All Forum Posts by: Ryan Normand

Quote from @Adam Martin:

I think schools are failing our kids and ultimately society by focusing so much of their success on what % of their students go to college when really a good tradesman will make far more than the average graduate with no debt.  Due to this we are having to get innovative on getting things built and this is a prime example.  

 Agree 100%. The only way to reverse the labor shortage is to start teaching kids (and adults for that matter) that the trades are a legitimate, respectable, and often times equally lucrative alternative to college.

Quote from @Wayne Kerr:

The difference is that over a 2nd story there is no moisture beneath the flooring because the 1st floor ceiling is directly below you. Whereas on a pier and beam foundation you have the ground directly beneath the foundation. So there is a difference in the moisture content beneath the flooring. You don't want to trap this moisture beneath your floor and cause the wood foundation to rot

 Even if you're directly above the ground/crawlspace, your wooden subfloor (and joists for that matter) should not have a significant moisture content. If they do, they will rot, regardless of what flooring you place on top of them. 

I'll admit I'm not an expert on pier and beam (most AZ houses are slab on grade, too), but  if you're having moisture issues in the crawlspace you need to make sure it's either properly ventilated or sealed and dehumidified. If you have so much moisture down there that it's escaping through your wood subfloor and affecting your flooring choices, then you have too much moisture to begin with.

It's just a standard wood subfloor, is it not? Shouldn't be any different than flooring on a 2nd story, over a basement/crawlspace, etc. in which case any of those options can work.

This is fairly common. Just make sure the SoW and contract are clear, detailed, and in-writing before you sign off on anything. 

The majority of contractors I know would not provide the level of detail you are requesting, simply because it almost always leads to the customer questioning certain line items and trying to haggle on the price. If you are doubting the fairness of his price, just get a couple more bids and see how they compare.

A note about buying your own materials - you probably won't save as much money as you think, and you may end up spending more. The contractor is still going to charge you for any time wasted as a result of missing, wrong, or damaged materials that you ordered... so you need to bring your A-game to make sure 100% of the materials are compatible with one another, ordered in the right quantities, stored correctly, delivered on time, inspected for damages, etc., etc. You get the picture. There's a reason contractors mark up their materials - there's a lot of work that goes into it, so you need to know what you are doing if you assume this responsibility. 

Quote from @Adrian Lemus:

The Demo is about right but the Drywall your looking about $54 a sheet, that’s the sheet, hung, and prepped with a #4 finish. 

 Does that include material? $54 per sheet for material, delivery, hang, tape, and texture/finish seems cheap to me.

What's the zoning? I doubt this would even be allowed by the city/county.

Sorry, but that doesn't exist... not in this day and age. You'd need a time machine if you wanted to build for $100/sf. Even nonprofits who build basic houses with cheap/volunteer labor and donated materials are lucky to hit a number that low.

My advice if you're looking to build on the cheap: Simplify your design as much as possible, reduce your square footage if possible, and choose builder grade materials and basic finishes. You still won't get down to $100/sf though, so if you have a hard ceiling there you probably need to find a different strategy.

Quote from @Colby Sullivan:

So you still have all the same tap fees, permits, inspections and county shennanigans. I think for they extra money people, just go with a bigger home.

Agree. That's probably the biggest downside to tiny houses. You still have the same fixed costs associated with construction so they usually aren't that much cheaper than, say, a basic 800-1000 sf house, which will probably appraise for more and appeal to a larger pool of renters and buyers.

Don't get me wrong, I still love the idea of tiny houses. You just have to be strategic otherwise you'll spend almost as much as you would to build a normal house.

Yup as long as it's level with the other tiles you should be able to lay right over it. If there's a bump then you'll want to float it with floor leveler, otherwise you'll get a soft spot in your lvp.

Reducer moulding. You can usually get matching colors from the store you bought the lvp at or make your own custom piece like Andy said (assuming you have the woodworking tools and experience to do so).

Not sure why you didn't run your LVP over that white transition tile. Most reducer moulding won't cover a 4 inch gap like the one in the photo, so you may end up having to make your own custom moulding. Just be prepared to cut down your door so it still closes.

If it were me, I'd just pop the tiles, float the floor, and run the lvp clean through. Yes, tile demo sucks, but imo in the long run it's worth it to have a cleaner looking install and no tripping hazards.