If I have time and some skills,.. what areas are worth me doing?

Question

So... I am in negotiations on my first flip.  It will be bathrooms, windows, some cosmetic, fixture updating...  But nothing major structurally (fingers crossed)

I know the tv shows showing those knobs laying tile while the subs stand and watch are Baloney.... BUT... I am working a deal 10 blocks from my house.  I have some time, skill to do pretty much any homeowner project, light electrical etc...  What things in the rehab are value add for me to do...?  I am thinking plugs, switches and covers, vs paying an electrician... stuff like that..    Love to hear your opinions!

Account Closed · Answer

@Carson Wilcox I stuck with light stuff for diy: plugs, switches, covers, tiling a backsplash, putting in new bathroom fixtures, replacing doors, door knobs, smoke detectors, etc. I live in the unit above the one we were fixing up, so it was also quick for me to get to the place, but the project still eats up a lot of your time.I hired out bath and sinks reglazing, all major painting, water heater installation, putting up a fence, window replacement, among other stuff.If you have the time, then do it. Plus, I found that contractors didn't pay as much attention to detail as I would have liked them to.Good luck!

Ned J. · Answer

If every contractor out there was trustworthy, reliable and did great work then I would buy into the "just hire a professional....it ends up saving you $$ and the work turns out better"....but lets face it...... that's not reality. I've seen plenty of DIY guys do just as good a job as some "pro" and at half the cost and with less stress and headaches of dealing with unreliable workers etc. And I've seen DIY guys do sh*t work that ends up resulting in more $$ lost etc....and Ive seen lot of contractors that take your $$....never show up on time....take 5x longer than promised....and do crap work.......so both "plans" have their pro/con aspects

So it really depends on your skills, time available, and whether you have contractors that are reliable and do good work for a decent price. Do you take actual satisfaction in doing it yourself and don't mind putting in the time? ...or is it more about getting the job done well and as quickly as possible and you would rather be doing other things?

If you have a team of reliable, reasonably priced contractors that you can trust, then that's the best way to go overall when you factor $$ and time and quality of work.....

Irina Belkofer · Answer

Really bad idea to DIY if you're not in any of these trades full time.

Tile, done by professional looks totally different from the tile by handyman, and it's also cheaper and done fast. The one who does only tile, does it fast, with perfect quality and reasonable price.

Plumbing as HWT will need permit, repiping the house also need to be done by a licensed professional and even light plumbing like toilets, sinks etc is better done by a plumber by trade rather than by "Jack of all trades"

Electrical as of configuring the consumption, breakers, panels etc - only licensed electrician to cover your liabilities.

Switches, outlets or something like that not even considered an electric work - like door knobs, locks - DIY while waiting on other contractors to finish or when you have time.

Generally, the more you're doing yourself the longer it takes because you're learning new skills and it takes time.

Even if you're good in that - if you're creating business and want more than couple projects a year - you need to outsource everything. Treat it as a business, focus on what you're the best at and outsource everything else.

You're not saving money by doing a job for $5/h - it will take you much longer to do it than someone doing it for living. And results will be as such - sad.

I started like that - to do it myself: flooring, painting, electric, some plumbing etc. Learned it hard way - I should focus on the business and finding money for the project rather than DIY

Antoine Martel · Answer

Carson.

Check out the comps in your neighborhood. What are they selling for and what features do they have? Match those features to get that value.

Mike Reynolds · Answer

@Irina Belkofer Thats the way I figure the job even though I have experience IN that job.

It.

Is.

Sometimes.

Cheaper to let someone else do it than it is for me to do it.

Every job is different though as most already know.

Mike Reynolds · Answer

@Carson Wilcox When a homeowner asked me how much they could save if they did some of the work their-selves......

I would reply the price is double if you touch the job. Really I did.

But the truth is that many owners are very handy. But the factors to them (contractors) is the time frame. Keep this in mind. In today's world the prices are going down for the contractor so its more like a Walmart type of service. Do it in bulk and get to the next one.

Electric you can forget. No electrician (even in Texas) will let you touch their job as its their liability.  They cant risk it. Plumbing/AC the same. Anything mechanical is off limits. ESPECIALLY in Cali/Fla/Galveston/Austin. I am sure many more places as I havent worked everywhere....

But.....

But there can be many things you could do. Try and find a contractor that is emphatic to your needs. Make sure you can do what you propose to do. If you mess up on that one thing he will not likely let you try it on something else. OTOH, if you excel at the ONE he will let you do other things as well.

Carson Wilcox · Answer

Account Closed That is what I am thinking....

Account Closed · Answer

@Carson WilcoxThe sky's the limit. Post up your specific ideas for this place with pics. There are plenty of people here who can help you.

Bart H. · Answer

We just did our first flip a year ago.  Now granted my wife and I were working full time jobs.  But both of us spent a LOT of hours each week picking out finishes, inspecting jobs, getting permits, making sure we had materials and appliances sourced.

You can save a TON of money on things like faucets, sinks, countertops, light fixtures, doors etc by looking online or finding discount or clearance stores.  Its really expensive to have your contractors go to Home Depot for an hour a day vs having the materials either delivered or already paid for and ready for pickup in the morning.

The other thing I think is valuable is being a project manager.  Planning out weeks ahead to make sure you aren't waiting for contractors, and honestly inspect every day.  ITs MUCH cheaper to ask questions and review work at the time than go back and redo something.

Remember with a flip you have carrying costs, every day is more water, electric, gas, interest, taxes, insurance etc.  Any delay is going to cost you hundreds if not thousands of dollars per week.

The only things we even considered were things that 1) didn't slow down our contractors. 2) that didn't keep us from all of the other things like sourcing materials. 3) That we could complete and make look as good as a professional.  So for instance my wife and I  installed all of the door handles and locks, installed a custom closet.  Otherwise we stayed away from it.

Sure if you have worked in the building trades and can work as fast or faster than someone you hire, maybe you do a job or two.  But really there is a lot to do just getting things organized.  And being free to take on unexpected things that come up really will save you time (and money) in the long run.

Best of luck to you!!!

If I have time and some skills,.. what areas are worth me doing?

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