All Forum Posts by: Frank Z.

Thank you all for your help. 

Ended up finding a highly rated local structural engineer for $550 who carries E/O insurance. The $550 includes the plans and a review after the fact with a letter stating everything is okay (provided the contractor did the job correctly).

Pulling the permit is $120 if I do it myself and I can write down the contractors information (cheaper than having the contractor pull it). 

Paying an extra $670 seems well worth it for the peace of mind.

Got it. 

I'm new to all of this. As far as if something goes wrong on the job site, my understanding is that since the company I hired is insured they would pay for those damages / injuries.

I hadn't thought about what happens 2 years down the road when tenants are in there and the house collapses and then I get sued and maybe my insurance policy doesn't want to pay because the changes I made were technically illegal. 

A few hundred bucks seems cheap looking at that way for that kind of peace of mind. I'll call the city first thing in the morning and see about pulling a permit for the job. 

Thanks!

Jon, thank you for the feedback. 

That seems like the "legally advisable" way to do it. What are the drawbacks to not paying for the architectural specifications? Is it just that you feel better knowing that an architect approved the plans? Or are there some problems that I could run into in regards to fines / penalties down the line? 

I guess Atlanta is different for those types of things. This house I bought was a 2 bedroom because they added a 3rd and never got the permit for it. Works out great for me, I got a cheaper price, just need to figure out how to update it with the city to claim that 3rd bedroom. I don’t know what difference a wall being removed would make when going to sale though.

And he’s not pulling a permit. Seems like none of the contractors I talked to would in Atlanta for this type of job.

Thanks guys! That’s super helpful. After a couple days of waiting for responses from other contractors, and minutes after posting this questions on the forums, I got another estimate in at like 14,000 which seems ridiculous. I think I’m going to go with the 4400 quote.

Hi, I’m in the Atlanta area and am having trouble finding a reliable contractor who can remove a load bearing wall. I have one estimate and i was hoping to get feedback as to whether or not it’s a good price. It’s an old house and the walls are plastered. There are 2 walls I’d like removed. One is 8 ft and not load bearing, the other is about 24 feet and load bearing. The estimate I got to remove the walls, take care of the electrical outlets and move the light switch on the wall, plus finish the ceiling to make it all look nice is for $4,400. This is not with a steal beam, just wood, and a column in the middle. Is that a good price? The contractor cane highly recommended, is nice enough, punctual, and seems very knowledgeable. I’m just new to construction and have no idea what something like this should cost. Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the input @Jamie Jones  

Also considering finding a SFH with a basement that has a separate entrance and living there while renting out the rest of the home.

I recently moved to Smyrna and am interested in meeting like minded investors/wholesalers in the Atlanta area. If you enjoy talking real estate, send me a message. Let's get together and see how we can help each other. 

If enough people respond, I'll try to put together a group lunch or dinner. 

I'd like to house hack in Smyrna, specifically near 30080, as that's where I work, but can't figure out a good way to do it. There are no duplexes close by.

There was a suggestion on the podcast to buy a home and build a in-law extension. Problems with this strategy:

- I can live in the inlaw extension and rent the house, but when I move out of the extension I cannot legally rent it as a second property. 

- I don't think I'Il be able to get out what I put into it when I go to sell.

Does anyone have any experience with buying a house and getting it rezoned for multifamily and making a SFH into a duplex?