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bldginsp
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# Posted: 8 Apr 2016 10:34pm - Edited by: bldginsp
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Verify that the approval to build obtained by them will apply to you, it may not. In other words they may have gotten approval to build a specific design of structure in a specific location on the lot. That may be all that was approved, and if you want to build a different building you may have to go through the whole process again yourself. I doubt their approval will transfer to a different set of plans, but if you want to build what they designed you could do that. Planning approvals are for a specific structure on a specific lot, and are transferable to other owners, but only to build what was approved.
Pretty lot! Is it right on the water?
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 8 Apr 2016 11:23pm
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Julie, nice. Ponderosa pines, elevation must be around 2500-4000 feet in elevation? Caution when you see "conservation", look close, its usually lots of strings and you will be under someone else s thumb, can be some or lots of restrictions to the lands use. Just double check as to what the restrictions are regarding this conservation deal. Power, septic approval, good to go. Hopefully, the septic approval/design is still good?
Flat, open areas, road, power, lake front, wildlife. Heaven on earth Julie. Hey, is the lake view a south or southwest view? This could be good for solar. No trees blocking sunlight later on as the trees get taller.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 9 Apr 2016 12:11am
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Yep, the septic approval is still good. There was no design filed. My project and use is so small that I'd need to do a totally different design, anyway. The On Site person said just a holding tank would probably be sufficient, and that was even before I decided on a compost toilet and greywater system.
Conservation was my word which probably isn't accurate. Basically, it's a wintering area for mule deer which means building density comes into play. That's all. The seller said the paperwork was easy enough and he got building approval. He's sending copies of it all to me so I can look it over and see what it means before we discuss the particulars of any sort of deal.
What's freaking PERFECT about the land is that it's level in front and about a 30 percent gradual upward slope in the back. Bingo -- I can gravity-feed my water down to the cabin!
With power to the property, I will get an estimate on hooking up. If it isn't high, then I WILL hook up, pay a couple of months to establish as a Pacific Power customer and THEN install solar. Why? Because Pacific Power existing customers qualify for the state Energy Trust to pay a portion of their solar power system and there's the whole net-metering thing. I'd use electric as a backup to solar, though. 
Recalling where the reservoir is in relation to the property, I believe it's southwest.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 9 Apr 2016 02:37am
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bldginsp
The reservoir is 200 yards away. Perfect, really. It'll be a bit less buggy and I won't have to worry about flooding in times of a lot of snow melt.
I'm sorry -- I was confusing in my flurry of excitement, lol. By approval to build, I meant that the owner got the approval to build from the office that handles the wildlife aspect. This was a couple of years ago. Any building permit he would have had to build on the land from the county would have expired by now. The wildlife overlay approval is good for a number of years, though, and that permit only costs something like $40, anyway.
The septic approval doesn't expire. Only a permit does. So, yeah, I'd have to get a septic permit but at least I wouldn't have to go through the whole test pit/perc test/soil analysis thing again because that's on record. This will save me time and money. I can proceed with submitting the site plan and such. He's actually going to send me a copy of his that was approved so I have an idea. All I'd have to do is change the size for my cabin, really, because he plotted the setbacks, the septic, and water source.
I'm stoked. This is a really nice property. He offered to go out and take a video of it and send it to me. I have 48 pics already, which gives me a pretty darn good indication, lol.
Oh, and it's less than a half-mile from the state highway so easy access to town, too.
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 9 Apr 2016 07:00am
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so theres where all the deer went to Julie.we have not seen hide nor hair of deer since winters start.lol.
thats a beautiful piece of property there.very nice.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 9 Apr 2016 08:04am - Edited by: Julie2Oregon
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cabingal3
Thank you! Can't wait for y'all to come on over for supper and the deer petting zoo, lol. Yep, apparently, this is their winter refuge. One of them, anyway. And they're so used to people, the gent said, that the neighbor told him they'll come up to your place and look in your windows, hahahaha! I'll surely have to be careful driving home at night!
This land is actually less expensive than the parcel I originally bought. A bit smaller but, geez, so much nicer and ready to build on! There's a clearing behind the first line of trees near the road and there's a hand-dug driveway begun on the left side of the property that goes back a piece. That will be a great start for now! 
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Littlecooner
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# Posted: 9 Apr 2016 09:15am
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This looks great and I love the photos of the lot. Sounds so much better than the other lot and it is "ready" with septic permit only a small fee away and power available. You should be excited. If you start feeding those deer in the winter, they will be all around the house, and will be "company". I want to see a photo of you feeding one where it is taking food from your hand. It will take time, but can be done.
Woo, Hoo: Julie 2 Oregon, now.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 9 Apr 2016 09:53am
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Julie, I cant see any downsides. Just add the contingency on the sale, ie permitting for your structure. I think having power is great. There will be times, little solar, so you will never be without power. Make enough, sell it back, get a check from power company. Southwest exposure over the reservoir is perfect. Best view for unobstructed solar panels.
Holding tank needs pumping, I would add the leech field if its OK and be one less item you need to worry about. How far is power? Layout the site plan well, I think they can run power in 250 feet before a transformer may be needed, it may be 350. How many acres? Look for tax breaks from open space, timberland, etc.
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Don_P
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# Posted: 9 Apr 2016 10:11am
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Knee jerk, that looks like a better deal. One caveat and it probably depends more on your real gardening goals. A small hard sided polycarbonate greenhouse would probably be fine. If you are serious about market gardening... you aren't growing anything or even keeping the skin on a greenhouse without serious fencing, (allowable on winter range?). We have 7' deer fence around the garden and high tunnel, yup they will break and enter, we initially ran another flashy flagged strand at 9' to break the habit.
I prefer the concept of grid tie with minimal battery backup.
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 9 Apr 2016 11:32am
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Looks great! I agree with Toyota- avoid the holding tank thing altogether if you can. Where I am I know of someone whose septic drainfield failed, so now his tank is essentially a holding tank and he has to have it pumped regularly- to the tune of $1800 each time. County won't let him put in a new drainfield because of high ground water, his only choice is to pump the tank. It's so expensive because they have to truck it 100 miles to get to a waste water treatment plant that will accept it. Probably cheaper where you are but still once a drainfield is in, no regular payment for pumping a holding tank. A regular tank does have to be pumped periodically, though.
That's great that the owner got those pre-approvals for septic and being in the deer wintering zone. Those can take time, sometimes.
Hope you can keep the deer out of the veggies....
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Littlecooner
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# Posted: 9 Apr 2016 06:26pm - Edited by: Littlecooner
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Keeping deer out of the garden is not that hard, you just have to do it correctly. One fence will never work. A double electric fence does work. standard separation is 30 inches, two wires on the inside and one wire on the outside. see the below link for photos and instructions. Most people will bait the outside fence when first installed with peanut butter to get the deer to put its nose to the hot wire. With all that thick hair, especially the winter coat, it takes a good "hot" electric fence to produce a shock to a deer. With julie on the electric grid, should be no problem to do a dual fence around the garden, and use a good hot controller to provide a shock thru the thick hair and still have them walking around the front yard like pets. They just need to be trained that they can not go in the garden. Fence must be run at all times to keep them out.
http://deerbuilder.com/DB/features/foodplots/FoodPlotElectricFencing/
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 9 Apr 2016 06:53pm
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Here are some more pics:
The power lines are right along the fence at the property boundary so I wouldn't have to extend the line to the cabin more than 100 feet, depending on how/where I sited the cabin.
This is the surrounding 'hood.
Plus a pic of the road and another of some of the road frontage. Nice privacy but also a driveway started on the left and clearing behind those trees.
I've read the Oregon graywater guidelines and recommendations for a system and, since I won't have blackwater, there is a decent argument to be made for having the required graywater diversion from my graywater filter going to a small leech area of its own if the greenhouse beds get saturated. I found the description for building such a thing in the codes and, while non-binding, it's very reasonable, especially for the size of my project and the small amount of graywater I'd be diverting if diversion was necessary.
Seems to me that the worst case scenario (from my perspective) would be a holding tank, and that's not really a bad case of "worst." I may have to file a variance based on the onsite recommendation but we'll see. The folks have seemed quite reasonable and as long as I go in there with a designed septic plan, I think it'll be OK.
Hopefully, the deer won't be able to get into my greenhouse. It's actually a modified potting shed so it's sturdier, with more wood framing, a wood door, and a lean-to roof, than a typical greenhouse. We are simply adding another window and more polycarbonate.
I guess I can kiss any hope of enjoying wild strawberries, blackberries, and mushrooms goodbye, though, hahahaha.
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Littlecooner
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# Posted: 9 Apr 2016 08:24pm
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I love the new lot. Go for it, gal. This looks like a great place to spent the rest of your life. Next door neighbor is planning a trip to your part of the world to show the grand kids the area. Send me the address and I will request him to drive by in June and look it over. He grew up a few miles north of your area and moved to the SE 50 years ago, and has been living next door for 18 years. I have listened to so many stories of the area that I feel like I know your area. Looks great. Time to sell the place in Texas and move north. You can plant your own strawberries, blackberries inside that deer proof electric fence and enjoy the great outdoors of the NW.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 9 Apr 2016 08:31pm
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Littlecooner
I'm planning to be there in June! So perhaps your neighbor can stop by for some refreshments. The cabin likely won't be built yet but there's hospitality to be had from the camper, and the views are lovely. Apparently, you can swim in the reservoir.
Not that I'd be parading around in my bathing suit. Wouldn't want to blind the wildlife, hahahahaha.
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abby
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# Posted: 10 Apr 2016 06:13am
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it looks lovely and perfect, Julie!
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 10 Apr 2016 06:06pm
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Thanks, Abby! Now I just have to get this all together fast and hope no one comes along and offers cash for it outright while I do because I wouldn't blame him one bit for wanting to take it. I don't want to plunk down earnest money until I see the wildlife and other documents since I'm so far away and he doesn't expect me to do that, either. He's sending copies of the documents to me.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:17am - Edited by: Julie2Oregon
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I have a headache. And the day has just begun. At the very same time, I was putting together my offer for the land seller, ANOTHER person jumped in with an offer, but since I was first to contact the seller, he's giving me time to complete my offer and will then weigh both of them.
So, stupid me decides to inquire about a real estate loan so I could simply purchase the land outright and give my builder a deposit, too, and then pay it off when my house sells. Or at least that's what I thought I was inquiring about.
Somehow, I got pre-approved for a dang mortgage @ 3.5 percent and now people from the bank and Realtors have started calling me. Oh, God help me. And, of course, this isn't helping me buy that land or get the cabin built.
Just shoot me now.
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abby
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# Posted: 15 Apr 2016 07:53pm
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how are things going, Julie? thinking of you!
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 15 Apr 2016 08:10pm
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Thanks, abby! Well, I'm mulling over a lot, actually. That mortgage pre-approval has kind of come in handy, lol, and it's also kept me busy looking at the various options for getting this done. I'm firmly committed to the Saltbox design and have been trying to get a builder package with the land worked up. The land seller gave me some extra time, as he said he would.
Just today, though, I found an EXISTING Saltbox cabin for sale that falls within my approval range. It's on 3 gorgeous acres and EVERYTHING has been done. I mean everything. A nice pump house for the well, landscaping with a rustic shelter and picnic area, awesome fencing, you name it.
I think I need to inquire about it. I also think I need to free the land seller to take his other offer. If that Saltbox doesn't work out, there are still a few other parcels of land near this one that I love available. They don't have septic approval already in but perhaps I can make that a contingency on purchase. I just don't feel right holding him up beyond this week.
The other thing I've been managing is roof repairs on my current house. We had a bad storm that tore shingles off my roof and I had some leaking in 2 bedrooms, sigh. The insurance adjustor came out a couple of days ago and said he was putting in for a new roof and repairs for me so I need to handle that before I can sell my house now. Yay. Well, maybe having a new roof, new carpeting, and paint will be worth a few extra thousand in the selling price, right?
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abby
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# Posted: 16 Apr 2016 08:06am
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oh wow, how great would the existing one be?!!! hope the home repairs go well, that's never fun. you're right, tho, a new roof has to help the pricing! keep us posted.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 16 Apr 2016 09:28pm
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Julie, a new roof is a good selling feature and would make your home more desirable over others with older roofs. I dont think it would raise the value, I know with a poor leaking roof, it will lower the value.
Finding a turn key ready place in Oregon would be nice Julie.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 16 Apr 2016 10:04pm
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Thanks, abby! Will do.
toyota_mdt_tech, The sad part is that my roof isn't old. I don't think many roofs in this part of Texas are very old, unless the owners don't have insurance and have let their homes go. Those wouldn't be competing against mine, anyway. We have CRAZY weather. My roof is only 4 years old, replaced .  It's survived 2 bad hail storms and several minor ones fine but these last two storms this past winter (pounding sleet and ice plus high winds and bad thunderstorms) did it in.
I have an architectural shingle roof now and I carry a "replacement" policy so I'll get a check for enough money for an architectural shingle roof. I'm going to price it out and if a steel roof is close to the same money, I'll replace with steel. It just makes sense for this area and would be a good selling feature, I think. A new steel roof could very well add value.
We'll see what happens on the properties. It seems counter-intuitive to me to start a mortgage now when I've been debt-free for a decade but being debt-free, oddly enough, has been a problem. I had a bad credit rating because of it and had to get credit cards and loans I didn't need to establish a good credit history.  But now I've got the freedom of choice, which is rather nice. And, geez, a 15-year fixed at 3.8 percent and payments of less than $500 while holding on to most of the proceeds from my house sale? OK, if that's what we're looking at then it kinda makes sense.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 16 Apr 2016 11:37pm - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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Julie, I ran into the same deal on credit. I have a great credit history, they go back 10 yrs, but your score is based on the last 2 years. My score was "0", I had no debt in over 3 yrs, owned home for over 6 yrs, own cabin and land. I was upset about my score. I guess it shouldn't matter, but it did bother me. I deliberately financed my Kawasaki Mule, paid half of it in cash, and carried the rest and applied and got a credit card from my bank with 5K max. My score is almost 750 (748) now. I want to be tier one (excellent) or two (very good, tier 1 and 2 get the best rates), basically 750 and up. I was a 796 when I went debt free.
OK, good news in Oregon, the damaging hail storms are a thing of the past. We get hail here, usually spring, (OK, I am in Washington, but our states weather is almost a mirror of Oregon, maybe a smidge colder in winter) but the hail stones are the size of a BB and do zero damage. No tornadoes for the most part. If there is one, its ultra super rare, damage it super limited if there is any. No hurricanes. Expect some high winds, usually spring and fall. You will get decent snows, if you end up in a valley, you wont see much, it will come, then stay a small while, week or so if that, then melt off. If you are east of the cascade range, you will get more snow, colder winters, hotter summers. The humidity is here, but nothing like Texas. If you are west of the cascade range, expect 4 mild seasons, and plenty of rain in the spring and fall. You will not see the hot summers ever like you did in Texas.
Metal roofs might not take to kindly to hail storms unless they use a much heavier gauge down there?
Keep us updated on your progress.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 17 Apr 2016 03:09pm
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Quoting: toyota_mdt_tech Metal roofs might not take to kindly to hail storms unless they use a much heavier gauge down there?
Our insurance company would only cover cosmetic damage on metal roofs of a minimum of 2 gauge. Lots of metal roofing sold at big box stores is only 29 ga. Plus they also would not cover if the metal was installed over old shingles. Just an FYI; check with your insurer. Though if you sell I guess it doesn't really matter.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 17 Apr 2016 06:35pm - Edited by: Julie2Oregon
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It's kinda wild. With all of the hail we've had, up to ping-pong ball size repeatedly, the metal roofs on my shed and over my deck haven't had an ounce of damage. No dings, nothing. They haven't leaked, either. And I'm sure they're not the best quality. I don't know what gauge since I didn't install them but they look more "tinlike" than heavy-gauge steel.
In the case of the deck roof, it's not attached to the main roof anywhere and the roofers were walking on it and using it when reroofing the house. I asked them to check out the deck roof and if it needed some metal replaced, I'd pay for that to be done. Nope, it was all fine. Go figure.
Metal roofing would save on time and installation costs. Once they checked the decking (which the insurance adjustor did and said it looked fine) and such, it could be installed over the shingles using longer screws. That's what I've read, anyway. The shingles are fairly new -- I don't know if they would degrade over time under the metal?
What your insurer said was interesting, MtnDon, as installing over shingles is touted as a benefit of metal in reroofing in articles I've read. And not by the metal companies themselves. I wonder if that's the standard position or if it depends on the insurer or part of the country? Interesting. Thanks for posting that. I will look into it further. Yeah, I'm selling but I wouldn't feel right about putting the new owner in a potentially bad position, either.
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Steve_S
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# Posted: 17 Apr 2016 07:37pm
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Metal / Tin roofing should be applied according to the manufacturers specs if you want ANY kind of warranty on the product. Every company is a bit different so I can only speak to the Tin I used which came from Ideal Roofing Manufacturer which is a large Canadian producer. Their documents are clear that it should not be placed directly onto asphalt shingles. By putting metal over shingle (any type) your going to essential bake it under there and it will deteriorate quickly.
I've seen many many tin roofs going over shingle in my area and 99% of the time if the shingle is left on, they strap out @16 O.C. and attach the tin to that. I have also seen many cases where that nasty shingles are removed, new felt / membrane laid, strapping & tin but I'm pretty certain those were cases of roof repairs also being done to fix damage.
Here's some reference info from their Canadian Site (they also are in the States as well).
Ideal Roofing Technical Information
Ideal Roofing Tech: Backing Substrate under Steel Roofing Panels
Hope it helps... but follow with what is recommended for your area by the producer so nothing goes wonky when it can be avoided.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 18 Apr 2016 09:19am - Edited by: Julie2Oregon
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Steve_S, Thanks for the info and links! I haven't spoken with any roofers yet or gotten any estimates because we've had non-stop rain and storms. Sheesh. Today is supposed to be semi-OK but then it's supposed to start up again tomorrow. Major thunderstorms are again in the forecast.
Well, the check from the insurance company should be arriving, along with the details of the allowances for what they're paying. My insurance company is quite prompt.
On the cabin front, I've decided to fly up to Oregon in a couple of weeks to look at a some properties. There are three in particular that I'm keen to see.
It will have to be a fast trip because I have so much to handle here but since I've expanded my options and also the area in which I'm looking for a cabin, I really need to go up. GaryO warned me off one area, and I'm grateful for his insight.
No leisurely train this time. Flying from Dallas to Medford via Portland and staying at a hotel in Medford, which means a lot of driving. I will make darn well sure that I don't get stuck with another Fiat, hahahaha! My return trip will land me at LAX for a brief layover. That should be interesting.
This quest for a cabin and the "simple life" has become anything BUT simple!
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offgridjunkie
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# Posted: 18 Apr 2016 11:29am
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Stick with it Julie. The wife and I searched for years, all over the country for our Off Grid property due to hers and my list of requirements (40+ acers, Trees, Water, and backing up to Forest service land). We finally found it 1 hour and 20 minutes from our house. It was well worth the searching.
Hang in there.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 19 Apr 2016 06:41pm
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offgridjunkie
Thank you for the encouragement! Last night, as I looked at various properties, land, everything, online in preparation for my upcoming trip, I was ready to say, "Bag it, I will buy remote land in Eastern OR where nobody cares WHAT I build and do and plunk something down on it." Heh, well, a middle-aged woman with Lupus being 80 miles from a hospital -- with mountain roads to get her there -- isn't a good idea, is it? Bwahahahaha.
I've overcome challenges all of my life. Nothing has been easy, and since my mum was an orphan and my dad had both of his parents die relatively young, too, I've never had much family, as they didn't. Mum and dad are long gone but I continue the tradition of marching boldly through life. And foolishly if I didn't stop, think, and plan, hahahahaha.
Moving isn't an option, really. It's a necessity, unless I want to die earlier than I should. The Texas heat is exacerbating my disease process and I need a cooler climate. The lack of access to good medical care where I live isn't helping, either. My insurance doesn't cover most of the doctors/hospitals in DFW and I can't drive that 200 miles each way myself frequently, anyway, the doctor/hospital in Lubbock botched my last surgery so badly that I was in danger of losing my right leg due to negligence, and I can't let this continue. I just can't.
So the cleaner, cooler environment will allow me to live better, healthier. The fact that if I need more specialized care than the local hospital can provide, I can take a train to Eugene, Portland, San Francisco, a number of options, opens up a world of good care that I can access without having to drive. In fact, my internal medicine doctor here told me that Portland does the best internal medicine and diagnostic work in the country. She wanted to do her residency there but her husband chose Texas. But she still has contacts in Portland and is going to give me referrals to take with me.
Anyhoo, this is about so much more than "wouldn't it be nice to live in a cabin in Oregon?" for me. It's about doing what I can to reclaim, improve, and extend my life. LOL, I sure wish that if I had to have Lupus, it could have emerged BEFORE I moved to Texas 20 years ago. Eh, such is life. The ball is in my court.
But I remain feisty. I hate being cast as a "poor thing," a disabled person, any sort of victim. I know too well with what I'm dealing. Hellz bellz, I deal with it every day. Making minimal accommodations and adjustments so I can DO and keep independent, not so I can just take the easy way out. That's the first step of giving up and a relentless march toward more disability, despair, and death.
So I will move 1700 miles to improve my situation. With a disease over which I have no control, this IS something I CAN do, and will, to at least stabilize the situation. Damage can't be reversed, unfortunately, but new manifestations can be prevented or slowed, at least, once I get out of the oppressive heat and strong sun that violently triggers Lupus. Living among beautiful trees and mountains will improve my emotional and mental health.
Sorry, for the essay. I'm feeling especially reflective and, perhaps, needed to give myself a pep talk to get through real estate hades, lol.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 21 Apr 2016 12:57am
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Quoting: Julie2Oregon But I remain feisty. I hate being cast as a "poor thing," a disabled person, any sort of victim. I know too well with what I'm dealing. Hellz bellz, I deal with it every day
That is that Texas fight, Texans dont take guff from anything or anyone. You guys have a good repuation for being tough and fighters down there. 
Good luck on your quest. Keep up updated.
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