|
Post by blackfeather on Jul 18, 2022 0:24:12 GMT
that one does not want to be at the bottom of the barrel that one wants to be the man IN the barrel... Joe should be the man at the wrong end of a barrel.
|
|
|
Post by joebill on Jul 18, 2022 3:03:35 GMT
Regarding the price of of new housing, my son-in-law and I have been doing a little bit of calculating on building a casita in his second lot.
Size was to be 600 square feet and when he had gotten past $20,000 for the basic frame and covering he threw up his hands and quit counting. That was traditional stick construction. I checked out concrete block and the difference was dramatic!
With block construction today you can figure about $2 a square foot and that takes care of the outside wall the inside wall the insulation and a little bit of paint will see you with an inside finished wall.
I have also learned that instead of using decking chipboards on the roof if you just screw the metal roof down to the 2x4 purlins they will hold a lot better.
In the desert sun no kind of wood siding will equal concrete block anyhow.... Joe
|
|
|
Post by wildhorseluvr on Jul 18, 2022 16:25:10 GMT
DD finally got an estimate from the contractor she was going to use for her addition to the house. He had originally told her around 200-225k. Now his estimate is nearly $300k! (“Sorry…costs have gone up.”) She talked to another contractor yesterday (recently retired couple). They spent an hour on the phone with her and told her she can be her own general contractor and subcontract everything out. She’s looking into this, as she can probably reduce costs considerably and by doing one project at a time, she can stop at any point.
|
|
|
Post by Ozarks Tom on Jul 18, 2022 23:06:46 GMT
DD finally got an estimate from the contractor she was going to use for her addition to the house. He had originally told her around 200-225k. Now his estimate is nearly $300k! (“Sorry…costs have gone up.”) She talked to another contractor yesterday (recently retired couple). They spent an hour on the phone with her and told her she can be her own general contractor and subcontract everything out. She’s looking into this, as she can probably reduce costs considerably and by doing one project at a time, she can stop at any point.
There are two sides to this situation. The first side is yes, she probably can save some money by looking for the least expensive subcontractors and scheduling things herself. The other side is a general contractor by necessity has subcontractors he's used in the past who do good work and in a timely fashion, as his pay depends on them.
My suggestion would for her to call around for another general contractor, or in her talk with the first guy explain she's read that both lumber and copper has gone down, and if he wants the job he'll work with her. Sounds like he's taking advantage.
As far as finding another GC, she might stop in a couple large lumber yards and ask for references.
|
|
|
Post by wildhorseluvr on Jul 18, 2022 23:55:49 GMT
Thanks, Ozarks Tom, I’ll pass that along to her. I’m sure it would be a lot less hassle if she didn’t have to do it herself. I will say we’re rapidly learning which people/companies are good or not so good to work with. The people here are great about recommending the good ones and have no qualms about letting us know who the bad ones are either.
|
|
|
Post by Tricky Grama on Jul 20, 2022 10:54:29 GMT
Thanks, Ozarks Tom , I’ll pass that along to her. I’m sure it would be a lot less hassle if she didn’t have to do it herself. I will say we’re rapidly learning which people/companies are good or not so good to work with. The people here are great about recommending the good ones and have no qualms about letting us know who the bad ones are either. Sort of running into the same thing here. At least we have the helpful neighbors to rely on, as they've had so much work done & know others who have too. Several have said its very hard to get workers. When you find someone who'll do work they usually have other jobs. One guy works on the lobster boats at times, I guess that's erratic & he doesn't know when he goes out on them or not. If you find good workers, they're in demand.
|
|
|
Post by wildhorseluvr on Jul 20, 2022 14:58:28 GMT
Thanks, Ozarks Tom , I’ll pass that along to her. I’m sure it would be a lot less hassle if she didn’t have to do it herself. I will say we’re rapidly learning which people/companies are good or not so good to work with. The people here are great about recommending the good ones and have no qualms about letting us know who the bad ones are either. Sort of running into the same thing here. At least we have the helpful neighbors to rely on, as they've had so much work done & know others who have too. Several have said its very hard to get workers. When you find someone who'll do work they usually have other jobs. One guy works on the lobster boats at times, I guess that's erratic & he doesn't know when he goes out on them or not. If you find good workers, they're in demand. I know it’s hard to find good workers, but tacking on $50k-$75k in a matter of weeks just seems a bit over the top. The contractor called DD yesterday and asked which plan she decided to go with. She told him she wasn’t sure she wanted to go with any plan…she was rethinking the whole idea and considering selling and getting a different house. Or, having a cheaper contractor build a garage and do a few smaller upgrades. Now he wants to meet up with her and see if they can work something out.
|
|
|
Post by woolybear on Jul 20, 2022 15:17:13 GMT
wildhorseluvr, makes me wonder if the contractor is thinking since she's new in town that he could "fleece" her a little bit. He wouldn't be able to do that to the long time locals, but maybe try it on a newbie. She might want to contact a couple of other contractors and get some other quotes. Wouldn't hurt to have similar quotes to show to this guy.
|
|
|
Post by wildhorseluvr on Jul 20, 2022 15:35:19 GMT
wildhorseluvr , makes me wonder if the contractor is thinking since she's new in town that he could "fleece" her a little bit. He wouldn't be able to do that to the long time locals, but maybe try it on a newbie. She might want to contact a couple of other contractors and get some other quotes. Wouldn't hurt to have similar quotes to show to this guy. Very good suggestion. Not just because she’s new but a lot of guys dealing with women take advantage. Or try to.
|
|
|
Post by Ozarks Tom on Jul 20, 2022 21:00:50 GMT
wildhorseluvr, From the outside looking in, I'd say drop that contractor like a hot rock. Somebody who'd pull that type of scam increase can't be trusted, period.
|
|
|
Post by Tricky Grama on Jul 20, 2022 22:08:03 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Ozarks Tom on Jul 20, 2022 23:49:55 GMT
Tricky Grama , Nope, won't go anywhere, even after they have majority in both houses. As egregious as the Hunter Biden scandal is, and the other charges that are obviously true corruption, there'll be a new shiny object to allow the GOP to quietly push them off into the "not as important" file. They talk just one heck of a good game, but have the republican "representatives" ever produced anything other than just a watered down version of the democrat's agenda? As long as the two "Mc's", McConnell and McCarthy are in charge it's all Kabuki theater. I keep getting disappointed in republicans I had faith in as being real conservatives, but people like Ted Cruz, who I supported against Trump called the J6 rioters "terrorists", and Crenshaw, the military hero has shown his true stripes as a RINO. The list is nearly endless. They're all phonies. Remember when every republican ran on the promise to do away with Obamacare? Yeah, well.
|
|
|
Post by fixitguy on Jul 21, 2022 14:49:06 GMT
|
|
|
Post by themotherhen on Jul 21, 2022 20:55:46 GMT
Media was questioning why he had nothing public for the past two days. Why do these people always look so shady and conniving? They should have just been straightforward and announced that he was sick.
|
|
|
Post by Ozarks Tom on Jul 22, 2022 1:13:52 GMT
themotherhen, Honesty doesn't come easy for those folks, it makes them break out in rashes.
|
|