Digging In

With his Dream House stuck in a bureaucratic morass for permitting, Brandon switches gears to work on another project. He's working with architect Mark Engberg to build a hip restaurant called Tube. Back at the house, a major hurdle is cleared as Brandon and his father, Tim, hire an old family friend—John Dick as construction manager.

After an agonizing six-month permit process, excavation finally begins at the site. But it continues to pose challenges with two additional trees that must be surveyed before they can be removed.

While the tree issue is being sorted out, Brandon and girlfriend Keri Rogers get a head start on interior design decisions with a shopping trip for kitchen appliances.

Brandon continues on his construction learning curve with a trip to City Hall to meet with Inspector Karan Weiland. Momentum continues as the site is prepped for the next phase in the process, the concrete pour. The first step is building an exacting rebar configuration to ensure a sturdy foundation on this precarious site.