All Forum Posts by: Jim Adrian

@Elizabeth Lee

If you are looking for "originals" I would highly doubt anyone has blueprints of the house.  Record keeping back in the day for residential is not the best.  It may be on micro phish where no one wants to dig for it.  If its something more recent then it should be around.  I would make a trip down to the bldg dept myself and have a talk with them.  All else fails, hire a drafter to create "as builts".  You may be able to draw up what you need yourself.  See what the permits people will accept.  

Sometimes a developer will submit 5 different plans for a new development area and not submit per address or house.  This is where the trouble lies as there is not a specific blueprint tied to the address by bldg dept records.  I found this out with my newer house built in 2008.  I had to dig thru a box of drawings to find my style of house.  I think I had 15 different sets to dig from.  For you to find the master box of all the drawings will be a problem.  

Check out RS Means.  Its an industry standard of cost estimating but not free.

Having a FB presence is key. My wife and I have a lollipop business "Pizazzy Pops" and we get more leads because of facebook than our website (various reasons).  The question is where to you want people to go to first?  People will facebook stalk you in a heartbeat... So great now they can start a chat message with you because its easy!  People don't want to call on the phone or go to another app to make contact.  Im assuming your fb page your website link and people can find your instagram off that.    As for titles... associate? agent?

Rent price = security deposit = state law (for me)

@Ryan Redenius

What is not clear is what is the wall constructed out of, assuming its a multi-wythe brick wall (3 or 4 courses deep).   You may want to consider spray foam insulation like @Seth Holmen mentioned.  If you have stud walls in front of the brick then you may want to consider "open cell" spray foam as this won't expand and damage the drywall.  This won't give you a vapor barrier like "closed cell" foam will. This will allow the wall to continue to breathe where "closed cell" spray foam won't.  It may be easier to install as well.  If you have no studs walls up then go with a closed cell foam. 

Seth, any additional insight as you may be more familiar to that area or construction type.  Great articles!

I would also consider adding a water repellant to the exterior of the brick to help eliminate the brick soaking up rain water etc.  This goes on the exterior side and will last around 10 yrs or so. 

http://www.spf.basf.com/products.php

https://prosoco.com/products/hard-surface-care/water-repellents/

@Bill E.

To me this is the nature of the beast.  If this was your personal home you would take the time off work? I would, but maybe that's just me. You want to meet them there to let them in and most importantly answer any questions they may have and make  decision of what to do.  Replace unit vs repair the unit.  I wouldn't leave these types of decisions to the tenant.  I use electronic locks with different codes, one for the tenant, one for me and one for the contractors.

Remove the plywood and patch the floor with new wood.  I would get a hardwood floor guy over your handyman for this job.  Let them refinish all the floors even the steps.  You want this to all look the same.  Paint wont last on the steps.  Add some nice rubber tread runners on the steps.  This should run you about $3-$4 per sq ft and take about 5 days to do because of dry time.  Then every time a tenant moves out have them come look at the floors.  Every 5 years or so give the floors a light buff/sand and re clear coat.  This is cheaper than carpet.  Let the tenant install carpet rugs if they want.  If they do make them use a rug pad.  I give them a $25 credit toward one after they by it.

I have a house built in 1935.  Its all about if the house has good bones.  All depends on how old the infrastructure is on the house. What has been replaced and what hasn't.  The walls will be plaster, bonus if they used plasterboard (aka drywall) behind the plaster.  Exterior walls may not be insulated, mine wasn't.  Make a list of the plumbing, elect, mech, roof, windows etc of how old things are.  Figure out a replacement cost on those items.

Remember each bedroom requires 2 exits from the room.  There is a size requirement for the windows.

https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/document/820

Check out section 612 Exterior Windows.  Don't for get to pull permits!

You are better off to replace the countertop with plastic laminate that any paints out there.  You would want a food grade safe paint or epoxy and this is were it gets pricy.