Week 59: Floors and LNPG
Happy valentines my lovelies! I hope you all had a smashing and remarkable weekend. I myself, though not romantic, did indulge in a mini celebration of our own. My friends and I, the three of us share a birthday all a few days apart in the month of February. We, the trio, used this opportunity to have a catch-up wearing face-mask and keeping to the two meter rule of course. Much deserved after a month of stagnation for reasons beyond my control I managed to start work on site in February. Hurray! the project finally on its way, I was just relieved that we’re not hanging around and able to progress once more. The task was flooring more specifically pouring concrete over the ground. It's really strange to have walked my entire life over indoor flooring, never to notice how these came about or what efforts it took to lay out the floor we walk on on a daily basis. I am so much more appreciative of people working in the building trades and what a wonderful job they do. So far a lovely team arranged by our lovely project manager who have been kind enough to travel 2+ hours from Nottingham to Skegness and done the following:
Dug out 20 tons of soil
Drop contents using a wheelbarrow to a not so close skip
Refilled the ground with hardcore
Sand over hardcore as requested by building regs
Leveling out the ground
Laying polythene sheets
Kingspan boards for Insulation
Final overflow of concrete
The first and last task was the most challenging, but nevertheless we got there in the end. Thank you Nottingham boys, you really had your work cut out. Floors are complete so we swiftly move onto other tasks as the list just gets longer and longer. How many of you have heard of LNPG? It basically stands for Landlords National Purchasing Group and does exactly what it says on the tin. As I embarked on my first renovation project I quickly realised the importance of discounts and how steep the prices were around me. I came across the above via my regular networking group who couldn't praise it enough. We have all kinds of property investors in this group with varying degrees of experience. If the boys on top have made a suggestion then what's there to think about.
It can make a substantial difference to your rental business; why pay trade prices when you can buy like the council under something called ‘contract pricing’. This buyers club negotiates and has already got some of the best quotes in the industry. Reviews from landlords saying they can't be beaten on price. You will be paying almost the cost price from major retailers like Magnet Kitchens. Everything you will ever need for a build project. I liked what I read but, sadly can't go ahead at this point. There is a subscription to an annual membership which I don't have the budget for. Prices start at:
£199 plus VAT (for 1-3 houses), £299 plus VAT (4-25 houses) and £399 plus VAT (26+).
For me I think the real value starts at the middle tier. Some of the benefits of membership:
huge cost savings
brilliant member support
landlord insurance
top brands and suppliers
cost & time savings
It's amazing what you come across from your daily research and networking.
Tip: Always read around to make sure you are not missing any tricks
Tip: Make an effort with the on-line networking even when you don't have anything in hand as you never quite know what useful piece of information you could stumble across.