山火事で自宅全焼の記録ーーーーー第10回：『旧友との昼食＆慈善団体による自宅の貴重品探し』設計編 　Happy Lunch with Old Friends & Help by 【Samarian Purse】

第10回の今回は『再建宅の設計開始 ＆ ハラハラ・ドキドキのブログ立ち上げ Part:1』と題しまして、2025年4月、5月中の『てんやわんや』を中心にお話ししてみたいです。

以下の要領で進めていきます。
今回は初めの3項目についてのお話です。

＊家具の入れ換え後、旧友と昼食、談笑で心が安らぐ
＊『サマリアン・パース』という慈善団体による自宅の貴重品探し
＊振り込まれた再建用保険金の一時的投資先とのやり取り
＊いよいよSV建築事務所とAIA式書式にて正式契約？
＊新築デザインのための青写真:製作開始！
＊日本からの通販で趣味のミニカーやホビー関係の雑誌を集め始める
＊妻の勧めもあり、（癒し効果も考え）『雑記系ブログ』を始める!!
＊5/13日の結婚25周年に向け、お祝い（プレゼント、行事？）を考える
＊遅れに遅れた瓦礫撤去、いよいよ開始

近況を話し合っていた時、
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ふと、
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『こんな目にあって初めて周りの人のありがたみがわかった。
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これからは心を入れ替えて、周りの人と積極的に接して、
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人間関係に時間を割くようにしたい。』

＊今までのままで、神様に愛されているし、周りの私たちをひきつける「何か」がある。
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＊極端に人を選ぶタイプだけど、「ツボにはまった人たち」にとっては、かけがえのない友達になれる人だから、そのままでいればいいと思う。

こんな感じで慰めていただきました。
（今考えてみると、、、喜んでいいのか、悪いのか微妙なところですが、、、、笑）
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其の後、以前お話しした、ダースベイダーのマスクのような怪音を発し続ける、
保険会社の口座係のスタッフの話をして、
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連邦政府からFIMAを通して、
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『陸軍災害対策チームによる瓦礫撤去の順番があと2週間のところまで迫っている、』
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という連絡がありました。
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＊私たちの焼けた自宅の土地と建物が妻の両親との共同所有になっていたことが問題になり、
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＊妻のお姉さん夫婦の力を借りて、お母さんからサインをもらって、
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＊何とか事なきを得ましたが、都合3週間とさらに2度の面会が必要になりました。
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結局一か月後に、
無事、安全かつ効率的な投資プランが見つかり、
設計期間中に資金が目減りすることが無いよう手が打てたことで、少し安心しました。
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Jさんとはその後も、
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＊資金を必要なタイミングで融通できるよう、
＊ネットのアカウントを作り、
＊資金の状態を観察したりできるようにしていただき、
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更に私たちが実際に使えるように何度もの練習に立ち会ってもらいました。
（最近のネット犯罪に対する、セキュリティーチェックの厳重さには、ありがたいと思うと同時に、実際に使う段になると非常にまどろっこしくて、気が滅入りマス、、、、、泣）

After swapping out furniture, lunch with old friends brought peace of mind through laughter and conversation.

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Recovering from moving fatigue in early April,
a couple friend invited us to lunch (to check on us),
and the four of us went to our favorite Mexican restaurant, famous for its fish tacos.
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While catching up on recent events,
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suddenly,
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“It took going through this to truly appreciate the people around me.
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From now on, I want to change my attitude, actively engage with those around me,
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and dedicate time to nurturing relationships.”

…those words just came out.

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In response, my friend and his wife said,

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* You’re loved by God just as you are now, and you have that special “something” that draws us to you.
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* You’re the type who’s extremely selective about people, but for those who “click” with you, you become an irreplaceable friend. So I think you should just stay as you are.

They comforted me like this.
(Thinking about it now… I’m not sure if I should be happy or not… haha)
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After that, we talked about the insurance company account clerk I mentioned before—the one who keeps making that strange noise like a Darth Vader mask.
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We all laughed heartily and said our goodbyes.

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*Searching for valuables at home by the charity ‘Samaritan’s Purse’

Before we could settle in after replacing the furniture,

we received notification from the federal government via FIMA:
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‘The Army Disaster Response Team’s debris removal schedule is now just two weeks away.’
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This meant
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Debris removal =
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Means everything in the home, including the foundation, will be gone.
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Before that, there is the task of searching for valuables within the debris.

Fortunately, a charity exists to assist with this work.
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(It’s an evangelical Christian association called Samaritan’s Purse, which was also dispatched to Japan during the Great East Japan Earthquake.)
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They send teams of 5-6 people to the homes of disaster victims. They work together to search through the rubble, dividing tasks to find jewelry, specified personal items of sentimental value, and so on.
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(If they find things that aren’t needed or that people want to donate, they take those items.
They apparently sell them in the thrift shops they operate.)
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This Samaritan’s Purse assignment took place in early April.
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We assembled at 9 AM that morning,
and more than 10 team members—more than expected—were already prepared at the site.
(They mentioned this was the team’s final workday; starting tomorrow, everyone would go their separate ways, so it promised to be an emotionally significant job.)
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＊After introductions,
＊The church coordinator introduced the organization and led a safety prayer,
＊My wife and I were given full-body protective suits,
＊They asked us about items we wanted to find, sentimental valuables, or specific things to collect,
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Finally, the team members split up and took their positions. We joined them in gathering fragments of pottery, iron fittings, plant pots, and other items from the rubble, filling about three cardboard boxes.
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Two or three people concentrated their search around areas where valuables were likely to be found, such as the bedroom dresser and around the dressing mirror. Three strong members of the team worked together, without heavy machinery, to remove iron pillars and broken walls. They meticulously searched the areas hidden beneath these structures.
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Work finished around 12:30 pm.
We all shared water and snacks together,
chatted and laughed about various things,
and around 1:00 pm, we took a commemorative photo before saying our goodbyes.
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Thank you so much for your truly careful and considerate help.
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In the afternoon, we moved the three large boxes of belongings and potted plants we had set aside
to a friend’s backyard for safekeeping.

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*Communication regarding the temporary investment of the reconstruction funds (insurance payout) that were deposited

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Fortunately, thanks to the mediation of Mr. M from the insurance company, who was extremely conscientious,
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＊The funds needed to repurchase essential household items, and
＊The full amount of the fire insurance compensation
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Faced with an unprecedented sum of money, we were at a loss.
Then my wife recalled Mr. J from the investment bank,
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who had previously come to give a fund management seminar for staff at the public elementary school where she worked.
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We promptly contacted him, met with him,
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*His role as a financial advisor,
*Advice on fund management,
*Answers to our questions about current financial concerns and loans,
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We received truly precise advice.
We met again that same week and decided to engage his services going forward.
While filling out the documents for fund management and confirming the necessary details,
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* An issue arose because the land and building of our burned-down home were jointly owned with my wife’s parents.
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* With the help of my wife’s sister and her husband, we obtained my mother-in-law’s signature,
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* and managed to resolve the matter. However, it took a total of three weeks and required two additional meetings.
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Finally, a month later,
we found a safe and efficient investment plan,
and measures were taken to prevent the funds from diminishing during the planning period, which brought some relief.
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After that, with Mr. J,
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* To ensure funds could be accessed when needed,
* We set up an online account,
* Allowing us to monitor the fund’s status,
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He also attended multiple practice sessions to ensure we could actually use it.
(While I appreciate the stringent security checks against recent online crimes, the actual process is incredibly tedious and depressing… sob)

Next time, I’d like to introduce the formal contract with Architect SV and the start of the reconstruction design.

Stay tuned―

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Reconstruction Project Progress:
(I’ll report in detail next time, but this is like a preview.)
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Regarding the design for the home portion, the precise floor plan of the old house is complete.
We’ve submitted it to the county and are waiting for the reconstruction permit to be issued.
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In the meantime, the three of us are discussing changes from the old house via email and Zoom.
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Key Changes:
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＊ Replacing concrete block walls in the master bedroom, guest bedroom, and living room with 2×4 wood framing.
All other walls, the roof, and structural components
(except for a few steel reinforcements needed for the large roof reinforcement associated with sliding partitions between the living room and kitchen)
will use 2×4, 4×4, and 6×6 lumber to achieve both high insulation and cost savings.
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＊　Since additions under 10% floor area get rebuilding permits fast,
we’ll expand the guest bedroom and living room each by 1 foot north and south.
We’ll also add deck areas around the living room and dining room as covered porches, which don’t count toward floor area.
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＊ Replace the south-facing windows in the living room and dining room with steel or aluminum frames,
creating floor-to-ceiling ‘Walls of Glass’ (fixed panels except for the door section).
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＊ Extend the current men’s shower area 3 feet southward
and add a Japanese-style ‘bath area (open-air bath overlooking the garden?)’.
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＊ To mitigate the intense western sun in summer,
install sliding wooden vertical lattice panels in front of the door and kitchen windows.
(This itself will become the most eye-catching design accent when viewed from the west.)
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Moving forward to finalize details for the new construction section,
we will each gather information on parts using materials other than wood
and discuss whether they meet our standards for quality and price.
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Materials:
＊ Window frames and windows (My workplace supervisor says this is the most important part)
＊ Research price differences by manufacturer based on conditions like size, thickness, single/double glazing, and material.
* Doors (also numerous and frequently touched, so advised to choose carefully)
* Search for materials for the veranda area
* Search for bathtub (material: cypress, stone, rock, aluminum?)
* Sliding lattice sections (length, thickness, prefabricated or custom-built?)
＊ Lighting fixtures and methods for each room/area (tension wire, stands, indirect, halogen, LED, etc.)
＊ Kitchen (system? built-in? style, ventilation method, etc.)
＊ Toilet and washroom interior finishes
＊ Details for built-in living room elements (low bookshelf, vertical lattice storage behind fireplace, wife’s desk)
＊ Size and design of boards to conceal rooftop AC unit and ductwork
＊ Material selection for main roof and flat sections
＊ Solar panel size and fuel cell generator selection for storage (Toshiba, Tesla?)
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Beyond the main house, we plan to convert the garage’s second floor into a rental unit (ADU),
so we’ve also commissioned designs for that section.
(Since rental units serve others, county approval is reportedly easier to obtain?)
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For SV, this might be the more blue-sky part, so perhaps more rewarding to design?
The first floor will be divided into two sections: one as a garage, the other as my studio.
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Regarding rebuilding our home, the initial highly creative phase is already over,
and we’ve entered the reality phase of staring down the cost.
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I want to keep digging in and witnessing the process closely,
and record it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. lol

Translated with DeepL.com

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