All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

Alexander Felics:   I understand what you're saying but your bitterness from bad experiences can affect your future experiences. Ask yourself this: why would any decent contractor want to work for someone with your level of disrespect and outright hostility towards them?  I sure wouldn't.  Reliable, competent and truly professional contractors are plentiful.  Perhaps you are looking in the wrong places and/or are unwilling to pay accordingly.

@Kevin Flynn, Why not just call them to see if they have anything for you?  Of course it shouldn't be necessary to remind them but people get busy and frankly: estimates for jobs where the person does not yet even own the house are not always given top priority.  I'd call them or find someone else.

Sorry but I think your approach is all wrong and it sounds as if you paid too much for the house.    If you want to sell a house for a higher price than you bought it at, you must add real value to it. That means making real improvements of a good quality, comesurate with comps in the area.  It doesn't mean installing cheap or inferior items disguised as good (that is fraudulent).  

The cost to make the proper improvements is a certain amount that must be spent. It is not dictated by your arbitrary budget.  As a flipper, you must therefore buy the house at a cheap enough price to add real value to the house and still make a profit.  End buyers should not have to be victimized because an investor made a bad investment.

@Timothy KaiserWelcome to BP!  Many of us get together once a month to network and eat.  @Michael Jobe organizes it; you should contact him for details, if interested.

@Cody Barrett  Don't do it yourself;  it will look terrible.  You have to have the right equipment (220v dust-free drum sanders, edgers, etc that you simply can't rent at HD.  The disc machines that they do rent do not do a good job at all: they are too lightweight, under-powered and tend to leave swirl marks. It really does require a lot of experience and skill to sand properly.  Then there is finishing: again, you must use the right materials and techniques or it will look awful. 

 HW flooring, done well, is always a huge focal point of a house.  It is very important that it be done right.  Find other ways to cut costs...you'll be glad you did!

You're right to have reservations.  Renovating a 100+ yr old "historic" house is one of the most challenging and difficult tasks...for anyone; I can't imagine taking this on as a "super green", "newbie".  My advice: don't do it.  Find simpler projects.

I'm planning to attend (I promise not to create a Ruckus).   :)

.@Keith N. I live not far from there; I'd be glad to look at it for and/or with you to assess it. @Adam Schneideris right: half the battle is figuring out what needs to be done.  If your sheathing damage is so extensive, you may have other damage. 

I don't know about this particular case yet; I'm meeting with Jonathan this morning.  In general though, squeaking is caused by improper fastening (screws,glue,etc) of the floor sheathing, bridging or sometimes even the wall plates. 

@Komal PatelI consider it a "consultation" to view a property that the investor does not [yet] own and I typically charge $100. for my time.  What that buys you is my professional opinion on what is needed and what it will likely cost.  It is not possible to give an exact estimate from such a cursory examination but it does give a fairly accurate range.  

In time you will develop a feel for costs but to start out you should probably not consider anything too complex and be careful whom you hire to do the work.

@Jonathan Taylor Smith I'd be happy to take a look at it for you.  Just let me know.