Faster, Better, More Profitable, More Complete.

“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.” -Anonymous

Aloha,
This is a recent project we are completing. I wanted to document what we accomplished with this project. Yes, we are investing, so profit is a clear goal. But there is always an overarching initiative, intended to prove a hypothesis. We want to make everything we touch faster, better, more profitable, and more complete.

We thank every person involved in the project: the team of contractors, subcontractors, professionals, and tradespeople. When leveraging their experiences, we remember we have so much more to learn. So, we enter each project with a conversation of curiosity. We value clarity about our intent with those traveling with us. We could not have done this without the dozens of people pulling together to make this happen. Mahalo.

(Links to 3D iguides)
Before link
After link

Before

After

(see more examples at the end of article)

Years ago, a strategic consultant gave us some solid advice:
“Do what you do best and spread the wealth.”

With this approach, we were able to perform a lot of things on this project we would not have otherwise.

Here are the major performance points gained on this one:

Custom Financial Model and Proposal
• The property is a large lot, lakefront, apartment-zoned property. The zoning makes it eligible for increased density under Bill 7 affordable housing. There are obvious obstacles with such legislation. Time and effort must be spent on securing entitlements. Other planning and permitting hurdles lie ahead. Their successful navigation begins with a vision, some numbers, and solid research.

• We were able to find a world-class scenario modeler that gave us a custom financial model for future use. The model gives us the ability to plug in many scenarios. With that, we can optimize the unit mix. We can run the financial impact of various designs and exit strategies. This clarifies our options.

• In comparison, without this, we would have to hire an architect or engineering firm to do the work. Our quotes were that one scenario would take 90 days and $50,000 to do. This financial model gives us great effect at a fraction of that cost, in a fraction of the time.

• Along with this work, we also obtained a proposal to provide a ten-page pitch deck in a matter of days. The model is enough for us for now, as we intend to move on to more projects already in our investment pipeline.

Landscaping Design
• Not every project can do this, but this one would add a bunch of value by changing the curb appeal and landscaping. We have learned the perspective top-down is more valuable than bottom-up.

• So, we invested in design work on landscaping. With this knowledge, we cut back the scope of work to remain under budget. This choice and effort gave the landscaper a much better plan. It accelerated a better finished product. Working at a higher altitude got more work done, using much of the materials already on site.

Solar Automatic Gate
• Given the street approach, adding an automatic fence would improve curb appeal. It would also increase safety for the owner and neighbors. Obtaining quotes made this a costly item.

• We found an alternative to running low voltage lines underground. We fixed the fence, added the new remote-controlled gate, powered by solar.

Testing Permit Speed and Methods
• The most significant thing gained on this venture was about permits. Could we pull permits overnight? How long would it take? Would the inspector clear it?

• We pulled a repair permit, a window permit, and a solar hot water permit. Then closed them all in short time. We got tax deductions for some improvements as well.

General Advice About Permitting
• There is a discrepancy between instructions and practice. Always. The clearest way I can show this is with simple facts. The flow chart and instructions from DPP state 13 types of permits you can pull online. There are 19 permits allowed online, immediately.

• The right contractor can do this for you. You can also do this as an owner-builder with specific conditions.