All Forum Posts by: John Dean

@Nic Starr if I were in your position I would focus on making sure the contractors do quality work rather than bid price as long as range is similar. References, proof of previous work, etc. In this market the top contractors aren’t fighting for new business so you may come across a lot of people who oversell and underdeliver.

@Nic Starr I think the 203k license would be a consultant rather than a contractor. You should be able to hire anyone and work through the consultant but I’ve never done this. Try to find a consultant that has a list of contractors because it’s extremely difficult to get someone to do work in a timely manner unless you’ve worked together before. Add in the lender requirements and a lot of contractors are going to prefer cash jobs because the good ones already have many to choose from.

Does anyone know of an app or some sort of directory for subcontractors in Dallas? I’m looking for a framer/carpenter for a commercial remodel job and the traditional Homeadvisor / Google refers mostly General Contractors which I don’t need.

Any others come up with a solution for connecting with subs?

The water line has to be stopped before it freezes as well as depressurized or it will still burst. You also need to turn the water lines off as the temperature heats up or your house will probably flood if you didn't have power for a few days. I think Jeff from Homerenovision was on the podcast and he has an youtube episode out for Texans to help mitigate damage - search homerenovision keep your house from flooding on youtube.

Wrapped exterior pipes didn't hold up in my case. Pex will burst at the joint whether it's shark bite or clamp or shutoff, and copper is even worse. When you have no power for a few days and sub 10 degree weather there's absolutely no way to prevent this. So many people have lines as well has hot water heaters running through uninsulated attic spaces. Someone else posted about contacting supply houses for plumbing parts, HD and Lowe's are all sold out. Hopefully you bled the pressure out of that main line after you shut it off or you could be replacing it.

@Robert Freeborn you are correct there is severe damage. Some cities in North Texas don’t have clean water right now. I think the issue is going to be a bit bigger in that even if you find a buying opportunity you will never be able to estimate costs because all material costs are multiples higher and contractors are in short supply. If you bought and held vacant for 6-12 months it could be a good opportunity.

@Greg H. Things must be different in your part of Texas. I can’t find any plumbing materials here, almost all of my properties have 1 or more pipe

burst, the city main lines are freezing in some areas, some condo and apartment complexes have been evacuated, etc. There’s a run on materials as well as a shortage of contractors. Any contractor that takes a $300 job right now is probably doing it for friends and family.

That sounds like a very difficult project for someone without experience. Single family homes are a good way to work yourself up the rehab learning curve. That way you can build a team and familiarize yourself with costs without loosing too money. It’s impossible for a contractor to accurately quote on this sort of project without taking out the floors and walls. They may quote you and then see what’s underneath and then double the costs.

@Richard Helppie-Schmieder I’ve got them re-opened and ready for final inspection/approval. Permit costs have been paid. It was for a 150ft addition that was completed about 10 years ago. I’ve spoken to the inspection manager about getting these closed out but he says I’ll need a sign off on plumbing and electrical before they can do the final inspection and close out the permit.

Hello, I have a property in Dallas that I purchased and the previous owner pulled a bunch of permits including electrical and plumbing but never closed them out. I want to clear the permits on the property.

I don’t have access to who did the work so I need to find a licensed plumber and electrician to clear the work for final inspection. Does anyone know any independent tradespeople with those licenses who would want to take on a small side job of reviewing the work and signing off for inspection?