All Forum Posts by: Ryan Normand

 This is true! Perhaps I was oversimplifying. There are a handful of creative, alternative options out there but I think the bottom line is that sometimes the city will allow people to get easements or share sewer lines if they deem that to be the most reliable and cost effective option. I think it's very situation dependent. 

Like others said, check with the city first. Don't make assumptions. They could have gotten an easement or it could be grandfathered in. In some situations that can be the only way for a property to tap into the City sewer - waste flows downhill so sometimes the only option is to cut through someone else's property or share their line. Esther way, the City is the only one who has the power to make that decision.

Depends on how bad of shape it's in. If it's good or mostly good - meaning a few small cracks or patches here and there - leave it and repair it. If it's in a state of disrepair - holes, cracks, peeling throughout the house - cut your losses and replace it all with modern gypsum board. It's a judgment call you need to make. What's going to be more effort - doing a bunch of floating and patching on an old surface, or starting from scratch with modern building materials?

I'd try the Handyman's Candystore (AKA Building Materials Outlet). 

You might also want to look into ordering RTA cabinets - if you buy enough qualify for free shipping those can usually save you a lot of money. Obviously it's more labor because you have to put them together too.

Make sure you customize your order to fit your specific kitchen layout. I've seen a lot of people try to make used kitchen cabinet sets fit into their kitchens and it never works out. It's just one of those things that has to be customized to fit your floorplan.

$100/sf is laughable. In the industry, that's what we call a "F*** You Price"... In other words, he doesn't want to do it so he's giving you a price so insanely high that you almost have to say no.

I don't do asphalt, but in my area you can get a concrete slab with 4" of compacted ABC for $20/sf or less. And concrete is generally a more durable and expensive paving material than asphalt. There's no reason asphalt should be costing 5x unless there's some insane earthwork you're not telling us about. Get more bids. If they all come back that high just pour concrete.

Full disclosure I'm a GC not an abatement expert, but here's my 2 cents:

The Epoxy layer seems redundant IMO. A 6 mil vapor barrier and floating floor would be sufficient for encapsulation in my world. If anything the Epoxy could make it more dangerous because it conceals the asbestos tiles so if anyone decides to demo it in the future they won't realize they're ripping up asbestos until it's too late. Remember asbestos is only dangerous if it gets into the air,  so unless the tiles are seriously damaged/disintegrating then I would just lay the floating floor on top and call it a day. The less you mess around with it the less opportunities for it to break up and get in the air.

Can you post the plans/drawings?

Probably depends on location too. Here in Phoenix you'd have to be INSANE to not put in ceiling fans. Don't care how good your AC is, we run both simultaneously in the summer. I've had numerous customers pay me to install ceiling fans. I've never had anyone ask me to remove them. 

Market rate in the Phoenix area starts around $4-5k for a single zone 1 ton unit. That's if you go with a licensed HVAC contractor. You can probably find an unlicensed guy to do it for about half or DIY for about a grand, but both of those come with their own risks.

The only requirement is that it must have permanent heat. That's straight from the IRC. Technically IRC has no requirements for cooling although your local building department may.

 Wow. Sounds like somebody got burned in the past. Sorry you've had bad experiences, but most contractors are good and keep their word. A lot of "contractors" who investors/flippers work with aren't good because, well... they're not contractors. They're just some unlicensed and uninsured guy with a truck who's spent more time in the slammer than on a construction site. They lure you in with an unbelievable price and then surprise!...  they never show up.

Do your research. Check references, experience, and licensure. Use somebody legit. Don't blindly go with the cheapest bidder. Follow these steps and you won't get burned.