All Forum Posts by: Kevin Coleman

@Jonathan Klemm I like the look of natural wood thereby do not want to paint it. Ideally a good pressure washing/cleaning will restore the wood underneath then a clear seal to maintain the look for another couple of years. I did a small section last year to see how it would turn out and was satisfied with the results. Time got away from me and I did not complete the project. Ultimately, I just need to hire it out. The property is located at 45th and Calumet. Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

I have a wood fence built in 2021. It was never sealed and now has turned that dirty grey color. I want to extend its life as long as possible by having it pressure washed and sealed. Any recommendations for an investor friendly contractor who works in the 60653 zip code of Chicago.

Regards,

Kevin P. Coleman

678-548-3982

@Chris Seveney Thanks. I didn't think of that.

@Chris Seveney@Jerry N. Thanks. Yea...I am worried about them getting stuck in there, specifically if the heat runs. 

@Kevin Berry Thank you. I will give that shot tomorrow. The tenants have not complained about hearing the noise over the weekend. I will look for a wildlife removal service in the morning after the holiday weekend. I went to the building and saw where they can get into the building but not necessarily the vents.

I have a 3 unit property in Chicago. The tenants stated they heard birds in the vents. I went there yesterday and heard what they were talking about. There are definitely bird(s) in the HVAC. I specifically heard and briefly saw a bird in the return vent.

Anyone had this issue before? I'm not sure who I should reach out to? HVAC company?, roofer to see if they are getting into the exhaust vent on the roof? etc

@Elbert O. I just sent my thoughts to you DM.

I have a heat pump/mini split for my 2 unit. It produces heat down to -13F and works well for my home. The city required supplemental heat in case it gets below that so I have a hardwired wall heater as a backup that looks like a small HVAC return.

There are quite a few factors to consider with the minisplit system, specifically for a multi unit(new build and older building). I am more than happy to share if anyone is interested. 

I agree with @John Warren. I am from the south and grew up in a home my parents purchased new. Pretty much everyone I knew had central AC. It was not until I moved to Chicago in 2012 that I realized window units were not as uncommon as I once thought. While it will certainly help to have window AC units, if it is not the norm in the neighborhood at said pricepoint then it maybe just fine. I will say that $250k seems low to me but I may be biased by City of Chicago prices. 

My units do not have central AC. I purchase one large(minimum 10k btu) window AC unit for the living and advertise that I will put it up and taken it down once a year. Tenants seem to like that.

You are probably going to have a hard time getting it registered with the city. Airbnb will not allow you to post without first receiving a registration number. 1.5years ago I registered the basement unit of a 2flat I am hacking. I made the mistake of thinking the renewal fees would autodraft my account on a yearly basis. It didn't so my registration lapsed in September.  I re-applied and was denied so I had to appeal. The Alderman submitted a note in support of my registration during the appeal process to no avail. The city still denied me.

I said that to say, I do not know how they will approve someone who doesn't own the property.