All Forum Posts by: Brian Phillips

You take a picture when you first see it....not after, when the tenant will likely be hiding the cat more fervently.

You overpaid for the property. Learn for the future.

I know someone with tens of thousands of units. He literally has thousands of units that turn over every month. The average amount deducted from a security deposit is 178$. If the tenant complains (even if he feels everything was deducted correctly), he offers them 30% of the amount he deducted back. If the person still won't agree, he offers the person 50% of the amount he deducted. If the person still won't agree, he goes to court. And he almost always wins...

Remember, you don't want to lose in court over 100$ that you deducted wrongly, because it isn't the damages that get you, it is the thousands in attorney's fees you pay.

You haven't provided any details to go on. I would try to take the amount from the deposit equal to damages from the smoking by that tenant, minus normal wear and tear. You can't prove anything in court because you have no pictures of when she took possession. If she pushes back, offer 30% of the amount you deducted back. If she pushes again, give her the whole deposit back.

There is structural work being done on a commercial property. That requires a design professional who can seal work (an architect or professional engineer). There is no getting around that.

@Nathan Gesner Thanks for your insight! This is the kind of info I am looking for. What other investors have paid. 

@Aaron Schump Thanks for your insight. I am really trying to figure out how much time it would take someone to do all these drawings, too. And I'm not asking someone to discount their fee; just finding people willing to work at a fair, non inflated rate.

Same would be that I normally pay around 180-200/square for roofing reshingle in my area for a qualified, insured, bonded roofer with roofing insurance. I can have people come out and quote 400-500/square all day (high end retail). That doesn't mean that I should accept that rate. Same thing with engineers quoting 100-150$/hr. My brother and his wife are both professional engineers in Ohio ( not in the area of the property, and I wouldn't want to involve family in this anyways, just not worth it) and he makes 55$/hr working for an oil company and she makes 42$/hr working for a bridge design company. He previously made around 45$/hr working for a utility company. I don't think it is unfair to be expecting to find an engineer to work for in the 40-60$/hr range for this design. An architect would be much more, like 60-120$/hr, and would forcus more or decorative and unnecessary features. 

I'm talking about negotiated rate. Not retail. Retail is probably up there in my area. I'm not looking to pay retail. I know that means I will have to find someone who is willing to do nonretail work. Average professional engineer hourly wage is 38$/hour in Ohio. I am not talking about a 1 time consultation fee from an engineer that is something like 100-200$/hour.

It is a commercial property, not residential. On the first floor, where the previous owner converted 2 units into 1 by putting a door where there used to be a wall. I will have to seal up the door, and framing out and install a stairway leading to the outside, and cut out a door. This will make the last unit viable.

Minimum drawing requirements include, but are not limited to:

Bear the seal of a register design professional, in compliance with Sections 33791.01, 4703.12, and 4733.14 of the Ohio Revised code.

Plans shall be drawn to scale and shall be sufficiently clear, comprehensive, detailed, and legible so that a determination can be made for conformance with all of the applicable provisions of the currently adopted codes.

Mechanical plans: unit types and sizes, system layout, ventilation requirements, and provisions, and control system diagram.

Electrical plans: riser diagram including provisions for grounding, panel board schedules, lighting plan(s) and circuiting, power plan(s) and circuiting, and special systems plans.

Energy calculations.

Provide a site plan showing to scale the size and location of new contruction and all existing structures on the site, including setback and side yard dimensions, all property and interior lot lines, distances from lot lines, the locations of the nearest streets, the established street grades, types and sizes of all utility lines and the elevations of the proposed finished grades; drawn in accordance with an accurate boundary line survey.

Submit plumbing plans and details that locate and describe all fixtures, fixture schedules, and show compliance to handicapped accessibility. Inlcude drawing symbol designation information. Provide primary and secondary roof drainage information. 

Does anyone have experience with paying an hourly rate for a professional engineer to make necessary permit drawings in Ohio? I am looking for site drawings and complete sets of drawings of the plans and specifications. I need to have someone with a design seal, and an architect would be even more.

I am renovating a commercial multifamily apartment complex. It has 2700 square feet on the 1st floor, 2700 square feet on the second floor, an attic of 200 square feet, and a basement of 1000 square feet. 

My scope of working is a full gut. Demo all the drywall out, remediate mold, complete reshingle of roof, replace all windows, replace all outside soffit/fascia/dormers, replace all siding, repipe whole house, rewire whole house, redo all mechanicals such as hvac, redo all interior and exterior doors, paint interior and exterior, replace any framing or insulation damaged by mold/water leaks, replace all gutters, minor landscaping, minor outside repair of concrete wall, install all new cabinets, install all new countertops, replace everything in 6 kitchens, replace everything in 6 bathrooms, install handrails,  install significant flooring and minor subfloor repairs, and install all trim in house.

Project will cost around 150,000$.

What would be fair for this? 40$/ hour?