Hi, All,

Several of you responded to my previous post asking for mortgage advice. To prove that no good deed goes unpunished, I would like to thank you all for doing so by asking you a similarly boring follow-on question.

After some deliberation, my wife and I have decided that we would like to find out what options we might have for adding on to our house (or moving, should that prove less than ideal). At my mortgage officer's advice, I contacted an Olympia area contractor to set up an appointment to have him come out and take a look at the place to see if any of my ideas for adding on might be feasible (and, of course, at what approximate cost). He just called me to cancel the appointment, as he was busy with work in Olympia and had decided he didn't want to work as far from home as Elma. I decided that was understandable, but now I assume I will need to find a contractor in Grays Harbor if I am to get anything accomplished.

Does anyone out there know a good, honest contractor in the area? Or, for that matter, a contractor from Olympia or elsewhere that would be willing to spread out a bit?

Thanks in advance....

Hmmm... maybe I set the bar too high. How about any contractors in the Grays Harbor area that are either good or honest? Meatloaf told us 2 out of 3 wasn't bad... looks like I may have to settle for 1 out of 2?

Maybe set the bar at honest contractors from anywhere willing to work in Elma?

Sg

I may even forego the honesty requirement at this point....

try mark doyle doyle brothers construction
rocket red can do the engineering for you

Thanks, Larry! I knew someone would come through. I'll be on the phone tomorrow....

Matt Evans, I believe his company is E&R Construction, 360 623 5328.
e_rconstruction@q.com

He is a great friend of mine (not sure if that is an asset or liability for him!) and has been doing quality construction for as long as I have known him (going on 15 yrs). We worked together on a crew for 7yrs doing custom homes and remodels in Bellevue, Medina and the surrounding area.
He has been back down in Rochester for 6 years now and has his own company.

PM Dogfish. He lives in McCleary, is a banker and should know a good contractor. Dogfish is a good guy and just built a fantastic house.

fp

In my experience, when I was poor-ass broke, I'd actually drive from Oly over to GH County to get stuff done for 1/2 the price Thurston Co people charged.

The problem Ive been having now is finding someone licenced & bonded to do stuff around my place.

All areas, especially Oly, are chock full of very skilled carpenters & tilemen that will happily work for chump change given the current economy, but if you require a bank's sign off, it's got to be all fair & square.

That's where my problem lies.

I could get my entire place remodeled for scratch, but there is that legal issue.

If you are in Elma/McCleary/Monte, you need to find a local so that you dont have to pay milage and outta town fees. Also the costs of living in Oly are like 2x that of GH County. If you go cheap and just get some local schmoe, you could jeprodize your legal situation, especially if he decides to hurt himself on your property or you get into a beef over costs.

Matt Evans is licensed and bonded and on the level. Quality work and a guy with integrity. And his place is right on the TC/GHC/LC line . . . .

I have a really good guy, licensed, etc. I'll PM you his number. 10 out of 10.

I'll look through my contacts and get you a couple of names.

I actually had the framing on my recent remodel done by a guy out of Olympia who I really like, but he is slow. I chose him because of that. I wanted to be in touch for each step because the house had so many issues I needed to make sure everything got fixed to my specs. The guy did super, high-quality work as I expected he would.

How many square feet are you going to add? Do you have a budget in-mind? This would help me narrow down the names of guys who can work effectively for you.

That license and bonding deal is more than it is cracked up to be. I've been one for 23 years. Right up until this recent "slowdown" in the industry. Find someone you are comfortable with and go from there.

I recently dropped out of bidding on a job for a long time friend after listening to the BS that one of the contractors was feeding her. He promised her that he could tear out and relocate the only two bathrooms in the house and she would only be without for only two days. (everything done in tile)

I don't think that home makeover crew could do that on a Sunday evening show.

We do glass

Thanks, Guys. This is looking up for sure.

RR: I am looking to add on about 400-500 square feet, comprised mostly of a master suite. What we really want would probably be closer to 1,000 square feet, but what we really need and what we can afford are likely different matters, so there you have it.

Right now, my feeling is that I am going to find out this will cost me more than it makes sense to pay, and I will end up trying to move. Everything I have read so far suggests that it is usually considerably more expensive per square foot to add on then it is to build from the ground up (due to structural integrity considerations, etc. associated with adding on). That said, I need to explore all my options to make the best decision, so I do plan to get an estimate or two and see where it takes me.

Chasbo: I'm with you, but as Irie mentioned, unless I can find enough equity to do a cash-out refinance for the money I need (while that's not entirely out of the question), my only loan option will be an improvement loan, wherein the banks will require me to work exclusively with licensed, bonded contractors.