All Forum Posts by: Carl Schmitt

Jon,

I don't think it's lexan. My supply house calls it armor shield or something like that. That's their private label for it, of course. I'll post it when it comes to me.

Do you have to keep the windows? Why not take them out and fill the opening in with concrete.

If you must have windows, go for upgraded glass. I forget the name, but its a step above tempered and a step below bullet proof. Almost impossible to break and for standard basement hopper windows, you're probably looking at $200+/- per window.

Sandy,

Having parents that have flipped houses and being a GC myself, I feel like I can at least give my opinion from both sides. The biggest key, in my opinion, is to make the relationship mutually beneficial. I don't know if you necessarily need articles to tell the contractor what you want. Tell the contractor what you want done. If it were me, I'd want all pricing to be locked in up front, change orders in writing BEFORE the work is done, not after, and of course, better than retail pricing. In return, if I was the contractor, I'd want to know that I was your contractor for every project(provided I do a good job on the first one). Like it or not, I'm going to go out of my way to make the guy with tons of work happier than the guy that wants one window installed for $50 and never calls me again.

If you can build that kind of relationship with a contractor, you won't have to worry about ever having the conversation again. You can get to the point where you have fixed pricing on every job so your estimated costs are your actual costs when the job starts.

I can give you some average times for my average sized projects so you can at least get an idea.

roof- tear off and shingle 15 squares- 1 day

windows- remove and replace, trim outside- 8-10 per day per guy

siding- 1000 sq ft ranch- 2-3 days

bathroom gut- 2 days

my guys just sheetrocked and did first tape coat in a 10x10 bath yesterday in 2.5 hours

framing- doing a 2 story, 1000 sq ft addition now. framing should take about a week

again, your time frames could be different but it at least gives you an idea.

Regular asphalt roofing is what you'll find in most of the country. In snowy areas, you'll find a lot of metal roofs and in high end areas, wood shingles.

A lot of homes built by big development companies will not be built to support the weight of tile roofs. Tiles can weigh 3X what an asphalt roof does.

As many have mentioned, your budget, rough schedule, and the contractors you're using should already be lined up. From there, depending on what the outside looks like, that's where I would start. If the house needs a roof, windows, or siding, do that before you touch anything inside. What would be the point of fixing all the electrical and sheetrock to later find out you have a roof leak.

Karen is spot on. If he is a GC and subs everything out, make sure his subs have insurance. The subs should have their own liability insurance AND workers comp.

It's also a good idea to have them name you as additionally insured on their policy.

Aaron,

I can tell by your response, you really did live in N.A. You can't know all that from a magazine article you read about the Berkshires. I moved there about 8 years ago when my parents retired from the military. It's funny you say that about the home improvement business. I did start a home improvement company but I moved to CT to do it. I was a salesman for a home improvement company for a few years prior and have sold in every town west of Worcester (and some east of it). Pittsfield, more than any other place, had more people with a family member that was a contractor. A license and insurance didn't seem to be more important that hiring a relative, so I left.

My parents owned a 4 unit on one of the worst streets in Pittsfield. It was exactly what you'd expect. Tenants that don't want to pay rent but wanted a $4k ramp built for their overweight mother. Where do you own your place in pittsfield? If you need work done and you can't find anyone, let me know. My father is in the business as well...

I agree with Randy. If he knows what he's doing and has experience, it shouldn't be difficult to get a license. At least in my state, if he couldn't put together the money to get licensed, I'd be a little concerned. To be fully licensed, you must pass a test and pay about $350. If he can't do those simple tasks, I don't know if I want therm near my house.

Not sure about California, but here in Massachusetts, without a license you can't pull a permit. Check your local laws first.