I've done a lot of deals as principle and have had to find all sorts of ways to get a deal done given I'm a solo investor and not a syndicator simply passing a hat around for money to get a deal done

True enough, not everyone who has flashy stuff is all hat and no cattle, but of what I've seen it is more often than not ...

My hat goes off to you.

Real estate agents (you) would be wearing the investor hat so to speak and this is normal.

@Steve Bradigan  @Tom Bujnowski Since we are licensed brokers and contractors, we actually wear many different hats on projects that we develop.

if using as a shim, there are easier ways to fur the wall out.Concrete board is porous and will absorb water. 

doubt Nat is going to put on her hard hat and jump on the back hoe and dig a trench etc etc... this is not a do it yourself job. for all the reasons Jon mentioned.. 12 foot trench requires shoring...

@Joe Gore   that's the difference of living in TExas and growing up in CA in the 60's and 70's this is old hat  been there done that many times over.

If you do, I might throw my hat in to that party, we have some BP newbies here in Springfield

That said I don't hat flippers, wish I was them.