All Forum Posts by: Laureen Youngblood

@Jay Hinrichs  You are correct on all points... We love our state...but sure don't make it very welcoming for anyone else.

@Jay Hinrichs I have come to understand the frustrations of Oregon's building/development laws to REI people. As a student of Urban developement I tend to lean in favor of them in the long run though. It is what keeps Oregon from looking like California... green, lots of beautiful open spaces... It does fall into a category of a bit much bureaucracy and too slow progress. Colorado being one of the other original states to institute the same type of laws should chime into that conversation though. Maybe the developers there have a secret?

@Jay Hinrichs  WOW!  I just say congrats...and you are looking at deals that I want to get to.  Sounds exciting...which is one of the reasons I love real estate.

I am in the industry and sell and install the LVT every week.  It is amazing for rentals.  I would not use glue down in a high humid, high heat, or direct sunlight.  The click together is as easy to install and inexpensive as mentioned by others above.  There is a new product in that category - called Neptune.  You should be able to find it at one of your local floor retailers (not in a big box store)  It has a quartz finish on top to prevent scratching better than some of the others on the market and is UV protected from fading and curling.  In Oregon is sells for about $3 sf.  Install should be the same as what you pay for laminate install.  The couple of extra boxes in the attic is a good idea.  It should last at LEAST 10 years ...probably much longer.

I'm interested

Hi Don - I just posted this to another Californian that is heading north.  Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance:

Welcome to Oregon William!

I would like to tell you that you will find custom building to be less than what you have been told, but that is not the case. Building in Oregon is generally higher to start with and even higher on the Coast. Please be sure to do your due diligence. The second unfortunate thing about the Oregon Coast is that good, reliable contractors are difficult to find. Finding good contractors is easier than finding reliable ones...My guess is that you will be able to find contractors from the West Portland suburbs or Tillamook. Hopefully some BP members from the Portland area will be able to help. My company does quite a bit of work on the Oregon coast, but we are a little further south (I, of course, would be more than happy to talk to you about interior finish products that we can deliver - but have one of your more local contractors install - ie. flooring, tile and cabinets -being the good sales woman that I am :) .

We have also, personally, recently purchased a piece of property on the Oregon coast in Newport. Having been in the construction industry in this area for over 10 years I am having to pull references from my contacts to find reliable contractors for our build. I hope the best for you and am more than happy to help in any way possible.

Laureen

Welcome to Oregon William!

I would like to tell you that you will find custom building to be less than what you have been told, but that is not the case.  Building in Oregon is generally higher to start with and even higher on the Coast.  Please be sure to do your due diligence.  The second unfortunate thing about the Oregon Coast is that good, reliable contractors are difficult to find.  Finding good contractors is easier than finding reliable ones...My guess is that you will be able to find contractors from the West Portland suburbs or Tillamook.  Hopefully some BP members from the Portland area will be able to help.  My company does quite a bit of work on the Oregon coast, but we are a little further south (I, of course, would be more than happy to talk to you about interior finish products that we can deliver - but have one of your more local contractors install - ie. flooring, tile and cabinets -being the good sales woman that I am  :)  .  

We have also, personally, recently purchased a piece of property on the Oregon coast in Newport.  Having been in the construction industry in this area for over 10 years I am having to pull references from my contacts to find reliable contractors for our build.  I hope the best for you and am more than happy to help in any way possible.

Laureen

@J.R. Gutierrez and @Brian Garrett

"And questions 5 is an attempt to save some money. Most GCs will put a percentage on top of the cost of materials to "pay" for their time to go out and buy it. Save that percentage yourself and buy the material. Offer to meet them at the hardware store so they can hand pick what they need if you're not familiar with materials." 

 JR has given some outstanding advice.  However, I beg to differ this last point.  If the contractor still has to provide a materials list, take all of the measurements, be responsible for making sure that the right materials and quantities are purchased then you should pay him and his crews for measuring, ordering and picking up.  That's part of what you pay a contractor for.  If you attempt to micromanage that portion of a project you are more likely to shoot yourself in the foot for cost (they get contractor pricing) and more importantly - schedule (because now he has to match your schedule to look at, help select and order materials.

Not making the contractor's job more difficult will save you in the long run.

just my two cents

"from the local lumber / hardware store"  This is the BEST!

One of my favorite recommendations are the local owned lumber yards -they work with these contractors every day and know which ones show up, plan and pay their bills.

Contractors - The Final Frontier!

this is my blog post on this topic.  I have been a female in construction directly or indirectly for over 40 years.

The Book on Rehabing properties by Jay Scott is an excellent resource.  Get your preliminaries out of the way - decide if it's even close to your budget.. Then when you have the property under contract have a contractor (or three) come in to do an real estimate during your due diligence.  As has been stated - their time is money to them and they will want to be compensated for multiple estimates with no work.  After you have built a good relationship - then they will get more flexible..and you will be more knowledgeable about the actual costs.