# Pointers on bid to thaw out house and winterize



## BPWY (Sep 21, 2009)

Now we are getting some where. Thank you.


I see your point about the surgeon but heating/thawing out a house is a wee bit different.

I see your point about learning on some one elses dime. At the same time didn't we all do that?
I learned what I already know about P&P by asking folks in the biz, I've helped two friends get started.
Working on a 3rd at this time. 

I made some calls to a rental yard this morning and priced renting the equipment needed for the job I currently don't have. 
I see a lot of contractors at rental yards renting the equipment they don't have enough work volume to justify the purchase of the equipment.
Being this is my first job/bid request for this type of work I fail to see the need to buy when I can rent every thing I need for a reasonable amount. 
Maybe when RSC sells their heater I'll buy it.


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## FthillGuy (Jun 22, 2009)

BPWY said:


> I see your point about learning on some one elses dime. At the same time didn't we all do that?


Most of us have learned what we know by working in our respective trades for many years under the direct supervision and guidance of a more qualified individual.






BPWY said:


> I learned what I already know about P&P by *asking* folks in the biz, I've helped two friends get started.
> Working on a 3rd at this time.


I think this statement confirms the point that we are trying to make. Thank you.:no:


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## WilsonRMDL (Sep 4, 2007)

I've done several of these for a national company that subs all the work out here in MI. Usually I place a torpedo heater in the utility room or wherever the majority of the lines start at, and basically just wait to thaw everything. They always want specifics on how many btu's the heaters are, how long it will take to thaw, etc. 

Basically your going to have to tell them every little detail about how your going to do it. 

The company I work for doesnt have set bid prices like some do, last one I did was $415 to thaw, pressure test, winterize. It was a small 3 bdrm house with basement. I got lucky and the lines only had a small amount of water because the home was winterized about a year before but it was done wrong. 

I dont do property preservation full time obviously, I just pick up a few here and there to make some extra cash on the weekends. 

If your running into properties with water lines that are full of ice, obviously it's going to take a lot longer than one day. Probably plan on a day of just sitting around while your heaters warm the place up. Then come back to pressure-test/winterize. 

The plumbers on the forum might know a better timeframe for thawing pipes, or hiring a plumber to be there helping/fixing leaks would be your best bet.

If you dont know what your doing hire someone that does, and just make a smaller profit on top of their charge. You might want the few hundred bucks for yourself now, but if you do it wrong and you sign off that you completed the process correctly then the house floods when they turn the water back on, or even before that, the liability is coming back to you.


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## BPWY (Sep 21, 2009)

Thank you Wilson!!!


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## TulsaRemodeler (Nov 24, 2009)

On frozen stuff? What I would do is use heat to unthaw, blow the water out and charge them for it.


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## BPWY (Sep 21, 2009)

TulsaRemodeler said:


> On frozen stuff? What I would do is use heat to unthaw, blow the water out and charge them for it.





:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:


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## Baron (Nov 23, 2009)

Every job has its nuances and in some cases "first time I've seen that" moments, but I have never heard of anyone learning every single possibility from some more knowledgeable senior genius, and I have worked in many trades under professional "guidance". 

I applaud anyone bold enough or daft enough to start a business venture and to expand their knowledge as long as they protect the job integrity with skill and concern for their client.

Aptitude for some comes slowly and they need years of tutoring to make them just half good where as others are inventive, skilled and have the personal pride to give the job and consumer proper care as much as the alleged skilled guy.

We border a "Licensing " State and frequently are spending time fixing and repairing what the licensed guys do, let's just say; coarsely. 

Personally I applaud any guy who has the guts and fortitude to put it all out there because there are enough hacks, ensconced in ignorance that I can follow around repairing their trash and picking up their customers from now until the end of time and need not worry about competition from another well intention soul.

I would think that independent spirit that created America would be something called compassion and pride and that we would all help some one succeed no matter how silly his undertaking seems to us.

I wish I had more information to add for BPWY in the spirit of "Talk" as I have no snide remarks to add to anyones burden of discovery.


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## BattleRidge (Feb 9, 2008)

FthillGuy said:


> Most of us have learned what we know by working in our respective trades for many years under the direct supervision and guidance of a more qualified individual.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 Thanks for doing the world a favor tough guy. Who does he think he is asking a question, stomping around like he wants to learn. The nerve!!


Unfortunately BPWY it seems like you are going to have to have direct supervision and guidence to complete this task. Maybe be Captain California here can drive up to Wyoming and show you how to make ice into water. I think he just offered.:clap::clap:


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## FthillGuy (Jun 22, 2009)

BattleRidge said:


> Thanks for doing the world a favor tough guy. Who does he think he is asking a question, stomping around like he wants to learn. The nerve!!


I have the utmost respect for anyone with enough fortitude to go out on their own and start a business, especially right now. I don't, however, have much respect for someone who is trying to attempt a job they are in over their head with. I would suggest subbing it out to someone with more experience. Maybe you could even learn from their work. 




BattleRidge said:


> Maybe be Captain California here can drive up to Wyoming and show you how to make ice into water. I think he just offered.:clap::clap:


Sorry Battle, you must have me mistaken for someone who is qualified to perform that type of job. I never claimed that I was, and I admit that I'm not. :notworthy


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## FremontREO (Sep 30, 2009)

I gotta say that heating and thawing a house is a little (actually a lot) more detailed than heating/thawing/blowing lines and rewinterizing so It may be in your best interest to hire someone knowledgeable...

1) broken line puts water in the walls and floors
2) condensation issues 
3) drying out the house to much and cracking wood
4) MOLD 
5) Liability when you thaw for all the above items since it would be your fault

One thing going for ya though: WY has the dryest air in the country. I thought AZ but nope WY...We thaw a lot of houses every winter and they all have 1 thing in common: nothing-each is different. You might get someone that is familiar with structural drying (go to IICRC.org) since thawing is nearly the same thing-controlling the humidity levels. Remember that these banks are actively hunting for someone to blame for all the problems. If it was the 2nd week of Jan and by Laramie/Cheyenne I'd give ya a hand while sledding for a few days and visiting daughter.


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## BattleRidge (Feb 9, 2008)

I just figure if you dont want to be helpful, go be clever elsewhere? Seems about 50% can answer the question and 50% have to assert their awesome self kept knowledge over the poster.


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## ARI001 (Jun 16, 2009)

BPWY said:


> Now we are getting some where. Thank you.
> 
> 
> I see your point about the surgeon but heating/thawing out a house is a wee bit different.
> ...


_*I agree that if you do not have the equipment or can not justify the cost to purchase the equipment, that renting is a good business decision. That you are unsure of what equipment you need bothers me more than whether or not you own the equipment.*_


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## ARI001 (Jun 16, 2009)

BattleRidge said:


> Thanks for doing the world a favor tough guy. Who does he think he is asking a question, stomping around like he wants to learn. The nerve!!
> 
> 
> Unfortunately BPWY it seems like you are going to have to have direct supervision and guidence to complete this task. Maybe be Captain California here can drive up to Wyoming and show you how to make ice into water. I think he just offered.:clap::clap:


Hey Battleridge,
I would like to learn how to (insert trade) and do not have experience in said trade. I expect you to pay me my full billing rate and allow me to learn unsupervised on one of your projects. I will attempt to learn said trade by asking questions from people on a forum who may or may not be qualified to answer those questions. I don't need formal training as I am a quick learner and I am confident I can get the information quickly online with minimal investment and of course it's online so it is obviously 100% correct. I also have asked a few guys in the business some questions and I think I am ready to do this project for you.

When would you like to get this project started?

Now that it's been dummied down a bit do you understand the point that is being made. It is ludicrous to try and learn how to do this work online as well as how to bid it while in the course of trying to procure the project in the direct near future.


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## ARI001 (Jun 16, 2009)

BattleRidge said:


> I just figure if you dont want to be helpful, go be clever elsewhere? Seems about 50% can answer the question and 50% have to assert their awesome self kept knowledge over the poster.


Sometimes being helpful is knowing when to tell somebody not to do something because they lack the proper background and training to do so. This way they can avoid opening themselves up to potentially nasty law suits.


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## BPWY (Sep 21, 2009)

These friends of mine I've helped don't live in my area. I would never cut my own throat like that. 



> _*I have seen people give other people misinformation on purpose because they are direct competition to them. This is not the way to learn your trade. There are several scenarioes that can play ouy in any job that require more knowledge than you can obtain from a short conversation. There is no substitue for hands on traing from an experienced tradesman. That is not to say you can not learn a trade other ways but this involves more than asking a few questions.*_


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## ARI001 (Jun 16, 2009)

BPWY said:


> These friends of mine I've helped don't live in my area. I would never cut my own throat like that.


That's good, but not really what I was referring to.


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## jomama (Oct 25, 2008)

This thread serves as a good reminder why I don't spend much time here anymore. I guess some here must have came out of the womb as cerified, licensed super-contractors.







Or you're just trolls that like to argue. :whistling


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## ARI001 (Jun 16, 2009)

jomama said:


> This thread serves as a good reminder why I don't spend much time here anymore. I guess some here must have came out of the womb as cerified, licensed super-contractors.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Would you prefer we all said yes go ahead throw a heater in there and charge $xxx.xx a SQFT to do it. There are those who do things the right way and encourage others to do so also then there are hack jobs who don't and encourage others to do things improperly. Which are you?:whistling


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## jomama (Oct 25, 2008)

ARI001 said:


> Would you prefer we all said yes go ahead throw a heater in there and charge $xxx.xx a SQFT to do it. There are those who do things the right way and encourage others to do so also then there are hack jobs who don't and encourage others to do things improperly. Which are you?:whistling


 
I would put myself into the group that doesn't post any advice outside of my field & expertise. If I don't have something of value to add, I simply don't hit the REPLY tab. But then again, I don't get off on being involved in internet "peeing-matches."


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## ARI001 (Jun 16, 2009)

jomama said:


> I would put myself into the group that doesn't post any advice outside of my field & expertise. If I don't have something of value to add, I simply don't hit the REPLY tab. But then again, I don't get off on being involved in internet "peeing-matches."


 Are you sure? This was your first post in this thread:



> This thread serves as a good reminder why I don't spend much time here anymore. I guess some here must have came out of the womb as cerified, licensed super-contractors.
> Or you're just trolls that like to argue. :whistling


Seems to me that you are the one being a troll. Simple solution for you: If the thread is bothering you don't read it and don't reply to it. People like you are why the government feels it is necessary to regulate the airwaves. All you have to do is change the channel and it will all go away. In this particular case all you have to do is not click on the thread to view it.


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