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On the other hand, only an insensitive jerk of a buyer would walk around with the contractor while saying things like "We have just got to rip out this horror show of an ugly kitchen" or "I can't imagine why anyone would do anything as stupid as this" within earshot of the sellers. Common sense dictates that the buyer gives the contractor an overview beforehand, and then discusses things in detail after they leave the premises.
I'd never do that. I like to think I'm a fairly tactful person.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BBCjunkie
But if one is instead talking about the buyer having any work done on the housebefore the closing??? I would think that any buyer's attorney worth his/her salt would strongly advise against that. And a seller would be crazy to allow it.
No, not this...at all.
I want to get the contractors in early so they can get the permits rolling and even just getting on their schedule, as I'm sure there will be some lag time before they could actually start anyway. I don't want the house to just be sitting there after we close waiting for work to begin.
I want to get the contractors in early so they can get the permits rolling and even just getting on their schedule, as I'm sure there will be some lag time before they could actually start anyway. I don't want the house to just be sitting there after we close waiting for work to begin.[/quote]
Yea well they are bunch of lunatics and you will be waiting. They have 2 plumbers for the entire town. Schedule inspections in advance, usually it’s a 3 week wait. I’ve been waiting almost a month for a damn road opening permit so national grid can run my gas line. Once they actually issue you a permit they have to print and mail it, that takes another 2 weeks.
Yea well they are bunch of lunatics and you will be waiting. They have 2 plumbers for the entire town. Schedule inspections in advance, usually it’s a 3 week wait. I’ve been waiting almost a month for a damn road opening permit so national grid can run my gas line. Once they actually issue you a permit they have to print and mail it, that takes another 2 weeks.
It’s going to be a blast. You will be going there allot, good luck calling them! If you leave a message they will call back 2-3 days later and tell you to come in. You better pray you don’t need to post a bond for some nonsense. It took them 5 or 6 weeks to calculate the freaking $12xx I had to post. Once you have the permits the inspections aren’t to bad as long as you schedule in advance. It’s just getting the permit! I will never ever ever, pull a permit again EVER. I can’t wait for the next election I’m going to actually vote. If your in office I’m against you. No reason it should be this complicated and time consuming to issue permits when all the info has been provided. That reminded me, happened 3x they denied permit because they wanted other stuff. These are things they never asked for such as manual J for hvac and then they decided we needed a curb so thats why the bond had to be posted. Only for them to return the bond because we don’t need a curb. But we needed a bond because they wanted us to plant a specific tree on the right of way! You will learn the building, planning and plumbing department are in the same building, they have the same amount of communication a blue fish and a Toyota have. Rant over.
It’s going to be a blast. You will be going there allot, good luck calling them! If you leave a message they will call back 2-3 days later and tell you to come in. You better pray you don’t need to post a bond for some nonsense. It took them 5 or 6 weeks to calculate the freaking $12xx I had to post. Once you have the permits the inspections aren’t to bad as long as you schedule in advance. It’s just getting the permit! I will never ever ever, pull a permit again EVER. I can’t wait for the next election I’m going to actually vote. If your in office I’m against you. No reason it should be this complicated and time consuming to issue permits when all the info has been provided. That reminded me, happened 3x they denied permit because they wanted other stuff. These are things they never asked for such as manual J for hvac and then they decided we needed a curb so thats why the bond had to be posted. Only for them to return the bond because we don’t need a curb. But we needed a bond because they wanted us to plant a specific tree on the right of way! You will learn the building, planning and plumbing department are in the same building, they have the same amount of communication a blue fish and a Toyota have. Rant over.
Can I pay someone to do this for me? Willing to sell organs.
We're about to go into contract on a house in Dix Hills. It's not in bad shape but it's a bit "tired" and needs updating. We bought our first house completely renovated so I've never had to worry about this before. I'm quite confused about the process. Do I just need to hire a contractor? Interior designer? Architect. I really have no idea how to go about this.
Here's what we want to do:
Complete remodel of the kitchen.
Removing walls to open up the floor plan.
Gas conversion w/new boiler and hot water heater.
Skylights in most of the rooms.
New central AC compressor and air handler. Duct work is also old and needs replacement.
Fix up the broken down screened in porch which will probably mean replacing the cement floor and all the screen walls.
Remodeling bathrooms: They were redone approx 2 years ago but are not aesthetically to our taste.
Finish the basement. It's currently completely unfinished.
Rear patio.
IG Pool.
New paint pretty much everywhere.
Extensive landscaping including clearing out some wooded area to make more lawn space, grading, drainage etc.
New perimeter fencing.
Front walkways.
Driveway.
We've considered vaulted ceilings but it seems like they might be more trouble than they're worth.
Yes I'm aware this is going to cost a small fortune. Is a 6 month timeline on this realistic?
If anyone has any recommendations for companies I'm all ears.
Six months? How about 6 years?
You have several different types of projects here. Do them one at a time (HVAC, kitchen, basement, masonry). Rome wasnt built in a day. Youll take several years off your life with the stress of trying to do this all at once. I speak from experience.
Oh...and anything a GC tells you is a lie. Dont trust them as far as you can throw them. No matter how many positive reviews they have, how nice their website is, how clean and pressed their shirts are. They are ALL the same and have one mission...get in and get out with YOUR check in THEIR hand as quickly as humanly possible. Watch their work like a hawk.
Oh...and anything a GC tells you is a lie. Dont trust them as far as you can throw them. No matter how many positive reviews they have, how nice their website is, how clean and pressed their shirts are. They are ALL the same and have one mission...get in and get out with YOUR check in THEIR hand as quickly as humanly possible. Watch their work like a hawk.
Sadly, after more than four decades of home renovation experience I have to say that I agree with this 100%.
Every instance of corner-cutting, shoddy, and outright deceptive workmanship that I/we have encountered has been at the hands of a GC. Never had an issue with the 'specialists' (plumbers, electricians, carpenters, painters, etc) that we hired directly. But every time we used a GC there were quality issues.
The biggest red flag IMHO is when a GC insists on bringing in his own subs. The typical line of horse-hockey is "I know my guys, I don't know yours." Yeah, he knows his guys all right: They're the ones whom he can pay the least amount of money and/or are available to him because they are sitting on their butts hoping for work because the sub doesn't have customers of his own. We learned the hard way that if a GC won't agree to let a customer's sub be part of a job, that's the signal to show the GC the door. Especially if it's a big renovation that offers the GC little or no chance of being hired to do anything else. He'd rather roll the dice that the customer will never know that the work wasn't done as well, or correctly, as it should have been. GCs assume homeowners are clueless. Unfortunately, many times they are right about that.
The GC may also try to claim that bringing in an outside sub will "mess up the scheduling" and "make the job take longer." Don't believe a word of that scare tactic: It's better to wait in order to bring in the plumber/electrician/etc whose work you already know is good, than to roll the dice and accept whatever hamfisted idiot the GC may decide to bring in. The really good plumbers/electricans/etc don't work for GCs, because (a) they don't need to, and (b) they don't want the over the top aggravation that working for a GC or builder entails.
Last edited by BBCjunkie; 12-20-2019 at 05:12 PM..
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