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Updated about 11 years ago,

User Stats

56
Posts
7
Votes
Matthew Hicks
  • Investor
  • Pittsburgh, PA
7
Votes |
56
Posts

How to compare plumbing bids

Matthew Hicks
  • Investor
  • Pittsburgh, PA
Posted

Hello Everyone,

I'm currently planning the redevelopment of two 2,900 sq. ft. historical homes in the city of Pittsburgh. We've done full scale renovations before but I've historically relied on my contractor and long time friend for the evaluation and decision making with respect to mechanicals (HVAC, plumbing, electric, etc..), but in the past our homes have been in the $150k-$250k price range. These homes will likely sell for $400-$450k.

Given this, I want to make sure that I also have the personal knowledge required to hire a good plumber and ensure that no corners are cut. Does anyone have any good resources or advice for getting up to speed from a developer perspective?

This all started as I began to look into rebates that are available in my area for installing energy star rated materials so that I can evaluate the cost/benefit of having these products in my home compared to the additional cost.

************************************

On a side note, this will be the first "branded" redevelopment that we've done, and we are going to sell the property as a custom spec home build. We are going to build the house to a ready to complete state and allow the buyer to pick all finishing materials in the same way that many builders do for their spec homes. While not a completely novel idea, it is relatively unique to bring this experience to the urban renewal housing product space, so I'm pretty excited about it.

@Joshua Dorkin if people are interested, I will try to document my experience on a thread along the same way that others have done in the past. It might be helpful for members of biggerpockets to see a newer member that is relatively new to real estate investing document his experience on such a large project.