All Forum Posts by: Sean Ridlon

Ah, the time vs money problem: people with more money seem to have less time and people with more time have less money... if only the two people could meet ;).

Awesome, good job! Merry Christmas to you, too.

 Unless you're one of those people that thinks California is in a bubble that's about to pop. Long-term appreciation is no guarantee! 

If you have a vacancy in your one home in CA, you'll have 100% vacancy and have negative cash flow.

If you have three houses in Texas and one of them is vacant, you'll have 33% vacancy and still have cash flow.

If you have a tenant issue in CA, good luck.

If you have a tenant issue in Texas, good sheriff.

I let a client purchase materials with the following stipulation:

The contract will contain a clause that states that all materials "unusable, unsuitable, or missing will incur an additional expediting fee of $85 per hour (portal to portal) and cost of material plus 10% profit and 10% overhead. Contractor is not responsible for material defects, delays in schedule caused by missing or unusable materials, or lead times of supplies. Delays caused by missing or unsuitable materials will be billed at the rate of $125 per start and stop. Additionally, the contractor offers no warranty beyond workmanship of labor on any material provided."

My standard mark up on material is 10/10, but trust me on this one, a contractor buying 2 million dollars worth of material a year from the lumber yard is getting this material at a much deeper discount than almost anyone else. I've seen clients attempt to save a buck by combining a military discount with a coupon at Lowes and I still beat their prices even with my mark up.

 Miss Karen, would you please clarify for me if you mean flooded as in "in a flood plain, damaged by water originating from outside the home such as from a body of water" or flooded as in "sewer or septic back flow, frozen or damaged pipes, or other source originating from the plumbing or drainage system of the home"?

It's going to be two very different answers from me depending on which we are discussing!

My reading comprehension is off today: who gets the 70 and who gets the 30?

 Yeah, I worked with him on a loan. He was great!

Kim, not knowing what kind of sub floor you have or what level of the building this apartment is on, I'll have to give you more than one answer:

1) run it through the basement and up through the subfloor.

2) fish the water line through the cabinets. It's not to hard to do.

3) tap into domestic water lines if possible in a bathroom that share a common wall with the kitchen.

My other recommendations are:

1) replace the flooring with LVP (luxury vinyl plank). Same install price as laminate, but much more resilient to tenant damage including water, scratches, dings, etc.

 Brian, first step is do a little research on your local code requirements for clearances inside the shower area. Next thing is I'd look into the following:
https://www.schluter.com/schluter-us/en_US/Shower-...

In a recent remodel, I was able to convert a standard tub size opening into a 3x5 walk-in shower which was a serious upgrade from a boring old tub and tile surround.

The toughest part of the job is going to be the drain location. Most of us like a centered drain and if you're dealing with concrete removal it can be a bit of a PITA. But still easier than trying to shoehorn that tub in there.

What I like about the custom pan is that an size over what is legally allowed is possible, and if you're handy enough any shape.

The pan you'll be making will be sloped slightly toward the drain, and the pan will be covered with small (>2") tile while the wall tiles can be as large as you like. 

The expense on a DIY will be in the schluter kit itself, with the tile being relatively inexpensive. It is possible with enough research or experience to get all the necessary components together to avoid buying the kit. IMO it's worth it though.

Good luck either way you go! I think you'll be happy with the results from the pan.