slam" into winter and "slam" into summer here... its not as moderate/temperate as the coast - ah... missing Ventura county for that very reason. But that is the only thing I miss from back home other than family.

We love Coarsegold! Usually above the fog, usually below the snowline.

I don't know about the smog... If we are actually in it or above it... I think we are above it at 2,200 feet. (Our sky is usually a beautiful bright blue as opposed to being down in Fresno looking up.) But Coarsegold ranges from 1,000 feet to 3,000 feet depending on what part of Coarsegold you are talking about. YLP? Indian Lakes? Coarsegold proper? Thornberry/Hawkins Valley area? Quartz Mountain? Coarsegold runs for quite a distance north/south, east/west

[Dawn]

Hi Bob, If you are used to the summers on the coast, the summer here is much different. I have relatives that have visited from the coast and they thought it was extremely hot for them.

I also heard on the local news last summer that hundreds of cattle died because of the heat.

You should visit the area in the summer before building your dream home.

[Dawn]

My parents regret moving here. Now that they are in their old age they worry that incase of a heart attack they wouldn't be able to get treatment within the critical "Golden Hour" to increase chances for survival and recovery. The hospital is just too far away.

[Surfus]

Originally posted by seaside_bob:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Surfus:
here is the Indian Lakes in Coarsegold Weather station Data. Coarsegold had about 30 days over 90
but not 30 days in a row.

So I'm to assume that air conditioning is a must if we choose the Coarsegold area... Also, is Coarsegold high enough above the Central Valley smog cloud? I heard on the news the other day that do to excessive smog in the summer months asthma is becoming a real problem with children living in the Central Valley.

Cheers, Bob </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Most of the times when you do heating for a new home a duel pack it used. Heat and Air-Cooling built into one unit.
Most homes in this climate use a secondary Alternative Cooling Evaporative cooling. See our website for more info. www.aireze.com (http://www.aireze.com)
If you are heat sensitive in the more humid Day or VERY HOT OVER 103 some people would use the AC.

I have never used my AC only my Evaporative cooler for the cost is must less.
About $70 Cents an hour for AC and about $10 cents an hour for Evaporative cooling.
http://www.aireze.com/whyuse.html

Thing you have to know about Utility cost are much more in the Mountains.
PGE is around $14 cents KWH base and up to $20 Cents KWH after base use.
Most cities are around $7 cents HWH.
We don’t have Natural Gas so Liquid Propane is our only other Fuel option and the average cost at this time is $2.40 per gallon.
How much fuel you use depends on size of home and other uses of LP in your home but an average home up here will spend $1500 an year in LPG for heating, cooking and dryer use. If they only use there Heating system for heat.
To off set that cost you can have a wood stove or pellet stove. or every Zone heat your house with Small Gas fireplaces or stoves so your not wasting Fuel to heat every room at the same time by putting Small Gas stoves or fireplaces in Each of the larger rooms of your home and one in the Master Bedroom.
Most of my customer has a Wood or Pellet stove in the living room and a small gas stove or fireplace in the Master Bedroom.

We heat our 1900 sq feet home with nothing but our ONE pellet stove. Our average cost of pellets is about $600 per year keeping our home at 72 deg 24 hours a day.

Yes the Valley does have a Problem with PM10 particles. This is because of the LARGE basin that traps every kind of DUST and particulates. Agriculture has a lot to do with this and dusty roads. Not the same kind of thing when you think of LA type smog it is more Particulates is the problems go to www.valleyair.org (http://www.valleyair.org) for more.
On wood Burring defense the NEW clean burring stoves do not put out as much Particulates as Older wood burners or ANY fireplace. New clean burning stoves and put out and average of 5 Grams and no more 9 by law. Older Wood burners (Pre 1990) and ALL open fireplaces put out 30 to 60 grams of Particulates. This is why you can ONLY install a NEW clean burring stove or fireplace in new homes.

To clear up Yosemite Wolfs Obscure Post.
"if its hot in coarsgpold.. its hot in oaky

as for stove use.. if ya have a propane tank.. you can u the stove"

Short Explanation.
The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control
District has a rule 4901 restricting wood burning.

First for New construction you can only have one wood burning device per home on a acre or greater. There are more restrictions for densely populated areas but most of the mountains parcels are more that an acre. See the valleyair.org site for more. http://www.valleyair.org/rules/currntrules/r4901.pdf
(Fresno County and City has More strict rules in most cased you can’t have any woodburning for any NEW home permits)

Wood burning restrictions:
There are days that the SJVAPCD has Restrictions for wood burning.
The mountain area is exempt for two reasons.
First most of us are above 3000 feet and the other most important exemption is if you
DO NOT HAVE PIPED IN NATURAL GAS you are exempt from the NON BURN day restrictions. (you can all thank me and my HPBA association www.hpbapacific.org (http://www.hpbapacific.org) for that exemption)
No one is exempt from the rules governing the installation of clean burning stoves nor the Need of removal of OLDER NON EPA (pre 1990) stoves at the sales of a home.

Mariposa County does not fall into the rules above for they have their own air district.

[seaside_bob]

Most of the times when you do heating for a new home a duel pack it used. Heat and Air-Cooling built into one unit.
Most homes in this climate use a secondary Alternative Cooling Evaporative cooling. See our website for more info. www.aireze.com (http://www.aireze.com)
If you are heat sensitive in the more humid Day or VERY HOT OVER 103 some people would use the AC.

Hi Rod,

Thanks for all the info about heating, cooling, regulations and particulates in the mountain region! It's greatly appreciated... This is all valuable information that I'll use as we move closer toward the planning stages of our home. I'll definitely be giving your company a call in the near future. In the meantime I'm going to check out the web sites that you suggest. Thanks again to you and everyone who has taken the time to post their expertise and insights on living and building in the mountains. Many of your posts have brought to light subjects that I did not even consider or think about before starting this topic. And that is what makes your input so valuable...

Cheers to all, Bob