Chapter 449
Palisades Community.
After lunch, Luke rushed to the Palisades neighborhood.
He had already gotten the key to the house, and once again, his status here had changed from caretaker to owner of the house.
Luke unlocked the door and entered the house, searched the house inside and out, and this time did not find anything.
He stood by the second floor window and saw someone walking into the yard, none other than Li Zhaofeng and two unfamiliar men of Chinese descent.
Luke went downstairs to meet the three men.
Li Zhaofeng pointed to the two Chinese-American men beside him and introduced, “These are General Manager Zhang Jianguo and Vice President Zhang Jianmin of Zhang Brothers Construction Company.
This is my son Luke.”
The older Chinese man took the initiative to shake Luke’s hand, “Captain Li, I’ve heard a lot about you, you are the light of our Chinese people. My name is Zhang Jianguo, please take care of me in the future.”
Luke laughed, “You are welcome, I’ll have to ask you two to take more care of this house in the future.”
“Our company started from zero, it is with the word of mouth of our old customers step by step, they are all old workers who have been used for several years, they are skillful, serious, responsible, and know their roots, so we will guarantee to satisfy you.
Moreover, we are old acquaintances with Accountant Li, and we will definitely give you a most favorable price.”
“Let me show you around first.” Luke led the Zhang brothers around the house.
While looking around, the Zhang brothers knocked with their hands and snapped off a wall brick and wooden board.
The younger Zhang Jianmin shook his head, “This house shouldn’t have been repaired for many years, these should have been replaced long ago.”
Luke didn’t respond and took them around outside and led them to the house to see, Luke had seen the structural diagram of the house and basically mapped out the situation inside and out.
After going around the house, Zhang asked, “Captain Li, do you want to repair this house, or do you want to push it down and rebuild it?”
Luke asked back, “Which do you think is more appropriate?”
“Are you investing, or living on your own?”
“Owner-occupied.”
“How much of a budget is there for repairs or rebuilding?”
“I haven’t thought about that one yet.” Luke thought about his conversation with realtor Tom Akram yesterday, when he’d brought up the price of the same type of house, and had a rough idea in mind, but he still didn’t say anything.
“If you have a large enough budget and plan to live on your own in the future, I would suggest you push for a home rebuild.” As he spoke, Zhang snapped off another piece of siding, revealing the wooden structure inside.
“This house has been constructed for at least twenty to thirty years, if it is to be repaired it will definitely require major repairs and will cost quite a bit.”
Li Zhaofeng asked, “Isn’t it more expensive to push down and rebuild?”
“That’s for sure, but the advantage is that it’s all new, and you don’t need to think about repairs for a few years.
If it’s just repairs, it’s impossible to repair all the places, it’s likely that there will be minor problems, this house was built quite a long time ago, the idea of decorating it is outdated, and the pipes and wiring are aging, so it’ll be troublesome to repair it.
I looked at the foundation which is also a wooden structure, which is rare nowadays. Nowadays, foundations are all reinforced steel and concrete.
If it’s going to be repaired, the foundation will have to be done as a whole.
If it’s going to be knocked down and rebuilt, a wooden foundation is easier to clean.”
Luke’s eyes surveyed the house, and it did feel a bit shabby, “If it’s pushed down and rebuilt, how much would it cost roughly?”
“This depends on the style and area of the house you build.” Zhang Jianmin took out his tablet from his carry-on backpack and looked around for a while, there was thick dust everywhere, there was really no room.
Luke suggested, “Let’s go out and talk.”
A group of people went out of the house and simply sat on the lawn outside, Zhang Jianmin clicked on the computer and opened a software, “There are all kinds of house shapes in here, each house has a rough construction price, and the houses are delivered with fine decoration.
Also, you can mention any additional requirements you have.”
Luke browsed through the house styles while asking, “How many house types are there in total?”
“Several hundred types.” Zhang pointed to the computer screen and said, “You can input the requirements of the house, such as the approximate area, several floors, and the requirements for the basement.
The house styles that meet the requirements will appear below.”
“So many styles are designed by your company?” Luke was a bit surprised, didn’t he say that this company was small?
“The wooden structures and parts of these houses are all customized in the factory, and we assemble them after they are shipped over. In fact, those big builder companies also customize from these factories, there is no difference in materials, craftsmanship and technology in all aspects.”
Luke entered his requirements into the software, between 13,000 and 15,000 square feet of floor space, two floors above ground, one below ground, and a swimming pool.
Soon, the style of the house that meets Luke’s requirements came out, there are a total of 42 kinds, first of all, the external structure of the house, after clicking on it, you can also see the internal structure and the house type, all of them are finely decorated model houses, which look very beautiful.
Luke looked at it once first, using the method of elimination to remove some styles and structures that he didn’t like.
The second time was to filter out his favorite house styles, comparing the price and his needs.
In the end, Luke chose one of his favorite houses with a construction cost of one and a half million dollars.
Luke asked, “What does this one and a half million dollars cost include?”
Zhang Jianmin said, “This is our contracted price, including labor, materials, transportation and interior decoration, and you can move in directly after completion.”
Li Zhaofeng said, “Isn’t this contracted price too high?”
Zhang Jianmin explained, “All the materials of this house are the best, the house area is large, now the labor cost is also expensive, ordinary workers need two hundred a day, the plumbing and electrical technicians are even counted by the hour, outside those 2,000 feet of small villas contracting price is also to two hundred and thirty thousand US dollars, you this price is not too high.”
Li Zhaofeng said, “Can the price still be negotiated?”
Zhang Jianguo was a little worried: “Can is able to …… but also can not talk too much.”
“Mr. Zhang, we are also considered old acquaintances, you give me a bottom price, your side pain, my side also pain.”
Zhang Jianguo looked at Li Zhaofeng, and then looked at Luke, and clenched his teeth and said, “Okay, we’ve been friends for so many years.
I’ll give you a base price, 1.47 million dollars.”
Luke asked, “How long will it take for this house to be completed?”
“If you can finalize it now, we’ll give the order to the factory to start customizing the wood structure and installing the parts, and we can start work on our end to clean up the old house, and it should be finished within five months.”
Luke asked, “How will the cost be paid?”
“The cost will be written in the contract and can be paid in stages, however, since the installation parts will be ordered from the factory, the initial deposit cannot be less than one hundred thousand dollars.”
“Does that include the cost of the pool in addition to the house?”
“Yes, utilities, natural gas, and even cleaning up construction debris up front are included.”
Luke tried, “Can this price be any lower?”
“How much do you think is appropriate?”
Listening to him, Luke felt that the price should still be negotiable, however, now that he knew, there was no need for Luke to say it to death, “I’ll think about it again.”
Zhang nodded, “Captain Li, I have known your father for a long time and would like to become friends with you.
Nowadays, the cost of building materials and labor are very high, so I can’t afford to let too much go in terms of price.
However, what I can guarantee is that as long as you sign a contract with us, we will definitely build the house for you wholeheartedly.
Even within two or three years, if the house has some minor problems, we can repair it for free.”
“I know.” Luke still didn’t let go, free things may not be good, you pay, people provide services, all are happy.
If you really want it to be free, the workers procrastinate and don’t want to do the work, and in turn, everyone is unhappy.
The contracting price is as high as 1.47 million dollars, this is not a small thing, Luke can not decide immediately.
After chatting with the Zhang brothers for a while longer, Luke sent the Zhang brothers away.
After only father and son were left, Luke asked, “Dad, what do you think?”
Li Zhaofeng said, “I feel that he shouldn’t be able to lie to you, and he doesn’t have the guts to do so, he’s a smart person, and knowing your identity, he should be thinking of making a good relationship.
However, whether there is any moisture in the price, it’s best to find someone who knows how to ask.”
Luke nodded, “Dad, you’ll be the one to contact Zhang Brothers Construction Company on this side, I also have a friend who was a builder before, I’ll ask him to come over to take a look and listen to his opinion.”
“You have a house to live in now, there is no rush to move in, the house can’t be built in a day, there is no need to rush about signing the contract, take your time.” Li Zhaofeng is going back to New York the day after tomorrow, he is worried that his son’s hot-headedness signed the contract, then it will be too late to regret.
“I know.”
Luke took out his cell phone and called the old rookie patrolman John.
“Hey man, not interrupting your suspect arrest.”
“No, I’m off today.” John’s voice came across the cell phone, “Luke, you want a drink tonight?”
Luke heard him sound a little low, “Something bothering you?”
“Yes, a nagging thing indeed, was looking for someone to talk to.”
“I happen to have something for you too, I’ll send you an address.”
“OK, see you in a minute.” John hung up his cell phone.
Luke sent him an address, ordered another takeout from the neighborhood, and pulled out a bottle of whiskey in the trunk.
Half an hour later, John drove up to the Palisades neighborhood, saw Luke standing on the side of the road, stopped the car and asked, “Man, why did you ask me to come here?”
Luke pointed behind him, “This cottage back here hasn’t been lived in for a long time, don’t you think it’s a good place to kill someone and hide their body?”
“Haha, you’re a funny guy.” John stepped out of the car and opened his arms, “Come on, do it.
You’ve solved so many murder cases, you should know how to kill without pain. For the sake of my friends, give me a pain in the ass, I’ve been wanting to talk to God for a long time.”
Luke patted him on the shoulder, “John, what’s going on? This isn’t like the usual you.”
John took a deep breath and shook his head slightly, pointing to the side yard, “Is this some big shot’s house?” As if John had guessed something.
“Could it be Chief Frank’s house?Comeon, don’t tell me I guessed right.”
Luke waved his hand, “It’s my house.”
“What? You’re not kidding, are you a hidden rich kid?”
“Come on in, I’ll show you around.” Luke led John around the yard, “The house is a bit shabby, so I won’t invite you in.”
John was still a bit disbelieving, “This is really your house.”
“Yes, I just bought the place, but the house is so dilapidated that it needs to be repaired or rebuilt.
I had a builder appointment today to look at the house and they suggested that I knock it down and rebuild it, I picked a style of house and they offered a contracted price of 1.47 million dollars.
I know you’ve been a builder before and wanted to get your opinion.”
“Man, thanks for the vote of confidence, I was only a less successful builder.
However, although I’m not a good businessman, I’ve been doing construction for more than twenty years, so I still have experience in this area.
You picked the right guy.”
Luke snapped his fingers, “Come on, let’s drink while we talk.”
Luke led him over to the side of the lawn where a bottle of whiskey sat next to him, along with four boxes of freshly packed takeout.
Peanuts and rice, cold cucumbers, fried fish, and beef in sauce.
Luke took two plastic cups out of the takeout bag, poured two glasses of whiskey, and pointed to the four boxes of small dishes on the ground, “This is Chinese down-home cooking, try some.”
“As long as there’s booze.” John took the glass and toasted with Luke.
Luke flipped through his cell phone for the information on the house he had selected and handed it to John, “Here’s the style of house I chose, two floors above ground, first floor, swimming pool, including cleanup of the demolished construction debris.”
John took the phone and flipped through the information for a moment, “Nice, beautiful house. I’ve been involved in building similar houses before, but I was only responsible for part of the project.
It’s been two years since I’ve been in the industry, and labor and material prices change. I can’t give an exact contracting price, but from my years of experience in the industry I predict that the price of $1.47 million is quite reasonable.
Have you looked for any other builders?”
“No, only one so far, recommended by my father.
It’s not a small amount of money, so I’m a little unsettled.” Luke chucked a piece of beef in sauce.
John continued, “Actually, the most important thing about self-build houses is two things, the first is quality and the second is price.
So I’ll give you two suggestions.
The first suggestion, find another contractor and ask for a price, even if it’s not the same style of house, a similar one will do.
With a comparison, you can also more accurately judge the recent market price.
The second, hire me as a superintendent.
I’m not a successful builder, but I’ve been in the industry for many years, and I know the brands and quality of building materials that are better, and whether they build with care and up to standard.
All of this is best put in the contract.”
“Good idea, how do you charge for this quality supervisor?”
“I don’t need to be here every day, as long as the project is completed at a certain stage to check on it, let them know that there is someone who knows what he is doing keeping an eye on them, they naturally won’t dare to cut corners.
As for the payment, just buy me a drink every time you come, just this kind of whiskey.”
“Deal!”
Luke held out his right hand and gave him a handshake style high five, “But why does it feel like you have a tendency to morph into an alcoholic, what’s going on?”
John sighed, “My son got married!”
“What!” Luke gave a surprised look.
“That’s right, last night my son called and said he and his girlfriend were officially married, I had the same look on my face as you do now.”
Luke felt weird, I consider you a friend and you actually told my son he was getting married!
John shrugged, “I felt a lot older for a second.”
Luke didn’t look at the other man like he was joking, “How old is your son?”
“Still in college, his girlfriend, no, wife now, is also his classmate.”
“You got married early enough.”
“It was an accident, my ex-girlfriend got pregnant with my baby, I dropped out of school, I didn’t like the construction business, but I needed to raise a child.
Last year, my son brought his girlfriend to visit me and revealed a similar idea then.
I have always advised him not to be impulsive, marriage is blissful, but it is also a responsibility.
I support them to fall in love and be together, but marriage can be put off until they graduate from college.
I thought they listened ……,” John sighed, picking up his glass and taking another drink.
Luke took a sip as well, “Maybe things aren’t as bad as you think, why don’t you look on the bright side.”
“It’s not that I’m worried about them getting married, it’s that I’m afraid they’ll have kids.
Really scared.
They’re simply not capable of raising a child at their current age and don’t want him to be like me ……
dropping out of school for family and responsibilities and having to take a job he doesn’t like.
I don’t want him to repeat my life.” John said helplessly.
Luke didn’t know how to comfort him, he felt that John’s concern wasn’t unreasonable, some children who claimed to loathe certain behaviors of their parents grew up to live like their parents.
From John’s character, he could tell that the odds were that his son was also a responsible person, and if he did get pregnant, he would probably actually drop out of school to support his family.
John, as the child’s grandfather, would likewise be in a dilemma.
If he doesn’t help, his son’s schooling will be ruined and his later life will suffer.
If he helped, he was not that capable himself and would have an equally hard time.
The two men drank until late.
The next day, Luke contacted another builder, and the other party was very efficient and sent someone to check the site in the afternoon.
Luke also chose a similar style of house from their company, they offered a contracted price of 1.55 million dollars, Luke tried his best to press the price down, and finally only talked about 1.5 million dollars.
That still seemed to be a bit cheaper for Chang Brothers.
Luke also had a rough understanding of the market price of the contracting price.
However, Luke still did not immediately sign with Zhang Brothers, he was ready to air each other, perhaps the price can be lower.
In addition, Luke and Walker made an appointment to depart for a treasure hunt tomorrow, and he wanted to wait for the treasure hunt to come back before formally signing with the builder.
One of them was to ask John to help him as a gatekeeper.
Another was that he only had one hundred thousand dollars in his hand right now, which was only enough to cover the contract deposit, and was too much of a difference from the one million four hundred thousand plus contract price.
Luke hoped that he could get more money from this treasure hunting trip so that he would have the backing to sign the construction contract and the house could be built sooner.