All Forum Posts by: James Birdsall

@Scott Mac, Thanks for your comment. Sorry for the delay in answering, got busy. How to keep costs down? Question everything. Costs come in many guises. Time costs, material costs, regulatory costs and mistake costs. Think of each one as something you need to pay attention to.

Time costs: Every minute costs you money. Scheduling your subcontractors is a tricky business. Say you have 7 different subcontractors that need to be on site one after the other. They all have their own schedules and you are only one of them. This is, again, another relationship building exercise. Don't expect them to show up on X day just because they said they would. Keep in touch with them as their turn is coming up, like two weeks ahead to confirm. You will be on the phone a lot. And always be nice.

Material costs: Most of your materials will be commodities and no one can do too much about that. However, find suppliers that will go beyond the sale and take care of you. That is valuable. This can only come with experience. But when you are short one beam hanger that is hard to find and they bring one out from 20 miles away for free so your framer can keep working, that's valuable.

Mistake costs: Your suppliers, your subcontractors and you will make mistakes. Your suppliers should own up and make good. Your subcontractors are going to be a mixed bag. If you really understand what they are doing you can spot their mistakes. This is about keeping your eyes open and seeing to it that they fix or repair their own mistakes. Some of these can be very expensive.

Kris, some of this is out of our control. They tend to move at their own pace. However, do get to know the staff. I don't know the situation in Tampa but I can tell you what I do here In Boise. At the very beginning of a new project I go in and meet with a planner, some places you may need to make an appointment. I show up with at least preliminary drawings and a description of the property. Then I start asking questions. These folks have a lot of knowledge about your local real estate market and the codes and restrictions that can be very useful. This is not about making friends as it is getting to know them and them getting to know you. It also lets them know you are concerned about doing everything correctly. They will remember that. With inspections it is the same thing. If I am waiting for an inspection I will call and find out who the inspector is assigned to this job. Then I call him and introduce myself and ask when he expects to come and very subtly let him know that the sooner the better. Just be very friendly. At the appointed time meet him there face to face and thank him for coming. Then find something to do to keep your self busy. Do not hang around him! If he finds a problem he will find you. Hope this helps.

I have been successfully managing projects for over 30 years and will be happy to answer questions regarding ways to control your projects to keep costs down and quality high. Running construction projects can be intimidating whether they are single homes, remodels or multi family. You, as project manager (which is what you are if you are in charge of your building project), must be able to project your vision to architects, city or county planning groups, your financiers, your subcontractors and their employees. It is complicated but very satisfying. So, ask away.

There are 2 ways to accomplish this. You can either raise the whole house 16" or dig out the floor and pour new concrete. The cheapest and easiest is to dig out the floor in my opinion. I would have to know more about your project, there are a lot of details one would have to know to go further than that.

I am interested to talk with someone from the area specifically the rehab market in and around the Round Rock / Austin TX area. Currently rehabbing in Idaho and are looking for other markets. Thanks.

As I stated in an earlier post, I am just starting out here in Boise, ID. I went to my first investor group meeting (Boise Investor Group) last Tuesday and met some really nice people and it was a very good discussion. I have also started the process of getting my Idaho Contractor license. I am just waiting for my liability insurance quote and I will be ready. I must say an Idaho contractor license (actually a registration) is nothing compared to getting my California General Contractor's license. That was a 6 month ordeal, you California contractors know what I mean. Here it is simply a registration process that costs $30 and show proof of liability and Worker's Compensation insurance. So, I should be ready to roll in a few weeks.

@Mark Wood, welcome to BP. Good to have more High Desert members!

I have no idea about your question but I am curious in what area is the 4 plex? I lived in and around Oakland for 35 years (Oakland, Berkeley, Orinda) My son is still there.

I would find a really good foundation repair guy to give an estimate. A structural engineer would be a very good idea and would eliminate code problems in the future. They are not that expensive. 

Hi Leo, as far as the ground wire is concerned, just pull one of the non grounded receptacle plates off and loosen the receptacal enough to see behind it (Cut the breaker first unless you like to challenge the gods like me) and see if the wire going to the back of it has a bright copper bare wire. That would be a ground. There is a possibility it is just not connected or loose.

For the wood stove, I think all you have to do is disconnect it and drag it out. Then take down the flue pipe and patch the ceiling wallboard. You might check on the roof if the flue is watertight. If you have to remove the flue from the roof, that will take a roofer to carry that out.