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Monday, May 12 2008 @ 03:09 AM EST
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Managing Your Own Reconstruction Project

I Know A Guy...

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Have you ever done a "do it yourself" remodel on an apartment in Panama City. That's what I'm doing right now. I've got one construction guy who is acting as a foreman, bringing in the particular specialists we need to do things like install air conditioners, gas lines, electrical, cabinets, etc. He and his crew are doing all of the construction and mechanical, stuff like welding, pouring cement, ripping up old floors, knocking down walls - all of the heavy lifting. Once all of the parts and pieces are in their proper place then we shift to the fit and finish - paint, fixtures, lamps and lighting, decoration and details. If you can manage this kind of thing yourself you can save thousands of dollars and still be very involved in the decision making process - things like choosing higher quality "hidden" details like wall sockets. The difference is 100% higher cost - the "good" ones cost about $2.00 per, while the cheap Chinese (crap) ones cost about $1.00, so the total cost of putting quality fixtures in the entire house goes up by exactly one buck, multiplied by the total number of outlets in the entire house (what, maybe 15?). (more)

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For Construction and Apartment Remodeling...

I Know A Guy...

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - I just got to work doing a major overhaul of the apartment we bought. The first thing I had to do was remove a spiral staircase (dangerous for a toddler) and have it replaced with a normal cement staircase. Well let me tell you that the guy I hired to do this job has been kicking ass since day one. I handed him 60% down to cover materials and the stuff started showing up in less than an hour. The only thing holding him back are the noise restrictions in the complex. They can only work from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon, and then from 1:00 pm until 5:00 pm, and no major noise on Sundays. He and his crew have been working like beavers on crack and when he's done I'm going to be giving him a resounding recommendation, assuming that he keeps going like he has been so far. But, you can't have him until I'm done...so you'll have to wait. Ha!

Copyright 2007 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

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Introducing the new "I Know A Guy" Category

I Know A Guy...

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - In Panama one of the most important things you accumulate over time are contacts, especially for people to do "stuff." Usually it's little things that are both incredibly handy and indispensable - like a guy with a pickup truck and a helper to move some furniture. Or even a better example would be all of the postings I've put up for the world's best car mechanic, Alvaro. I would like to see this category used by everyone for both recommendations and warnings, but if we're going to get into that territory there has to be some minor rules... (more)

Average: 2.57
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