Forum
« Heating Recommendations Pigs at the tough »
November 12, 2008
The Wasdies--best of my renovation
Since we are now finished with the work we are going to do with our house (for now at least) I thought I would recommend some of the folks that helped me immensely along the way. So here are the inaugural (and hopefully last ever) "Wasdies" awards.
1--contractor--F Alberth Chica was a godsend. I originally got his number from another recommendation here and I can't say enough about the care that he took throughout the project, the good ideas he had for utilizing space, and the generally awesome demeanor and attitude he brought to the job. A top notch contractor and all around great guy, you can call Alberth at 646-472-4842.
2--Pointing/exterior. P&D Contracting. They pointed the front and back of the house, repaired the roof, painted all the trim, fixed the front stairs etc. Babu is the guy to go to here and he can be reached at 917-743-0285. Reliable, friendly and fast!
Locksmith--Antonio Gomez, AG Locksmith. Antonio is a locksmith/security specialist and another very nice friendly reliable tradesperson. He also installed my new thermostat!
4--Real Estate Broker--Corcoran. My most controversial Wasdie. As much as everyone loves to hate on Corcoran I sold and purchased through them and have nothing but good things to say about the folks that helped me on both ends. They listened to me when I said I wanted to price my co-op reasonably to get a quick sale, their photographer made my place look like a dream house and their marketing reach ensured that there were several buyers waiting to offer. In the month of September 2008 they managed to sell my place in two weeks which was no mean feat. They also negotiated a lower price with the seller of my new place. All in all they represented me well and walked me through every step.
Hope these recommendations help the next person crazy enough to do what I did and buy in this insanity!
Comments
I neglected to give the number for Antonio Gomez the locksmith. He can be reached at 347-400-0908.
Posted by: wasder at November 12, 2008 1:27 PM
Any pics of your home. I must say it looks pretty nice. One other question , Where from and where to did you move? Thanks and good luck with your purchase...
Posted by: HOBOKENROCKS at November 12, 2008 5:46 PM
Thank you Wasder, I'm about to enter your world. Our signed contract went out today and hopefully it will be signed quickly with a fast turn-around. Anyway, I will be needing a contractor and an architect. What kind of work did your contractor do for you?
Posted by: Susan Elkins at November 12, 2008 6:27 PM
Hoboken--thanks. There was a thread with some photos that Brownstoner put up on the front page a few weeks back of the house interior mid renovation. They had it as an "Interiors" feature so if you search that way you will find it. I may put some finished shots up at some point as well.
Susan--Alberth did a wide variety of things--carpentry, floors, painting, built a deck, etc. Our renovation was pretty minor compared to what a lot of people do. For instance,we didn't change any kitchens or bathrooms. But for everything we asked him to do he was awesome and had some great ideas for maximizing space.
Posted by: wasder at November 12, 2008 11:37 PM
Nice, was'. Good luck.
Posted by: DOW8000SP800 at November 13, 2008 10:11 AM
Great looking brick townhouse...congrat's again.
Love the railing!
Posted by: bayridgegirl at November 13, 2008 11:11 AM
DOW--thanks!
BRG--thank you too. Its a beauty now eh? I am really happy with how the exterior turned out. It was painted before and the pointing was in dire need of redoing.
Posted by: wasder at November 13, 2008 11:55 AM
Very classy exterior. I love it. Glad you stripped the paint off. When can we see some more pix?
SE -- how big is your job? How much structural versus design-oriented? Different architects have different strengths (I'm not an architect -- I would recommend mine for serious structural stuff, but not if you are looking for an architect to handle the design/finish details).
Posted by: slopefarm at November 13, 2008 3:20 PM
Thanks Slope! The interior pics will have to wait until we are finished with our decorating and layout plans. Soon enough but this is definitely taking longer than I anticipated. Wife is very pregnant now and so she is not up for too much. Hopefully by thanksgiving we will be fully settled in.
Posted by: wasder at November 13, 2008 10:29 PM
Congratulations wasder on your new home and new baby. What are your plans for the garden?
Posted by: bridges at November 14, 2008 12:52 PM
bridges--I am unsure yet what to do with the garden. On account of the kids I want something that is open and easy to maintain but I wouldn't mind planting a few things too. Probably next spring I will find a landscaper to help me get it into shape. For the winter it will mostly lay fallow.
Posted by: wasder at November 14, 2008 1:51 PM
Thanks Wasder, your place looks really great! You're very lucky to have had such a great experience with your contractors. Unfortunately I wasn't so lucky with all the contractors I worked with while redoing my place. My experience was so bad actually that it prompted me and my friend to start a free local rating service on contractors called http://www.goodpeopleguide.com/
Since you were so gracious with your recommendations of your contractors I was wondering if you would you pass on the good word to http://www.goodpeopleguide.com/ as these are the comments and reviews we are looking for. Simple, honest reviews from our neighbors that we can trust when looking for help...and again, it's all for free.
Many thanks!
Steven
Posted by: Story at November 15, 2008 11:47 AM
Post a comment
Please be patient while your comment is published. It may take a moment.