# Would you pay $400k for this restoration job?



## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Did a partial finish today on that house with the septic in the crawl space today. According to the HO between the insurance and a bank loan they paid this restoration company (that IMHO are a bunch of hacks) $400,000 back in January. They didn't start work until April/May. Seems to be a common theme with restoration companys around here.

Box store fixtures, Tuscany toilets... Today is move in day, they just started tiling the master this morning. Here's an example of the quality of their work when we start finish.

Would you pay that much for work like this?


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## ace4548 (Feb 10, 2015)

400k! For a restoration.. Holy crap.. That would get you a brand new 3,000 sq ft house here, with finished basement and 3 -bath lol


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## Oorgnid (Apr 5, 2016)

Not a big surprise. We do a lot of the plumbing for restoration companies. People pay thousands of dollars, for 1 dollar work.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

My neighbor's house was stuck by lightning which started an electrical fire last November and she hired a national restoration chain. They finally repaired the three weeks ago. I don't know the financials behind that fiasco. They took up most of my driveway for two days and one night. All I could park in my driveway was my cube. The fire was on my side, and I understand you gotta do what you gotta do. Plus another neighbor bought a property two doors down to be demoed, so we just used her driveway.

If someone were to ask me to recommend a good restoration company, I have no response. They all cut corners, amazingly shoddy work.

This house is an old farm house built in the lat 1800's, three full bath, three bedroom, addition, first floor laundry, huge kitchen, huge dining room, big living room, and a wrap around porch that has been enclosed and made part of the house (this room is where the septic is located), very nice landscaping, coy ponds, waterfalls, two poll barns. Two gay guys, a lady in her early 50's, and today I saw a lady living there in her late 60's?. I've really only dealt with one of the guys other than "hello, awfully cold for August, yeah this pup has supervised us a few times..." nice people and 4 doors down from my Master.

I'm hoping the mobile home people that delivered their temporary housing will need to pay for a new septic and drain field (which will need to be engineered) since they dumped the masurated sewage from the trailer directly into the drain field for months. That was the first thing we took care of when we got in there and saw what they did.


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## rowanova (Aug 2, 2017)

I know restoration is expensive but really? I've worked for a plumbing company for a few years that way overcharged but I at least took pride in my work and made it look the best I could. How much is the house even worth?

The tough part is in my area you really have to cover your assets and any time I see anything of concern I take photos, document what it looked like at the time, and recommend evaluation by a restoration company. Don't know how it is in other states but I'm told that I'm not even legally allowed to use the word m***, most I can say is MOG- Microbial Organic Growth. Stupid but I don't want to get sued


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Master wasn't there due to his injury. I texted those two pictures and asked him if he wanted our name associated with this quality of work. Sure, it wasn't us that hacked the **** out of the cabinet, but we ARE involved in the job. This company owes us a lot of money due for passed inspections. I'm hoping this is truly the last straw considering this is at his neighbor's house. 

Three acres I'm guessing, not sure what it went for, but my Master stopped bidding at $80k. Dirt road, kinda country. Today's market with the upgrades $200-275k? 

The insurance paid so much and they took out a loan for the upgraded box store fixtures and other stuff. Cool old house, but a waste if you ask me.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Notice the cord on the disposal? Same with the kitchen sink. Election shorted himself about 6" of wire for the dishwasher, no switch for the bar sink disposal, no light above the bar sink or switch for it. 

These issues aren't exclusive to this one job. 50% of the time we either walk or can only do part of what we planned to do because walls aren't built or provided crap isn't there. This job when I finished the upstairs baths no toilets, chrome trim in the shower and ORB lav faucets. Every damn job! We charge for every stupid trip, and we aren't nice about it. We'll see how this pans out. 

I've had to do some drain cleaning on their job sites. I give my Master the bill. Let him mark it up and wait.


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## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

It looks like the cabinet guys measured once and cut three times per hole. They should have at least had the decency and run to Home Depot for a thin white piece of paneling and cover that train wreck. 

To answer your question, no, I wouldn't pay $400,000 to remodel a $250,000 dollar house. It doesn't seem like a wise investment.


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## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

rowanova said:


> I know restoration is expensive but really? I've worked for a plumbing company for a few years that way overcharged but I at least took pride in my work and made it look the best I could. How much is the house even worth?
> 
> The tough part is in my area you really have to cover your assets and any time I see anything of concern I take photos, document what it looked like at the time, and recommend evaluation by a restoration company. Don't know how it is in other states but I'm told that I'm not even legally allowed to use the word m***, most I can say is MOG- Microbial Organic Growth. Stupid but I don't want to get sued


I haven't heard the MOG term, when I worked for a company we had to note we found mold like substance. Then say something like I'm a plumber not a scientist so I can't confirm it's mold. Let me set up an appointment with this restoration company and they'll let you know your options. If the job sold I'd get a $150 spiff. The restoration company would pay 10% "advertising fee" to my boss because kick backs are illegal.


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## rowanova (Aug 2, 2017)

Yeah MOG or just 'growth'. That's what more than one restoration company has told me to say in order to not get in trouble. Evidently if you use the word mold in a sentence to a customer than you are claiming to be an 'expert' on the subject.


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## Oorgnid (Apr 5, 2016)

I have to say. The escutcheons are the best.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Oorgnid said:


> I have to say. The escutcheons are the best.


Lol! I did my best to hide their mess! Guess I fell a bit short. :laughing:


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## rowanova (Aug 2, 2017)

Should've asked around to see where you can get escutcheons the size of a frisbee


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

I get asked about mold all the time. Especially with tenants, I know nothing of such things! I've been told the black deadly mold cannot handle the climate here in MI, but I don't know for sure. So I do the same, call a restoration company and ask them what it is because I have no clue.


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## Oorgnid (Apr 5, 2016)

OpenSights said:


> Oorgnid said:
> 
> 
> > I have to say. The escutcheons are the best.
> ...


I know the feeling lol. I do a lot of work for a restoration company. This was to be a standard vanity, but then the homeowner got a dresser vanity. I didn't know, I came to set fixtures with the thought of it being quick and simple. 

Turned out it was an eight inch spread faucet with a dresser vanity. All I can say is I tried my best. What a fiasco that was. 90k in renovations for work like that. House is probably worth 45k.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Yikes! The drain on my bar sink was intentionally low for a wye on its back with a clean out. Drain cleaner mindset. My Master takes my advice for clean outs. Not my best location, but helps. The master bath lavs in this house, last part of the finish yet to be done, but figured while I had water off might as well get the stops on, tripping over the tile guy, who was cool taking up a half hour of my time making sure he did his work right for me. 

Master vanity was way wrong from initial layout. I told them not to finish it till we're done.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Drywall guys buried a AAV box. Going to hammer the wall to find it. What a **** show! The sad part of all this is there are worse restoration companys around here than these hacks. I will never work for any restoration company with my business.


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## Oorgnid (Apr 5, 2016)

OpenSights said:


> Drywall guys buried a AAV box. Going to hammer the wall to find it. What a **** show! The sad part of all this is there are worse restoration companys around here than these hacks. I will never work for any restoration company with my business.


I hear ya. Unfortunately it's my master's bread and butter. I told him countless times he shouldn't rely so heavily on them and try to get back into service. They are bottom feeders. They will always use the cheapest, which my boss makes sure he is by only charging them $50 and hour. The pictures of the job I posted, the drywallers did a similar thing on that site and buried the electricians boxes. Nothing like a goose chase cutting holes into walls trying to find them.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Oorgnid said:


> I hear ya. Unfortunately it's my master's bread and butter. I told him countless times he shouldn't rely so heavily on them and try to get back into service. They are bottom feeders. They will always use the cheapest, which my boss makes sure he is by only charging them $50 and hour. The pictures of the job I posted, the drywallers did a similar thing on that site and buried the electricians boxes. Nothing like a goose chase cutting holes into walls trying to find them.


Similar boat brother! But he charges full rate. $125/hr. I stopped in there to look at the sewer smell and back up. Before I got there I knew what was up. I did have to recap a few stubs the drywall guys removed. Took all of ten minutes. Full hour charge for a service call. We are on the cheaper side around here.

When we show up and every other trade is there, we walk and charge for the trip. No mercy. Either we fire them or they fire us. We're busy enough without these bottom feeder hacks.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Oorgnid said:


> I know the feeling lol. I do a lot of work for a restoration company. This was to be a standard vanity, but then the homeowner got a dresser vanity. I didn't know, I came to set fixtures with the thought of it being quick and simple.
> 
> Turned out it was an eight inch spread faucet with a dresser vanity. All I can say is I tried my best. What a fiasco that was. 90k in renovations for work like that. House is probably worth 45k.


I see what you did there. Here you would have to use a tee and an AAV. With the right inspector after lunch or just before quitting time 90's will fly. That's the key times for inspection when "it's the only thing you can do to make it work", and pass.


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## Oorgnid (Apr 5, 2016)

OpenSights said:


> I see what you did there. Here you would have to use a tee and an AAV. With the right inspector after lunch or just before quitting time 90's will fly. That's the key times for inspection when "it's the only thing you can do to make it work", and pass.



Close! Tee in the wall runs up and across, then ties into the stack vent. But you're right, I had to use two 90s to make that work. I just wanna know who cut it, because I had to trim it even more just to make room for my fittings. Inspector was out that week, and an inspector from Pittsburgh came in, which they're a little tougher than around here, but he passed it. 

Bathroom was a **** storm. I put the flange for the toilet to the floor because I figured the standard linoleum finish, instead they had 1/4 backer-board down and 1/4 tile. Floor ended up being 1/2 higher than my flange. People kill me.:no:


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

Years ago went to set finish at a home we were doing a remodel on,
went into bathroom to set finish for a standard bathtub, found a 36" wide 
Kholer Jacuzzi bathtub of course the whole rough was off, which I had to change then make a appointment to come back later to set finish,
first remodel that I ever worked on


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## gking707 (Sep 10, 2017)

In my experience, Always stay away from 'restoration' companies, they dont restore jack **** and cost 4x more than a contractor.


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## Gargalaxy (Aug 14, 2013)

gking707 said:


> In my experience, Always stay away from 'restoration' companies, they dont restore jack **** and cost 4x more than a contractor.


Damn right, general contractors are the worse. Even worse when they don't know how to follow the rules.


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## Tolbex (Nov 5, 2021)

I don't think these restorations don't cost even close to this price. Some houses cost almost like these, especially farmhouses.


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