March 31, 2005

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

March 23, 2005

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.

March 21, 2005

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.

March 19, 2005

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?

March 18, 2005

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

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!

March 17, 2005

Bathrooms

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

March 16, 2005

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.

March 14, 2005

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!

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.

converting 1 family to 4 family

what would i need to do to get a brownstone zoned as 1 family rezoned as a 4 family? is it a long costly process?

Facade Grants/Loans

Our funds have been exhausted renovating our brownstone in Bed Stuy and the brownstone facade needs to be redone. Can anyone suggest a lead for facade improvement grants or loans or any ideas that may help us get it done? Is it worth donating if it's not in a landmark district?

Thanks.

March 13, 2005

Looking for a General Contractor

I'm in a hundred year old Victorian in Ditmas Park. Somewhere around 40-50 years ago, a previous owner "upgraded" the front porch and siding to less than original specs. I'm looking to restore them. Can anyone recommend a good General Contractor or specialist who can redo my porch and re-side my home with an eye towards historical appropriateness? Thanks in advance.

March 12, 2005

Cheap Building Materials! (Architectural Salvage/Recycle)

Check this place out, much needed in the NYC area - althought it is in LIC:

BUILD IT GREEN! NYC

The Build It Green! NYC Warehouse is a non-profit retail outlet for reusable, environmentally-friendly and low-cost building materials.

Salvage & Surplus: Build It Green! NYC Warehouse sells salvaged and surplus building materials at the warehouse -- great products at half or below their new price. And you help keep perfectly useful material out of the landfill!

http://www.bignyc.org/

Estimates for Warehouse to Residential Conversion

Does anyone know a ballpark figure for converting warehouse/factory space to (raw) residential? I know it depends heavily on specifics, but let's say you have a multi-floor M1 building and you want to make artist lofts, so polish is unnecessary. Someone said $150/sqft, does that sound right? Let's assume the structural stuff is sound, and the building is in decent condition. Also, how difficult/costly is it to get the zoning changed? Thanks b-stoners!

March 11, 2005

Engineer recommendation

Can anyone recommend an engineer for building inspection prior to purchase? I'm in contract on a 19th C Brooklyn townhouse, and need a professional to check all mechanicals and structural soundness. Thanks for any suggestions.

Water Pressure

Is there any way to improve shower water pressure in a brownstone? It's a tough trade from a big pre-war building's shower.

March 10, 2005

Landmark Windows Replacement

Has anyone replaced their windows on a landmark block? I've noticed Marvins are a popular choice. Would accept any and all adviced.

thanks

March 9, 2005

4 Family C of O w/ a 2 Family tax base- tax issues?

Anyone know more about how a four family house could have a 2 family tax base? I'm in contract on a house now that has that situation. I'm concerned about the tax consequences if it's determined that it should really have a 4 family tax base (it's being used as a four family building).
After buying the brownstone, I plan on renovating it to a two family. I'm addtionally concerned that filings with the DOB for such renovations and conversion will alert the Finance Board of this four family w/ a (seemingly erronously classified)2 family tax base and trigger a huge tax increase. Also, if they do find that the house should've been taxed as a four family, could they charge me with back taxes even though I would be a new owner? Any help would be very much appreciated!!

Deck Next to an Extension?

If a house has an extension off the back that only runs about half the width, is it possible to put in a deck adjacent to the extension or does it have to run in a continuous line with the extension? I want to have a deck off a 2nd floor kitchen which has an extension with a bathroom off it -- so looking out from the kitchen on the left right outside the window would be the deck and to the right would be the extension. Any coding issues?

stoop repair

I need to have my stoop and the front wall of my house refinished, and the concrete path in my front yard redone. Does anyone have any recommendations for this kind of work, and ideas of how much I should expect to pay?

FREE hardwood flooring!

About 40 sf of brand new, unfinished, select-grade solid red oak hardwood flooring-- yours for the asking/ schlepping (from Greenpoint). 2 1/2" wide pieces; lengths range from 1 to 4 feet. This would be great for patching or to supplement an existing stock. Left over from recently completed flooring project-- this is quality stuff and we don't want to throw it out! If interested please call Naomi, (917)674-3993.

March 8, 2005

waterproofing

Can anyone recommend a good waterproofing/roofing contractor for a repointing job?

March 7, 2005

Stair builder

Hi-
I'm in a Single Family Victorian in Ditmas Park and was curious if anyone had a recommendation for a carpenter or Stair-builder. Besides remedying my perpetually creaky wooden staircase, I may have some cabinetry needs down the line and am looking for good craftsmanship. Any thoughts are appreciated.

Changing C of O

How difficult is it to change the C of O from single family to 2 family? We're thinking of bidding on a 4-story townhouse, a legal single family with a finished apartment on the garden level. The current owners rented the garden apartment to friends. Should we anticipate any problems making it a legal 2 family? The boiler is also located on the garden level, as there is no basement. Thanks for any thoughts.

March 6, 2005

Interior Windows

Looking to use a window with panes that slide left to right as a pass through between my dining room and kitchen (cf the converted carriage on This Old House). Need window with frame -- no ledge needed -- but don't care about any of the other elements related to an exterior window. Where can I turn for this window? I am working on this project all on my lonesome. Thanks.

March 3, 2005

Pella Windows

Has anyone had experience with Pella windows? I set up an appointment for an estimate through the Pella website and met with a representative from one of their dealers, the Robert Hunt Company, which based in Elmhurst, NY. After receiving the estimate for windows (from the Architect Series, approved for landmark districts) I asked the Robert Hunt representative for references from a couple of his recent clients. He told me that Pella does not allow him to give out the names of former clients for privacy reasons. Installing a houseful of new windows comes to a lot of money to spend without a reference, and so I am wondering if anyone else has had these windows installed, particularly with this contractor?

March 2, 2005

Vulcan for sale

I'm looking to unload a mint condition 36" all gas Vulcan due to changes in my renovation plans. Have photos to email if you're interested. Please drop me a line at jcao@nyc.rr.com

Boiler Room ventilation

The basement of my brownstone has a separate room that includes the hot water heater and the gas boiler for the furnace. I was recently told that the room was improperly ventilated to the outside, and that I needed to have ducts installed to correct the problem. Anyone know the codes about this? Any recommendations for companies that do this sort of this? Thanks.

March 1, 2005

Brownstone Exterior

I am in the process of renovating a townhouse in Kips Bay area and I am seeking a quality supplier for exterior stair treads and risers as well as pieces for the door portal (i.e., pilasters, pediment, capitals, etc.) Does anyone know a local supplier for these items? I need help!!!

custom interior door

I need to have an interior, four-paneled door made to replace one that is missing in my dining room -- does anyone have any recommendations for carpenters and any thoughts about what I should expect to pay?