March 16, 2010

Cellar Bathroom

is it possible to legalize a 3 pc bath in a cellar?..the violation
states to remove the tub.

THANKS!

Building a Garage

can anyone give me a range of cost for building a "standard" 2-car garage - detached style, like the many you might find in the ditmas park area.

obviously there are a lot of factors like materials and such, but i'd just like to get a range to determine if it's feasible to pull off.
tks!

March 15, 2010

Clean Up Post Construction

need jhelp with cleaning all the dust and crap after a year of construction in the cellar and in the living room any suggestions ? How much is the going rate?

Leaking Windows Advice?

I have an ongoing problem with leaking windows. They were installed during a gut reno in 2006 and have been fine up until about 3 months ago when 4 of them started letting in considerable amounts of water. New diverters were put in at the top and the windows resealed, but yesterday's rain caused substantial leaks again. My handyman is now clutching at straws as to what caused the problem and I think I need an engineer in to assess what's going on. Does anyone have a) thoughts on cause and/or b) an engineer who could come and inspect the building at short notice and very reasonable cost. (Budget is horribly low). Thanks!

March 13, 2010

Dean Street No-Through?

I tried to drive home today from Park Slope to Prospect Heights via Dean Street (now that 5th Avenue is closed permanently as a thru street), only to find that signs have been posted at Flatbush requiring a turn either left or right. I had to turn on Flatbush Avenue. This is not one of the changes posted on the DOT website. Anyone have any information about this?

March 10, 2010

Very...Slow...Contractors

We desperately need advice and recommendation regarding some very slow contractors that our building's sponsor hired. In a nut shell, we live in a condo in a gut renovated brownstone (read new construction) with serious flaws. The sponsor has agreed to remedy the defects, and has hired a general contractor to do the job. So far, so good. One major issue requiring repair is a massive leak that comes from a green house atrium structure on the top floor of the building. When it rains, it literally pours buckets inside of our apartment. The leaks have been confined to one room, but all the sheetrock and insulation have been stripped in that room, and the water is collecting in a tarp the funnels into a bucket. So, one bedroom out of our two bedrooms is completely uninhabitable. (We have two kids.) Long story short, this has been going on since December, and the contractors still don't even have a bid together. They claim to be unable to find a sufficiently qualified waterproofer to tackle the issue. Each week, some new emergency comes up and the contractors do now show up. Because we do not pay them, they don't seem feel accountable to us. We're nervous about insisting that the sponsor fire them, because it has already taken up so much time, and we fear an even greater delay.

Apologies for the long winded explanation. I think the advice is going to be to find new contractors.

Can anyone recommend a contractor skilled in this area? We have been informed that the entire greenhouse needs to be replaced. Specs have been prepared by an architect.

Many thanks.

March 4, 2010

Fire Door Replacement

the front door of my apartment, a steel fire door, had to be broken down.

i need it replaced (along with the locks) and a having a really hard time finding someone who can do the job--people don't call back, come to measure and then vanish.

i know it's not the biggest job, but it's a job.

know anyone?

March 1, 2010

What is a Cockloft?

My engineering inspector said that I have a "cockloft" that has no subfloor and is uninsulated. I looked it up and it's supposed to be the space between the roof and the ceiling. Next time I get a chance I will look at it again since I'm not sure exactly how high this cockloft can be. It seems to be accessable, however, as the inspector said that there is a hatch opening for it in the ceiling of a hall closet.

Unfinished Basement Finished

I have an unfinished basement that I need finished. Need to dig down about 2 feet, pour concrete slab, clean and seal perimeter, and clean up support columns. Looking for referrals for someone to do this work. Please let me know if you have someone. Thanks.

February 28, 2010

Looking for a General Contractor

So we've chosen an architect, and now we're looking for a GC. (I've linked our original post below.)

It's a pretty big project: 5 story townhouse in Harlem. Truly gut reno. Other than the 4 walls, everything needs to be replaced. Even the 4 walls need work.

We would like to interview at least 2 additional GCs. Recommendations are highly valued, so townhouse owners, please respond. GC must have multiple townhouse gut reno experience.

http://www.brownstoner.com/forum/archives/2010/02/looking_for_arc_3.php#comments

Forum: Construction