All Forum Posts by: Randy F.

I agree and have seen some really nice looking tile jobs that failed due to poor prep work. Any job is only as good as the prep. I disagree tho with the inclusion of green board as a tile backer. I've seen way too much mold growing on green board behind failed tile jobs. I haven't used it in years, even in bathrooms. If drywall is adequately primed and has a good, solid coat or two of semigloss or even satin paint on it, it will hold up to the damp conditions of most baths.

That said, no matter what is used, care must be taken to ensure potential problem areas are well treated. One is where drywall meets face of tub. Often water sprays or runs down at these points with careless showerers. And often the problem is a result of insufficient backing and the drywall moves, breaking the caulk seal. When this happens ANY gypsum based wallboard will fail. I recommend installing nailers where the vertical face of tub meets the wall. Drywall can then be securely attached, primed, caulked, and painted in. Paintable, siliconized acrylic caulk is the best choice in these areas.

As others have said, refinish tub last. This may be obvious, but the obvious is often overlooked and ends up taking more time and money... Be sure if painting or installing new surround that the tub doesn't get caulked in. Inquire of refinisher the cure time of the finish and caulk in tub once cured. Then touch up paint.

Remember... Silicone should be used only between two unpainted surfaces. Latex or siliconized acrylic, both paintable, must be used when either surface is painted. If caulk does not say "paintable", it isn't paintable. This is one of my biggest pet peeves!

My dad had his windows replaced last year. About thirty windows and the trim was wrapped with metal. The metal trim to painted lap siding was caulked with 100% silicone and the interior, windows to painted trim, was caulke with silicone as well. I was livid when I found this and will be doing battle with Sears who he contracted the work thru. In my opinion, they caused thousands of dollars of damage, as rectifying this will be a nightmare. Had they simply run a bead and left it, it would be as bad, but they smoothed it all out, forcing caulk into the grain of the wood lap siding. This will be near impossible to remove without damage to the siding and many, many hours of tedious work. It's a disaster. SILICONE IS NOT PAINTABLE!! Paint beads up on it!

<end rant> :c)

I miss Milwaukee! I'll take a 1900s home on the East Side over a brand new home in Anchorage any day of the week!

I'm late to the party, but will throw in my two cents just because!

First, I'm on my cellphone, but it looks to me line this is an up flow furnace, laid on its side. The position of the flue is one clue, and where the gas piping enters the cabinet is the other.

With furnaces I talked in attics, it's a good idea to see where the warm air vents are. It's quite possible this unit was an afterthought or the building was remodeled at some point and an additional heated space created. If heat is coming out of the ceiling, the heat will be concentrated in the top 2/3 of the air column. As much of us lives in the bottom 2/3 of the space, thermostats will be cranked. Very inefficient. Add to that that the return air is also likely in the ceiling. That means the warmest air is being pulled back to the unit, instead of pulling colder air off the floor. And in Milwaukee when the unit first comes on, the heat exchanger and cabinet must go from fairly often zero degrees to running temp before it ever begins heating the space.

As far as leaving one till it dies before replacing... It might could run another 10-15 years. Best case scenario you then have uncomfy tenants for all that time. Worst case, it was installed by hacks in the first place and it could burn the place down.

Anyway...Merry Christmas!

It may be time to step back and look at the big picture. There are larger issues than a $600 repair. What if this leak had ruined a new floor? If you use an uninsured handyman for the bulk of your work, you may be accepting risk that is not worth the reward. Had it been a $6000 repair, this thread would be entirely different. Chances of him covering the repair cost would be slim to none and you likely wouldn't even consider continuing to use him.

If he had insurance, you would expect him to cover his mistake. And he would have incentive to take care of it out of pocket as he wouldn't want to turn in such a small claim. And if he was good enough, and worked hard enough, and could afford insurance, he could likely afford to cover the repair he SHOULD be held responsible to cover.

Another side of the coin is that there are so many handymen and "contractors" flying under the radar who are basically working illegally. When we hire them, we are in essence taking work away from those who are doing it right, and actually care about their own financial well being and that of their customers.

I recommend paying for the repair costs yourself and chalk it up to a lesson learned. Use him until you find someone who is licensed and insured. You don't have to give away the farm to do things right. Believe it or not, their are guys out there who believe that "doing it right" means covering themselves and their customers AND charging a fair price for their services. It just takes diligence to find one.

Thanks Brian & Bryan, needs to be looked at as soon as possible after thanksgiving. One contractor, someone referred by realtor has given a rough estimate, but I'd like a bit more detailed scope and estimate. It hasn't been purchase yet so will pay for a solid estimate. If it's purchased, would then be looking for bids. I can tell a great deal by looking at ones scope and estimate.

Anyone interested, please PM me with contact info and we'll call shortly after the holiday.

It was a new construction that was never finished and had some water damage. As far as I know remediation had taken place, all but subfloor. Mechanicals are in, but no insulation yet. Will also need septic and landscaping. It's a good size job. At this point It would be just fine if the contractor doesn't have time to do work, but has time to bill out a detailed pre-purchase scope and estimate.

Thanks!!

I'm in need of a GC referral to do a scope and estimate for the rehab of a high end home in Sumner Washington. The GC would be paid for his time. The purpose would be to get an unbiased, professional pre-purchase estimate for a full gut rehab. Potential buyer already in place and I cannot get down there to do this myself.

Thanks, Randy

Here is an example of what I'm talking about...

We recently identified an area in a marginal section of a large city where a new church was built. Shortly after church was built, several town homes were built half a block away. Over the years condemned houses were torn down leaving vacant lots, but the existing homes are in decent condition and the area is relatively clean. Interspersed on and around this several blocks are four boarded up properties that at first blush appear to have potential. In this area conditions change from block to block, as it is on the fringes of the war zone, however it is also on the fringes of an area that has seen a great deal of investment and gentrification over the past 15-20 years. This area isnt ripe yet for rehab/flip, but looking at it for cash flowing long term holds, or possibly selling them as such. Next step is to check status and ownership of boarded up properties, look at comps and rental rates in the area, drive the area at night to see what kind of activity is going on and walk it during the day and strike up conversations with residents about the area.

If one doesn't wish to run with the pack and fight the competition, there's much more to it than just running numbers and putting in offers. But, how gratifying to give an area the kick it needs to begin raising property values and increasing the quality of life for the areas residents. And there is also something to be said for having other investors chasing your coat tails rather than the other way around!

The Largo Community Development Department website:

http://www.largo.com/egov/apps/document/center.egov?view=item;id=10008

Here in Anchorage they have been working in cleaning up one of the worst areas of town. Here is an article to give you an idea of what can be looked for to zero in on where one might piggy back on the efforts of cities, and communities within them:

http://www.adn.com/2012/12/19/2729598/two-acda-properties-sold-in-mountain.html

Other good signs to look for include areas where they are building schools, churches, developing parks, beautification projects, and infrastructure projects.

In many larger cities across the country there are community development organizations that have formed to bring investment and turn marginal areas around. These transitional areas are often a good bet as even when economic pressures can stall a market overall, cities and communities are invested in the health of these transitional areas. As contractors, developers, and businesses become invested in these markets they become more stable. Getting in at the right time can allow investors to capitalize on years of steady growth.

Getting involved with these organizations is also a good opportunity to network with forward thinking realtors and contractors who have their fingers on the pulse of that particular market.