Flip or Flop: Plumbing

kaiser715

kaiser715

Doing hard time
Joined
Jun 1, 2006
Location
7, Pocket, NC
So...I got a house that needs work. Kicking around whether to fix it up and sell, or dump it to a flipper. Needs a good bit of work, but the house has good bones, and some good things like good landscaping, newish roof, new hvac, etc. 3600sf, built in 1956. Hardwood flooring in all of upstairs (main level), a couple of rooms under carpet. In todays market, might get $325-350 for the house fixed up...$150-175 to a flipper.

First up...plumbing. first issue really not a problem, ...copper supply lines are shot, need to re-run pex everywhere. Good access via basement. Just time and money.

Problem #2) It looks like the main sewer line (cast iron) under the basement slab is rotted/collapsed. Barely draining, so had a plumber come over, he tried rooting it, and brought clay back up. There are a couple of 45's...I guess the machine went straight thru one. I got one toilet pulled up now, and there is not even a hint of sewer gas coming up...so I'd say 100% clogged. I have four options here:

A) cut the slab, dig a trench (55' total), put in PVC under the slab; or
B) dig down outside (on the back side of the house) down to the footing level (7 feet down), and run PVC out from under slab (minimal slab cut for toilet, etc), then around house to the front (plenty of slope, but lots of digging, have to tear out and rebuild brick patio); or
C) run a PVC sewer line out the back of the house, but buried just a couple of feet deep, and only serve the upstairs bathrooms and kitchen, and move the basement bathroom (long story, those walls need rebuilt/moved anyway) to the front side of the house where I can tie in where the existing PVC comes up to the house, again with minimal slab cutting; or
D) same as C, but leave basement bathroom in same location, put in a Saniflo upflush toilet, or a septic sump and ejector.

A) might actually be cheapest, but messy. What, 10k? B) might cost 30-40k with the patio and all. D) is just asking for trouble.

No furniture or stuff to work around.

Any ideas/advice? Maybe I can post up some drawings later.
 
Question #1
Do you WANT to work on this house? Put your time, love etc into? Or spend that time on other projects like that giant garage of yours
Question #2
How much is that time worth to you?

This house could basically be your job for the next while. Which do you love more, the money you'd make or the time you'd give up?
 
Good question. Sub out more work, I'll like it more....but it would be nice to walk away with 100k for a few months work.
 
kaiser715 said:
Good question. Sub out more work, I'll like it more....but it would be nice to walk away with 100k for a few months work.
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right, you are about to be an unofficial general contractor for the next half a year.
 
D.

Around here you could probably get $400k for it as is. Is the market still on 2015 prices out your way?
 
RatLabGuy said:
right, you are about to be an unofficial general contractor for the next half a year.
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You better check with subs before you go this route. The GOOD ones are booked thru Christmas. So plan to be a GC for a good year
 
CasterTroy said:
You better check with subs before you go this route. The GOOD ones are booked thru Christmas. So plan to be a GC for a good year
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AND, the housing market could cool off a year from now. Nobody knows. I would dump ASAP, and go fishing, whatever, etc.
 
CasterTroy said:
You better check with subs before you go this route. The GOOD ones are booked thru Christmas. So plan to be a GC for a good year
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I think you are right....talked to my plumber today, told him I'd like to have him come by and quote it, and figure out the best way to go about it. He said he'd come and look at it. "After Christmas".
 
drkelly said:
AND, the housing market could cool off a year from now. Nobody knows. I would dump ASAP, and go fishing, whatever, etc.
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I think this area is going to be one of the last to go down -- lots of new industry coming here (prefab house plant, and 7500 'first phase' jobs at the VC car plant above Moncure that was just announced.
 
kaiser715 said:
I think this area is going to be one of the last to go down -- lots of new industry coming here (prefab house plant, and 7500 'first phase' jobs at the VC car plant above Moncure that was just announced.
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Pretty ballsy to build a gazillion dollar auto plant for a maker that literally no one in the US has ever heard of. Foxconn 2.0?
 
None of what you're describing really concerns me, but ultimately it depends on how handy you are, what tools you have, and how much time you have. The sewer replacement is going to take a week or two on it's own. I'd cut the slab and replace it all.
 
Your dang well capable of managing said retro fit remodel for what I've seen on here. Your retired. Do it at a pace you enjoy. Heck maybe find some younger folk trying to get a leg in the business. Give them some denero to help make the world go round. Make a little pocket cash. Look back and say it was worth it to keep a good home viable.

It's all perspective.

Or sell and enjoy a couple more umbrella drinks.


I'm thinking like the above. The right motivated person would be in and out. I got a buddy knocking down trenching and putting down lines for all sorts like clock work. Hay is ready and he's making it. They are still some decent hard working folks out in the world. Just gotta dig them out.
 
I do 2 of these a week, here in morganton every house built from the 30s to the 80s has cast in the house that turns into orangeburg outside then goes to the city's clay main. Just about every house around has a basement and the customer gets to choose 1, cut up the floor and have to dig 10ft deep outside $$$, 2 replumb the house and abandon basement fixtures and run pipe 2ft deep , or 3 do that but add a grinder pump station for basement. Usually people choose to abandon the basement plumbing. I can tell you that a partial repipe and new 2ft deep sewer should be a lot less than 10k but still going to be expensive.
Wish you were closer could have it done in a day.
 
Done a bit of high-level critical thinking on this, and some figuring and ciphering.

Looking at cutting the slab again, there is no reason to follow the existing layout. Instead of the zig-zag 55' run it makes, I can cut straight across, about 2/3 of the way front-to-back, about 20'. Come out of the house about 25' from the original exit location from under the slab.

As to the budget...subcontracting out about 1/3, some hired helpers for the rest, it looks like 32,000 to get the house in saleable/livable condition. Another 34-43k in making it nice enough to get top dollar. Total outlay of $75k if I go all-in, with an upside of 150k-200k (increase in sale value from as-is, #'s from my realtor). So, there is the potential to walk away with 75-125k net extra.

Permits and inspections will be the shittiest part of the whole thing. I hate 'em.
 
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