All Forum Posts by: Justin C.

Hi all. I'm in between tenants and need to unexpectedly replace a 25' x 8' section of drywall, but just don't have the time to knock it out myself. I've already demo'd the old and bought the new sheetrock, just need someone to hang and mud. Does anyone have a good drywall contractor in the West Palm Beach/Jupiter area that could hop on this quick for me!? Thanks!

Hey everyone,

Looking to enclose a patio and am looking for a good electrician and a concrete guy who can raise a slab a few inches and pour a footer around the exterior. Property is in Jupiter, FL so anyone in the Palm Beach area would be great. Plans and energy calcs are done. Thanks!

@Cassie Bruce Thank you for the detailed response. Realtor.com had a few more options for me to look at, but like you said, I'm going to keep an eye on it for the next few months and hopefully that will give me a better gauge. Property I was looking is under contract already but it has introduced me to a new area I wasn't aware of so I probably could use some research time anyways!

@John Cohen Thank you for the suggestions, this neighborhood I would feel relatively comfortable knocking on doors so I'll probably give that a try. I like the direct approach, it leaves the guesswork out of it and will get me some quick answers.

@Michael Seeker I hear you and agree. Like I said above, the prop I was looking at was gobbled up but it will give me a chance to do some more research on what I think is a good area.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts it's been of great help!

Thanks for your suggestions guys, I really appreciate it and will give them a try.

Trying to analyze a possible new property but there is nothing for rent around it that is being advertised on craigslist which is my normal go-to for rental info. I drove the area looking for "for rent" signs to call, but found none. The only thing I have to work off of is a few listed on rentometer.com, but its hard for me to trust that site alone. Anyone have any suggestions to figure out what the places around me are going for? Thanks!

Thanks guys, I appreciate the detailed responses! 

Currently the place is a duplex, both 1/1's and my wife and I are living in one side which is the one I'm considering enclosing the patio on. Both have garages, 16 x 8 back porches just like yours Joe, and fenced backyards. As we are looking for prop #2 right now, I'll probably try to do the enclosure right before we move into our next property so I can immediately start paying off the cost of the addition with the increased rent. I can currently get around $900 in rent (that's what the other side rents for) and with the addition of the bedroom, easily $1200-1300, not to mention the added value to the property. That puts me at a little under 3 years to recoup the cost of a $10k addition at $1200 rent. 

I'm thinking that going from a 1/1 to a 2/1 is much more valuable than going from a 2/1 to a 3/1, which is probably a more common occurrence. 

What do you guys think? 

Hi guys,

Trying to add a second bedroom by enclosing a porch at my rental in Jupiter, FL just outside Palm Beach. I have spoken to the building dept and picked up form 3A which is a list of requirements to get a permit. First thing first tho... I want to make sure I have the budget to do it so what is the best way to estimate costs for the reno ahead of time, accouting for drawings, permit fees, electrical, hvac inspection, construction, etc... Thanks!

Personally I second chris on this one. Find a duplex for under 100k and as long as you're a first time home buyer and willing to live in the property, you can get an FHA loan for 3.5% down. That way you could possibly be living for free because your gaining rent from the other side, will have plenty left over for closing costs and get you started on any immediate rehab needs. If you're living for free or close to it, you should be able to quickly save for another property or at least do a quality rehab over a few months on this one.

So just to follow up to anyone who may have this issue down the line, I tried a bunch of different ways to make these scratches disappear, and honestly the most effective was the brown sharpie haha. What I did was draw over the scratch with the marker, then immediately wipe it with a paper towel before it dried. This way, the ink only filled the scratch and though it is not a perfect match, it is almost completely unnoticeable unless you're on your hands and knees.

Thanks again Will for your thoughts.