All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

@Tommy Simpson, you're singing my song - I have a particular interest (on the construction side) of doing just this... here in my neck of the woods however.

Since it appears the lot may be large enough from a gross acreage standpoint, you need to figure out the net usable area (e.g., lot shape, topography, setbacks, min/max footprint size, areas that may not be suitable for building upon, etc.).  Also, does the municipality require public water and sewer, and are these at the site already and/or available?

I presume there are no current moratoriums or restrictions on building?

@Sam Watson, as I understand it, build-to-suit is when the landowner has the building constructed (on their dime) to the tenant's specifications, and that the tenant just leases the building (and of course, the specificity of the building is reflected in the lease rate).  The landowner retains ownership of the land and building.

And fee development, as a fee paid to the developer for construction - there are no fees rolled into the building lease (but there may be a ground lease).

Go knock on the doors of the houses the builder has built and ask the owners about their experience. If you're not that bold, direct mail 'em and ask.  In either case, the credibility of the information is more likely to be valid - just about anyone can post just about anything online (and savvier/large companies may pay others to keep their online presence looking good).

Do the covenants/condo docs allow the association to lease spaces to any condo owner and this guy just asked the right question?

@Ray Bowen, not familiar with folks who might be able to help in your area, but are you sure that the thermofoil is peeling - I've not encountered that before, and wouldn't expect thermofoil to "peel"?

Melamine perhaps?

Are the doors thermofoil and the cabinet boxes melamine?

Which is peeling?

Hi @Natsumi Jang, I have no idea what costs are in your neck of the woods, but a licensed handyman, who is skilled to handle a myriad of tasks, well, (and has the tools and equipment to support their ability) is rare, and thus, virtually priceless.  That said, in these parts, I'd expect to pay about $100/hour for that quality of person - add to it that it sounds like they knocked-out the job as requested, in a timely manner, and unattended - is that correct?  Sounds like a keeper to me.  The latter of which has tremendous value I presume as you didn't have to be there to babysit - how much is your time worth?

Did they have to first go to the job to determine the material needs and then have to go get the stuff?

Keep in mind too, that some handymen charge in half day increments.  If what one client needs done takes four to five hours and they don't have another project reasonably close by to fill the remainder of the day, they lose out - thus they charge for their availability per se, more so than their actual time.

True professionals shouldn't take any offense to a client asking about rates/costs/etc., so don't be shy next go-round - ask ahead of time and make your hiring decision accordingly.

That is economical (and I assume it doesn't include labor).

Pocket windows or sash replacements are unlikely to come close; although there are some down and dirty vinyl products that can be had for around $100, depending on size of course. I'm not advocating down and dirty though... 

@michael s., does the community allow vinyl siding?

Some things to consider otherwise:

- Paint is likely to outperform stain (in large part due to the pigments) over the long haul

- Be cautious when power washing... a lot of damage can be done to the surface very quickly and water can get into places it's not supposed to... consider hand washing with TSP

- Be cautious if spraying outdoors... don't want to have the wind carry overspray onto the neighbor's houses, vehicles, or other property (it happens all the time - dryfall paint is one option).  Equally for a rough surface like T1-11, hand applying the coatings will create a better job (or at least back stroke the sprayed material to work it into the cracks and crevices)

@Scott Weaner, I'm not familiar with these inserts, but my first thought was condensation build-up between the existing sashes and the inserts.

When you say older, about how old are we talking about?

Have you considered replacing just the sashes with insulated ones or from an economy standpoint, using vinyl pocket windows?

Glass beading?? Not sure what that is, but if you're talking about glazing, find an old school painter - they're likely to be able to assist you.  As well, many independent lumber yards, hardware stores, etc. that cut glass can help too.  You just have to bring the sashes to them.