All Forum Posts by: Mike Girard

Originally posted by @Manolo D.:

I am unlikely to take the kind of measures you're suggesting, but I don't see how ripping down the first few tiles they put up changes anything, when the issue is the green board. 

Since you're a contractor Manolo, I'd like to hear your thoughts on green board and contractors that still use it. I would also like to know what you think of using Redguard. Will it help at all? 

"I have used it for over 30 years and it does work."

Do the jobs last? The conventional wisdom at the moment suggests it's fine if you redo your bathroom every five years anyway but dicey otherwise. 

Also, since I'm nervous about it, will Redgard afford any extra protection? Are there any other easy affordable measures I can take to offset the documented deficiencies that have set building codes in many cities against it? 

"Use the TCA Handbook for proper tile installation:"

Did no one see where I said I can't redo the job? I need a green board workaround stat. 

"rip it down"

Like I said, I don't have the means to do that, and there is only so much of my contractor's job I'm willing to do. Getting the tiles properly started is about my limit. 

As to those who've said there's nothing wrong with green board, every how-to regarding tile placement recommends against it. One online tile guru says it's grounds for firing your contractor. There is a growing list of municipalities that forbid its use, but I am unable to find out if Philly is one of them. The argument is that it is water resistant, not waterproof and that a tile job done with it will have a lifespan of five years or less. It is also, apparently, a mold magnet. Of course there are exceptions, but these facts are often accompanied by horror stories and pictures of green board tiling projects gone wrong. 

The main question I'm asking here is what do I do now that the green board is up and I can't take it down. Will Redguard afford any protection? 

Along with a truly bizarre threat to cancel my insurance on grounds seemingly pulled out of a hat and disclosed cryptically, Nationwide has promised that if I do manage to keep my insurance, my premium will go up because the rebuilding cost of my property is higher than the $300,000 my insurance currently covers. This is allegedly because of certain features the inspector noted that put my rebuilding cost at a whopping 440,000+.  For the record, I have a 1989 square foot, 100 yr. old rowhouse in South Philly converted into a duplex nr. Snyder and 17th. It has none of the original details as far as I'm aware. 

Nationwide seems intent on raising my premium -- which will be applied retroactively -- without the courtesy of disclosing what these special features are. Both the Nationwide agent who sold me the policy -- Terrence Gannon -- and every other agent I spoke to before accepting Gannon's bid came up with the same number, which is close to the $125 per square foot average for Philly row houses. An online calculator I used produced a similar figure.

Anyone know what's going on here? Gannon never gave me a heads up about this, even though the assessment happened over a month ago, and has not responded to my emails sent yesterday, nor has anyone official called me. Incredibly, the local Nationwide office has tasked the self-described "receptionist" with disclosing all the bad news and checking up to see if I've made the necessary improvements for staying with Nationwide and paying more for an entirely unexplained revaluation. 

I know that Nationwide is supposed to be among the best home insurance companies, but the unprofessionalism in play here, not to mention outright sleaziness, is off the charts. Based on this experience alone I truly regret having had anything to do with them and I shudder at what it's like to file a claim.

So what do I do? I want out. If I cancel my policy, am I going to have trouble finding another insurer without getting gouged? Can anyone recommend an agent that can help with this? This is really awful. 

My contractor's crew began tiling the bath/shower surround today. It was such a mess I pulled it all off before the mortar could dry resolving to at least get it properly started myself. In researching tiling, I learned that it is considered bad practice to use green board for shower and tub tiling Green board is what my contractor used. Now that it's all up, I don't want to have a confrontation about ripping it down and starting again, and I'm unwilling to do it myself. 

Three questions: One, Is green board even allowed for shower/tub surrounds in the Philadelphia Building Code? Many municipalities have forbidden it. 

Two, is there anything I can do to make the green board work, such as applying Redguard? I've seen a lot of people recommend Kerdi, but I don't have the budget for that. 

Three, is this an error so bad that I should not work with this contractor on future projects?

Hi Rafael:

Thanks for replying.

Wow I can't believe your insurance is so low. My understanding is Philly averages about 1600. 

May I ask what company you use and the size of your deductible? 

I'm not familiar with SR-1 and 3 in home insurance context and Google's not helping.

I will soon be closing on a duplex rowhouse in South Philly. I'll be living in the top and renting out the bottom or vice versa. In getting quotes, a couple things confuse me. Would appreciate help.

The quotes I've been given so far are based on the replacement cost rather than the cash value. I have not been presented with the option of cash value; I guess this is an older house thing and mine was built in 1935. The replacement cost is twice what I'm paying for it and way above the median for the area. What's going on here? Why can't I just say how much dollar coverage I want up to replacement cost?  Two quotes I've gotten so far are between 1950 and 2100 with 2% of replacement cost deductible. Does this seem about right?

Also, where companies are concerned, I am inclined to go with Amica because it has an exceptionally high rating from J.D. Power and came in at number one in Consumer Reports. Anyone have any input on this choice? I see a lot of people use Liberty Mutual on here, but they did not fare well on either report. 

Not sure I can be too helpful on any of this. I'm just starting out myself and as I've decided to move to Philly and live in my first property, I bought with more than cashflow in mind. Others can speak more knowledgeably about student housing. I'm staying away from it myself simply because the Temple area seems to carry a high vacancy risk and University City is too expensive for me. But take that with a grain of salt and consider it against people who have more experience. 

Also can't help on contractors since my rehab hasn't started yet. If you find out anything on that score let me know. 

That's not what I meant. Some real estate agents are investors themselves and can be hugely helpful to a newbie, not simply in the way of offering good advice but also hooking you up with trusted lenders, inspectors, contractors and vendors. 

I meant that using an agent is more time-consuming because you have to sort through more listings to find turnkey properties than if you simply go to a turnkey company.  Going this route will also expose you to more properties in need of renovation, whereas the turnkey outfit will likely have already done the rehab. If you find your own turnkey property, you may also have to choose a management company. This can be a plus since it gives you more choice, but it's still work you wouldn't have to do if you worked with a turnkey company. 

The point you make about additional properties beyond the MLS is a good one, especially since the choice isn't that great much of the time and the good ones get scarfed up very quickly.