I don't think California investments are materially better or worse than any other market.  

Supervising contractors, measuring, changing plans as needed (reno never goes as planned), buying materials, etc, etc.

Has anyone had better luck with one material or another flooring over a basement?  

What types of questions or material to bring to initial meetings to get a good idea if it will be the right fit for my goals.

If you think that there is no rot in the wood, the windowa are standard size, the connection between the windows and the siding material is straight forward, and you are putting in 15 or less..

Costs could vary wildly from $10-30/cy, and would be dependent on a number of factors...permitting, disposal site for dredged material, hydraulic vs mechanical, etc. 

(Misrepresenting material facts) Expressing that you buy houses, that you will buy, is an inducement for the other party to agree to the contract and you'll  have fraud in that inducement when you don't perform as claimed, or haven't ever performed as you claim.A saying; "A dirty dog will not find justice in a court"  (close if not quoted exactly), meaning here that one with "dirty hands" will not prevail in contracting.

I would say it's similar for material purchases since they are pass-through costs - zero incentive to bargain shop for you.  

The materials matter less than the design and the functionality in Real Estate.It will be interesting to see what you can do!

Ask your landlord to send you copies of all the contractors receipts for work and material.