All Forum Posts by: Christine Swaidan

Thanks, @Justin B. I've never paid for a bid but I do understand that they take time and effort and I was in a big hurry to get this moving so I accepted the deal. As I will be meeting with at least two more contractors this week I will see what they expect.

@Tom Olson You are right. I do have different standards for work done at my personal residence vs. work at rentals. Good point. So maybe this is just a bad march. I'm looking for a contractor to do rental work but he might just be the perfect contractor when I decide to redo my kitchen. Hmm.

@Steve B. and @Franco Li I was trying to minimize the inconvenience for the tenants and also get going on this project ASAP. Neither of which is happening.  :(  I didn't want to bring in a bunch of contractors but looks like we are heading in that direction. I thank you for your comments and support.

Hi @Brianne H. I was not as clear as I should have been. The $39,500 breaks down into

$6500 for roof

$9000 to install new deck subflooring for 2 decks

$24,000 is what is left over in the price and will cover 4 retrofit windows, repair of drywall, etc.

I called a total of 5 contractors, for additional bids and have set up meetings for Tuesday and Thursday and hope to hear from other three on Monday for possible meet up.

I will post the bids that I get for anyone who is interested in following this story.

Thank you to everyone who has responded. I feel I have a better grasp of the situation now. I'm not looking for the deal of the century. I am looking for honesty, respect and quality work in a timely fashion. I also realize that this is an older house and once things get opened up there may be dry rot or termite damage that will need to be repaired. I expect to pay extra for extra work. I didn't like that feeling that I was being taken advantage of. I shall get at least one more bid on repairs and see where that leaves me.

REALLY appreciate the education.

Thanks, @Matthew Olszak I would love to establish a relationship with a contractor that I felt was going to do the best for me. Haven't managed yet. Am frustrated!

@Michael HayworthThanks for your response. I’m happy to hear from a contractor. I would think the value of breaking down the bid would be obvious—which is the reason for the question. On the first house there were three areas that I wanted to keep track of.

1. Cost of roof
2. Cost of decks
3. Cost of repairs—4 retro-fit windows, drywall replace, install 4 fan lights, scrape and retexture ceilings, replace weather stripping on 4 French door. For the record I was not asking for a breakdown of individual items, just these three categories.

Roof and Decks are subbed out to different companies. You’d think it would take no time at all to give me the breakdown on these items.

Same with second house repairs. He lumped repair of outside wall with rain gutters that he will sub out.

So I got the numbers today—one week after oral bid. Everything that he is subbing out looks decent. The repairs that he will do seem high. $24,000first house repair and $14,600 for second house (replacing siding and one window).

I don't  have a good idea what things should cost and getting this type of bid doesn't help my education.

I did check to make sure his license is good.

I suck at this.

Thanks, @Joshua Fulenwider I really feel out of my element as an older woman going it on her own. Unfortunately right now is a busy time for contractors and I'm sure he could pass on my job and do just fine some where else. I don't know if it is standard or reasonable to pay for bids but the bid I got was worthless for comparing to anyone else--I have a bid for the roofing from another guy. I'm mad at myself for paying him the money already.

Because of recent rain storms and older units I am in need of some repair work on a couple of units.

I contacted a GC that I found on a neighborhood website. He had a few positive reviews on Yelp. He’s on Houzz, also. He was very responsive. I called him one day and we met at both properties the following day.

One house needs new roof,

2 deck surfaces will need to be removed and resurfaced,

Repair drywall damage,

Scrape ceilings in four bedrooms

Replace 4 windows

Place new weather stripping on four doors,

Install 4 new fan lights (I provide those, he will do electrical).

So the second house is 10 minute drive and by the time we got there he gave me a bid of $39,500 for the first job.

So we did a walk through at the second house and I told him I would like a bid for that work also but I wanted it in writing.

He agreed but said doing the bids takes a lot of time and he charges for writing them up.$150 per bid but he would give me the bargain on $150 for both bids. Ok, I liked the guy, he was prompt, and I know it does take a lot to produce a bid so I agreed to the $150.

When I met him last night I got a list of the scope of the project—what we had decided needed to be done –at the price of $39,500. There was no breakdown of costs. I want to know how much for the roof. I want to know how much for the decks, and I want to know how much for the drywall repairs and windows.

Is this a typical way to bid a project? If I would have known he would not give details I would not pay for the bid—he had already figured out the cost on the 10 minute drive to the second project—which was bid in the same manner.

Am I being taken here or is this—not breaking down the numbers and charging for bids—standard. This is making it very difficult to get competing bids.

thank you to everyone for feedback. I called my attorney today because I was afraid I would not be able to get new roof on in a timely manner. He actually calmed me down. Even though this may take longer to repair than I or the tenants would like, the fact that I have moved quickly to start the process is in my favor. After getting two call backs telling me they could not get to this job until April or later I did hear from a roofer that showed up today to see the job site. He promises me a bid in the morning and says it's a small job that can be squeezed in. I almost kissed him!  

I also spoke to a person who does air testing. He actually discouraged me from doing the $750 test because all visible signs have been removed. He said if after the repair work started and they found more than it would make sense to call him out. 

I'm hoping roofer comes through with bid and is then able to put me on his schedule in the near future. In the mean time one adult daughter is sleeping in the living room. 

Nolo California Landlord's Law Book says I should direct my effort to speedy clean-up and replacement of damaged areas. Check. Does not recommend testing unless you are being sued because the type of mold will not, in most cases affect the method of clean-up. There is nothing regarding moving the tenant. 

We did remove all obvious signs of mold. I do realize that spores may be in the air. The entire area that we tore out is covered by 6 Mil plastic. Nobody is living in the room at this time. 

Will call insurance agent Monday morning just to give him a heads up. Hoping for a return call from a roofer tomorrow!!