Rehab tip of the day
Let’s start a list of issues with the property it self and how we fixed them:
1. Painted over wall paper - used a belt sander with 60 grit, then a skim coat mud, then normal paint prep.
2. Not enough matching doors - replace closet doors with bifold louvered doors, move other doors around.
3. Always paint before putting in new flooring, this saves covering the floor, and top down if more than one color.
4. Buy appliances from a used appliances store.
5. Change to a non key entrance system, maybe like a motel, this saves changing locks, and tenants making keys for all their buddies.
6. A security camera system outside can make you money by allowing you to charge for pets, prove someone was the party who did the damage, more people than on the lease. And you can list it as a feature.
7. Electric baseboard heat is a cheap way to replace an old furnace that feeds several units which you pay for.
8. Wainscot covers a lot of lower wall issues.
9. Acrylic tubs never rust.
10. Leak detector water shut offs can save a lot of damage that would not get reported.
11. New Plastic windows never need painted.
12. Remove old chimneys that leak, and repair roof, assuming they are used anymore.
13. Add coin op washer and dryer, it’s a feature and a money maker, first one I did returned my investment in less than a year.
14. Mini storage on same or close by property.
Please add all that you can here. Hopefully you learn on my dime, and I learn on yours.
Remove mud / lathe - use a roofing shingle shovel. 2nd level tip, leaving the little skinny boards will hold in blown in insulation, in interior walls that won’t matter.
More hidden live wires- this was just mudded over.
remember above, that electric box was buried in the mud and the other one that was just looped out around the stud and then the mud over top of it turns out it’s the same wire.
save those appliance boxes for painting or drywall mudding.
Put drywall right over lathe boards, you will need 2” screws, but that blown in insulation mostly stays in place. I like 5/8, it’s really tough, and way better sound deadening.
This thread has resurfaced after 2 years, but all the tips are still pretty relevant today too!
Thanks, it was my intention for folks to learn from others.
When you are framing for new floor to match up with old. I made this jig that sits on top of the old and has a modern 3/4 plywood part hanging down to where the top of the new frame needs to be built at. You can clamp a straight edge to the bottom of the new plywood, i use a level for the straight edge, then mark the wall where the top of the framework needs to hit at.
#3 Market Trends & Data Contributor
- Investor
- Poway, CA
- 6,087
- Votes |
- 5,300
- Posts
#3 Market Trends & Data Contributor
- Investor
- Poway, CA
Before water is turned on to a property, you can feed it water from a friendly neighbor via a garden hose and an adapter. This can go in threaded connections such as spigot or laundry room.
I offered on a property a few years ago (during Covid) that had a shared well, but the well was located on one property. The property with well located on it sold and new owners disconnected feed to neighboring property. The property that I bid on had no documentation on the sharing of the well. To get water was going to require either suing without written documentation (just stated they had an agreement) or placing new well. Before bidding, I discussed with other neighbor use of their water (I would pay for our water usage) so remodel could begin sooner than I would be able to get water. I bid $300k with $500k rehab allocation but someone bid $390k. I saw their finished product and they did not do as much as I was planning (so maybe only $400k to $430k remodel) and not a great remodel. Their timing worked great as they finished after the Covid run up and before the rate increase. They sold for $1.4m with a poor layout.
Wow, i always shocked by those prices. Here in Ohio it’s $125 to $175 per sq ft plus $25 to 40k per acre. Unless it’s water front or something special.
I know where there’s a 1300 sq ft single family 3 bed, 1.5 bath for $25k right now, it’s trashed and half gutted. But $25k. Fixed it would rent for $1100. I just have no time.
So my nosiness to see if my prices were current, I looked on realtor and set filters at min 3 bed and 2 bath and max at 2 acres ( did not want farms). Found these 2 as highest, the lower one is already contingent so I thought is better shows the current
market.
Cleaning toilets - this stuff works better than any other stuff I’ve ever tried
this is a product i get from amazon, it is a sealer and color enhancer combination. The pic is a slate fireplace i am working on today. I have used it on marble as well, color change is about half of pic above. It does smell like fish for about a day, so if your doing an short term , id plan for an air out day.
Issues installing pot fillers
1. Remove the drywall and support with something more solid. I used 3/4” marine plywood running from stud to stud. The issue is it will sweat when cold water runs through it, and that will turn the drywall to mush. I shaved the back side down over the studs to make flush to drywall for future tile. I know because i had to cut out the mush.
2. Be very careful not to lose the little tiny setscrews, 4 mm in my case, i know because i had to go buy some more.
3. On the back side i cut off the finger grip wings about halfway to allow the threaded ring to go partly inside the wall. I know because even on going thru 3/4 ply wood there were not enough threads to seal it.
So after 3 installations it seems to be working now. See pics below.
Drywall over laying.
We bought a building which was drywalled as a shell only, then interior walls were added. Then ceilings were partially stomp textured.
The issue is as we’re moving things around we can not match the stomping texture, normally you would just add a layer of new drywall over the old ceiling with longer screws. However as the interior walls were added later there is often nothing but drywall at the walls edge to screw to.
So what we did was put the new drywall up and add screws where there were joist at, then just push lumber up along the edge very tightly, then screw that to the wall studs, supporting the drywall near the wall.
This can later be painted as a trim detail, or covered with crown molding, or a combination of both.
Finishing 45 degree corners
Trim is nearly impossible to find for 45. So I just reversed standard molding.
Bad water smell suddenly
Our water started smelling really bad, good one day, bad the next. Turned to be a busted water filter.
Had an entrance with several Mismatched materials so i am covering all of it with pallet wood.
With a little caulk, you can skip even putting trim inside closets.
