All Forum Posts by: Christian Morency

With experience you can tell if it is coming from the inside of the wall or not.
If it is from the outside and there is no current evidence of a leak, then it is because mold has roots that are multiple times greater than what the naked eye can see and it was just painted over in the past and has come back. Painting over it again will delay the mold for about one year but the roots will continue growing.
Because cutting it out and replacing everything moldy can become a can of worms, I prefer to treat it with the same stuff I put in my swimming pool. It is copper based and one quart will treat 40,000 gallons so just dilute it in any old spray bottle about 50/50 with water and spray the affected areas, and let it dry. Then you can paint over it and wait and see. So far I have not had any recuring problems with this approach.
If you have ever used a wood preservative product that was green, it is because of the copper content. Copper prevents and kills all different kinds of mold and algae. That's why copper tin roofs can last over one hundred years.
If it is coming from inside the wall, it is probably from the tee joint immediately behind where the drain goes in the wall. The threads on the old galvanized fittings are thinner than the pipe wall and are prone to rusting out. This can be fixed with a rubber patch glued with silicone and a hose clamp. A plumber will want to cut everything out and "do it right" but since this is not under pressure, like a hot or cold water line, it will probably outlast you. I have never had a recall in 30 years, so far.
I have been sued for mold in the past so I now have a comprehensive mold addendum to my rental agreement. You would not believe the story behind that one, so I won't go into it here.
Fix the hole in the wall with flashing glued down with liquid nails. You don't need multiple coats and it can be painted right away. You can cut it with sissors to shape it around the pipes and stuff. None of it shows because it is behind the vanity.
The entire project will take you about two hours and cost around $50.00 tops.

Or you can bring in the plumber and carpenter and a has-mat team for around $3000.00

Besides, your a rich landlord, right?

I love Lucy.
Welcome to BP.
Use your enthusiasm to do something. Nothing happens until something moves.
Too much reading will bog you down.
The first thing you need is a house under contract. That puts you in control.
Then you need to sell it. Once you own it on paper, you will be motivated to get rid of it.
Step off the cliff....... and the net will appear.
If your primary goal is to help investors succeed, you will succeed.
There is a book called "Ready, Fire, Aim". About the situaion you seem to be in.
Start your business and let it unfold with you at the helm.
Enjoy the process, and good luck.

Floating floors are dangerous in rentals because water damage is never suspected until it is too late. When water gets between the flooring and the subfloor, nobody knows it until you can literally feel the rotten spongy floor under your feet.

Treat the entire bathroom as though it were a shower pan with the drain being the bathroom door.
This includes the flange that the toilet bolts to. I use two wax rings. One to set the toilet and the other gets destroyed while smashing it into, under and around the hole in the floor so no water can escape under the house.
I also never caulk around the base of the toilet. The object is to get the water leak noticed by the tenants so (hopefully) they will call you.

Another cool trick is to install drainboards under all cabinets that have sinks. Make the water leak come out on the floor so your barefoot tenants will call you before the cabinet rots out.

I have never replaced any cabinets in the twenty plus years since I started doing that.

I am a buy and hold type of guy and I do all my own repairs.
I don't like doing things twice.

I would not use any peel and stick product. They don't pass the test of time. The ones that don't stick are a real problem and then when you go to replace that stuff, the ones that do stick become an even bigger problem to remove. Bathrooms are small. Use standard wall to wall linoleum cut in close enough to caulk the edges to the base of the wall creating a water tight bathroom. Then install the baseboards. If done right, the only way the water can get out is through the door.
Good luck.

Never fix anything that is working and or not leaking. Just clean it and paint it or cover it over to make it "look" new for the walk thru.
The existing countertop will out last any new junk you can buy.
Fix any broken tiles like you would a dent in a car.
Just put a nice new tub mat to cover the stain.
You asked for inexpesive tips, right?
If the floors are hardwood, refinish them. Two gals of gloss polyurathane will do the whole house for under $100.00
Do not use the water-based stuff.
I gave up on tub surrounds years ago. Use contact paper or just plain semi-gloss paint over smooth drywall.

In a room with only one window, a double hung window can ventilate the room through convection. Hot air goes out the top and cold air comes in the bottom.
In a room with two windows, you have to open both and hope there is a breeze.

One of the best tricks for longer lasting kitchen and bathroom cabinets is to avoid leaking faucet problems by installing a false floor under the sinks that are 1 inch higher at the back to create a drainboard effect so the tenents will notify you right away when they step in the water all over the floor rather than having it rot out the cabinets.
Another trick if you use rolled formica countertops is to completely varnish the undersides and edges of the sink cut-out in case any water infiltrates the sink rim etc.

Pergo type products are garbage when they get wet. (and they will get wet)
However, since so many people are having to replace that "good looking" garbage, I have been able to get lots of it for free or from craigslist or yard sales etc.
I solved the water swelling problem by painting all of the edges with used car oil as I install each piece. Believe it or not, I have installed pergo in two tub surrounds (vertically) and it seems to be working well (no swelled edges) for about one year now.

I have had one refrigerator leak and when I got there the tenant had put a big bath towel to control the water. He told me it had been going on for over one week. The floor never swelled at the seems!

I am now converting all of my flooring to 4x8- 3/4 inch tongue and groove OSB from Home Depot. It looks just like cork when stained dark brown and varnished. I paint a 3/8 inch black grout line on a 16 inch grid to camoflauge all the seems. It looks like cork tiles and everybody loves it. I am on my fourth house. It costs under $3.00 per square foot installed and finished.
If they manage to destroy one section of the floor, all you have to do is sand it and re-stain and varnish it. There is no grain to match.
You could never get away with that on a hardwood floor. I have done it. It works.
Over the years, I have learned to make things bullet proof, but never tenant proof.
ALAS......Part of the joy of Landlording is serving Warlord tenants, right?

Property Manager Someone who appears to be doing 100% of the work for 5% of the money while skimming 90% of the profits.

AC Repairman someone who honestly , sincerely, truely, believes that it is cheaper to replace the unit than to replace the thermostat.

Electrician A competant, knowledgable, licensed individual with no conscience, guilt or remorse at shocking his clients wallets.

Mine was a termite ridden house in California I picked up for 15k and sold for 22k, then bought back for 30k and refied for 57k then eventually sold at the top of the market for 100k. All with positive cash flow while I held it over a 10 year span. The 100k sale was done as a 1031 exchange for two bigger and better houses in Alabama and one junker that I flipped for a 6k profit. The two houses pay for themselves, so this deal is ongoing.

I just tried something I've been thinking about doing for years. I used tongue & groove waferboard or pressed wood subflooring as the finished floor. ( Not particle board. )
After installation I used wood putty on all seems and countersunk screws. Then I sanded and stained it dark brown. ( I would go lighter next time. ) Next, I painted a 16 inch grid over the entire floor with 1/2 inch stripes of black paint to camoflage the seams and make it look like tile. ( Make sure the installer uses multiples of 16 inches when offsetting the seams. ) Lastly, I applied four coats of latex poleurathane.
Due to the random grain pattern and rough texture of the finished product, I know that all dents and scratches will not show or be easily repaired between tenants.
So far everyone that has seen it loves it, both male and female. Not one person has noticed that it is waferboard. They think it is cork flooring tiles or something.
I bought the materials and hired out the labor. It took 30 sheets and 2 gal. stain with 10 gal. of urathane. The total cost was $1.83 per sq. ft.
I'm jazzed!!!
P.S. This was done in a trailer that I bought for one dollar !
I know that's the kind of purchase you read about in books but it does happen once in a while. :D