All Forum Posts by: Dylan Long

Good article, but the moral of the story can be boiled down to "when taking on things you're unfamiliar with, use a LICENSED contractor." The article kept referring to the second meth scrubber as the "Licensed" individual, which leads me to believe the owner first hired the cheap solution.

Indeed. Or even if water pooled often enough on the countertop from washing hands, faces, etc, and the back of the vanity wasn't sealed, it could leak down that way too.

In any case, I'd still be pulling a bit of drywall to ensure there isn't a bigger issue, or that it hasn't spread through the drywall. But I'm paranoid and wouldn't want to hand a mold problem over to someone.

Any before pics Chris?

I was thinking more of the case in which there was water pooled due to an overflow that caused mold to take hold. Yes, generally you'd see an external ongoing leak.

The most likely culprit is a small leak inside the wall, in which case you'll need to open it up a bit and address the issue. To fix it right, you'll want to keep going until you don't find mold anymore.

I disagree with Christian's method for fixing it, but that's mainly because I'd be comfortable "doing it right" without a plumber. I am especially sensitive to mold situations as my GF of 5 years has bad asthma, and mold can be a huge contributor to breathing issues. I wouldn't want to put someone in a home that I wasn't comfortable living in (with her) myself.

If it were me, I'd pull the vanity, cut the drywall out in a 16"x24" patch (between studs) along where the plumbing goes, and explore.

Replacing a panel of drywall that size takes just about as much time as doing one 1/3 that size, so why not get a better view? I'd also replace W/ moisture/mold resistant drywall, rather than just use flashing and glue. But again, this is my preference because I can do it myself, which saves on the cost and time of using a contractor.

Is your wife's incoming enough to support your family's minimum living standards (shelter and food)? If so, you're in a good position to give this a go. If not, it doesn't mean you shouldn't go for it, but perhaps you'd go at it a bit cautiously.

I agree with getting the wife 100% behind it. I'm not a big proponent of couples needing to ask permission for things, but it WILL make your life easier and let you focus on the tasks at hand.

Only real way to tell what needs to be done is to start removing drywall and see what you find. If it's not behind the drywall it could have come from sink water running down the back of the vanity due to improper sealing over the years.

Whether you do it yourself, or need someone to come in due to a bigger problem, the drywall should come off.

Another +1 for the Rustoleum. Only reason I'd paint is to go for the country kitchen look with a nice creame colored paint and worn iron hardware.

Whatever works best and saves/makes you the most money :). At $300 sq.ft, your rental value may be high enough that you're renting to well-to-do tenants, who may not be as risky as *some* lower-income tenants.

To someone, yes it probably is worth more than an extra 10%. But people in that market aren't shopping that area because of the one-offs like the house you're targeting. You may be able to get more out of it, but how long are you willing to have it on the market to wait for that buyer who agrees with you?

I think that's some good advice Brandon. There is a lot that can be done that a new renter, even one who may treat a property poorly, would have a hard time ruining. I think the biggest things is to try and not set yourself up for spending money twice when it can be avoided. If it needs new counters, I'd try and avoid doing a cheap counter, only to do a nice one later.

I'm a big fan of laminate wood floors, both in a rental and my personal home. It has the look, feel, and often, texture of real wood, but doesn't get the dents, scratches, etc that come with real hardwood. Even if money were not a factor, I'd take a quality laminate over full hardwood almost any day.