All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

@Nino Alfano, are you referring to the person who shows-up to give the initial estimate or the crew that shows-up to do the work?  Keep in mind that many companies have salespersons to do their estimates (and @Nicole A. and @Russell Naylor) and may not ever step foot on the roof (if only for insurance reasons).

Unless there is something pretty unique, estimating roof work is fairly simple.  

Curious, if the contractor shows-up in an old vehicle, but whips out a drone with a camera on it to inspect the roof, what would you think of them then?  Safe, smart, clever, efficient, and savvy perhaps?

Keep in mind that Sam Walton is well known for driving around in a 1979 4x4, manual transmission pickup truck.  

@Tim Spencer, not sure if they provide vacancy rates (if they do, I'm sure it's with a paid account), but have you looked into rentometer.com or zilpy.com?

@David Schwartz, @Bill S., and @Robert Herrera - you guys might be interested in this site: http://www.map-testing.com/.

You might also enjoy this (or at least I hope it's entertaining and informative): https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/7413/46957-the...

@David Lowe, thanks for asking the question, it's nice to see a post like this.

No doubt, getting paid is important.  Yet there are numerous other factors that may weigh into a decision of client choice. At the top of my list is how high maintenance I believe the prospect is (this isn't always known early on, but if it's there from the get-go, it's a deal breaker).  And equally important... do they value and respect my time?  Do they view contractors as simply blue collar folks or businesspersons?  Do they understand that the price of something and its true cost are often not the same? Do they know what they want/need in terms of scope of work and do they have the resources to actually fund that.

It's a long list, but I think you get my drift.

Nice! Was it a diamond in the rough house? :)

Welcome to BP!

@Tommy Simpson, no, there isn't a consistent difference between the two... far too many variables to consider. And while anything can be reduced to a SF figure, that can be a slippery slope.  $30/SF may very well be a viable amount for analysis purposes in Washington State, but here in the Washington, DC area, that probably wouldn't fly except for the most basic of rehabs.  Good luck to you!

Might want to consult a PE before severing a monopoured slab/footing... addressing one problem may create another. 

Did you discuss exterior options with the engineer who made the recomendations?

If the system is in the home, hasn't it entered the home? Combined with the wisdom shared elsewhere in this thread (e.g., alarms, battery backups, etc.), and that I've seen these systems fail time and time again, I am a proponent of them as a last resort. It's not that they're not viable and valuable, as you've experienced, I just prefer to keep the water out rather than let it in and control it. 

@Jonathan Z., you might want to touch base with @Russell Brazil, not only did he come to us from MA, he's a Petworth DC expert.