All Forum Posts by: William Westfall

9/1/17 Update - Just a quick note about the Small Business Administration (SBA). Since this was a rental property we would not have qualified for any grants or loans through FEMA but we are eligible to apply for a long term low interest loan from the SBA. The SBA declared the area a disaster area so this open up the opportunity for a loan through them. It took them 6 weeks to get the declaration out but only a day for them to process our application. These folks work wonders and we were approved for more than enough cash to repair the damages at a very low rate, 3.2% for 15 years. The first $29K is an unsecured loan, any funds needed after that needs collateral. Although it took patients for them to declare the area a disaster it was very quick and easy to apply and be approved.

 Thank you! I have not done serious construction work for 15-20 years and it actually is fun seeing it come together. 

I purchase the Graco Magnum from Amazon. Best $220 I spent so far.

8/30/17 Update - Priming is complete, flooring ordered, cabinets due in late next week. Siding was not matched so they are replacing all siding. Still working on getting the roof approved, it's a long process. We are slightly behind schedule but should catch up using a few vacation days to work on getting the interior painted. 

I can say if you are painting an entire house look into a sprayer, they are a huge time saver. Once you get the hang of masking it goes pretty quick.

8/21/17 Update - Painting has started, water heater fully installed and running. Tenants have finally cleared out their remaining possessions which allowed us to remove the rest of the carpet in the bedrooms. Appliances have arrived $1,350 for a suite of fridge, microwave, stove and dishwasher from Menards $59 delivery included. 

We had a contractor over to talk about our roof and siding. He found we had some hail damage from a storm back in April and State Farm has agreed to replace two sides of the aluminum siding. They took a sample to match and we hope they cannot find. The policy states if they can't then the entire house must be replaced. State Farm did deny the roof though. We are asking for a different adjuster for a second view.

8/11/17 Update - Drywall is complete $1,650 for 55 sheets hung, taped and sanded. Just need to wipe it down for prep for paint. 

75,000 BTU natural gas furnace $1,850 installed. 

Water heater is in place. Had some small issue as the space for the water heater and furnace is limited. When the furnace was installed they added about 3" of extra duct work which shrank the space for the water heater. I had to remove the gas line and electric box on the furnace to move the water heater into position but it fit. Just need to hook up gas and water.

Tenants have not made contact in the last two weeks to remove their remaining possessions. 8/17/17 is the last day for them to have access. They were given a 30 day notice back in July, on 8/18 we will have a dumpster and remove all remaining possessions.

Budget is still on track with a total expenditure of $9,633.09. Cabinets, appliances are all on order. The last of the large purchases will be flooring. 640 sq ft of luxury vinyl plank flooring and 400 sq ft of carpet, estimate cost of $2,900. 

We did have a break in on 8/1 where someone kicked in the back door. I suspect it was one of the people living at the house looking for something. There were tools in the house that were left untouched and no other damage besides the door frame. The police were called and a report filed. We now have extra patrols in the area as there are 6-7 houses in the immediate area that are vacant. So far we have not had any other issues.

Since me and my wife are doing 90% of the work ourselves we need to be aware of all the little items that will need our attention to complete. One word of caution when working on a project like this is get the contractors to finish the job completely, don't leave little things to attend to later or they will add up very quickly and add weeks to your schedule. 

Try volunteering at a place like Habitat For Humanity. They typically have experiences crew chiefs you can learn from.

7/31/17 Update - Drywall was delivered Saturday and I had help getting all 48 sheets into the house. My back is feeling it today. The drywall crew is there and starting to install. In removing the kitchen cabinets I found mold growing behind them so that drywall came down as well. We probably added 4-6 sheets more to hang but I am sure my guy will take care of it for me. One thing I am starting to be ware of are the little things I will need to complete eventually. Such is the case with a little ledge around the basement. At first we thought about putting a wood cap around it but then it would be one more thing for me to finish up. I decided to have the ledge capped with drywall.

Appliances are on ordered ans set for August 19th delivery. $1,188 for gas stove, fridge, microwave and dishwasher. Not bad for an entry level appliance suite.

Kitchen cabinets will be next on the ordering schedule, with paint coming up soon.

We are remaining ahead of our scheduled completion date of 9/30/17 and remain under budget.

7/27/17 update - Today I should be finishing up prep work for drywall and tomorrow will be insulation day. Drywall starts 7/31/17 and should be done by 8/4/17. Furnace and water heater are disconnected and ready to move out to the curb on Saturday. I was going to rent a truck to pick up drywall and the new water heater Saturday but a quick check on delivery prices shows Home Depot delivery is reasonable. It would have taken a few hours to go to HD, rent the truck, load the truck, drive to the house, unload truck and drive it back. So now i can wait for the delivery and get other tasks done, so always check delivery options.

Furnace goes in on 8/8/17, after the dust settles from the sanding. Soon after painting will begin. I have purchased an airless sprayer and will be painting the entire interior myself. I figured in a week I should be able to get it all done. Walls and ceiling will be different colors so I will have some masking to do. I have purchased hand maskers with paper, tape and plastic to cut down the time this takes.

7/23/17 - This weekend we had a small crew help us on removing all the wet drywall. We went up about 6' and removed everything below. All debris was bagged and set out for the village to remove which they did Saturday. We received quotes for both the drywall hanging and taping and also for the furnace. 47 sheets of drywall hung and taped was $1200 through someone we knew. The furnace had ranges from $2,600 to $1,700. We took the price of $1,900 since we knew the person that quoted us and feel more comfortable with them. 

To our surprise the old tenant has some people remove some of the items out of the house, they did make progress by clearing out the kitchen and shed. Only rooms left now are the three bedrooms and closets.

We are ahead of schedule and under budget so far.

Today we start the process of demolition! My plan is to have all drywall out, furnace, water heater and cabinets all out by the end of the weekend. I have set a rule for us not to work on Sunday or Mondays. I have a construction plan together detailing the work needed and a time frame to complete the work. The schedule completes on October 28th. I just have a bad feeling our old tenants are going to linger and we will need to work around their remaining possessions for the next 30 days. I have empathy for what they are going through (no renters insurance) but I am already seeing delays in what they are saying will be done. I want this to be a smooth a process as it can but I know we will have delays.

Quotes for the furnace and walls and ceiling cleaning are scheduled for Saturday.