All Forum Posts by: Matthew Watson

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I'm looking for a recommendation for a civil engineer in Omaha. I'm in the beginning stages (closed Monday) of getting a residential duplex rezoned to commercial and would like the assistance of a civil engineer. Should be a very simple project for them as we aren't altering the layout or overall structure at all. There are plenty of companies that come up but figured a personal recommendation would be better.

Thanks for the help!

We just closed on an up/down duplex in Dundee on Underwood that is zoned residential. Residential properties being converted to office and/or retail space is very popular in this area and many of the old homes have already been converted. The upstairs unit in our property is already setup perfectly to be used as office space while the downstairs would be great as an apartment. As a result we were hoping to rezone it to commercial so that we could rent the upstairs as offices. I spoke with the Omaha planning department and they advised me that due to us changing the use of the building then we would now have to abide by the commercial building code as well as being ADA compliant. He said that this would most likely mean that we would have to put in an elevator so that the second floor is handicap accessible. He also stated that there are ADA exclusions but was unable to assist in how I can figure that information out. Does anyone have any experience in doing this or have any recommendations on who I can call to see if there is a way around having to put in an elevator? I am going to call the Omaha Human Rights and Relations Department tomorrow and see if they can help at all. The individual in the planning department that I spoke with suggested that the other properties on the block that have done this must have been rezoned before ADA compliance was adopted. This seems a little excessive seeing as we aren't planning on altering the structure at all...

@Elijah Barrad I believe he was referring to the $57k in equity that he retains after the refinance plus the $7k in excess cash he pocketed due to the refi amount being larger than he had into the property.

@Nicholas W. Great job on the successful BRRRR! It looks like you covered up some hardwoods with the LPV flooring? Can you talk a little about your decision to do that? I just closed on a duplex today that has all original hardwoods throughout both units. They are rough so I am contemplating between refinishing them or putting LPV or something similar over them. I have no experience with LPV. How well does it deal with tenant abuse?

Bump. Anyone have any recommendations for conferences or training sessions they have participated in?

Also, for an electrician, we use Tim with Crown Enterprises.

@Nate Rohlf Call Clayton at Harvey's Plumbing for an excellent plumber who is also very reasonable. If its an easy fix, he'll charge you appropriately. He can also handle large jobs as well. He just ran all new sewage and water lines for my recent flip. He got it done quick, correctly and was reasonably priced. You can look his number up or shoot me a message and Ill reply with it. Make sure you tell him I sent you. 

I went Pro as well a few weeks ago after listening to one of @Brandon Turner's webinars. It just felt right and made too much sense not to jump on the opportunity at 20% off. The unlimited use of the calculators and access to past webinars alone makes it all worth it. I just finished up a rehab today and it will be hitting the market tomorrow. I plan to write up a whole summary of the project to share on the forums here shortly.