All Forum Posts by: David Floyd

I did everything but connect the freon lines.  Then I just called an HVAC installer to finish it up.  You really need to have some knowledge and tools to vacuum the lines, leak check, and charge it properly.  Good luck.

I would go Pex.  Very easy to install and is used everywhere in Europe.  Make sure you get good fittings and go with copper bands rather than stainless steel.  Best pricing I have found is on Supplyhouse

I have used a few mini splits in small one bedroom apts that never had ductwork or even a central AC.  They are LG and I did have a few issues but were able to resolve them.  They are extremely energy efficient.  I have had to clean one due to a tenant frying food all the time and clogging up the coil.  They are cheap enough that you could just by extras for spare parts.  Mitsubishi are the best but expensive then Fujitsu/LG.  Chinese brands such as Pioneer can be bought cheap but you get what you pay for.  

Looking for ideas on how to make rentals easy to maintain and resilient to tenant abuse.  Here are mine:

1. Texture walls and paint with semi-gloss ( I standardize on two colors) to make it easy to clean and touch up.
2. Use ball valves everywhere for plumbing.  Use threaded nipples for shutoffs so they can easily be replaced down the road.
3. Use hard waterproof surfaces whenever possible.  Tile, granite, vinyl plank flooring, etc.
4. No particleboard cabinets.  I use RTAs from Kitchen Cabinet Kings.
5. Flush hot water heater between tenants
6. Use drain enzyme to clean out drains between tenants to clean old plumbing lines.
7. Use a powdered boric acid based bug killer before tenants move in to keep bugs in check.
8. Use stainless steel and ceramic for sinks.  No cultured marble since it scratches easily.
9. LED lighting everywhere.
10. Use a dark grout and use a grout sealer like Boost.

There are really good wall skim coating videos on Youtube by Paul Peck.  He rolls it on then smooths it with a large taping knife.  The best texture in my opinion is knockdown.  I have also had skip trowel finish put on walls and it looks good too. It does take experience to make it look good though.  Once you get the texture finished make sure to paint it with a semigloss especially in a bathroom.  All my rentals are textured and painted the same color of semi-gloss.  Lasts a long time and can be cleaned easily.  

I have a 450 one bedroom apt that I rent and I created an eat-in kitchen by cutting out the top portion of a wall that divided the kitchen from the dining room to the living room and put a bar top on the remaining stem wall.