All Forum Posts by: Drew Nagda

@Celia Chu thanks Celia. Big difference between family helping vs. working together. I told him to pick a $ number he would be very happy with and excited to do the job, and I didn't question him at all. It was a win-win, and was adamant that everyone walked away satisfied - which is the most important thing to me since it's working with family. Daily communication and everything in writing. When I was helping out at the job, he was the boss. 

The benefit we had was utilizing all the connections from flooring to kitchen to landscaping. I've heard horror stories of people spending 2-3x their initial budget because of a bad GC.  Finding the right GC was incredibly important, and we're working on other deals as we speak. Feel free to message me if there's a specific client you have in mind ... you gotta guard your GC's with your life! 

@Stevin Oudshoorn appreciate it Stevin, and welcome to California! 

@Paul Amegatcher thanks Paul, appreciate it!

@Kuba F.  Thanks Kuba -- my father-in-law was my GC, and we were able to use all of his subcontractors to get good deals + quality work across the board. Since we have upcoming projects in the next coming weeks, we were able to negotiate rates and build a team that was committed to the larger goal... which also means consistent work from their perspective. 

@Bobby Holley Appreciate it Bobby - and yes those palm trees look incredible after its first haircut in in decades. 

Reasoning for going above asking price:

We spent 4 months putting offers on houses either at asking or ~10k below asking. But every house major fixer were getting double digit offers. I knew that any 3/2 in this area under $300k would be a good deal ... and when I saw it listed at $278k, it was bound to be bid way higher. 

My initial bid was $292k, but I then asked for a $5k reduction once since the back portion of the house was completely distressed. They accepted since we were already 2 weeks into negotiations and they wanted to get a quick close. Don't be afraid to ask for a reduction once it's already accepted - we have already done it on 2 properties and it worked. 

If you're back in SoCal shoot me a message. All the best.

@Account Closed thank you Jeanette! We really lucked out because underneath the linoleum was 1970's tile ... which was ultimately preserving that hardwood floor. Some pieces were damaged or missing - but my flooring guy was able to get similar hardwood pieces which we sanded & stained to that espresso color. 

Here's another angle of the Before/ After of the kitchen and living room area. We removed that separation wall to make a functional breakfast bar. 

@David Niles Much appreciated David! 

Backyard with wooden pergola and new deck

Main Bathroom 

Remodeled Kitchen 

Front Entrance (restored 100 year old original hardwood floors

Bedroom (built bench to hide the AC ducts)

Front of House (the prettiest palm trees on the block!)

@Account Closed The most important thing to me is family - so before starting we had an open conversation about our goals and expectations. I told him to give me a figure that he would want to make -- and we decided on a day rate (vs full project rate). I paid him ~ $12,000 for the whole project and it was worth every penny. From the relationships he had with subcontractors to being hands-on, we were both happy in the end. I'm more tech oriented, so I helped him create his own website and ways to help him improve his business. Things like that only cost me time - but it helped to motivate him & ensure everyone wins. 

I opened a Lowes business account and gave him flexibility to buy materials that he would need to be successful in the job.