All Forum Posts by: Kevin Bennett

Hey Sarah,

Congrats on the new purchase. I'm a general contractor out in Connecticut. This is what I would say to your questions/comments:

1. Reinstating. Not uncommon. I would guess your cheapest bid to do the job. Permanent fix? No. Could it work? Hard for me to say as I sit on the other side of the country.

2. What is your responsibility for the pipe? Where does your town/city's responsibility start? It sounds like you have it all the way to the main sewer line. Sleeves are a good idea if there are no roots, breaks in the lines, etc. 

3. No significant difference between ABS and PVC. I hire plumbers who use only one or both. ABS is stronger and PVC is more flexible. You should not have a price different from a subcontractor between ABS and PVC.

I would weigh the costs of the options heavily. Sleeves are a good fix if it's a temporary investment. I'm leaning towards replacing the pipes completely if you plan on having this place for 7+ years.

Feel free to reach out with more questions. Good luck with the project. 

Kevin

Hey Dilman,

Torrington is unfortunately not doing great in Connecticut. Head more towards the Hartford area, New Haven or Fairfield County. Litchfield County has been losing population, business, etc. I grew up in Bridgewater, CT and it's changed a good amount in 20 years. 

You can always find a deal and you may find some good pockets where you can get an ROI. There is a market everywhere. My concern would be what does the next 10-20 years look like for Torrington and the nearby area? I would say it doesn't look great for growth. It may maintain at the current level, but you won't have the appreciation of your properties or growth possibilities.

Kevin

Hey Jacob,

You can insulate garage walls after drywall. It's not ideal by any means. Holes are cut into the drywall or exterior sheathing and loose cellulose/fiberglass is blown into the stud cavities. You won't be able to access the space in the wall from the attic because the top plate of wall framing is in the way. Someone may say to drill through it, but that would severely compromise the structural integrity of the wall. 

If you're looking to convert the garage into livable space, my recommendation would be to remove the drywall. Drywall is cheap, even in Connecticut. Use fiberglass, dense pack cellulose or spray foam, in order from cheapest to most expensive. Then redo the drywall. Just remember that the existing drywall, especially if it buts up against the wall of the house, will most likely be 5/8" thick because it was the fire barrier while the space was a garage. If you're fully converting it, you could do 1/2" instead of the 5/8" drywall. But, if you ever put it back to being a garage, you'll need to have 5/8".

Good luck with it.

Kevin

Hey Andrew,

I buy and flip houses at auctions in Connecticut. I've had greatest success at judicial foreclosures where the lender or bank forecloses on the home due to lack of payments. The process takes anywhere from six months to multiple years. When it does go for auction, it's published on a courthouse website. Auctions are done in the driveway of the residence and the presiding agent is a local attorney hired by the courts. All that being said, here's my top advice for you:

1) The math never lies. If you think you can sell a house for $400k and it needs $100k in repairs, you have to buy it at a price where you can make a profit. There are dozens of calculators on Bigger Pockets to help you out. Don't let emotions get involved. Don't think you can shave costs or boost the sale price since it's a flip. It's a math game. If the math doesn't work, don't waste your time. 

2) These properties are usually in very rough shape. All the ones I've done required over $100k in renovations. I'm a general contractor so I know the costs pretty well, I know the subcontractors and we can do the work. If you can't do the work, find someone who can. You can be the GC if you're good at managing people. If not, hire it out. Be up front with the GC or sub on what your intentions are. If they know you're trying to flip it, they'll help you out. Don't always go with the cheapest guy.

3) Have a realistic timeline. These projects take time. Factor in the carrying costs for a flip such as financing, taxes, utilities, etc. Don't think you can buy a house, turn it around, and then sell it within 30 days. It's not realistic and you'll drive contractors away and ruin your sanity. 

4) Start small. Find an estate sale such as an apartment or condo. Do a small 2 bedroom house. If you can flip a 2 bedroom, you can flip a 3 bedroom. Don't rush in to your dream project or bite off more than you can chew.

5) There is always another house. This is a piggyback of #1. Don't let emotions get involved. If you miss a house because it was too expensive or you didn't have your financing lined up, don't let it get to you. There is always another house. I've missed countless houses, felt bad about it and then one week later a dream house pops up. 

6) Online auctions are crowded. Try to find town tax sales, judicial foreclosures, talk to brokers who usually do estates or bank foreclosures. Local banks often deal with certain brokers. Go to the lending departments of banks and ask who they use to sell properties. Pull the thread. 

7) At the end of the day, you're providing a home. All too often, flip houses are rushed, the craftsmanship is shoddy and profit is the only goal. A family, a couple, kids, grandparents, whoever will be living in that home. Never lose sight of that and don't let the money cloud your better judgment. 

Good luck.

Kevin

Definitely a regional question. I can get a plumber here with an assistant for about $800-1,200 including basic materials for work like that. It's something you could ask for a credit for when you made the offer, if you want to go that way.

Good luck!

Hey Matt,

The ones in the carpet look like old hot water radiator lines. What is the current heat source for the house? Does it have gas heat? Forced air? 

They look like they were capped off properly. If you wanted to go forward with the purchase and place an offer, I would recommend getting a home inspection done. You could address the lines in the offer for the house after the inspection and either get a credit or have the seller fix it. I would recommend getting the credit done. 

Also, having a plumber come in and give you a quote to remove them would be a good idea. You may not go that way in the future, but just to know what the costs would be would be beneficial. These lines are often capped but not sealed off down in the basement/source. 

Let me know if you have any questions.

Kevin

Hey Jon,

I'm a general contractor in Connecticut. We often do projects of those size. Here would be my recommendations for finding a general contractor or builder in your area:

1) Local town Facebook groups. We have a "Newtown Neighbors" here and a "Wilton 411." It is probably the leading source for local contractor recommendations. Ask specifically what you are looking for and look for consistent recommendations from people who are not the contractor themselves!

2) Local lumber yard. Not Home Depot. Not Lowe's. Go to a local building supply that sells lumber and ask the sales rep behind the counter who they would recommend. They'll give you an honest opinion of the guy who treats them right, pays his bills on time, and has a good reputation. You may find that a solo carpenter or a small firm is better than a larger crew of contractors.

3) BiggerPockets! It is a great place to start off looking for someone local who can help you out.

4) HomeAdvisor/Angie's List/Houzz. They cost money for the contractors to advertise there, but the reviews from clients allow for reputable contractors to rise to the top. Many of the subcontractors I use don't advertise on these sites and primarily work for General Contractors or have been in the business long enough to not need these sites.

Good luck with the search! Building new is always a fun undertaking.

Kevin

Hey John,

Your photos don't look terrible for a house from the 1970s. It was very common to create a "beam pocket" in the foundation walls for the main beam to sit in. I see a couple shims from the photos, which is not unusual, even for today's building. The foundation may not have set level for the framer who built the house. 

If you are concerned about the safety of your beam in the middle of the beam length (not under the foundation wall), you could consider adding lally columns for support. These are pretty cheap, easily available at every big box hardware store, and an experienced carpenter can install them in a day or two. 

My recommendation would be to hire a carpenter or general contractor. Add more shims (pressure treated) as necessary. Then, fill the void with a concrete that is on the wetter side and can fill in the gaps. 

If you don't see any major signs of settling, decay, wood rot, water damage, etc, you're probably ok.

Kevin

Zane,

I agree with Russell as he said above. Take your time with the level and mark out the area where the hump is. Get a strong angle grinder to work down the hump. You won't do any damage to the slab.

One big precaution is to use a dust shroud on the angle grinder with a shop vac and wear a respirator! The concrete dust is a serious health precaution and should be avoided.

It's ok at the end of it if the concrete is a little rough. Your underlayment for the laminate will take care of that.

Good luck.

Kevin

Reno,

That's a decent amount of space for a cape. Most of them are much smaller on the second floor. Best way to add space to a cape is to do a shed dormer so your initial thoughts are good. Yes, don't remove the spray foam.

Kevin