Houston, TX · Member since 2017 · 29 posts · 2 votes
Hello,
I'm flipping my first house. What do you typically do with any left over materials not used from a rehab such as tiles, wood, paint? Should I just have the contractor get rid of remaining unused materials?
Thanks
Contractor · Greenfield, MA · Member since 2017 · 107 posts · 99 votes
9y
If you're flipping it, it's nice to leave some paint for the new owners for future touch up... unless it's more than a gallon. Same for tiles and other finish materials. Otherwise yeah it can be reused somewhere else.
Contractor · Greenfield, MA · Member since 2017 · 107 posts · 99 votes
9y
If you're flipping it, it's nice to leave some paint for the new owners for future touch up... unless it's more than a gallon. Same for tiles and other finish materials. Otherwise yeah it can be reused somewhere else.
Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2017 · 14 posts · 5 votes
9y
I regularly save all paint, tile, some 2X4, maybe a bundle of shingles. etc. In fact, I purposely buy extra. Granted, this is not for flips, but that little extra is probably one of the nicest things you could do. Tile crack, shingles fly off etc. at a huge savings to replace.
If you have too much to save, consider why. My experience is that you might need a new contractor.
Rental Property Investor · Sumter, SC · Member since 2015 · 334 posts · 531 votes
9y
I save everything, and one look in my garage proves it, lol. If you have space, I'd keep your leftovers...we've always found a use for all the bits and pieces.
Flipper/Rehabber · Montgomery, NY · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
9y
I give the new homeowner some left over tile, and any opened gallons of paint left. Anything more I keep for the next one or return for a refund. inhave had extra flooring, tiles, paint, cabinet hardware, lighting (cans), mulch, etc. it sits in my garage/she's ready for the next house.
Flipper · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2017 · 218 posts · 345 votes
9y
You need to start developing a lot of strategies if you're going to keep on renovating houses. Store anything that's usable, and that means you're going to need to develop at least one major storage site. Return what you can. Recycle what what you can, where you can. Find a good junkyard. Become familiar with dumper rental permit issues and prices in your target area. Think outside the box.
Developer · Santa Clarita, CA · Member since 2008 · 15k+ posts · 10k+ votes
9y
Paint and tile left over (it should not be much otherwise you need to make some measuring/ordering corrections in the future) should be stored in the garage and given to the new homeowner. I also give them a product list of all tile, paint, and other items so that they may purchase more of the same in the future if they need to. This is a very nice selling point and all of my potential and actual buyers have very much appreciated it.
On items I know I will for sure be using again, I take them to the next jobsite.
Investor · Menifee, CA · Member since 2015 · 534 posts · 216 votes
9y
One thing I hold on to for sure are appliances that are in good shape, but not good enough for the ARV cut! I move them around to my other sites and put them into my rental properties and get more rent out of my tenant. Most landlords where I'm at don't have washer/dryer/fridge and most tenants will rent them. Then I put a warranty on the appliances I just put into the rental from my flip purchase. A lot of off market buys we get the owners will leave there appliances behind. A little different than materials but thought I would throw this idea out there.
Property Manager · Saint Petersburg, FL · Member since 2016 · 113 posts · 87 votes
9y
@Mike Flora . used appliances have become an extra income stream for me. not only do I have plenty on hand for my homes, I sell to my investor friends. any time I spy a condo upgrade I get them all. that leads into the original post. storage is the thing. I have a large shop but when I finish a flip I treat the leftover items in this way.
1 return for refund
2 donate what can't be returned
3 if it can't be donated, recycling is the answer.
if you do any volume and you try to save odd bits, you will go crazy. more crazy than you already are for being in this wonderful business
Rental Property Investor · Knoxville, TN · Member since 2011 · 701 posts · 531 votes
9y
While I do have a storage unit for some items I highly recommend NOT keeping everything.
Let's say you have a stack of large cuts on 3/4" advantech sub-flooring. Good sizes for patches, etc. You drive to the job site, load it into your truck and then drive it to your storage building and unload it. Project comes up and awesome, we're going to need to do some floor patch, so you drive to storage and dig your materials out and load it back into your truck. Then you pick through it on the job site to find what will work for the job. You didn't have to buy 4 pieces of advantech. $100. 00 saved less your time.
Or... you send your salesman at the supply house a text, "need 4 sheets 3/4" advantech with that lumber delivery tomorrow am, thanks" and you spend an extra $100.00 and they bring it to your site and even carry it into the house for you.
I prefer to save the time. Don't step over dollars to pick-up nickels. That's my take anyways.
While I do have a storage unit for some items I highly recommend NOT keeping everything.
Let's say you have a stack of large cuts on 3/4" advantech sub-flooring. Good sizes for patches, etc. You drive to the job site, load it into your truck and then drive it to your storage building and unload it. Project comes up and awesome, we're going to need to do some floor patch, so you drive to storage and dig your materials out and load it back into your truck. Then you pick through it on the job site to find what will work for the job. You didn't have to buy 4 pieces of advantech. $100. 00 saved less your time.
Or... you send your salesman at the supply house a text, "need 4 sheets 3/4" advantech with that lumber delivery tomorrow am, thanks" and you spend an extra $100.00 and they bring it to your site and even carry it into the house for you.
I prefer to save the time. Don't step over dollars to pick-up nickels. That's my take anyways.
I could not agree more with this. Time is more valuable than money in many of these cases and this example is one of them. For me, any left over materials like this (lumber, drywall, etc) is taken direct from one jobsite to the next by any one of several employees who will be going to the other jobsite anyways. If they are not used there, they are dumped. Time is money.