Custom Bathroom Vanity


I need a vanity for a very small bathroom. Ikea has small vanities that would work well in this space, but I don’t like the look and quality. I would like to get a custom made, solid wood, modern and simple looking vanity. Any recommendations? Thanks.

Categories: Kitchen & Bath
By Ibis | 10/05/2010 2:03 PM | Comment

Refinancing: Title insurance


I’m looking at the Good Faith Estimate for my refi closing. The largest amount is for “Title services and lender’s title insurance”. Owner’s title insurance is $0 on the GFE and this appears to be optional.

My understanding is that the owner’s title insurance I purchased 3 years ago when I bought the house will still protect me after the refi. The only reason to purchase a new owner’s title policy would be to protect me against any new lien on the title in the past 3 years. Is that correct?

Also, is a tip to the title representative expected at a refi closing?

Categories: Mortgage
By Ibis | 06/13/2010 3:41 PM | Comment

Boiler service


I called Gateway plumbing to schedule our annual boiler service, but they told me that they don’t service our area anymore. Can anyone recommend another company? What about National Grid, I think they also do boiler cleaning and maintenance, but how are they?

Categories: Heating
By Ibis | 10/08/2008 1:32 PM | Comment

Party wall soundproofing


I searched the forum and found a few posts on party wall soundproofing, but I’m looking for more specific advice, and I would really like to hear from people who did this.

After we moved into our house, we realized that one of our party walls sounded surprisingly thin. We can hear music, TV, conversations, vacuum cleaner, etc. The neighbors are not particularly loud, and what we can hear appears to be a fairly normal noise level (and they can probably hear us). The wall is brick covered by the original plaster. I was surprised that brick and plaster could transmit so much noise, but it does. I’ve read on soundproofing and I’m getting familiar with the basic concepts (mass and standoff) and with the materials. But the more I read, the more I realize that there is no easy and perfect solution.

I’d like to hear from people who soundproofed their party walls. What did you use and what results did you get?

And where in Brooklyn or NYC can I find soundprooking materials? I was at Lowes and Home Depot recently. When I asked them about soundproofing materials they only had Homasote 440. They had never heard of Quietrock and Green Glue. I was suprised since I thought these thing would be in high demand in NYC.

thanks in advance!

Categories: Quality of Life
By Ibis | 05/01/2008 12:25 PM | Comment