How Many Gallons of Oil?


Happy New Year Brownstoners! So 2011 finds me (finally!) the owner of a house in Brooklyn! Yay! As a first time homeowner, I expect my learning curve to be steep and look forward to posting many pleas for advice as we renovate and get the feel for our new place. My first question involves the oil tank. Can anyone give me an idea of how many gallons of oil you burn through a year to heat a 3,000+ square foot brownstone? I’m particularly concerned with the winter months. When we closed this December, the oil tank had 765 gallons in it. We plan on switching to an HVAC system this spring. Do we even need any more oil this winter? Thank you for your help/opinions!

Categories: Utilities
By onefineday | 01/06/2011 1:25 PM | Comment

Snow Shoveler in Brooklyn Heights?


Hi All,
Can anyone please recommend someone to shovel snow from in front of a house in Brooklyn Heights? There is no stoop, just a ground floor entrance. I know there was a similar forum post a week or so ago, but referrals were for different neighborhoods. Any help much appreciated!

Categories: Maintenance
By onefineday | 12/14/2010 1:35 PM | Comment

The Scoop on PS 8?


Hi Brownstoners,
I would love some information about PS8 in Brooklyn Heights (my son will be starting kindergarten in the fall and we are exploring both public and private school options). Could you please share your experiences and insights as a parent or a student at the school? I have, of course, done my research at insideschools, etc., but would appreciate more current info from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. Thank you!

Categories: Schools
By onefineday | 10/29/2010 10:45 AM | Comment

2 Years Revert to Residential?


I know that I’ve seen this topic pop up before on Brownstoner, but cannot find the reference. Hoping someone can help, though ultimately I know a real estate lawyer would have the scoop. Here is my question:is it true that if the commercial space of a mixed-use building in a commercial overlay zone (C1 or C2) is used as residential/not commercially for two years it reverts to fully residential status? Would such a building then be able to be financed using a traditional home mortgage as opposed to a mixed-use mortgage? If anyone has had experience with this scenario, I would love to hear about it. Thanks!

Categories: Zoning
By onefineday | 09/19/2009 12:55 AM | Comment

Antique Furniture Restoration


Can anyone please recommend an expert in antique furniture restoration? I need some repair work done on two antique desks, one of which is revolutionary war era (broken hinge, cracked wood). Thanks!

Categories: Antiques
By onefineday | 05/29/2009 8:23 PM | Comment

Financing For Mixed Use Property


I would love any insight into/advice on financing a mixed-use property. While we plan on changing the C of O to a single family, the house is currently a mixed-use with a restaurant on the first floor and two completely gutted apartments on the upper floors. It will be delivered vacant but it is not livable by any standards. We will need a jumbo loan north of a million to buy the property. We are first-time homebuyers with great credit but can put only 10% down. We would also like to finance some of the renovation. (The carrying costs will adhere to the “25% of gross income for housing” rule of thumb, we just aren’t sitting on loads of liquid capital.) Is this an impossible dream in the current economic climate? I have started talking directly with our banks but one (Sovereign) won’t touch mixed-use. Any ideas appreciated! Thanks!

Categories: Mortgage
By onefineday | 01/12/2009 10:46 AM | Comment