Crown Heights Reno: December 2006
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December 14, 2006
a job well done
the first bit of renovation has been successfully completed.
"strange"
you might say,
"to start with the pavement work,
why not save that till the end,
after all the demolition, etc is completed.?"
basically (and briefly), 2 reasons:
1. we were on notice from our insurance company to repair our pavement
(yes i have read the threads on the forum about brownstoner, if anyone would like to leave an alternate suggestion here, thank you in advance)
2. we had money in eskrow from the seller to cure a previous sidewalk violation
and no,
it wasn't all that bad
(for some reason i don't have the plethora of "before" pictures that i thought i did, tho if you've seen one crack, you've seen them all)
anyway, there was nothing too dramatic going on
nothing like those sculptural buckling tree roots heaving huge blocks of cement out of the ground.
we started out by getting bids from about 3 companies who we saw doing work around the neighborhood
this was actually kind of a juicy job,
since eventually we will be redoing the entire facade & the steps
as to be expected,
the estimates varied wildly;
not only in price,
but by how many days
and whether or not permits would be applied for.
we ended up going with Atlantic Contracting of NY (718-331-7581),
2 people had recommended them in response to a question i posted on the forum
and all i can say is:
thank you
thank you
thank you
from our initial meeting it was clear how knowledgeable and professional they are
and we were not disappointed in any way;
the job went exactly as planned,
we actually got a bit more than what we had contracted for
in the time expected
and there was always someone on-site who was able to address our concerns.
one of the first things we needed to do was check to see if there was enough play to raise the emergency gas shut off valve to the sidewalk height.
(it was sitting in a depression creating not only a trip hazard but also a place for debris to collect)
keyspan wouldn't come out to do it until we had the sidewalk open,
but alerting them the friday before went a long way towards getting someone on-site on tuesday to take care of this..
even during the breaking up and removal of the old sidewalk,
everything felt well organized,
the dumpster shows up,
it turns out to be exactly the right size
(dashing our hopes of getting rid of a little extra demolition debris that we have accumulated),
and at night it was properly secured to keep people taking advantage of it.
the next step was to trim some of the curbing,
raise some that had become recessed,
remove the wrought iron fence that was in the way of the job
(more on that later)
and lay the wire mesh
every step of the way, it was clear that these guys took a real pride in doing their work carefully and properly, they were a pleasure to watch.
then the ballet started
the dumpster leaves
the cement truck arrives
the boots go on
a bit of antifreeze goes in
(though we REALLY did luck out weather-wise)
the buckets and the wheelbarrows get filled
and the pouring
and the smoothing
and the pouring
and the smoothing
begins
everything is attended to with the utmost care
smooth as glass
how seductive
NOW
the guys stayed until 5 pm, watching over it
and then it was our turn
because WHO can resist virgin cement?
(like the surrounding caution tape is going to stop any mischief makers...)
our neighbor up the block told us he watched his job for 5 hours,
went around the corner to pick up some chinese take-out
came back and...
there was a kid doing the twist in the middle of his new sidewalk
hmmmmmmmmmmmm
g/ did the first watch but had to leave by 7:30
we figured i would need to be on the stoop until 9:30
after that the cement would have cured enough so that no real damage could be done...
so
i called my mom for company
and watched
at about 8:30,
out of the corner of my eye
i see 2 kids
and they start running
full speed down the block
towards the house
about to bust through the tape.
when
at the top of my lungs
from the pit of my stomach
i yelled
"don't F***ING do that"
they stopped on a dime.
didn't even look up
and walked out into the street:
me: "thanks"
them: "wha's that?"
me: "thanks for not doing that"
them: "your welcome"
phew...
but we hadn't made our mark in it
and i felt weird about that
i tried scratching in a date by the entrance way
but it was so ugly & rough that I smoothed it out
2 emails and a phone call on the subject later
i realized i needed to remedy this
i said to one friend:
"i want to embed something in it"
she says:
"like a bone or something"
(this is why we are friends)
we both decided: heart shape rocks
we both collect them
but mine are all in storage
and hers won't travel through the phone lines...
what we each added:
left: 2 chains to lock around the vespa;
embedded in the cement
and connected by a metal bar that runs under the wire mesh & the 6" slab,
they're not going anywhere
right: beach glass and a heart token
December 3, 2006
down under: the basement
having a really usable basement is actually a big deal for us
and in the course of looking at houses,
i had more than one realtor look at me askance as a result of my unbridled enthusiasm on finding a good one.
For me it means painting storage,
i make a lot of work and this is ALWAYS an issue.
high ceilings and dry were a must.
of course the painting racks will be raised and it will need some dehumidification as well.
(my mantra as i am biking the last 15 uphill minutes home is:
"but i can store my work in the basement,
but i can store my work in the basement,
but i can...)
g/ will also need part of the space for his work
and we can't wait to have a little "shop",
a work bench with a table vice figures largely in our dreams
currently the basement is a little chopped up,
this view is at the bottom of the steps looking towards the back of the house
there is a large room that seems to have had clothing closets
but also looks like it was used as a work space
in the back are steps leading up to the garden,
actually right into the space where my studio will be, which will make moving work around much easier than if i had to use the internal stairs.
looking towards the front of the house:
to the left is the boiler room,
the boiler is 50 years old and a monster: probably 6x4x5',
but it works (haven't gotten a gas bill yet)
we replaced the filters but its humidifier is completely gone,
the hot water heater is fairly new.
sidebar
does anyone else ever get a metallic taste in their mouth from forced air ?
i had never been aware of this before,
but as soon as we turned the heat on, it hit me
then i also noticed the same thing while visiting my mom over thanksgiving
to the right is a (rather gnarly) bathroom,
3 fixtures (toilet, sink & stall shower), no not legal,
clearly someone was living down here
and straight ahead are the meters
(and the door to the coal chute)
we have started some excavation demolition
while we haven't found any doors in the pockets upstairs,
we did find a mirror down here:
until we decide if we are going to put walls back up, the studs are staying,
they seem to have been reasonably well executed
but the ceiling was a real patchwork job,
2 great discoveries here however:
the basement is about 8' high and
the beams are thick and in very good condition,
including where they go into the side walls
all in all no surprises so far, with the exception of the floor
it is not a real slab, the concrete was poured over dirt and is about 1" thick,
so we will be pouring a new floor:
