When deciding on an electrician, I believe I called between 10-15 of them and got quotes from at least 6 or 7. I called many of the recurring recommended electricians from this site, as well as a few other local electricians that I found through google searches or just from walking around my neighborhood. I wanted to go with someone who was local because the closer they are the better, in my mind.

I found LB Electric by googling online. Sal's quote was by far the most reasonable. For example, his quote was 30,000 less than the highest quote I got (from one of the electricians who was recommended on this website). He gave me some corporate references for building companies that he's done work for. They all checked out.

We are nearing the end of our project now - installing fixtures - and his work has been top notch, he has been reliable in showing up, and he's done a lot of arguably extra things for us, suffered through some contract changes, and had a wonderful attitude the whole time. There were a few mistakes in the way the switches were wired by his employees, but they are fixing those now. Some of the boxes weren't installed totally straight but he's also fixing those. (Happily and without attitude or anger, which is a big plus in my opinion). He is very friendly and spends a lot of time personally making sure the job is right. I am posting him today because we thought that one of the workers dislodged some electrical piece that made our boiler stop working. We then got power to the boiler, but it wasn't turning on. I called Sal who said he'd come over to fix it. It turns out it wasn't an electrical problem, but somehow, another person (don't know who) had turned off the water supply to the boiler. Sal fixed it for us, free of charge and happily and said "Hey, you don't need to call a handyman! I used to fix boilers." Last week, he took me to a lock wholesaler in the neighborhood because I had been having a hard time finding the right kind of electric lock for us. He waited at the store and helped me select one, and then got me a discount through his account with them. I have NEVER met a contractor who has been so nice, thorough, and reliable as Sal. I'd firmly recommend him to anyone.

If you have questions, I can try to respond to this post.

The fence is nothing special. It was built in 1970. I share the fence with both neighbors. It need not match, but it should be similar.

I get the feeling that I'll need to go with new fabrication, but I'd rather recycle if possible.

thanks all

thanks

I have a question about my heating system. In the past couple of weeks or so, I've noticed that my gas heat randomly turns on and off despite my thermostat settings.

For example, last night it went on when my apartment was approaching 70 degrees and the thermostat was set at 50 or below. It's hard to hear it turn on, but I heard some bubbling and the radiators were warm to the touch and emitting heat.

What could be causing this? I have a very new boiler but an old thermostat. Do I need a new thermostat, or could it be a problem with the boiler and/or its connections to the radiators?

Also, any recommendations for a type of thermostat (and a good contractor to install it) if I were to get a new one?

Thanks for any help!!
-C

I have a question about my heating system. In the past couple of weeks or so, I've noticed that my gas heat randomly turns on and off despite my thermostat settings.

For example, last night it went on when my apartment was approaching 70 degrees and the thermostat was set at 50 or below. It's hard to hear it turn on, but I heard some bubbling and the radiators were warm to the touch and emitting heat. It didn't get below 50-55 or so yesterday, so there's no reason it should've turned on at all.

What could be causing this? I have a very new boiler but an old thermostat. Do I need a new thermostat, or could it be a problem with the boiler and/or its connections to the radiators?

Thanks for any help!!
-C

First, thank you to everyone who gave advice on my post about doing a first walkthru/punchlist.

So, the walkthru is done, and one problem we found was a large chip at the bottom of the mirror above the sink in the hall bath. The seller says he can't fix the chip and will give us a credit to replace the mirror.

The problem? I have no idea what it would cost to replace this thing and, unfortunately Brownstoners, I don't have a pic of the whole mirror, either (I know, I'm an idiot).

Basically, you can see the width of the mirror in the pic above. It is a frameless mirror attached (I think glued) right to the wall. I'm sure removing it will do damage to the wall, so I want to take that into account when figuring out the credit.

The mirror is probably about 4 feet high and 2 feet (maybe 2 and a half) across. It's not a medicine cabinet, just a flat mirror against the wall.

Any ideas of what I should ask for?

Additionally, in the master bath, there was about a half-inch gap in one spot between the CeasarStone countertop and the sink (someone cut the countertop incorrectly, leaving more space than needed for the sink). The seller was able to fill the gap with caulk matching the shade of the CeasarStone, but agreed to still give me a partial credit, since the caulk shouldn't be there.

Again, I'm not sure what this kind of mistake is worth. Any suggestions?

Thanks a million, all!

PV

Am completing a new shower space that requires custom shower glass, hardware and installation.

Anyone have experiences with this good & bad, and perhaps references.

Will appreciate any and info.

Thanks

harrytrav