山火事で自宅全焼の記録ーーーーー第11回：『建築事務所との正式契約 & ブログの準備』新展開編 　Contract w/ Architect & Preparation for the Blog

第11回：『建築事務所との正式契約 & ブログの準備』新展開編

第11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:2』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。
今回は真ん中の3項目（緑部分）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、（癒し効果も考慮）『雑記系ブログ』を始める!!
＊新居のデザイン：『桂離宮の濡れ縁コンセプト』の謎？
＊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

今回からの3回は、非常にエキサイティングな記事内容となりそうです、
それでは行ってみましょう！

＊いよいよ、SV建築事務所とAIA書式にて正式契約

SV建築事務所との契約が近づいています。

歴史的にみて、家主と建築事務所、さらには工務店との契約には次のように、
いろいろ危うい点があるようで、

＊建築事務所からの賃金の請求、工期、責務、権利などの詳細が不明になりやすい点
＊建築事務所と工務店がつながっている場合、契約内容が複雑化かつ曖昧化する点
＊その場合、施工内容が建築家の設計に沿っているかの判断が難しい点
＊その場合、家主側の便宜、要望、権利が守られない恐れがある点

そんな不安から、建築家自身と施工主の権利を守るために、公的団体が契約体系をデザインして、書式にて使用可能になっています。

SVさんから3種類の契約方法について提示いただき、

彼自身は、
『AIA式』の建築計画の契約書
が一番安心できる、と教えていただき、

大変長く複雑な契約書とその解説部をしっかり読んで、
妻ともよく話し合った結果、建築家と施工主の双方にとって安心な内容に賛同して、

この『AIA式』の契約書式で、ＳＶ建築事務所と契約することに決めました。

契約書への記入自体もかなり複雑でしたが、
ＳＶさんとズームで会話しながら、質問したり、
注意点を指摘してもらい何とか正式に契約が整いました。

契約内容の要旨は：

* 詳しい工期と設計・施工段階の区分け
* 予算額とその割り振り
* 工賃の支払い形態
* 工務店その他のサービス等の扱い
* 設計・監理サービス内容の詳細
* 銀行口座情報
* などなど多岐にわたってましたが、

SVさんの人柄と相まって、
しっかりした契約をしたといった安心感がありました。

この後は、焼失前の正式な自宅の図面を仕上げて、
それをLA群の役場に提出し、再建許可の書類の一部とします。

そして、いよいよ本格的な設計段階に入っていきます。

＊再建デザインのための青写真 : 製作開始！

SV事務所さんとの正式な契約を済ませ、
落ち着く間もなく、私たちの再建する自宅についての
具体的な構想を決めなくてはなりません。

妻と暇を見つけて意見交換した内容を私が、

＊スケッチや、
＊文章、
＊サイトの参考リンクなど

を使って、SVさんに伝えています。
具体的には以下のように進展していきました。

次回の再建記事では、
私のつたない、コンセプト・スケッチや手書きの図面をご披露いたしますので、

お楽しみに―

＊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

次回の記事ではいよいよ、ブログを開設する『てんやわんや』
に付き記してみたいです。

お楽しみに―

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Translation in English !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Record of My Home Being Completely Destroyed by Wildfire———Part 11: ‘Formal Contract with Architect & Blog Preparation’ New Developments Edition
October 25, 2025 / October 28, 2025

Part 11: ‘Formal Contract with Architect & Blog Preparation’ New Developments Edition

Episode 11 is titled ‘Beginning Design of the Rebuilt Home & The Nerve-Wracking, Heart-Pounding Blog Launch Part:2’. I’d like to focus on the ‘total chaos’ of April and May 2025.

I’ll proceed as outlined below.
This time covers the middle three items (green sections).

＊After swapping furniture, lunch and conversation with an old friend brought peace of mind
＊Search for valuables at home by the charity ‘Samaritan’s Purse’
＊Communication regarding temporary investment of the reconstruction insurance payout
＊Finally signing a formal contract with SV Architects using AIA standard forms?
＊Blueprint for the new design: Production begins!
＊Beginning to collect hobby-related mini cars and magazines via mail order from Japan
＊Starting a ‘miscellaneous blog’ (considering its therapeutic effect too), encouraged by my wife!!
＊New home concept: The mystery of ‘Katsura Imperial Villa’s veranda’?
＊Planning celebrations (gifts, events?) for our 25th wedding anniversary on May 13th
＊The long-delayed debris removal finally begins

The next three entries promise to be incredibly exciting content.
Let’s get started!

＊Finally, formal contract with SV Architects using AIA forms

The contract with SV Architects is approaching.

Historically, contracts between homeowners, architectural firms, and even construction companies have had various precarious points, such as:

＊Details like fee claims from the architectural firm, construction schedule, responsibilities, and rights often become unclear
＊When the architectural firm and construction company are connected, contract terms become complex and ambiguous
* In such cases, it becomes difficult to verify whether construction aligns with the architect’s design.
* In such cases, there is a risk that the homeowner’s interests, requests, and rights may not be protected.

To address these concerns and protect the rights of both the architect and the client, public organizations have designed contract frameworks available in standardized formats.

SV presented us with three contract methods,

and he himself advised that
the ‘AIA-style’ architectural planning contract
offered the greatest peace of mind.

After thoroughly reading the very long and complex contract and its explanatory notes,
and discussing it extensively with my wife, we agreed that its terms provided reassurance for both the architect and the client.

and decided to contract with SV Architects using this ‘AIA-style’ contract form.

Filling out the contract itself was quite complex,
but by conversing with SV via Zoom, asking questions,
and having him point out important details, we managed to formally finalize the contract.

The key points of the contract are:

* Detailed construction schedule and division of design/construction phases
* Budget amount and its allocation
* Payment structure for labor costs
* Handling of contractors and other services
* Detailed scope of design and supervision services
* Bank account information
* And various other points.

Combined with SV’s character,
it gave us a sense of security that we had a solid contract.

Next, we will finalize the official blueprints of our home as it was before the fire,
submit them to the LA County office, and use them as part of the rebuilding permit application.

Then, we will finally enter the full-scale design phase.

＊Blueprint for the Rebuilding Design: Production Begins!

After finalizing the formal contract with SV Architects,
we had no time to settle in before needing to decide on
the concrete vision for our rebuilt home.

I communicated the ideas my wife and I discussed whenever we found time
to SV using:
＊Sketches,
＊Written notes,
＊Reference links from websites, etc.

Specifically, progress unfolded as follows:

Regarding the home section design, the precise floor plan of the old house is complete.
We’ve registered it with the county and are now waiting for the rebuilding permit to be issued.
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In the meantime, the three of us are discussing the 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 other structural elements
(except for a few steel members needed for major roof reinforcement due to 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 rebuilding permits for additions under 10% are reportedly fast-tracked,
we will expand the guest bedroom and living room each by 1 foot north and south, respectively.
Additionally, we will add deck areas around the living room and dining room as covered porches, which are not counted in the floor area.
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＊ Replace the south-facing windows in the living room and dining area from wood to steel or aluminum,
creating a floor-to-ceiling ‘Wall of Glass’ (fixed panes except for the door section?).
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＊ Extend the current men’s shower area 3 feet southward,
adding a Japanese-style ‘bath area (open-air bath overlooking the garden?)’.
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＊ To mitigate intense western sunlight in summer,
install sliding wooden vertical louvers 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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Material Selection:
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＊ Window frames and windows (My workplace supervisor says these are the most important)
＊ Research price differences by manufacturer based on conditions like size, thickness, single/double glazing, and material.
＊ Doors (I was told to carefully select these too, as there are many and they are frequently touched).
＊ Searching for materials for the veranda area
＊ Searching for a bathtub (material: cypress, stone, rock, aluminum?)
＊ Sliding lattice sections (length, thickness, ready-made or built-in?)
＊ Lighting fixtures and methods suitable for each room/area (tension wire, stands, indirect lighting, halogen, LED, etc.)
＊ Kitchen (system? built-in? style, ventilation method, etc.)
＊ Toilet and washroom interior finishes and style
＊ Living room built-in details (low bookshelf, vertical lattice storage behind fireplace, wife’s desk)
＊ Size and design of board to conceal rooftop AC unit and ductwork
＊ Material selection for main roof and flat roof sections
＊ Solar panel size and fuel cell generator selection for storage (Toshiba, Tesla?)
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For the non-residential portion, we plan to convert the garage’s second floor into a rental unit (ADU),
so we’ve also asked SV Architects to design that section.
(Since rental units serve others, they apparently get county approval more easily?)
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For SV, this part is more blue-sky, so it might be more fun to design?
The first floor will be divided into two sections: one as a garage, the other as my studio.
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I intend to stay deeply involved and witness the process,
documenting it as an invaluable, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

In the next reconstruction article,
I’ll share my rough concept sketches and hand-drawn plans,

so stay tuned―

＊Start collecting hobby miniatures and hobby-related magazines via mail order from Japan

Items I collected as a hobby before my home burned down:

＊Automobile miniatures (primarily 1/64 and 1/43 scale die-cast completed models)
＊Plastic models (Gundam, Evangelion, cars, etc.)
＊Books and magazines related to models, cars, art, and architecture
＊1/6 and 1/12 scale action figures

From among these, I plan to carefully select and repurchase items that hold special memories or that I wish to keep close,
as well as add to my collection.
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While researching this time, I was fortunate to discover that Surugaya, a niche mail-order company, sells not only books and magazines but also 1/64 scale mini cars and 1/6 scale action figures on their international site.
I’m both thrilled and a bit worried about overspending…
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Prices are about 20% higher than Surugaya’s Japanese site,
but the free international shipping (DHL) is fantastic.
(I couldn’t believe it at first!)
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As a result, I can buy items for less than half the price compared to eBay here,
and they list many products unavailable on eBay, Amazon, or other sites.
(It’s almost like a site made just for me. lol)
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Furthermore, for ultra-niche items (like used books) unavailable at Surugaya, you can use international shipping proxy services like ‘BUYEE’ to purchase them from Yahoo Auctions, Mercari, or the joint site for Kanda’s used book district.
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If it weren’t for this, I wouldn’t even have known about Yahoo’s proxy bidding or international shipping services, so I plan to use them a lot going forward.
What’s more, by the time my home rebuild is finished, I should be able to buy used furniture and household goods in Japan too, which I’m really looking forward to.

In my next post, I’ll finally write about the ‘total chaos’ of setting up this blog.

Stay tuned―

Translated with DeepL.com

ABOUT ME

折り紙キャット

愛知県生まれ、米国在住の立体造形好き、2025年の山火事で自宅、趣味で改造したガンプラ、フィギュア、ミニカー等のコレクションすべてを焼失。自宅再建と失くした物の買い直しについての日記です。

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