All Forum Posts by: Jim Adrian

@Josh Cook

You could spray foam now and get your vapor barrier with the foam at this point.  Cost more but better r-value.  Like @John Woodrich said, rigid insul typically goes on the wall then the studs out in front of the insul.

The angle or view the photos are fine for most.  They all need to be edited for brightness and such.  A wide angle lens will help you out.  I would take the time to learn/improve the photography.  I wouldn't pay over $100 for pictures by a professional.

If you have no insulation on the exterior, you will need to meet R-15 (continuous) on the interior side of the wall based on 2012 IECC.  This is about 3" of rigid insul.  Using polyiso is an option as well but really found at a big box store.  Stud walls would be installed after the insulation is in place.  Stagger joints when using multi layers of insul.

Some states have minimum sq ft of building allowed before drawings needs to be stamped on a single family.    This information is found on the state architects and engineers license website.

@Soniel Estime

I second what @Jared W Smith is saying.  If I was the owner I would be hiring the architect.  I would want to direct them to give me what I want in the building.  This will establish what the contractors will need to build.  I wouldn't let someone else design with my loan money.   If the contractor keeps rescheduling then this is a big red flag that you will continue to have problems and cost you more money in the end.  I would have a serious talk with your loan officer of what you can and can't do.  Without know how long the contractor has been dragging his feet, I would be looking at firing him and starting over.  I would even look at having a liquidated damages fee included in the contract for non-performance.   I am not familiar with the 203k loan process but this sounds shady.

I think you over thinking this in general and not worth it.

A  non-curing butyl sealant.  Typically used in roof applications. It needs to be a non-sag (NS) product otherwise it will run on you and leave streaks on the wall.  You wont like the results of this.   You may be better off with a clear or white acrylic sealant right at the edge of the frame.

I would say your prices are too low.  If you really don't want pets make the prices steep.  I call it the Trump Effect, I will give you options but you may not like them and then you can decide on what to do.

I am considering a pet fee of $300 and $50 pet rent.  I don't want pets but everyone seems to have one. 

I created mine from leases that I had signed in my younger days.  Print out your landlord tenant laws, read them, highlight them, take notes over them and then repeat process.  Know what's covered and what is not covered in a generic lease vs your laws.  Define who pays and how much.

Enjoy taking candy from a baby.  As long as they are not trashing the place.  Always send a letter and email once they are late. Create your paper trail for eviction or non-renewal.   Increase your late fee to like 10% of rent.  Late fee needs to hurt or hit hard about being on time.  If you have $25-$50 its no big deal to be late.  Now a $100 fee has a better chance of getting there attention.  You could always consider not renewing the lease.

Paypal is an option too.  A business account as processing fees but allows for you to send invoices.  Very similar to Square.  I believe Square has a limited time or $ amount that is free.   We use Paypal and Paypal.me for our Lollipop business and website purchases.  You will need to look at the credit card processing fees as they all vary.  Clover is another product out there but don't know much about it.   May want to spend time researching google pay, apple pay and facebook pay(?) vimeo(sp?) cash app as the young ones are into these ones.