My degree is in English with a Writing Emphasis, and I currently work as a writing tutor.

Tip for you who are ever on a roof placing conduit - a cinder block, held in place by spray foam and white goo, makes a great solid mounting point for mechanicals without requiring a roof penetration.   

@Steve Kontos ; Truer words have never been spoken, I'm a fairly handy person when it comes to mechanical things (painting cars, welding panels, fabrication) but had never done construction work.

I’m currently a mechanical engineer.

In preparation, I am looking for a thorough, but concise tutorial on the workings of US mortgages.The basic mechanics are not dissimilar to mortgages here in Canada, save interest is compounded differently, long mortgage "terms" are prevalent and you can deduct {in some instances?}

If extra space must be considered it isn't unreasonable to consider mechanicals. 

If you have a house built in 1930, not up to current codes, and then plan to do a complete renovation down to studs with new MEP systems (mechanical, electrical & plumbing) and high end finishes that price could be reasonable. 

There is a down side though..... the commercial machines that have coin or card mechanisms are more expensive to purchase, the tenant has to have enough coins on hand to keep it going (tenants don't like that inconvenience), and the landlord has to access the unit periodically to collect the coins.

Or a 2nd mortgage, a mechanics lien and an IRs income tax lien, as well.Are all of these creditors wiped completely clean simply because you bought one year's delinquent propertyy taxes that were not redeemed?

But [it pushed down hotel prices and raised rents on residents]" (emphasis added)  I appreciate what they're trying to communicate here - that the "disruptions" caused by popular tech startups are often not the predicted ones.