Hobo Sign?


I saw this weird pictogram drawn in pencil next to our front door. Reminds me of the signs hobos used to use to alert fellow hobos of houses that were mean, generous, etc. Is this a sign a contractor left for his or her fellow tradesmen, alerting them that I’m a sucker for spending more to do the job right? Other ideas? TIA!

Categories: Etiquette
By jb312 | 05/06/2011 1:59 PM | Comment

Multiple Skylight Questions


I’m very bothered by our current skylights for a couple of reasons… they vent, which means leaves and dust come in, along with snow and air, but only a little air, which means you just lose heat and cool, without generating any real airflow. I would love to replace our main skylight over the brownstone stairs with something that is sealed when I want it sealed, and open when I want it open. Has anyone done this? Is it legal to have a sealed skylight, or does the code require everyone to bleed heat / ac through a big hole in their roof? If you do something counter to code like this, do you hurt re-sale value? TIA!

Categories: Skylight
By jb312 | 04/27/2011 1:45 PM | Comment

Under Stoop Storage


The storage space under our stoop is very damp and musty… anyone have solutions to this problem? It would be great to have this space be more useful…

Categories: Masonry
By jb312 | 04/12/2011 9:45 AM | Comment

Flaking Facade on Brownstone


Our brownstone is currently painted with brownstone colored paint – we bought it this way. I know the proper thing to do is to do the full stucco restoration, but I was hoping to wait a couple of years for this expense. What should I do in the meantime about this flaking paint? Can I scrape and repaint? Anyone have experience doing this? How long can I expect it to last? What would it cost? Is it feasible to DIY? And yes, we are on a landmark block… Thanks in advance!

Categories: Facade
By jb312 | 03/29/2011 1:45 PM | Comment

Cost of Iron Stairs: Spiral vs. Straight


We’re installing stairs from our deck down to the garden. Our plans initially called for a spiral staircase – 3′ wide steps, going down like 9′, and this is what was in our contract. We’ve decided a straight stair makes more sense for a lot of reasons, and our contractor is saying this will be a lot more expensive – more than double. A lot of the job seems exactly the same, and some parts seem easier w/ the straight stair (covering the metal treads w/ wood would be a pain on pie wedge steps). Does this change seem reasonable? Advice welcome. Thanks!

Categories: Iron
By jb312 | 03/04/2011 4:02 PM | Comment

Renovation Salvage


We have a mound of salvaged molding and paneling from a brownstone renovation. (Not to worry, purists, most of the original detail survived). In addition to several door casings, a pedestal sink, a brand new 32×39 mirror, a pair of French doors 92×32, and a number of bifold doors, 82×28. There’s a mound of stuff, its a little tough to photograph. If you’re interested, let me know and I’ll do my best. I’d like some money, but mostly I’d like to clear things out. Email me at jbusky at gmail if you’d like more info.

Categories: Architectural Salvage
By jb312 | 01/31/2011 11:15 PM | Comment

Christmas Trees


This is my first xmas in BK… where to get a tree in South Slope / Windsor Terrace area?

Categories: Quality of Life
By jb312 | 12/03/2010 9:45 AM | Comment

Henry Myers Plumbing & Heating


Starting to think about getting some boiler work done and building a list of folks I want to talk to from refs on this site. (Master Plumber, we’ll definitely be in touch.) But I’m wondering if anyone knows anything about Henry Myers Plumbing and Heating. They’re just down the block from me, their shop and trucks look spic and span, but I can’t find anything about them here or on Yelp. Anyone used them? Thanks!

Categories: Plumbers
By jb312 | 09/15/2010 2:36 PM | Comment

Sink Gurgles When it Rains


My garden floor tenant called me this morning – since the rains on Sunday there has been frequent gurgling coming from her kitchen sink. I looked at the main drain, and there are a couple of inches of water in there – very clear looking. It also seemed as if some water was coming out of the sewer pipe. We had a sewer back-up a couple of months ago, and roto rooter snaked it out, so hopefully the line is clear and it’s just the city sewer that’s overloaded from all the rain. Have I diagnosed the issue properly? Is there anything we should do in either the short or long term? The basement has never (knock wood) flooded in the two years we’ve had the house and didn’t have any signs of water problems when we bought it. We’re right at the top of the slope in PS. Thanks for advice!

Categories: Plumbing
By jb312 | 08/25/2010 10:45 AM | Comment

New Boiler – Bite the Bullet or Wait?


We have a Weil-McLein that’s well beyond its service life, but still plugging along. I’m trying to decide whether to replace it this summer / fall, or try to make it another year or so. The upsides of doing it and waiting seem pretty clear. If we do it now, we reduce heating bills and risk of an expensive emergency installation; if we wait, we postpone a major expense. And the downside of doing it now is also clear – said major expense. I’m a little less clear on the potential downside of waiting – advice?

Categories: Heating
By jb312 | 08/10/2010 5:06 PM | Comment