All Forum Posts by: Jonathan Smith

Kyle, look for the character of the person. If they just talk your ear off that they are the best then they are not. Check references and ask them what jobs they are currently working on. Get 3 quotes and after meeting with a couple of them you will get the idea of the good ones. You will win some and lose more at the beginning. There are good companies out there even small ones.

Skylar that would be pushing it. I would ask why they left the project. Did they find a problem and trying to unload the project. Try to get it cheaper. About the 16k, if you do the work yourself it might be doable but it will look like a 124,000 dollar house because you would need to be cheap on material. 16k comes out 12 dollars a square foot which is low.

Agree with Donald. If it is not sagging you have caught it prior to the issue. Couldn’t not tell the location but maybe add some brackets and new lumber to beef it back up like a sister joist repair. Ask them to fix it or get a credit for 500 and fix it for 35 dollars.

Adjust the hinges on the door but cut/rip the bottom of the door instead if the top, or take the difference between the top and bottom. Good luck.

This sounds like a complete tear down and demo. Then start fresh, too many unknowns and upgrades would be needed in my opinion. Good luck and I agree with the others that this would be a difficult first flip.

@arturo grading is moving and sloping the soil/dirt around a site away from the house or building to get final grade per plans. Site prep is final grading or bringing in topsoil to get it ready for sod or landscape.

Sam, another way to get around it is to paint the ceiling all black. It looks better than the ceiling tiles and less expensive. Also depends on your price point. You hardly notice the black ceiling when in the space after awhile.

I would do this if you trust the contractor because a box of screws will be the larger box or two boxes and they would be incline to use more material and maybe take to other projects. You would still have to have some oversight but it would get you out of going to the hardware store. 

depending on the scope of work.  I would always purchase the material and only ask for a upfront deposit if the material was a risk on my part, let’s say a complete basement remodeled. I would want the home owner to cover that cost with a delivery fee. On smaller items like painting, the contractor should purchase and paint and invoice for the whole job.  I worked with drywallers that only charged for labor and I had to purchase the drywall and mud. You will have to build trust at the beginning but keep in mind that if the contractor wants a upfront deposit on a smaller project they are probably not in a good fianiancial position or just getting by from job to job. If it is a larger project or remodel, solid reputable contractor should be able to purchase the material without a deposit and outline a payment schedule. Try to stay away from the upfront costs which is easier said than done.  Not sure the amount of the projects but I hope this helps also the larger material purchases you might want to get some cash back rewards. 

Eric, This is the worst part as a contractor going back to get material. You can have the contractors pay for the material but they will have their markup to account for going to lowes to make the orders and returns. If you buy the material the contractor would not be getting paid to return or going back to get the correct material and they would not agree to that. Simple way is to have them buy the material so you don’t worry about it. Jonathan