All Forum Posts by: Ryan Normand

Commission on what, exactly? You're not the one buying or selling the property, so why would you owe the realtor anything? What am i missing here? Sounds like the realator is just trying to insert themselves into the build contract so they can either get some sort of kickback and/or convince the client to award the contract to them instead.

I agree "Jetted Tub" is the most technically correct name, but people will still know what you're talking about if you call it a "Whirlpool Tub" or "Jacuzzi Tub". Specifically, this is a "deck-mounted" jetted Tub, meaning a custom platform is constructed and then the tub is dropped in from the top.

I can't think of any economical ways to convert this to a shower and still have it look good and be functional. Here are a few options:

1. Cheapest but most impractical- You could try adding a sprayer, curtain rod, and tile surround to the existing set up, but then you'd just end up with a bunch of water on the tub deck which would then flow off on to the bathroom floor. It would also look super tacky.

2. Moderately expensive but practical- Replace the jetted tub with a standard tub-shower combo. Keep in mind most tubs are made to fit a 60" wide opening, so you will most likely need to reframe some walls and potentially loose some space to make this work.

3. Most expensive but best option IMO - gut that area and turn it into a custom tiled walk-in shower with frameless glass .

Or just leave it... most bathrooms with this set up also have a shower tucked away in a corner somewhere anyway. 

2 cents from a GC, curious to see what others have to say...

Contractors generally provide the customer with the contract and SoW, not the other way around. If you force your own contract upon contractors during the bidding process you are likely to scare all of the good GCs off and only be left with guys who are desperate for work. If it makes you feel better, have a lawyer on standby to review and redline their contract. 

I see and hear a lot of investors talking about how they are going to utilize all sorts of penalties and additional requirements when working with contractors, but IMO that's not realistic in this market. You only get that sort of leverage if you're doing multiple projects and providing 100's of thousands or millions of dollars + worth of revenue. You probably won't get that sort of leverage with a one-off build unless it's worth A LOT of money. It would be like calling Apple HQ and telling them how to make your iPhone - they won't care unless you're ordering a million of them.

You should start by looking into the specifics of local zoning - minimum lot size, DU density, etc. What you are describing will likely require a zoning change (i.e. variance) which usually requires a public hearing. I've never done it but I have heard it is very difficult and time consuming. You will need to make a very convincing argument to both the city and all of your future neighbors as to why your project will benefit the community.

Codes and permits are two completely different animals.

Residential building code is largely the same across the USA because most cities base their code on the International Residential Code (IRC). Sure they'll adopt some variations here and there, but in most cities, 95%+ of the local code is copied straight from the IRC. So if you want to understand your local building code, you need to understand the IRC first. Be aware that it's basically 1000+ pages of legal jargon (that's why it's important to hire reputable GCs and Architects who literally do this for a living). If you just want to learn the basics, dewalt makes a good "IRC for dummies" type book that's available on Amazon last time I checked.

On the contrary,  the permitting/inspection process is highly localized. Every city has their own unique way of doing things and in my experience, no good explanatory material on how it works. The best way to learn is by doing. The first couple jobs will have a huge learning curve but there's no way around that.

Define "upper level". Is this the second floor or 5th? Go check out the IRC glazing and egress requirements. There are a lot of rules regarding windows - too many to summarize here. Most likely the city code will be based on IRC.

Depends on the city and type of project. Contrary to what others have said, my experience is that on larger jobs (e.g. an addition or new build) the whole job is rolled up into one set of plans and one permit for which the GC/builder is responsible for executing according to plan. If every trade pulled their own permits there would be like 20 permits and plan sets for a single job. It would be chaos and the city probably doesn't want to deal with that, but I've heard there are cities out there who do it this way. It doesn't really matter who pulls the permit as long as someone is responsible for it. Sometimes the GC does it, sometimes the owner, sometimes the architect/design firm. Bottom line - it varies by city and project. Have a conversation with your architect and call the city ahead of time to ask how they prefer to operate. 

 Yes it's theoretically possible to just bust through the footing and then just trench a new sewer line along the exterior of the house, abandoning the old line below the slab. However it'll depend on how deep the main is. You still need to maintain a slope of about 1/4:12 and you'll probably be adding horizontal distance by going around the perimeter, so you just need to make sure there's still enough vertical drop to get your desired slope. Don't forget to blueflag if you end up trenching.

Yes, all of the above haha. Contrary to what just about every realtor will tell you, houses were NOT built better back in the day, partially because building codes and standards were virtually nonexistent back then. Every old house I've ever been in has been a total MacGyver job behind the walls. Walk it with a GC who has experience working on older houses. Expect the unexpected and budget accordingly. Be ready to adapt and come up with creative solutions because you are working with an imperfect structure. I'm not saying it's a bad deal or that you shouldn't buy it... just know what you're signing up for.

Glad I could offer a new perspective for you. And yes! Contractors move their schedules around all the time! I know it can be annoying, but in order to stay in business, we need to have multiple jobs going at any given time. That means if there's a delay on one job (e.g. a sub called in sick, material didn't show up in time, etc.), another gets bumped up immediately. Downtime is a killer because if we're not working, we're not getting paid.

And for the record, I'm not always opposed to homeowners doing their own demo. If you're doing it because you like working with your hands, want to spend time with your kids, or take pride in being involved with the project... great! Go for it. But I've had several customers ask me if they could do their own demo to save money and I always warn them that it probably won't be worth their time, hassle, and increased risk it adds to the project. Any good contractor going into a job that's been DIY'd has to assume that some things are going to be wrong and that's going to take time and money to fix, and therefore you're probably not getting the full value of the demo back because they're keeping some in reserves to fix mistakes.