The Baugesuch

On Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Architect called us to tell us that the Baugesuch, or application for the building permit, was completed. Of course, for us, that meant we needed to hop in the car IMMEDIATELY to sign all the papers and pick up the application.
I've never built a house in the States, so I have no idea what this step looks like in America. I know what it looks like here though, so I'll explain.
The application is split into 6 folders. 4 of these 6 folders are for various town and county builidng people. The first page of the folder gives the details of the builders (us) the location (which is right now place 166), a brief decsription of the house (single family new build with garage,) and the information about the planner. The next page consists of a series of computer generated images of the house. Then comes an official application form. The next 3 pages are a description of the house, including size, approximate cost, number of garage spaces, the type of material to be used in contruction, the material, style, and color of the roof, the type of fireplace to be installed, and the type of heating system planned. Then comes another two pages devoted to the fireplace and chimney. Then comes the application for public waste -water. On this paper, the number and type of producers of waste- water are listed, including toilets, sinks, dishwashers, wash machines, dishwashers, etc. Next comes two drawings of how the house will fit in to the building lot, with all surrounding houses. Then two pages from the surveyor, with information about which neighbors will be contacted about our building plans, and lots of information on the amount of land we will be using and the size of the house. The three page floor plan (cellar, first and second floors,) comes next. Then are detailed drawings of the exterior of the house as viewed from the north, south, east, and west. The cross section comes next. Last comes more measurment information- 3 pages, including the square footage of every room in the house!
This is just the application folder we are allowed to keep. The other four have other papers depending on which department is receiving the folder.
We had to sign many, many of the pages in each folder, then multiply that by 6!
From here, it should take approximately 6-8 weeks for the permit to be approved. During this time, we can start looking for estimates from builders. We are hoping to use Mr. Architect as our project manager, and he is thinking about this propostion now. We need someone to collect all estimates from all builders and sub-contractors, and to help provide to us an overview.
My father-in-law dropped off the application on Thursday morning to the town hall. The next town council meeting will happen during the first week of March. Once it has been approved by the town council, the application then goes on to the county building department.
I am so excited, and so nervous. I think once we get the building permit, the whole thing will become real. Even though we've purchased furniture, and planned so many things, once we receive the permit, building can start pretty quickly!