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Wine Cellar
We own our Brownstone and are thinking about digging a small wine cellar in the basement area – maybe 6X6. Just enough room to get down with a ladder, bring a case up with a pulley. Anyone have any suggestions on who to use, dangers of doing this etc. Building is 65 feet long so I can’t imagine if we do it off the walls there would be any foundational issues.
thanks for replying
09/10/2007 1:43 PM
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more basement water than usual
Hello
When we bought our house 4 years ago, we had the basement excavated. Because there was a lot of water we had 3 sump pumps installed. These pumps have been working fine, and if we do get water it is usually because one of the pumps is jammed or not working.
For the past couple of months we have started getting some water all the time, even though all 3 pumps have been functioning properly. More importantly, the level of water in the 3 sump holes is consistently well below the level of the floor.
Anyone have any ideas where this excess water might be coming from and how it is getting past the sump pump gauntlet?
Thanks in advance!
05/12/2007 2:33 PM
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Seeking lean, mean contractor
Just got plans approved for a big basement job in my Windsor Terrace frame house. That was “easy”. Now for the hard part: finding a cost-conscious contractor. The job involves digging out 18 inches of dirt and rock, laying new floor slab, complete build out of space to become a nice, rentable “garden apartment.” Recommendations are welcome. Email me! gatoflix@yahoo.com
05/07/2007 9:21 PM
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Garden: HELP!
we have a huge garden (on a 131 foot lot), but too much of it is paved over. we’re considering different things–brick, bluestone, staining the concrete of pulling it up–but unsure as to which is best, and what the comparative costs are. any advice?
and does anyone know of a good company who would do this kind of work for a reasonable fee?
thank you.
feel free to post to brownstoner, or email me directly at: susie.linfield@nyu.edu
05/03/2007 9:26 AM
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Construction Recommendation
I’m looking for a recommendation for someone to dig out about a foot of a basement and finish it off. The current basement is a 12 x 20 room with a ceiling height of about 6’2″. There is a bathroom in the basement that needs gutting as well. Any recommendations for a solid construction crew or trustworthy contractor would be much appreciated.
01/22/2007 1:17 PM
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exterior brick wall repair
we are considering purchasing a brick 4 fam. with some damage the side structural wall. we had a structural engineer in that told us we needed to seek actual estimations from an expert with solid excavation experience. the damage is unnoticable to the eye with the exception that there is a large wooden support structure on every floor that appears to be supporting the roof and keeping the wall intact.
does anyone have any experience with retrofitting, repairing or replacing exterior walls under these sort of circumstances? (damage to structure due to removal of next door building in row.)
any imput, experiences or estimates would be incredibly helpful to us. Thanks!
03/22/2006 2:07 PM
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excavatingin a fully attatched building
Hello. I have a fully attached building in Gowanus that I would like to build an extension (25X20)to the already 25X50 main structure. The foundation will need to be 6 ft deep ( frost line) and all the dirt can be moved to the rear of the lot which is already a hole from a previous structure. With only hallway and basement trap access, how long and how expensive is the excavation???
03/06/2006 9:17 PM
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price to dig down basement
we have an estimate and want to ask your opinion if it is reasonanble.
House is 20′x66′.
Project includes:
- digging down the whole floor in the basement 1 to 2 feet ( depends on what is down under ),
now it is mostly soil with about 25% covered with a fragmented concrete. Depends also on footing of the walls and need to underpin.
- put new concrete floor, I do not remember the number, but they specifically stressed that it should be that number thick, not less, to make it right.
- dig down in front of the house about 2 feet down and 3 feet out and reconfigure and build new cement stairs from the street to the basement.
- waterproof front wall
- enlarge existing windows by cutting down, now it is about 2′ high, make about 4′ high
-finish and waterproof space under the stoop
- open 2 windows, a little over 4′ high at the back of the house, currently closed by bricks.
Estimate is 25K and 3 to 4 weeks of work.
do you think it is reasonable?
02/03/2006 9:47 PM
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Digging Out the Basement
I would like to lower my “garden level†basement by about 18†Also, I’m thinking I will need to replace the existing brick columns and wood beam with steel. Any recommendations on contractors who have done this before, and avoided having the side walls collapse? Thanks for any ideas….
07/22/2005 8:34 AM
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