Materials would be about $1400, and labor to install the appliances and hardware would be about $300 or so...

Hi Joe,We are purchasing out second triplex in a college town.

The first person I came across was Joe Crump.

The GC might balk at this (especially if this was planned on his part), but if he hasn't purchased any materials yet and hasn't paid out any labor, it's not an unreasonable request on your part given the circumstances.

When figuring costs, here are some things to consider:- Many jurisdictions will require permits to demo a house- If permits are required, a Demo Survey will likely be required (and other surveys/tests)- If the houses are old, you may need an asbestos survey- If there is asbestos, you'll need to pay a remediator to remove- You'll need to pay for labor to demo as well as haul-away and dump feesYou can probably find a company that will do all this turn-key for you for not too much more than what you'd pay to piecemeal it.

I figured the best way to hop in was to go to work with his company - so I set up a meeting with him, and I'm currently doing general labor and maintenance on his properties with his partner in the Chico, CA area.

The downside is that demo by hand is a lot slower than demo by machine, and the risk of injury goes up if you're not using at least semi-skilled laborers for parts of the job.

Not a huge price increase (about $300 total), but those things add up.Plus, there are fewer contractors willing to work in tough climates (I had contractors who would move south for the winter), so there's less contractor supply, which drives up labor prices.

In my mind, going overboard in decorating ONLY makes sense if you don't intend to sell (as is the case you have described)....so you get to enjoy the fruits of your labors (and money spent).

So I'm getting much of the labor with no mark up.