All Forum Posts by: Jesse Park

I just got a quote this morning and they told me that they remove the rot on existing wood first before they wrap. They'll also provide a  guarantee if the inside rots in the future. 

From the dollar standpoint, covering fascia with aluminum and soffit with vinyl are similar to removing lead on them. Removing lead is definitely more expensive because they'll need to be repainted.

Do you mean wrap over existing wood? Wouldn't that rot the wood underneath? 

well, the popcorn ceiling with asbestos was taken care of the first week after closing...

The paint is not encapsulated so it sounds like stripping is the right move.

 Thanks Mike, the quotes are from two different companies as each one didn't do both tasks. It sounds like I need to find a contractor who can do both! Should I also look into just replacing the trims if the wood is not in the best condition or will that cost be so high for what I am trying to do? The house is from the 60's so I'm thinking it's not a bad idea to replace them, rather than covering them up.

I have a house that has lead paint peeling off in the exterior. I was looking for a quote for a new paint job, and it came at $7000 for just paint and another $7000 for stripping lead off soffits and fascias. The house is brick and stucco and lead is only on wooden trims- porch column, patio roof siding, soffits, and fascias.

Is there an alternative strategy to give this home a face-lift without spending tremendous amount of money on the exterior? There's some work need to be in the house too and I don't want to spend the entire budget on paint.

This is the kind of advice I was looking for. I’ll see if I can hook up a line on my furnace to get the fan running on my thermostat and forget about spending $5k on AC and replacing the furnace. 

I currently don’t have an A/C

Thank you for the reply. I got three quotes. $3000 for Goodman AC (lower quality A/C and service provider), $4800 for American standard (high quality A/C), $6800 for American standard A/C and Furnace (same company as $4800), and $7450 Rheem A/C only. Seems like $6800 is a good deal and I am getting more quotes. The furnace was inspected when I purchased the house and it's fine. I'm looking for advice from experienced homeowners out there to learn if it's worth upgrading for the bundle price. 

I am sharing utilities with the tenants (electricity, trash, water, sewer, etc). Even when I leave this home and rent it out, I would like to have tenants pay for utilities. Is this common in Denver area?

I purchased a 6bd/3.5ba home ($450k) in March, put $55k in reno, and I'm house hacking with two roommates. I'm looking to cash out refi next year.

I have a 12 year old furnace with ducting. With the summer season ramping up, 2nd floor is getting upwards of high 80's and I got some quotes for A/C. 

One company quoted me $4800 for A/C only and $6800 for A/C and furnace. That's only $2000 more for the furnace, which seems like a good deal. Upgrading from a single speed, low efficient blower to a variable speed blower also sounds like it will put less load on the system which may also increase the life of my electrical system. Another benefit is that with the new efficient blower, I can recirculate air by just having the fan on without using the A/C to cool down the house.

Question1: Should I even consider investing in an A/C to make tenants happy and raise the value of the home for refi (double benefits)?

Question2: If I do choose to get an A/C, should I also replace my 12 year old furnace (life of a furnace is 15 I believe) to take advantage of the combo deal and to get a heard start before my furnace dies?

I just bought a house in Lakewood, Colorado for $450k with 4 bd 4 ba with 5% down payment. Mortgage is going to be around $2450. The rates are $750 per room in 3 rooms, $700 per room in 2 basement room when they are finished, and I will be living in the master.

I want to add 2 more bedroom as soon as possible, but I also want to do renovations in the kitchen, put hardwood floors, remove popcorn ceiling (asbestos), put in recessed lighting, new internal/external paint, remove a load bearing wall, and etc which a contractor said will cost around $80k (I think I can go IKEA kitchen and go cheap on other things and save $30-40k. Getting quotes from 4 contractors by this Sunday 3/8). I do have $40k saved up in cash to spend if necessary and I have family who can help me.

From a business mindset, the house is definitely livable as-is with a new internal paint job, so I can just work on adding 2 basement bedrooms for good cash flow. However, since I will be living there and I don't want to attract lower quality 'tenants' to live with, I want to make the place nicer too. How much is a reasonable amount to spend on renovating the house that I will be househacking?

I am currently renting so I have 2 months to renovate before moving in. I also thought about making the above-ground nice first so that I can move-in ASAP, and finish the basement myself while living there which can take about a year.

#Denver