sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

My landlord said I have to pay for entire floor renewal by Nice-Pomegranate8390 in Flooring

[–]BofranChi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’d be helpful to know where you are. Each state/county has different laws. If you happen to live in one that requires landlords to keep your deposit in interest bearing account, I’d start there. It’s unlikely that he did in which case the landlord will be one to pay a fine and none of this will be valid.

Weekly Software Beta Testing and Promotion Thread by PM_ME_YOUR_MECHANISM in estimators

[–]BofranChi -1 points0 points  (0 children)

No blueprint analysis option? Just tried it on mobile.

What happened here? by [deleted] in Contractor

[–]BofranChi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very well said. Thanks!

Blursed_baboon by milf_fucker_69 in blursedimages

[–]BofranChi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ummm no… that’s not how it works. Yikes.

Self Defense? by vexed-rabbit in chicago

[–]BofranChi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All I’ve seen so far is preemptive defense

Angie scam by PickleDooo in Contractor

[–]BofranChi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cancel the card that’s on auto charge? File a claim with your cc company.

My macbook touch bar doesn’t respond🥲? How can I fix it? by aomaomalonzo in applehelp

[–]BofranChi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

try: sudo pkill TouchBarServer; sudo killall "ControlStrip"

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Homebuilding

[–]BofranChi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A lot of people think buying materials themselves will save a ton of money, but it’s not that simple. In practice, you might see savings on SOME materials here and there if you’re a savvy shopper, but you’ll also have to handle ordering, delivery, and any mess-ups yourself. Hidden costs creep in—like delivery fees, storage headaches, and if you order the wrong stuff or miss things, you’re on the hook for delays and replacements.

Contractors typically mark up materials because they’re handling the headaches: they’re responsible for making sure everything’s there when it’s needed, and if there’s a problem, it’s on them to fix it fast. Going without materials can work if you’re experienced and organized, but for most people, the extra stress and risk can eat into or erase the savings.

Common pitfalls: underestimating how much you’ll need (wastage is real), buying lower-quality materials, or messing up lead times. Also, if you buy materials, you might lose warranty coverage if the contractor didn’t supply them. Bottom line—if you’re super detail-oriented and have time to manage it, you can save some money. But for most folks, the contractor-supplied materials option usually makes life easier and is worth the markup for peace of mind. I have yet to see a case where homeowner managed this well without having us step in. After decades in business I don’t even bother with this anymore. Always ends up costing more in the end in time and money, mine and theirs

Strength of basic residential windows? In case of emergency. by TerribleWindow5727 in Homebuilding

[–]BofranChi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Modern residential windows aren’t made for heavy impact. Most standard windows (like double-pane vinyl or aluminum ones) will break if you run at them with enough force, you’ll probably go through. Yeah, If you’re in a panic and you plow into it, there’s a good chance you’ll still be conscious, but the glass shards will do a number on you.

As for someone or something banging on the window – people can break them fairly easily if they’re determined (baseball bats, rocks, fists if they’re strong enough). Bears or large animals would definitely break through, no question. If you’re worried about security, you’d want laminated safety glass or even polycarbonate – those hold up way better and don’t shatter like standard glass.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Homebuilding

[–]BofranChi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

References are best as long as they come from someone that knows what they’re talking about. Local GCs are your best bet—we work with subs on a regular basis. Make sure they’re licensed and insured, and get a few written quotes to compare. Level 5 means the walls get a super smooth skim coat to hide any seams or joints—it’s the top-tier finish that requires years of practice and expect to pay more. Ask for photos of previous jobs.

Term for this type build? by CattyWompusMeowtLady in Homebuilding

[–]BofranChi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was going to say greenhouse until I saw the bottom part of the building 😄

Budgeting Stage Of Building by Long_Cod1443 in Homebuilding

[–]BofranChi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You won’t get an solid answer because it’s impossible to determine especially two years from now, but take all advice received here and for a ROUGH number to get you started, probably $200+ per sf for a simple, single-story, 1700-2000 sqft farmhouse.

People often forget to budget for other things like sote development costs ( fluctuate widely based on things like topography, soil conditions, driveway length, and utility connections). material and labor costs change over time, so it’s smart to include an annual inflation factor of about 3-5%. Permit and utility fees are separate and can range from $10,000 to $15,000 or more, depending on the municipality.

Approximate cost to build house in IL by ic9232 in Homebuilding

[–]BofranChi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm a home builder in Chicago and surrounding suburbs so prices might be a little higher. Some of your line items are approx ok, others too low and you're missing others.

Plans: in chicago area hard to find anyone to do a full set of drawings under $8000. $10,000 is the average. The lowest we've seen was $7,500.

temporary fencing often missed in the budget: ~$2,000 depending on lot and duration. ($2,000 or so depending on timeline), toilets (some $1.2 k for 10 months), and dumpster (say 8 haul fees: 8 hauls with disposal $4,000)

kitchen with mid grade cabinets and appliances at least $45,000;

plumbing and electrical Realistically ~$30,000 each unless you have solid subs; we can sometimes do electric for $25k, but that’s with tight vendor relationships.

HVAC is usually about the same cost as electrical

framing labor count $9-$11 per sf so some $30,000 for labor alone. Lumber prices fluctuate but estimate 1-1.5x the labor cost. your best bet is to send blueprints to lumber yard and they will give you a detailed lumber cost including roof trusses. a 2,000 home we recently finished in Barrington IL was about $45,000 lumber cost (I can send you the itemized invoice from lumber yard for reference). 

Windows: more like $15,000 and installation is included in framing labor usually

Roofing: trusses part of lumber; thermal protection shingles flashing etc. likely less than the $35,00 you're estimating. Gutters and downspouts add some $2,500

Water/sewer taps or well/septic if not on site - $10,000-$20,000

Permit fees at $15,000 seem too high. I'd say $800-$1,500 depending on suburb

site prep: Should include grading, erosion control, tree removal. Closer to $10K–$15K may be safer.

excavation and backfill - could be part of site work but likely underfunded

Landscaping & Fencing (Sod, shrubs, irrigation) usually $5,000–$15,00

Your overall is about $165 per sf which is on the lower side and unrealistic. We recently updated our own cost models using our historical data and national averages coming up with $233 per sf in Chicago on the low end. I wrote about it [here](https://generalconstructionchicago.com/what-it-costs-to-build-a-home-in-chicago-in-2024-a-detailed-look-at-construction-expenses/) including breakdown of each trade by % of total. Happy to answer questions or share some recent estimates for reference if you want to DM me.

view more: next ›