All Forum Posts by: Jon H.

I agree that the roof bid is high.  WAY high.  I have a 30'x30' (footprint) home with 4 dormers, all hipped, plus the additional top hip, and a porch roof with another hip.  I was quoted $7,500-$12,000 to replace it and my house is three stories tall with no ability for roofer to place dumpster beside house.  This estimate included adding ridge and soffit vents, ice guard, and new flashing on four chimneys.  It also included replacing some damaged trim around the dormer windows, and some minor repairs to box gutters (box gutters are a physical part of the roof and soffit structure).

So my quoted amounts might be replacing both your line 1 & 2 items.  But that may be a bit of apples and oranges.  

Either way Line 1 and 2 are high, in my opinion.

Tree price is great.  I agree that you'll typically find $1-$1.5k per tree, depending on size and accessibility.  If you're getting 5 tress on a lot then you'll see the first around $1,000 and the rest around $500-$800.  

Electrical bid is high - but it is reasonable to be high here - he has no idea what he's committing himself to so he is covering his backside. The line item states to "investigate and repair all electrical issues." Depending on what issues exist that he uncovers, he could actually lose a ton of money on that.   I would prefer to pay for the investigation of electrical issues and a report of them all with a line-by-line estimate to repair each issue uncovered. 

I'm an estimator for a demolition company. Anytime I have to estimate something I know little about, I pad my number so that I can cover contingencies by just getting the job done and not burdening owner/CM/PM with COs. Some people like that because it means I'm taking the risk and they don't mind paying for that.  Me, personally, I'd rather pay for only what I actually get, and I'd like to see who I hire get paid for what they do - no extra money, and no losses.

Does line 5 (exhaust hood) include the hood itself?  It's a tad high if it does, and WAY high if it does not.  A "proper recirculating hood" is just a standard kitchen hood.  Some models cost only $50.  To R&R an existing shouldn't cost but $250.  And if he means to replace a truly "exhausting" vent with a recirculating one, you need to not hire him to do much of anything.  A vent that exhausts is far better then a vent that recirculates!  His estimate is unclear here, in my opinion, but I'm unaware of the previous conversations y'all have had.

HVAC ducts is a good price, especially if he is also including the replacement registers.

I have no comment for carpet - no experience here to say.

$1500 to paint the whole house seems high to me, but only because I know I can paint a place that size myself in a couple of days.  When I bid my labor for demolition (which is a fairly unskilled job, like painting interior walls) I view ~$1,200 as 4 men for a day.  

$1250 to spray your attic to inhibit mold seems extremely high to me.  He's basically putting bleach water in a pump sprayer and shooting it around.  *I think.  Call an environmental company.  I'm not sure if we're allowed to recommend companies on here or not, but I have a name of someone I trust that I use for residential and commercial abatement and remediation.  

Punch-out stuff seems reasonable, maybe a tad low to me.  Punch-out is tedious work that can come with issues and take significant time.

@Robert Ellis, thanks for the advice.  I believe you are right, but I want to stay where I am at for now so that I can be eligible for a GC license.  I also can't afford to cut the income 100% and dive into wholesaling.  I intend to do a little on the side, come to understand how it works and build my own systems and processes around it, and then cut the umbilical cord to go all-in.  

@Amanda Roderick, I'll PM you shortly so we can connect and discuss groups. 

@Jose Canet, Welcome!  You can help yourself connect with folks by providing a profile picture and indicating where you are located and what your interests are in your profile.  

A good idea is to post a reply back here indicating any relevant experience you may have, and what your goals are in REI. We'd all love to know more about you and help you succeed. And if you don't have experience, that's fine! Everyone has to start with zero experience at some point. ;)

@Christina J., thanks for the tips!  Added Columbus, OH to my alerts and already got one and made a connection.  

I'm blocking out small chunks of time here and there to interact on BP, so I'll be back to search for other people in my area. Gotta keep that 8a-5p (or 5a-7p as the case may be most days!)

I'm gauging interest in getting out of the desk and back into handyman/remodel work as a vehicle for income, capital, and to get me back out there and closer to the REI world. Though, if I stick it out here just 7 more months, I think I'll be eligible to get my GC license, which could help tremendously!

Thanks all for the warm welcome, advice, tips, and connections.  

Are you asking about the process of splitting or re-combining?

I've re-combined a residence that was originally single-family and converted to duplex.  It was mostly just removing a single wood-stud and GWB partition wall.  It's in OTE.  I might know the homeowner ;)  

Fortunately, the drywallers c. 1950 "coped" the drywall around the original oak header/capitol over the door in the wall they built to divide.  Other things weren't so clean.  It's a center-hall four-square.  They converted dining room and one parlor/living room into bedrooms by adding closets.  They destroyed the oak trim around those doors - like it's completely gone in one case and sliced through in another.  They also put a steel entry door between the two units with a clasp lock on both sides.  Destroyed the trim.  Fortunately in the kitchen of the remodel - mostly new trim and painted in there anyway.  The rest is tiger oak - mantles, columns, pocket doors.  

I've got a ton more experience related to this property.  Happy to share.  

Hello BP Community! A close friend told me to check out the BP podcast. I listened to over 10 episodes on a drive from my home in Columbus, Ohio to Connecticut and back. I've had a desire to get into flipping for over a decade. I've done a TON of DIY (actually, probably multiple tons if measured by the mass of building materials!!!). But it's all been for my primary residences - which doesn't make much money. 

I'm originally from Alabama and even spent some formative years in Denmark. I worked as an electrical engineer for about a decade.  I left that field and was a carpenter at a custom furniture shop for a period.  I then started and ran a handyman business for nearly a year.  For the past 1.5 years I've been working as an Estimator for a "Selective Interior Demolition" Subcontractor to major General Contractors, both local and national. These jobs have provided me a depth and breadth of experience (not just technical, but business, marketing, customer service, management, etc) and I intend to leverage it all as lily pads towards my goals. 

On the side, for the past 12+ years, I've been a hammer-swinger for the two residences I own, doing literally everything except roofing (yep, everything, including plumbing, electrical, ductwork, flooring, demolition, framing, drywall, brick-laying, windows, cabinets...... etc). I learn by doing and do by learning. (I also learn by messing up!)

And now, I'm getting ready to start the transition into REI. I've got a roadmap, but, as with all plans, I'm sure it will change as I learn, engage, and receive feedback. That roadmap, as of right now, is outlined.

1. Learn - Keep FTJ (Full Time Job)
   1. Books, podcasts, BP, people
   2. FTJ and PTJ options: Go back into being a residential handyman and contractor
2. Wholesale - Keep FTJ
3. Ramp up Wholesaling, possibly until either quitting or finding a PTJ to offset
   1. Wholesaling goal - raise capital to flip later
4. Plataeu Wholesaling, ramp up Flipping while ramping down Wholesaling
5. Plataeu Flipping, ramp up Buy-and-Hold
6. Long Term Goal: rental portfolio with extra capital to invest in others

My motivation does include swinging hammers (I love the physical work), but I recognize that won't be where I need to put myself to make money past the short-term (and my body won't be able to do that forever). I'm also motivated by the desire to find good people who do great work and putting them together to create teams.  I'm sure some will work for me directly, but mostly others as independent contractors/sub-contractors. I want to provide jobs, through value-driven work. And I want to provide end-users with homes. And, of course, make money for me and my own.

My long-term goal (15+ years) is to have a portfolio of rentals for income, a solid retirement pool, and additional capital for investment to provide to the next generation of "doers" who want to flip or buy-and-hold. I am currently fleshing out that plan starting with that rough roadmap you (may have) read up above.

Right now I'm looking for where to learn, whom to connect with, and to see where I can get started on my roadmap (including if that means working ON the roadmap!).

I'm not expecting answers here in this thread - just giving y'all my full intro. I'll start diving into these forums. Seems daunting!!! Excited and grateful this resource is here. Hopefully I can pay it back!

-Jon H

Columbus, OH