All Forum Posts by: Mike Franco

porcelain is cheaper in material cost, but vinyl is easier and faster to install.

porcelain, when thinset is applied properly, is pretty much crack proof. 

I recently removed porcelain tile I installed a few years ago, and whacked it hard with a hammer multiple times, and it would not crack.  I had to hit it with a chisel from underneath in order to break the tile.

i'm talking about the general 12mil wear layer kind.

I just saw this rental listing on zillow, and its hardwood floor is scratched to hell >>  

so I question whether LVP can even hold up.

what's the average cost to suck out all the old r22 and replace with synthetic?

I have a 40 year old central ac unit still running.

try to imagine what is timeless.

Large format tile is the future. Don't go too beige or gray. White marble-looking porcelain would be good.

Bathrooms should have light colored floors and walls to make them seem airy. Dark colors make them look small and gloomy.

how much is your security deposit?

worst case scenario, you wait till the end and do smoke remediation and bill her the whole thing.

if other tenants are complaining about smoke, and they are certain she is smoking, she's violating the lease contract.

Maybe ask the other tenants if they can take a photo catching her in the act. Then evict.

i doubt the water company guy checked anything besides the meter. "very bad leak" is a lazy response.

OP, is there a shut off valve between the house and the meter?

Go look at the meter yourself. It probably has spinning dials. Shut off all your water, and see if the dials are still spinning.

 How much is your total yearly premium for the 3 properties?

Furnace is ~$2000. Washer dryer $800. Fridge $1000

5 copays $250-350?

In 10 years, have you paid well over $4000 in premiums?

if so, how is it worth it if it costs less paying out of pocket for all the appliances ?

 it could have been worse. 

He could have installed the stove... improperly, and burned your whole house down.

exactly. And they're only loyal because you're paying them to be loyal, through steep discounts.

Also, why stay $400 under market? Bump that up to $100-150 below market.

 You're the exception, not the rule.

I used to have AHS, and they denied EVERYTHING. All I got were bandaid fixes.

Somehow, the technicians had no incentive to request replacements, because the dirty secret is, the more claims that contractors push through, the more AHS penalizes them by giving them fewer and fewer referrals. AHS incentivizes contractors to do the minimum amount of work.

This is the LA area, where contractor competition is fierce. They're fighting for every AHS referral. I assume you live in an area where there is hardly any competition, so contractors are more likely to be generous.

With the money I saved by not paying AHS, I came out ahead. The premium used to be $600 per year. 

Since cancellation, I've spent $1200 on a water heater, $300 on a plumbing issue. The old toilet used to clog sometimes, and I got tired of wasting repeated $75 service charges, so I spent $100 to put in a new toilet, and no more clogs.

Things don't break as much as you might think.