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« First renovation- need some advice Affordable Hotel or B&B near Ft. Greene »
October 25, 2007
Scott Schnall
Have you worked with this expediter and would you recommend him?
Comments
He can be difficult to work with (hard to reach by phone, for instance), but he's a real pro.
Posted by: guest at October 25, 2007 11:06 AM
He gets it done, but is a bit of a character to deal with...
Posted by: guest at October 25, 2007 11:13 AM
Yeah, he's a character but he and more importantly his father and grandfather go back a long way with the building department in Brooklyn. Stick with them.
Posted by: bergenbabe at October 25, 2007 1:30 PM
He is the only one I would work with.....
Posted by: guest at October 25, 2007 1:58 PM
Go early in the morning (like 6:30 or so) if you want him to give you more than 6.5 seconds of his time. And be prepared to talk fast.
Posted by: slopefarm at October 25, 2007 2:02 PM
Find someone else.
Posted by: guest at October 25, 2007 2:05 PM
As the previous posters have said, he is a real character to deal with. He is very knowledgeable about the DOB process and will cut through all the crap everybody else tells you and give it to you straight up if you want to hear it or not. If you are looking to be romanced, find someone else - he is a straight shooter with some very weird and quirky behavior. Also deal with Phil as he has more patience and call or visit early in the day as they will get swamped later on in the day and it will be difficult to get through.
Posted by: guest at October 25, 2007 5:12 PM
Wow! I dealt with Judson and Robert Schnall over 35 years ago who were real pros. If the business has passed on, as it appears, I hope the inheritors learned from their elders!
Marion
Posted by: guest at October 25, 2007 5:23 PM
So wait, I'm paying money for this person/company to do their job, and yet I have to walk on eggshells and heed all kinds of warnings for this person to listen to me? Are you serious?
Posted by: guest at October 25, 2007 5:34 PM
guest 5:34 HAVE YOU WORKED WITH ANY ARCHITECT BEFORE?
Posted by: guest at October 25, 2007 6:42 PM
Okay, so go find someone who will kiss your ass, take your money, and leave your paperwork at the bottom of shaneequa's pile.
Posted by: guest at October 25, 2007 6:45 PM
Hmm....now I'm starting to wonder about the identity of all these positive reviews.
Posted by: guest at October 25, 2007 7:42 PM
? What exactly does Scott do? will he draw all the plans? please i am interested in using him but not sure what he does. I am looking to do an extension and change rooms around a bit.
Posted by: guest at October 25, 2007 10:11 PM
Who's Shaneequa? Oh, I know her - she's the one causing the crisis in the subprime market because of all the flat screen tvs and hummers she's buying on her $7 an hour salary. VIPs like 6:45 will definitely get better service with Caitlin.
Posted by: guest at October 25, 2007 10:28 PM
He is "the name" in Brooklyn for this type of work.
Posted by: guest at October 26, 2007 11:35 AM
Any expediter at DOB is a waste of money.They may at some point get you what you need ,but more often than not nothing is filed in DOB computers. So hang on to any paperwork you get or be ready to pay all over again.Has anyone ever wondered why we have to pay someone to do a job that they are already paid for? There is a chain of palms that must be greased before anyone will get anything done.Oh yeah, expedited just means months,instead of years. I wonder about all of the positive posts.
Posted by: guest at October 26, 2007 12:53 PM
12:53,
What are you talking about? Expediters help the average joe schmo homeowner get building permits issued that will be signed off on by the DOB once the work is complete. Plus once you get the permits you know the work has been entered in the computer system, so your gripe about that is mysterious.
Expediters don't work FOR the DOB (which you implied by saying "any expediter at DOB is a waste..." - they are independent.
You hire a 3rd party to do this because it's a pain in the ass if you are on your own. It makes sense that someone who knows the system can be a big help - I think there are lots of people out there that do this kind of work, actually.
Posted by: guest at October 26, 2007 4:37 PM
No bank will finance a set of plans he does because they contain Z E R O detail, take it from me I know. Good Luck
Posted by: guest at October 26, 2007 8:45 PM
... but what if a troll snatches my plans and runs off into the forest?? will scott save me then?? no? told ya!
Posted by: guest at October 29, 2007 4:10 PM
His name was all over the plans for a building I was interested in. But the plans were REJECTED.
Posted by: guest at October 29, 2007 6:37 PM
He is a great and funny guy who knows exactly what he is doing! He learned from the best; his dad. He is going to tell you like it is and tell you the truth, he knows the building department and most important he will get the job done right. Why would you even think about using anyone else!
Posted by: guest at October 30, 2007 6:15 PM
I have found them extremely difficult to deal with and quite the opposite, they are NOT expeditious with the DOB, they basically leave you out on your own to hang, will leave you on hold for ever IF you're lucky enough for them to answer the phone.
Posted by: guest at December 19, 2007 8:37 AM
They are an absolute NIGHTMARE to deal with, save yourself the hassle and go with anybody else. Oh, and extremely rude too.
Posted by: guest at December 19, 2007 8:46 AM
Schnall is a character, and you have to stay on him, but he DOES get it done. And he is incredibly knowledgable. Yes, you have to walk on eggshells with him. DO NOT go to him for design work. Hire an architect. It is worth your money.
Posted by: guest at January 11, 2008 6:13 PM
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