Get your free project estimate from Realm with this affiliate link: l.realmhome.com/y4UWeW If you use them to find a designer or GC with their "Get It Done" package, you'll have a special discount because you came from How To ADU.

Ryan this is a fantastic video! Do your guest have any ties in Charlotte NC. I am looking to build an ADU rental in my backyard. I have all of the setback information from my local zoning to do it. Love this channel. Thank you.

@HowToADU

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching. Realm has national data but they don’t offer full services (like Get It Done) in charlotte yet. Still worth reaching out. There are also good resources like AIA for architects. I think YIMBY Action also has chapters in North Carolina and there’s always somebody who knows some GCs/developers

@zionrose007

Жыл бұрын

@@HowToADU Awesome. Thank you!

Avoid Change Orders like the plague. I had an experience with an unscrupulous contractor who presented me with a laundry list of change orders that were not change orders. They were never discussed and we never signed off on them. I didn't pay for any of them and I terminated the contract.

@mroconnell

Жыл бұрын

Oof, that's the nightmare. Getting an agreement that says they need sign off on change orders is a great piece of advice.

@kdockrey

Жыл бұрын

@@mroconnell I'm pretty sure that law requires that the owner and contractor both have to sign off on change orders before they are executed for them to stand up in a court of law. My spouse is an attorney. In our case, the contractor who was doing three of our friends' homes in neighborhood at the same time was using his son's contracting license. They had the same name, but son was a junior. Father's license had been suspended before any of us hired him. When we were presented with the "change orders", we were shocked since they had been part of the original contract. From this experience, I have resorted to acting as my own GC. This contractor refused to pay attention to the plans or manufacturered requirements. He had to redo everything multiple times until I fired him. Since he had no valid license, he had no recourse. However, I'm using a builder with a fixed price contract for my detached ADU. Thus, there will be no change orders. Everything is stipulated down to the number of bolts that will be required.

@kdockrey

Жыл бұрын

Btw, the change orders would have increased the bid price by 300%

Does Realm have service in Sacramento CA ? We would like to build an ADU in backyard, as well as replace one car garage. How do we contact Realm to start the process ? The web link only shows free estimates.

@HowToADU

Жыл бұрын

[edit 9/9/22: it turns out Realm can service Get It Done packages in Sacramento and you should contact them directly about it!] Hi Wei, I think Realm offers free estimates there [edit] as well as Get It Done packages [/edit]. If you email me at ryan@how-to-adu.com I can try to find you a team in Sacramento though.

@kerryross7020

Жыл бұрын

Hi Wei! Feel free to shoot me an email at Kerry@realmhome.com or sign-up at www.realmhome.com to chat through your ADU goals and how we can help :).

Do you happen to know if or when these bills are or will be passed that 2221 to increase height restrictions is something I am interested in knowing more about. I’d like to know if that’s a done deal or they still need to approve it

@HowToADU

Жыл бұрын

AB2221 was signed into law today :) Generally, these things go into effect in January of the next year.

Finishes is a completely different category from things like cabinets or door knobs… it’s NOT safe to assume that those are all included in the “finishes.” This is basic industry knowledge- which definitely undermines the expertise Realm is trying to project. When it comes to “per plans” comment, that’s great and all, but do the plans spell everything out? Are all specifications included? Garbage in, garbage out. A better process is 1) hire a good architect, 2) trust them to weed out the contractors and 3) keep them as your representative throughout construction.

@HowToADU

Жыл бұрын

Is KZread making you binge all the videos with Realm? Break free, friend! :) Small clarification, I think Amberly specifically agrees with you that it's not safe to assume those are included in the finishes. It's around the 3:00 mark where we talk about exclusion lists. She goes on to explain that part of her service is checking on details like that. And that homeowners can do it on their own too. Great point about the "per plans" only being as good as the plans! Wish we had said that in the video because it's definitely true.

Imagine thinking a $195,000 bid is "fair" for a JADU. I appreciate the channel, but if it wasn't sponsored by this predatory company, I feel like the video would be very different. The fact that their network of contractors are able to send them poorly defined bids, says more about Realm than it does about the "contractor". What exactly did they do to vet those contractors? This company only makes money from getting work, you're the product they are selling off to ransoms who are going to pay them the commission. If you pay close attention to what they're really saying, they're telling you that they really don't know what they're doing. "oh I was on a zoom call with the client and GC all at once trying to figure out how they had the wrong wall size" whatttt??!! Stay away!!! Be smart about this. The 145k bid should've been THE top bid, and literally if you did a google search yourself for a local company, they'll tell you that. Talk to ANY GC. Insane predator advertising here disguised as "tips". Rare L for the channel.

@HowToADU

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching the whole video attentively and for sharing your thoughts. When somebody takes the time to watch and share criticism, it’s usually a good sign that more people feel this way - so this is truly appreciated. This gives me a chance to acknowledge and digest the criticism (which I will do). This also gives me a chance to explain my process and explain why I think Realm is a great resource for a lot of homeowners who watch this channel. My process? When a sponsor approaches me for the KZread channel, I always start by talking to real customers. This lets me verify that the company is legitimate, that they have done real work, and that they have customers who speak highly of them. My first interview with a Realm customer was almost exactly one year ago (with Rich on this channel). Based on this, I give more and more information about a company and I track carefully how many viewers use their service and how happy they are with the service they receive. Is Realm a great fit for the channel? What I love about working with Realm is that they understand the importance of transparency and honesty on this channel. I suggest they use real bids which leads to videos like this one - where you can hear that their client in San Jose received bids from $125k to $195k. And from that information, many homeowners think “wow, that’s exactly the service I need”. Other homeowners will think “I’d rather do this on my own.” My biggest regret after reading your comment is that you think Realm came off as “predatory” - in my view, they’re being very transparent about what they’ll deliver and what it will cost. It’s probably my goofy, conversational style that prevented them from getting into the detail that would make it clear why bids come in high or low or agreements come in missing detail sometimes. If you feel this way, I’m sure others feel this way too - so thanks for letting me know how I can improve. Ultimately, the way I measure success of sponsorships is by listening to you in the audience. I receive a lot of messages asking for more info about Realm, and a lot of viewers are booking their service after watching these videos. So it’s clear that the videos are serving some members of the audience very well. To be honest, the most common complaint I get about Realm is that homeowners are outside their operating area so the homeowner can’t get access. But I also hear you when you say the business model isn’t a good fit for your project. Please understand that I’m not ignoring you when I post more sponsored content in the future - I am taking your viewpoint into account. I’d also love to know more about your project and how you’re getting it done. Maybe we could do a whole video about alternative ways to collect bids!

@realmhome

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for commenting - it means a lot to us that you watched the video, and shared your honest feedback. The honesty and transparency on this channel is one of the reasons we work with Ryan. We get to showcase real customer stories, real bids, real everything. In our experience, homeowners will receive a really wide range and type of bids: high, low, vague, detailed, and everything in between. Our team at Realm seeks to set realistic expectations based on our experience and expertise - this video is one of the ways we can do that. We could have been more clear and specific. One of the bids reviewed for the JADU was from an unvetted GC, included in the bids at the homeowner's request. When the homeowner began working with Realm, we stepped in to clean up plans and drawings from the architect the homeowner had previously decided to work with, clarify project scope, and hone in on gray areas in the plans. While Realm does earn a small fee from contractors for completed projects, we work hard to ensure it has no impact on the final project cost for the homeowner. Our top priority is always ensuring our customers maximize the enjoyment they get from their homes, and that they are 100% satisfied with the service provided by Realm’s team. Thanks again for your feedback. If you’re working on an ADU, we hope you don’t encounter any of the challenges we discussed in this video! If you are interested in testing out Realm’s process please let us know - we would love to show you how we work, free of charge. We guarantee 3 quality bids to every homeowner that works with us, and will work to ensure that you’re satisfied with the quality of the bids received.