Totally get your point about flexibility, but honestly, sometimes being too friendly with planners can backfire. When we did our kitchen reno, being firm (but polite!) about certain details actually saved us money and headaches down the line...just something to keep in mind.
Good point about clarity with planners, but I'd say there's a fine line between firm and inflexible. When we built our last guest house, I found that being open to suggestions from planners actually helped us uncover some hidden zoning allowances we hadn't considered. Saved us from having to redo permits later on...which, believe me, is a headache you don't want. Sometimes a little give-and-take early in the process can pay off big time down the road.
That's a really helpful perspective, especially the part about hidden zoning allowances. When we started looking into a guest house, zoning was one of my biggest worries—so many little details that can trip you up later. I ended up creating a checklist of questions to ask planners early on, like setbacks, height limits, and even obscure stuff like drainage requirements. It sounds tedious, but it saved us from some nasty surprises.
One thing I'm still not totally clear on though is how much wiggle room there typically is with materials and design when you're working within a tight budget. Did you find that planners were generally flexible about alternative materials or cost-saving designs, or did they tend to stick pretty closely to standard guidelines? Curious how much creativity we can realistically expect when trying to keep costs down...
In my experience, planners aren't usually the ones limiting material choices—it's more about local building codes and inspectors. We tried some reclaimed wood siding on a tight budget project once, and zoning was fine, but the inspector had us jumping through hoops...so flexibility varies a lot.
Yeah, inspectors can be a wildcard for sure. I've found that building a good relationship with them early on can smooth things out—doesn't always work, but it's worth a shot. Also, having detailed documentation about your materials and methods ready beforehand helps avoid some of those hoops you mentioned. Sounds like you handled it well though... reclaimed wood can be tricky, but the end result usually pays off nicely.
