All Forum Posts by: Jimmy Seaborg

I personally haven't seen a med cabinet in a remodeled house around here. I think they are cheap and dated. The extra storage space will not increase or decrease the value of your project. But like others have said, bathrooms and kitchens are what sell the home and you only have one shot to make a good impression. The first med cabinet is way too small but there is no need to reframe the wall to accommodate a larger one. Simply buy yourself a larger mirror and patch up the wall where the med cabinet currently is. Good luck!

@Shirley X. yes these units will meet code, especially since it is an existing condition. I know someone who just purchased a triple decker in Worcester and the 2nd and 3rd floors both have them. They even still make them: https://www.ecomfort.com/Williams-2001622A/p71170.html?utm_term=7117071170&var1=ecomfortusa&var2=adwordsfroogle&var3=26912&keyword=GOOGLEPLA-26912&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIp8D-3a3r1wIVD7bACh0zBAkCEAQYAyABEgIa0vD_BwE

that looks like a natural gas parlor heater. Very common in multi family units especially on the second and third floors of triple deckers because back in the day it was more expensive to introduce forced air or forced hot water to the upper floors. So they used these parlor heaters instead. Is there any other heat source in this unit? It is very unlikely that you will be able to remove this without installing forced air or forced hot water, which is obviously way out of budget for a cosmetic only project. A mini split heat pump is a good suggestion but they have a tough time on the coldest nights and your tenants would complain. Sorry but I can't think of any creative solutions right now. Paint is out of the question too because I believe you would need stove paint and that only comes in black 

I agree with the gravel approach, but you don't want just any kind of gravel. The sharper the stone the better because it will pack itself in tight. The stuff I used on my driveway is called crusher run or 3/4" minus. The biggest pieces are 3/4" but they are mixed in with all of the smaller crushed pieces all the way down to 'fines'. It's these small pieces that will sort of act like glue and keep it all together. The nice thing about this stuff is that it makes plowing a little more reasonable because it packs down to a harder surface. You will want a compactor though to get the best results. It sounds like a real cool place you have. Good luck!

Hi all I am currently on the hunt for a good small bank or credit union in the greater Boston area, preferably with branches near wayland, Waltham, maynard, concord, etc. I am looking for a HELOC on my primary and I will soon be looking for conventional loans too. Please let me know if you have any referrals. Thanks so much!

It sounds like you learned some valuable lessons, thanks for sharing with the rest of us. It's very helpful to know these details. Congrats on the other ones and good luck hitting your numbers for the year!

@Steve Bracero Hi Steve can you please pm me with a link to join?? I'm very actively searching for a deal and would like to engage with everybody. Thanks!

Ryan I would recommend performing a MAss Save energy assessment on this building. There are rebates and 0% loans available for knob and tube and asbestos remediation as well as new heating systems. They can also pay up to 90% to insulate the building if it needs it. Unfortunately though they will not schedule the assessment until you own the house and the utilities are in your name or your new tenants name. 

Mike-

I don't think the existing design looks confused because of the window placement. I think it looks confused because there is no strong front entrance that screams 'come on in!!' If you are going to the effort of changing floor plan and window openings, my suggestion would be to move the front door to where the awning window is in the first pic. My take on the existing design (top pic) is that there is too much uninterrupted roof and wall space and the whole thing just looks 'flat'. A strong front entrance will help this. your suggested change to double hung windows instead of casements doesn't do much for me. I think the front door placed under the gable roof will make a much stronger statement than changing to double hungs. And definitely do a shed or gabled roof over the new entrance. That would really attract some attention. Good luck!

Steve-

Right- getting the account #'s for each tenant is annoying. And then you need to schedule them at the same time- also very annoying! But the program is still pretty awesome despite that! Which company are going to use to run the audits?