5onsackett's Profile

  • melissa
  • 2000
  • 2007
  • Brooklyn
  • Carroll Gardens
  • House
  • sahm
  • Female
  • 36

Author's Posts

April 30, 2008

ideas for window treatments...

we're coming to the end of our reno (hoorah!) and i'm trying to figure out what window treatments to put over our nice new windows. they are all kids' rooms and the windows aren't deep enough for shudders :)

so i'm trying to figure out what would go best on these windows. we don't need black out, but would like some sun-light control... most of all, they must be able to stand up to some major fidgeting with by my no-impulse-control 4 yo boy.

if you don't have advice re: the window treatment, maybe advice as to where i should go to talk to some experts?

thanks!

Posted in Forum by 5onsackett at 9:00 PM | Comments (2)
Categories: Windows

March 25, 2008

wallpaper

anyone know where to find some nice wallpaper in nyc? i'm just looking to paper one wall, so cost is not a huge issue. thanks!

Posted in Forum by 5onsackett at 9:01 AM | Comments (10)
Categories: Decorative

March 13, 2008

opinions on lighting fixtures wanted

okay -- so i'm obsessing over lighting fixtures right now and i'm *hoping* i can get some opinions on brownstoner on how these two would work together. They would be installed on the parlor floor and you would be able to see them at the same time when the pocket doors are opened -- and I'd like to know what people think about how these two fixtures would look together.

I was thinking putting the ornate one in front of the plainer one would work but i have NO experience in this process -- hence my search for opinions.

if you absolutely hate the fixtures, don't hold back. but i don't care as much about that as i do about how the two would work together...

http://tinyurl.com/2wopgk (front room)

http://tinyurl.com/yvw2bq (back room)

Posted in Forum by 5onsackett at 5:13 PM | Comments (17)
Categories: Lighting

March 12, 2008

european shower...

so, we don't have enough room on the master bedroom floor for both a nice, large closet (desperately needed) and a full bath (even with a shower stall). so we're considering an european shower for our "master" bath. the bathroom would incorporate a shower curtain but would otherwise be a true european shower -- drain in the floor, showerhead on the wall.

my husband is *not* into this idea (although the addition of a shower curtain improves matters). does anyone have any good experiences with european showers or is my better half on the mark with this one?

Posted in Forum by 5onsackett at 5:10 PM | Comments (10)
Categories: Renovation

March 11, 2008

security systems...

yea or nay?

we're looking for a system that reports to our local precinct and/or fire dept. the security guy that's working with our contractor is recommending a brand (DSC) i've never heard of -- not slomins, adt or any monthly pay systems. his install cost (hardware incl) is $2150.

i'm pretty sure we want a security system but don't know if this is the right one for us. plus (and i know this is a bit silly) i think the DSC keypad is dated and ugly.

you guys have any suggestions/thoughts? thanks in advance

Posted in Forum by 5onsackett at 11:09 PM | Comments (5)
Categories: Alarm

single family room to room intercom system

do you guys have any experience with such a system? we're renovating a single family, 4 floor townhouse and have 3 kids who's bedrooms will all be on the top floor -- so i was thinking an intercom system might be good for us. i'd be interested to hear if those of you w/ these systems actually use them and any recommendations you might have. thanks!

Posted in Forum by 5onsackett at 10:35 PM | Comments (11)
Categories: Appliances

March 6, 2008

advice needed re: Lighting fixtures

we're at the point in our renovation where we need to pick out lighting fixtures. do you guys have any advice on where i can see a good, decent selection either on-line or in person? tia

Posted in Forum by 5onsackett at 2:42 PM | Comments (10)
Categories: Lighting

Author's Comments

thanks, going4broke. i had assumed, since no monthly fee was quoted to me, there wasn't any. i'll talk to the installer today about it.

Posted by: 5onsackett at March 12, 2008 8:36 AM in response to security systems...

thanks all. sounds like they're moderately useful (and certainly not v. expensive...) but i think we've opted against. thanks again for your help.

Posted by: 5onsackett at March 12, 2008 5:01 PM in response to single family room to room intercom system

thanks all. this is a part of our 2nd phase of the reno and wouldn't be done until summer 09. we're not interested in resale (for a while, we hope) so that's not really a consideration. but we definitely need a shower on our floor b/c the only other shower/bath in the house will be on the kid's floor.

we stayed at an apt in france this past summer that had a european shower and -- like the posters here -- we did a lot of mopping up of water. our contractor (whom i trust and who loves the idea of european showers in tight spaces) is horrified that we would think *his* shower would have this problem!

anyway, thanks again for the thoughts. we've got a while to consider the issue and maybe we'll even figure out another solution...

Posted by: 5onsackett at March 13, 2008 5:05 PM in response to european shower...

the super in our building did these kinds of installations for people in our building. i wonder if yours does... if we were to reno a small job in that bldg i would have definitely used the super b/c i trusted him and i liked his work and i knew where i could find him!

Posted by: 5onsackett at March 13, 2008 5:16 PM in response to Small kitchen Renovation

i'm not sure of the look i'm going for. i think more arts & crafts/transitional... the house doesn't have a lot of original detail so it's sort of a blank slate.

i don't know why this chandelier is appealing to me. i don't think i'm a tacky person, i am just trying to be a little more creative with the house... and i really don't like the more traditional chandeliers.

hmmm.

Posted by: 5onsackett at March 14, 2008 7:07 AM in response to opinions on lighting fixtures wanted

thanks to everyone on your thoughts. the rear room is actually going to be our master bedroom and i don't think i'm going to go with the drum... i haven't ruled out the branchy chandelier and i really love the fixtures in hubbardton forge (thanks 8:57!) so i'm going to look at them closely for the entrance foyer and rear room.

thanks again for your opinions!

Posted by: 5onsackett at March 15, 2008 8:25 AM in response to opinions on lighting fixtures wanted

thanks so much, all.

Posted by: 5onsackett at March 26, 2008 9:12 AM in response to wallpaper

i think this is lovely -- unfortunately, i can't imagine a place for it in our home. good luck in selling.

Posted by: 5onsackett at March 26, 2008 9:41 AM in response to Corner cabinets for sale

thanks! i'll def check them out.

Posted by: 5onsackett at May 1, 2008 5:07 PM in response to ideas for window treatments...

i'm the opposite of 7:24. we're doing a gut on the top 2 floors of our place and i hired a GC who gave me a line-item contract, which included his overhead. i knew that he would be v. hands on, v. timely and take care of most everything and, since i was preg at the time and had 2 kids (now 3) and a husband who works long hours, i needed that kind of hands on attention.

he's stayed on budget (although we did have a few change orders -- he usually found ways to adjust the job so the add-on change orders were washed out by deducted change-orders) and has stayed on schedule. we started the project in mid dec and are moving in mid May.

and, fwiw, it's been worth every penny. but i have a *fantastic* GC. i mean, it's amazing how good he is. (for example, i was checking out our paint job yesterday and thinking "it's nice, but there's some spots here and there that could be touched up." was going to wait to say anything. went over this morning and there was the GC, doing the touch ups himself.)

Posted by: 5onsackett at May 1, 2008 9:55 PM in response to Which contractor to pick?

Responses to Author's Forum Comments

is the drum one for a dining area? if so, i think they will look fine together. i like the style you are going for with the more ornate one - it is original and probably won't ever look dated. and i think the drum shaded one will basically blend into the background. it doesn't have much personality, but i think that can be a good thing, particularly as a dining room light or particularly where you want attention drawn to that first light.

Posted by: i disagree at March 14, 2008 4:03 PM in response to opinions on lighting fixtures wanted

You people have alot of money. Go into Crown Heights and find a local anglo-caribbean contractor. Ask around. You could do it for abt 2-3,000. We did.

Posted by: guest at March 14, 2008 4:51 PM in response to Small kitchen Renovation

They don't need to match. Just work in harmony. Don't match them, that'd be too...well too matchy!

Posted by: guest at March 14, 2008 5:06 PM in response to opinions on lighting fixtures wanted

thanks to everyone on your thoughts. the rear room is actually going to be our master bedroom and i don't think i'm going to go with the drum... i haven't ruled out the branchy chandelier and i really love the fixtures in hubbardton forge (thanks 8:57!) so i'm going to look at them closely for the entrance foyer and rear room.

thanks again for your opinions!

Posted by: 5onsackett at March 15, 2008 8:25 AM in response to opinions on lighting fixtures wanted

It really depends on the style of furniture and style of house. Think of lighting like accessories to your clothing. You can't pick out your accessories without considering what you and your clothing looks like.

Posted by: MrsLimestone at March 15, 2008 10:37 AM in response to opinions on lighting fixtures wanted

I like a very modern light fixture combined with antique furniture. Or vice versa. So think about your furniture but you don't have to match it all up by era or style.

Posted by: guest at March 15, 2008 7:41 PM in response to opinions on lighting fixtures wanted

Hello. Radio Shack sells a wireless intercom which we use in our house for the same reason. The only drawback is that you cannot select which unit will receive the message. But then, we usually use it to call the kids down for dinner or to get ready for bed, so we want them to hear us whereever they are in the house.
Good luck.

Posted by: guest at March 17, 2008 12:00 PM in response to single family room to room intercom system

Do NOT choose B unless you want big headaches. 7:42 is an idiot. Listen to the architect. We learn from our mistakes, usually.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 9:57 PM in response to Which contractor to pick?

I'd probably go with A too, but nothing says that they too won't come up with just as many change orders, won't have delays, issues sourcing, etc. If I were able to look across the street and see that B shows up on time and doesn't leave early etc., I might choose them. Besides, what design/build firm has consistently good reviews on this site?

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 10:55 PM in response to Which contractor to pick?

5onsackett...

Please share the name and contact info of your GC

Posted by: guest at May 2, 2008 9:17 AM in response to Which contractor to pick?