All Forum Posts by: Ryan Normand

I recommend reading through a cost vs. value report like this one: https://www.remodeling.hw.net/...

Jeff Thorman from Home Renovision DIY also made a great video on this topic a couple years back. The gist is that exterior updates generally have the greatest ROI because they boost curb appeal and usually cost less than complex, multi-phase projects (e.g. kitchen and bath remodels). I'm surprised painting the exterior of the house isn't on the list I linked above, since that's a really good place to start (assuming it needs a new paint job).

Also, echoing what Andy said, don't over-update. You don't want your house to be way nicer than all of the other houses in the neighborhood, because then all those comps will drag your appraisal down.

Feel free to DM me and I can share my contact info. I'm a GC based in Scottsdale.

Quote from @Alexander Canha:

 if i want to really increase soundproof, should i purchase an underlayment AND purchase a LVP with pre-attached underlayment? 

I wouldn't recommend doing that.

If the subfloor is too soft then the click lock joints on the lvp may not properly engage when you install it. You also increase the odds of the joints popping out of place once people start walking around on the floor and putting heavy pieces of furniture on it. This is more of an issue if you're installing it over carpet (don't even think about doing that haha), but the same general principles apply.

is the noise really that bad? There are other ways to deaden sound between floors, like adding an extra layer of drywall to the 1st floor ceiling and insulating between floor joists. These can be quite a bit of work, though, so I'm not sure if the ROI is there.

Get an LVP with a pre-attached underlayment. This is standard for most new LVP products. Reduces installation time and costs and makes for a cleaner install. These products are intended to be installed directly over the subfloor.

Lifeproof from Home Depot is a good example of a quality LVP. There are plenty of other good brands out there, though... just do your research and read reviews. Steer clear of the super thin and cheap stuff. You should expect to pay somewhere between $2.50 - $4.00/SF for a good quality LVP (material only, as of July 2022). 

Quote from @Harold Rutila:

I'm not a contractor, but I have this issue in my primary residence and have researched it quite extensively. As @Jack Seiden states above, the issue is with your subfloor. Jeff Thorman at HomeRenovisionDIY has a great video on YouTube about this and why it occurs.

In all likelihood, you are dealing with a nailed-in subfloor that squeaked even before the new flooring went down. The fix involves removing baseboards and then removing your flooring to expose the subfloor. You would then need to identify and screw down loose subfloor boards, possibly replace some if you find any damaged, and then reinstall the flooring. Some types of flooring are easier to reinstall than others.

The sound deadening issue is a whole other animal. I'd again refer you to Jeff Thorman at HomeRenovisionDIY for a comprehensive review of different sound deadening options here. This will probably require insulation beneath the existing subfloor, so you could tackle that job first, then proceed to fix the subfloor squeaks afterward.

If you want to avoid doing these as DIY projects, your best bet would be to try and find a flooring contractor, or perhaps even a handyman, who would be willing to fix this problem. My experience is that a lot of these types of contractors, unfortunately, might not be interested in such a job, but call around and ask for referrals until you find someone who is.

I would also caution against installing new flooring over the existing wood flooring. This can be done with a softer surface over a harder surface, but I think you'd be asking for trouble by adding an additional layer without addressing the underlying problems. This is akin to siding contractors in my area who think it is acceptable to install vinyl siding over mid-20th century aluminum siding, and then wonder why they get call backs when it starts to fall apart. Strip it down and start over.

Ditto on everything Harold said.

Unfortunately there's no easy way to fix the squeaking without pulling up the existing flooring, securely fastening the subfloor into the floor joists, and then reinstalling the flooring (or ditching the old flooring and installing new flooring). If the subfloor is in really bad shape, you may even want to install an additional layer of subfloor (with screws) on top of it before you put in your new floor. This will also help with sound deadening.

 Speaking of sound deadening, you solve this by adding more mass between the living spaces. This can be done by adding insulation, using thicker drywall, etc. Keep in mind noise may also carry through vents and hvac registers, so sometimes there isn't a perfect solution. 

My 2 cents: wait to address these problems until you are ready to do a major remodel. Both issues will likely require you to demo and then replace a lot of material to just get to the root of the problem. If the house is already gutted for a remodel, then you can address these issues for a relatively small additional cost.

Congrats on finding your first deal.

Make sure you do your due diligence on zoning requirements before you bank on building a duplex, triplex, etc. on the lot. Multifamily zoning usually has specific requirements for density, on-site parking, etc. These factors can limit the number of units you can squeeze into a single lot.

With 7,000 sqft, my guess is thay you will probably max out at 2-3 units, and it sounds like you already have 2 (albiet unofficially because they are metered as one). Depends on your local codes.

That's one way to do it. It's not uncommon for customers to ask a GC for ad hoc recommendations on plumbers,  electricians,  etc. Offering to pay them for a list of all their subs is kind of an unusual ask, so you might get some confused looks if you ask for a bunch of subs at once.

 A word of caution about this approach: If you already have a strong relationship with a GC who you've used in the past, then use this approach in moderation. If they start to feel like you're just using them for their network,  then they might not want to do work for you in the future. 

If this doesn't work for any reason, just remember most subs have their own companies, independent of the GCs they work for, so you can also find them on Google, yelp, Craigslist, Facebook, etc., etc.. You could even go to the pro desk at your local hardware store and ask if they know a guy who does X.

Apologies for the confusion. 

No, I never got the loan. I had several conversations with a branch manager. Because I'm recently self-employed, I wasn't able to get pre-approved for a loan large enough to do anything useful with. The conversations ended at that point. 

Again, if I had gotten further in the process, the owner-builder issue might have come up... or it might not have. The point I was trying to make was that, for anyone else in a similar situation who may be reading this in the future, I wouldn't completely rule out conventional construction loans. I've heard a couple anecdotes about owner-builders getting them, so I don't think it's impossible.

Regarding my original comment - I think it's fine for a GC to manage the whole build. I also think it's fine for an owner-builder to manage the whole build (assuming they have some construction experience). Where I think it starts to get dicey is having a GC manage one phase and then an owner-builder manage the next. The risk comes from transitioning this responsibility half-way through the construction process. It increases the opportunities for things falling through the cracks or finger-pointing if something goes wrong. 

You can mitigate some of this risk, but you will need to be very specific about where roles and responsibilities start and end, and get a very clear scope of work in a written contract. This protects both you and the GC.

Hope this provides some clarification.

Thanks everyone for the responses. They have been very helpful. I have reached out to a title company and will definitely pay for them to do a title search before I buy the land. 

I'll post more updates here as the situation develops. 

@Parker Kenneth 

Glad to hear you were able to find a lender and it all worked out in the end.

It's interesting that the lenders were pushing back on you for being owner-builder. Earlier this year, before I had my license, I reached out to a lender about getting a construction loan. They never asked me for an ROC number and never expressed concern about me being the owner-builder. I decided to not to pursue that project for other reasons, so maybe that issue would've come up later in the process, but it didn't seem to be a major concern for that lender as far as I could tell.