All Forum Posts by: Andrew C Hammes

Not sure of what type of building you have but here are a few things to consider. 

usually there is a single drain running from the roof to the basement floor. In 2 story buildings you will usually find the bathrooms stacked above eachother with the kitchen sink not far away because they all need to drain. The water lines are usually run nearby. I consider this the wet part of the house. The further you place a 2nd bathroom away from this stack, the more you need to consider the slope of the drain and headroom might become an issue. 

If you have a single story, it is possible to put it in the basement but cost is higher due to cutting concrete and such. There is also a system that is basically a holding tank that sits behind the wall for a basement bath that collects waste and water and pumps it to the stack without going under concrete but i feel like its one more thing to break down and the initial cost of a toilet to work with that setup may be more expensive. 

you could also consider a half bath as you would need less room. Hope that helps

Todd R. Has the right idea with the 2x4's sistered to the 4x4's. This was common practice but now most municipalities want the load to be supported by the post, not the nails. If you did sister 2x4's then they should continue to the pier, assuming there is any...

Also looks like a pretty far span without posts. I would add some. Because of the height, I dont believe not being attached to the house is a problem but it does look like it was built without any permits. Engineers are great, they are pretty cheap and then you can keep the paperwork they give you. It offers a bit of legal protection.

In wisconsin, I was paying 3400$ for 2 duplexes worth 240k combined. Found out my insurance company had me under a replacement plan which replaces the home if something happens.  I learned a market value plan covers the cost of the loan only and comes at half the cost. Im at $1800 now for both and if something happens, i can pay off the loan and they cover 10k for site clean up and then you can sell the lot. 

I just started turning over the first unit that i completely rehabbed and I see my work wasn't the best all those years ago, haha. I've learned how to do things right and would love to share some tips and tricks with others just starting out or maybe a hands off investor who would like to get an understanding of something before they talk to a contractor. 

Anybody have anything?

Does the executive order have a certain amount of vouchers per capita or open to everyone? I know we've had school choice in WI from a while but there is only a couple thousand for the state or something like that. 

It really depends on you and your goals. That being said, I started with a duplex. Rented out the better unit, moved into the other one and fixed it up then when the tenant left, i moved into that unit and repeated same process. Then i bought another one that was in much worse shape and did the same thing only i was unable to rent either unit until i finished one. 

Anyways I never paid a mortgage payment, it was cheaper than the 600$ a month i was paying for a mobile home. 

I don't think the tenants will hurt stainless. Personally I hate the fingerprints. Its impossible to keep clean. They have nicer spotfree stainless but it doesn't sound like you want to spend much more. Black appliances can look sharp paired with a complementary paint. 

I had one unit rented for 2 years through section 8. The inspection was really relaxed the first two times( they do an initial and yearlies after that). They left at the two year mark and a more competent employee walked through and came up with a list of things that were not brought up before. Totally reasonable like a gfci outlet by every sink, a cracked window, water heater pressure relief discharge pipe. Drywall repair. 

Tenants always paid their portion (which changes often from pregnancy, job placement or loss) 

Biggest problem I had was them basically leaving all their belongings and moving to Georgia ( they didn't have a car, took a bus) I got a few new bikes, 2 xbox's, powerwheels, razor scooter and a big tax donation to goodwill from 30 trashbags of clothes haha

I include appliances and was having issues with used appliances with tenants I really liked so I bought a new fridge and stove (stainless) in an area that normally wouldn't see it. They have been there for years and it's the unit I hear the least from. Win win

Hi dean, I've bought a Triple and duplex on Racine's south side by the lake. I've always been amazed the area was as bad as it is with the proximity to the lake front. Main St. has always been nice but only 2-3 streets inland and you can see quite a difference. That being said, I have definitely seen improvements over the last 5 years being here. More so since Foxconn was announced...the forestry department actually trimmed the trees down the streets so it doesn't look like an overgrown, forgotten area!  Downtown has had some vacant buildings tore down and rebuilt and the Azarian marina which looks like 8 acres of decrepit warehouses has been torn down in the last 6 months which gives me hopes that development is starting to ignite.  

I have had good luck with renters and income by providing newly remodeled properties that I actually take care of. I recently partnered up with two others and bought 2 duplexes in Milwaukee that we are currently doing complete rehabs on. If you have any questions, ask away. I also lived in camp lake for a short time.