Apologies…


…to those of you who posted in the last week. As we mentioned on the main blog, it appears that the last several days of posts were lost in transit. We’re still hoping they might turn up but can’t be sure. Feel free to repost in the meantime and we’ll take care of any doubling up should the old ones reappear.
Thanks,
Brownstoner

By Brownstoner | 03/31/2005 3:06 PM | Comment

Shutters and door repair


We just bought a brownstone and desperately need privacy! We have the old shutters from the house, but enough of them are rotting that we think we would prefer to have new ones made. We looked into Home Depot and Smith and Noble- but they don’t have that traditional brownstone look. Have you found a good place to do shutters?
Secondly, our original doors are pulling apart and don’t shut properly (and it is cold!)- does anyone suggest a carpenter for door repair and rehanging? Thanks so much.

Categories: Restoration
By | 03/23/2005 9:04 PM | Comment

Demolition


Looking for someone to do demolition work for me in Windsor Terrace. This will include removing plaster and lathe from first story and carting away the debris. Also debris removal from the second story. The second story work has been completed, but it still needs to be cleaned up. There may be some additional small jobs.

Categories: Handyman
By | 03/21/2005 1:21 PM | Comment

ipe roof deck?


Anybody built a wood roof deck on a brownstone? I understand that NYC buildings/fire code doesn’t let you build on more than 20% of the roof area with combustible material.

But I also hear that ipe wood is “Class A” fire-rated and isn’t considered combustible material. Could I build an ipe deck over most of the roof?

By | 03/19/2005 3:24 PM | Comment

paint stripping


I am stripping old shutters and surrounding window frames in my Park Slope brownstone. Under the oil paint there’s a very thick whitish primer that looks like chalk and is very hard to remove. After some google research I have concluded it must be milkpaint; none of the products I have tried does a really good job. Does anyone have any experience with this, any favorite product to recommend? Thanks, Laura

Categories: Restoration
By | 03/18/2005 6:21 PM | Comment

HVAC Engineer


I am looking for recommendations for a good, not too expensive, heating, ventilation and air conditioning engineer. We are gut renovating our brownstone and need to replace the 1940′s era heating system.
Thanks for your help!

By | 03/18/2005 9:27 AM | Comment

Bathrooms


Does anyone know of any reputable contractors to gut and rennovate a bathroom? Looking for any suggestions. Thanks

By | 03/17/2005 5:08 PM | Comment

plaster repair/replacement


We would love to fix up the somewhat damaged plaster walls in our prewar co-op. We’d like to maintain the look of the large moldings, but they and the walls are puffy, caked with peeling paint, and have had shoddy repairs in quite a few places. We’ve heard a few recommendations, none satisfactory: tearing the moldings down and putting up fresh sheetrock over the existing walls; performing spot-repairs in the worst areas; etc.

Does anyone have experience in this area? Is chemical stripping an option for the moldings, door frames, and window sills? Would spot-repairs on the walls just be putting off the problem? How much might all this cost? Any help is appreciated.

Categories: Restoration
By | 03/16/2005 10:25 PM | Comment

GC for retail space?


Sorry this is slightly off topic – not a brownstone, but. . .

I’m looking for reco’s for a GC for a smallish job in Park Slope. I’m opening a retail shop on 5th and need some work done – demo, floor, patch & paint, electrical.

Any advice?

Thanks!

Categories: General Contractors
By | 03/14/2005 9:22 PM | Comment

making a condo


Has anyone else tried this?
My wife and i are buying a brownstone with another couple. It is already cut into two apartments ( a legal two family) but currently owned by a single family.
We’re getting a mortgage together to buy it, but plan to go condo as soon as possible, at which point we will each get our own mortgage.
I’m researching the costs associated with doing these two transactions, particularly what taxes we might have to pay twice. Additionally, I’d be interested to know how long it has taken others to convert a two unit townhouse into a condo.

By | 03/14/2005 8:23 PM | Comment