All Forum Posts by: Adam Logan

A-M-E-N!!! Do your due diligence on who you hire and no one would have been ever ripped off their down payment. I get nothing down, order my hazardous chemicals they choose, and then they never let me do the job, I eat hundreds in materials I cant return!! They die before the scheduled day, same thing. Not to mention, not so much investors, but homeowners are so damn indecisive they take up a slot on my shcedule for 2 weeks and cancel the day before when I COULDA been working making money elsewhere, quite often. Those that I ask for a dp NEVER end up pulling that crap. But investors I do not request anything down, they usually become a client with repeat biz relationship and discounted, flat rate, prices. I get a call to to a counter, I dont need to measure cuz I have a price wheter it is 4 feet or 40, it evens out in the end and they LOVE it.

I STRESS AGAIN: Dont pay a GC to do nothing but call HIS people to go work at their set prices when theres cheaper people than "their people." Youd be PAYING HIM to make you spend MORE on the subs too.

A FEW people. Exclude the GC for many reasons and one is his markup on material. Do some research and shopping, and YOU compile whatever you can think of at the BEST price. Check local classifieds for building materials MANY people/contractors DUMP OFF their excess like for nothing,

Basically, sub it yourself. If get a quote on one thing the handyman could do, make sure you can estimate the time it would take him, and divie the price for his hourly service price. Then, when you get other quotes, do the same and see who is cheaper per hour and use the guy that has the lowest hourly pay per job.

The tearout anyone can do that like YOU, save the money. a handyman can hang drywall probably, then hire someone to texture it if he does not know how.

Some handyman work based on time estimae and wage, others estimate on desperacy for work, or how much they hate that specific task. If theyre swamped, like EVERY contractor, the bid will be high cuz they dont "NEED" the work but bid so high that anyone taking it makes it worth working into the evening and weekends to squeeze you in. Thus, try 3 quoted EVERY project and make sure at least one sub is obscure like off a message board or something.
The less places they are listing ads in the more likely have a ton of work all the time and more likrly the quote will reflect an effort to win the bids.

craigslist.com has help wanteds and those guys sometimes its bo career, but beer money and they may be just as good. They WILL be cheaper than anyone trying to build a company and career.

He prolly will know electrical and electricians are
$60/hr. Thats an EASY wire job. a new 20 amp breaker and wire. If running new duct or anything, the hvac guy will know how. Offer him the side work eith it.

Post help wanted ads in places for specific parts of the work and in this economy youll find someone so desperate they will work more for the feeling of optimism of new work than the cash. Their often laid off tradesman too.

do your own baseboards. Cheap and easy, use the pressed wood cheap stuff to save 50 pct.

dunno whats wrong with your ceiling that you want it torn out, but theres cardboard, metal, and textured ceiling tile looking wallpaper alternatives to simply cover the flaws. 15+ cents a sf for textured ceiling tile wallpaper DIY, .50 to 1 an sf for armstrong cardboard diy, up to $50 an sf not installed for copper tiles. Even if theres holes, dryall patch them and these will cover all flaws.

Flooring? Carpet? is it being changed? is it hardwood? Tile? carpet, laminate? Carpet is about $1 sf installed with a good priced installer and a berber. If tile, like I do and a select few other companies like mine, I could reglaze the tile a solid color, or make it look like stone for $1 a sf MAYBE AND a long warranty in about 1 day-2 days, long first day very short visit the second. Only knock is the grout is the same color as tile, not as noticeable as u think but looks perfectly fine on solid colors like white, and cracks, chips, breaks, missing crout can be fixed/patched. The grout suddenly is non pourous and unstainable.

Planning hardwood? buy a 10% off lowes coupon on ebay for 3 bucks, try for some lowes giftcards there too at about 90 cents on the dollar, together a 20% discount. They have a 3 color variety machined oak 2.5in wide hardwood for $1.78 an sf before the coupons. Lumber liquidators has unfinished oak for .99 an sf but if your enviroments humid or hot, or damp you NEED machined like above, this is thick real hardwood and those environments expand and contract it so much it is a nasty problem.

PAINT TIP:
Interior exterior paint king? Wal Mart color place. $9.95 a gallon. MADE BY SHERWIN WILLIAMS AND RELABELED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 5 year warranty. Never used anything else, this was one of my many known secrets of my investment career.

Basically, be the GC. They sub out other contractors JUST LIKE you could do, and add to their price, the material cost and they dont look for deals either in the product. Probably 3 times more than if you follow this. Need
it designed? Ask the handyman his opinion see what you think. The GC will get an architect to handle it and blueprints around a grand at your cost. If nearby, AND with hardwood floors,

I do side jobs when I can which is almost never :( I dont know anyone where I live much to get referrals. but when I work my company I get a few alerting my customers to plumbing or electric problems or I notice theyre starting a project I tell them I do stuff cheap. Consider me a craiglist guy begging for a quick money project in a post ad, equivalent

Id prolly be around labor wise ONLY unless specified,

FLOORS:
Hardwood floor
-$240 without the wood if its replacing carpet and you pull carpet up. It is assuming no subfloor needed, if so, must have that done ahead of time fore me I wont install those.
-$560 AND THAT INCLUDES the lowes hardwood I mentioned
-$440 wood not incl and your replacing tile with it, that I must jachammer up.

Tile:
NEW FLOOR TILE
-240 labor on a basic ready to lay install you provide material.
-240 if theres already tile previously but IF its level, i can overlayer it with the new tile and not remove the old tile. You provide material. Add +$200 if it wasnt level and had to be jackhammered up before installed.

My Company to Reglaze the Old Tile
-$200 to reglaze/resurface it or so, with a 3 yr warranty maybe longer, This would be done at the company pricescale not MINE. This is elevated just because we wont do any contracts that are not $200 or more.
-$120 If other projects in the house being done by amerikotes process and combined are 200 or more, add difference to 120 if the other jobs and the 120 still dont equal 200. (Ex. we paint also a bathroom sink for 70 the floor would be $130 then. 70 plus 120 are 190. Wed add the 10 to make it the 200 min)

Drywall
I hate doing drywall, but I can texture it too unfortunately. Prices include it orange peeled but also I would be stingier on pricing than other work. Its hard. Ill fix or do a wall cheap, but when it comes to big projects I hate life after the second hour. BUT, I am good with it I can even make it blend invisible in the middle of a 1 inch thick plaster wall.

-$1000 without materials. Ceiling left intact. PROBABLY not with tearout.
+200 PROBABLY if I had to tearout and dispose the old.
+300 Add celing without tearout or material just lay drywall
+150 tearout ceiling too and all the above are elected
total drywall labor $1650 MINIMUM Materials not included

Electrical
-$300-$500 running just new wire to a new breaker in the box, 3 outlets no ceiling lite and the dryall is OUT. Common sense. MIGHT include material depending on attic, distances, etc.

Paint
A couple/few hundred bucks.

I wonder how I stack up these days. I charge based on whether I enjoy the work or hate it, or whether it is a very skilled thing. Refinishing anything in a kitchen or bath I do CHEEEAAP but its done under my company. I can essentially use paint/like materials and chemicals and remodel an entire house with those as supplies.

We once remodeled an entire kitchen in my company with our coatings only for like $4000, but I am talking 100% remodel. Went from 1960's to modern without tearing out one item, and it appeared ALL completely had been replaced quality wise. I made the "solid surface look." A contour edged counter using a stone look fleck vinyltoluene-acrylate, solubilized in aliphatic hydrocarbons, and an industrial almost invincible clearcoat. We painted the cabinets, filled tons of chips, changed the doors by custom ordering them for the customer in their choice of design by a company we have an account with that has them made in Mexico for about 30% american cost, painted sink, also the appliances in professional grade metalic stainless paint, painted floor tile in a high solids porcelain urethane white after an aerospace use type primer and a high solids chemically hardened chear coat, and matched the backsplash the same way. Hit the marble windowsill too, and used the stone paint to match the counters on the bare drywall, .

Theres gotta be a site where people post for positions wanted especially hotel and apartment renovation bid requests. where do people post when they are seeking a service they cant find, or seeking multiple bids? Please, not servicemagic or any other paysite. I need something free. Maybe an association forum, or some messageboards? I need to find bidseekers.

Oh yea, unless you give me an enormous job requring BULK material that will wipe out my checking account, I do not require down payments like everyone else seems to in FL. If your doing well, why would you need money before you can even buy the material????

If I do order large material amounts, I cannot return them, THEN I may require a 50% check to guarantee I do not get burned on the contract. BUT, I only hold the check.

I NEED HELP. I am trying to recover from losing my rei company. I decided to fight!

I am a bonded insured company President of AmeriKote LLC (the one of the three in florida thats based in Hernando County, not the tampa one with BBB complaints.)

We are your typical tub and countertop reglazer. Nothing new. My services are available statewide for residential, and countrywide for commercial. multifamily and hotel properties.

READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will give you guys all commercial discounts. I will give you up to the typical 5 year warranties, or less time which includes a rate reduction for you for every year taken from 5!!!! and I will ACTUALLY honor warranties promptly. Below I will just tell u my cost up front.

I do a pretty good job too. My suppliers product has held up 15 years in some tubs quite well. I will soon do inserts for you all too.

My tub pricing for general public is usually $225-$300. With tile surround (or a full shower, even fiberglass) about $375.

[b]For you all, I will go $185 on a tub no matter how many (100 or more $125), depending on the existing finish, presence of silicone, or repairs, and amount of masking needed. BUT, for a "single" tub you must be pretty nearby to me. Give me a few or more to do, and I will travel statewide for you. Give me 20 or 30 and I will go to Washington if I have to.

Add in a tile surround to the job for hmmm, say $250 total price or so. Give me a bunch like 20 full surrounds and I will do both for $225 give or take. Give me a apt complex of like 75 or a hundred I can go as low as $160 for a FULL SHOWER and tub but only a 1 year warranty and a single THICK coat of acrylic with 2 primer coats. Give me $200 each and get a full 5 year and standard 2 coat finish.
[/b]
My fame is countertop refinishing. Mine come out blinding like glass, and smooth like a mirror. If you seek a corian appearance, I can change the edge of the top with contoured flexwood. It's a little pricer but STILL cheaper than formica refinishers. I am well known for this invention of mine.

My price is "TYPICALLY" for one top job is $35 per LINEAR (NOT square) foot, assuming a 24 inch wide top. With the edging, $45 a LF and one extra days work. Volume and investors get discounts though, but not as drastic as tubs. These take a lot of time and I do PERFECT work. If you just want it commercial grade and to just "look a little better" I will work out something.

Both cases, if your keeping the property to rent, do the higher price option. If flipping, take the cheap way out which still will get you identical/slightly better quality and appearance of about 95% of the other refinishers out there anyways. Yes, my cheap one coater job still will look better to you than anyone you probably ever used. THAT is a sad part of the industry. Unlike them, I will NEVER:

[b]1. leave you a run, chips, missed spots, dirt under the paint (all surfaces get tacked)

2. Paint on the fixtures,

3. Dullness

4. Painted over sloppy caulk jobs or stick resistant silicone, (I remove bad caulk jobs then recaulk),

5. Blemishes and chips painted over without repair (sometimes another couple bucks)

6. Cracks or breaks in fiberglass without FULL grindout, bonding, and filled (again, sometimes a few extra bucks)[/b]

[b]I WILL NOT ACCEPT JOBS IF I AM ASKED TO PERFORM SUBSTANDARD WORK. IT REFLECTS ON MY COMPANY REPUTATION.
[/b]
I can also commonly reglaze cabinets in color.

[b]For you top end property guys, I can relaminate them in REAL WOOD veneer, in your choice of species, stain and clearcoat them, I also replace the doors in solid wood, standard or hidden hinges, matching the veneer species on the faces, and you can even design them with an easy program for the order. I get the doors so cheap from Mexico I have lowers costs than some formica guys. Literally, any old cabs will appear to be brand new solid wood improvements. Any damages, warping, or chipping I can fix, and I can even cut and resize them to fit dishwashers, etc. With my fake corian top jobs it looks spectacular.

Pricing varies on wood type. I can present an exaple though. Sears quoted a customer 7000 for formica on about 20 linear cabinet feet with the OLD doors. I came in at $3500 in Red Oak, including hinges, drawer faces and pulls.

My kitchen below is oak. 45 linear feet. 36 doors, 18 drawers. My cost for ALL MATERIAL was $1100. Id do something like that for an investor who will give me repeat business for about $3800-$4000. Home Depot quoted me for Mills pride fake maple formica cabs. $3800 was the cost JUST to buy them.

Anyhow,
Thanks for anything you can do to help. Tell a friend.

Adam.

[/b]

K, heres my artwork. These are the wood laminate cabinets I did, minus the 3 foot nickel bar pulls I installed later. The tops are my reglazed ones, with the contoured edge.

The tile, different story. Thick porcelain with staggered stainless steel 4" decoratives inlaid. The backsplash cost $1200 and the floor $800, and I did not pay anyone to install it! My only splurge lol.

BEFORE!!!!!

AFTER!!!

A nice shot of my counterfeit top hehe.

After a month of bellyching something lit a fire under my ***. As many suggested, I am considering large scale property management. BUT, I now have a real interest in construction supervisor. I am hoping my experience is relative enough to allow me to really ease in and learn fast. It pays over 50k.

My biz COULD be huge. But I dont want it for a primary living while still doing the labor, just side income..... BUT I AM THE ONE in demand for my work quality to the customers, not the company. When I do work, I make $100 and hour or more. One company I knew doing this grossed $750,000 annually. Guess at that wage I would do it forever.

Its tough finding the repeat customers though and breaking into the main money makers; apartments, condos and hotels. I mean, I have even expanded countrywide and travel to do jobs as long as I earn anough for a free trip. Profit or not, every job is a free advertisement.

I am currently working on a contract with a major apartment refurbisher/investor in Ohio to pick up all his deals. One stop, 50 or 100 tubs. I have an ex employee there who can perform warranty repairs for pay after I am done. Potential IS there, but I LOVE REI, the only think I get from this is pride when some of my elderly customers cry from happiness after my job is done. I only got into this to perform on my properties. My cost is $20 to paint a tub in 2 hours! My paint holds up up to 15 years! It WAS a perfect idea, though VERY HARD to learn the skill of painting commercially. I got sick of replacing tubs, the tile, backsplashes, cabinets and counters. Suddenly, I discover that I can make tops identical to corian, and even whizzed up a flexwood banding to countour the flat edge of formica tops. Everyone who saw it BEGGED me to do theirs, and well, here I am! I just need repeat clients.

I know its wrong to ask, but if y'all ever need to redo a tub, counter, wall tile, cabinets, etc. I could REALLY use some work. I will travel ANYWHERE for an adequate size job, even Europe. I wouldnt probably go to NY from FL to do 1 tub, but a few, sure!

I been off for 3 weeks :( I give commercial discounts to investors. I can repair almost and damage, weld tub holes and fill them, repair the WORST fiberglass cracks, broken tiles, Its not an ad here and I am not trying to push my company, but I literally have 2.33 in my checking with a $3000 mortgage payment coming up, and I am getting desperate. Conversely, if y'all know anyone in the larger comercial REI area you would be a kind soul to mention me to them, Id be very gracious. I will still honor my 5 yr warranties. On tops, you will NEVER have a claim. They'll last 30 years. l

If anyone needs a contract on a large unit hotel or apartment, I will eat a bowl of cockroaches for the bid if I have to! haha.

Oh yea, I can also do an AWESOME trick. I get real wood laminate in any type of wood, a few mills thick. I relaminate it on old cabinets. I order custom SOLID matching WOOD doors from Mexico, which you can design yourself from about 20 diferent choices. I stain, then use industrial clearcoat over top. I get the doors so cheap that I am actually cheaper than most formical installers. You are left with HIGH QUALITY counterfeit wood cabinets. I had 36 doors in my kitchen, 60sf of counter, and MY COST was 1100!!!!!!!! Ill post a pic. BUT, I am unaware of licensing requirements, I do it under the table for now. But its beautiful.

OHHHHHHHHHHHHH, I got an itch! Found a TRASHED 10 unit effic. apt complex needing renovation for $135,000 OBO, owner financed. I think I am about to tell my old partner to suck an egg, that company was all ME and why should let his capital defeat me when that was not how I was so successful???? Its in a ****** area, but, I have section 8 dancing through my head and the promise of a guaranteed check every month with no excuses.

Gosh guys, I hate poverty. I understand why Black Monday was also suicide monday.

Every single dime. Much beyond my control. I still THINK my credit is a 750, but I am not interested in loans to return to that business. One day if I again have liquidity like I had then maybe I will on the side. Right now I need to work under someone else for a while and have the security of a paycheck.

Im feeling pretty defeated theres just nothing available in the classifieds. I COULD handle getting some SMALL loans and absolutely slam the market with ads for my reglazing company, but I am too scared to risk the debt if it fails to generate enough work to cover itself. Its barely keeping me alive right now, let alone another bill.

I am very confused about my future and really am not satisfied accepting any of what appear to be my options. I got myself into one of those catch 22 positions. Perhaps someone can spark an idea I have not considered yet.

Last year midway through I lost my marriage. I got quite ill amongt other things, and basically sparing the details, my life fell apart like a controlled demolition. In a short 6 months I had accomplished nothing but making myself more sick and depressed, subsiding on my life savings which was about $140,000 cash. I expected to recover anything spent since I had built up my income to about $200,000 a year. My properties sat untouched, vacant, and suddenly declining in value without my awareness.

Around December I started to try to pull myself out of the hole I was in. I did not know it would take a few months. But at that point I had not left the house much and discovered the housing market had fallen apart.

I liquidated everything after I rushed rehabbing them all hours of the day and night. In the end, not so bad. I maybe lost $10,000. However, my partner wanted out by then. He was responsible for the $800,000 I had to use for buys.

By then, I was broke. Divorce, health bills, payments on bills based on a $200,000 lifestyle, I had no way of continuing despite 5 years of uninterrupted profit. I still do not. Hard money, credit, etc. is not an option to me. I am pretty seasoned and am also an ex loan officer, I know that category is completely not in question for me to attempt and reform another investment corp.

So, I have to change careers at 33. I already had formed a tub, tile, cabinet, countertop recoating company mainly for extra money and to be able to use on my own property. That is still going for me, but it is not enough. I need something else going on career wise.

What can I get in to??? I have a BA of Arts degree, and only 9 months formal employee experience as a loan officer for Huntington Banks, (not an option again, $30,000 isnt worth 40 hrs). The rest was my investment co. Here I am sure you know what I did and dealt with, almost all the rehabbing by hand, acquisition, valuation, record scrubbing, rental, management, essentially anything an investor can do is what I did. I would say I was an 9 out of 10 in residential investing performance and knowledge.

The only difference in me and a lot of other investors is I did the work myself and I mean some pretty extensive rehabbing, along with the seasoning of maximizing profitability in the materials. I can do everything and just as good as a pro, or better, with exception to roofing and hvac. But, no licenses for any of it which would mean working for a subcontractor laying tile or installing cabinets or whatever. If I could do it all and there was a profession that required that ability, I am sure the pay would be suitable. But the only thing I could do would be to get licensed in one of the sub professions and they ALL require 4 years formal experience with a licensed contractor. I dont have that so thats out.

I just do not know. What can I do besides investing? I know it will be a step down whatever I do, and thats fine. I just can't make entry level money after making almost $1,000,000 in a few years. But, I have no problem with earning a more modest income to survive on, like $50,000 or so.

What can I get myself into with this dilemma? I have been practically poverty stricken for a year now. I am becoming desperate for a solution.