October 28, 2009

Bathroom Reno - Any Opinions?

Getting one relatively small full bathroom renovated. It's in bad shape and needs a total redo. Does this estimate seem reasonable for an average (meaning not low or high end) reno like this?

Labor:
Prep:
Cover floors, walls, stairs down to exit door, enclose bath hall door, cover furniture in bedroom daily

Demo:
drain, remove, secure toilet, shut off water, remove vanity – cabinets, remove tile(s) in the tub surround, remove shower body, remove floor tiles – 1-2 layers?, remove wallboard from tub – back wall (durock) side wall, remove closet shelving in bath, remove wall studs to open space into small closet/hall, remove cleats/shelves from closet, remove crown molding from hallway, re-route electric, remove tub, remove portion of ceiling (skylight), salvage floor boards in hallway floor outside bathroom, evaluate wall framing and sub-floor, disposal will be set up on an as needed basis

Plumbing:
remove drop down drain, replace drain line, lower lead bend, re-route hot and cold water supply for toilet and vanity, solder in new hot and cold water lines for shower body, install shower body, rough in drains for tub and sink

Finish Work:
re-frame tub surround to accommodate 60 inch tub, install skylight (trim out ceiling), install tub and drain, replace wall board throughout, install sub-strate to floor, install tile around tub, install tile on floor, install saddle, tape and compound walls – (3x), grout tub surround, grout floor, rebuild closets, enclose pipe (heat riser), sand, prime and paint, install sinks, install toilet, install shower rod, install finished plumbing trim, caulk around tub and sinks, install baseboard, install light fixture and GFCI outlet

Total Labor Costs
Total Cost - $17,250.00 (Length of job 4 – 6 weeks)

Estimated Materials:
$4,700 – this includes the three most expensive items which are: 60” vanity (approximately $1,600), disposal of debris (approximately $1,200), skylight (approximately $400)

GRAND TOTAL = $21,950

Posted in Forum by Biff Champion at 10:20 AM | Comments (35)
Categories: Renovation

October 15, 2009

PARTY TONIGHT!

Final call for TONIGHT'S Second Annual End of the World (Or Maybe Not) Party for Friends of Brownstoner.

It will be held this evening at Union Hall in Park Slope.

The gathering starts at 6pm. From 7pm on, we will have our own dedicated space at the back of the bar. Hope to see you there!

Below are directions to the venue and the website for Union Hall:

Directions
http://tinyurl.com/ybvkfd5

Website
http://www.unionhallny.com/home.php

Posted in Forum by Biff Champion at 9:18 AM | Comments (23)
Categories: Quality of Life

October 14, 2009

Annual End of the World Party

The Second Annual End of the World Party for Friends of Brownstoner will be held Thursday, October 15 at Union Hall in Park Slope. The gathering starts at 6pm. From 7pm on, we will have our own dedicated space at the back of the bar. Hope to see you there!

Everyone is welcome, especially those of you who post regularly but have not had a chance to join us at one of our fabulous gatherings before.

Also, a special invitation goes out to the winners of the recent Poster You Would Most Like to Meet Contest:
east_new_york, 11217, What, Snark/snarkslope/ditmasnark, Dittoburg, tyburg, Townhouselady, gemini10, Nomi, Minard Lafever, Brendafromflatbush, legion, bowl of dicks, Nostalgic on Park, fsrq, randi, brooklyn greene, chicken.

Finally, we would love to see a return of those who were at the First Annual End of The World Party last October whom we have not seen recently:
Johnife, cmu, rh, Bob Marvin, 11233, MacD, Turtlejam19, Lisa, masterplvmber, smokeychimp and Gab

Directions
http://tinyurl.com/ybvkfd5

Union Hall Website
http://www.unionhallny.com/home.php

Posted in Forum by Biff Champion at 12:52 PM | Comments (10)
Categories: Leisure

October 13, 2009

It's Time to Party!!!

The Second Annual End of the World Party for Friends of Brownstoner IS ONLY TWO DAYS AWAY!

It will be held Thursday, October 15 at Union Hall in Park Slope. The gathering starts at 6pm. From 7pm on, we will have our own dedicated space at the back of the bar. Hope to see you there!

Below are directions to the venue and the website for Union Hall:

Directions
http://tinyurl.com/ybvkfd5

Website
http://www.unionhallny.com/home.php

Posted in Forum by Biff Champion at 9:42 AM | Comments (4)
Categories: Quality of Life

June 17, 2009

Friends of Brownstoner Gathering

Fellow Brownstoner fans, tonight is our gathering for all fans of this blog at Rope, Inc. on the edge of Clinton Hill / Fort Greene at 415 Myrtle Avenue (between Vanderbilt Ave & Clinton Ave).

We will start around 6pm, but please feel free to drop in whenever you can. We plan on being there for at least a few hours.

Here is a map:
http://tinyurl.com/n9rqcr

Posted in Forum by Biff Champion at 3:28 PM | Comments (65)
Categories: Leisure

June 16, 2009

Friends of Brownstoner Gathering

Fellow Brownstoner fans, our next big gathering will be this Wednesday, June 17 at Rope, Inc. on the edge of Clinton Hill / Fort Greene at 415 Myrtle Avenue (between Vanderbilt Ave & Clinton Ave).

We will start around 6pm, but please feel free to drop in whenever you can. We plan on being there for at least a few hours.

Here are the directions and reviews:
http://tinyurl.com/n9rqcr

Posted in Forum by Biff Champion at 9:35 AM | Comments (8)
Categories: Etiquette

June 12, 2009

Tribute to Brownstoner - June 17

Fellow Brownstoner fans, our next big gathering will be on Wednesday, June 17 at Rope, Inc. in Clinton Hill at 415 Myrtle Avenue (between Vanderbilt Ave & Clinton Ave).

We will start around 6pm, but please feel free to drop in whenever you can. We plan on being there for at least a few hours.

The number of the bar is (718) 522-2899 and here are directions and reviews:
http://tinyurl.com/n9rqcr

Posted in Forum by Biff Champion at 11:01 AM | Comments (0)
Categories: Leisure

June 8, 2009

Tribute to Brownstoner - June 17

Fellow Brownstoner fans, our next big gathering will be on Wednesday, June 17 at Rope, Inc. in Clinton Hill at 415 Myrtle Avenue (between Vanderbilt Ave & Clinton Ave).

We will start around 6pm, but please feel free to drop in whenever you can. We plan on being there for at least a few hours. The number of the bar is (718) 522-2899 and here are directions and reviews:

http://tinyurl.com/n9rqcr

Posted in Forum by Biff Champion at 12:09 PM | Comments (5)
Categories: Leisure

May 14, 2009

Soccer Players at Cadman Plaza

I posted this on brooklynheightsblog.com, but wanted to post it here too in case others from the neighbourhood only read Brownstoner. There is a large, organized group of adult soccer players who constantly hog almost all of the Cadman Plaza turf on weekends and some weeknights now (it is becoming more frequent). I was there a couple of weekends ago with my kids and there was not one free inch of turf for them to play on. I set up to play soccer with my kids in a small section of the corner and the players said “you’re going to get hurt”. They said it’s basically first come, first served. Yet if one is in the middle of the field when they show up, they’ll ask you to move and, if you don’t, will just start playing around you, which will force you to leave.

Anybody else encounter this problem and, if so, any ideas on how to deal with it? I did submit a complaint to the Parks Dept here and we’ll see if that goes anywhere
http://nyc.gov/html/mail/html/maildpr.html I just don’t want to reinvent the wheel if people are already organizing a campaign to get the players off or to at least have them share more of the field.

I fear some child is going to get injured by a hard kicked ball at some point. Being my cynical self, I don’t imagine going to that washroom area behind the memorial to get a parks employee will do anything.

There’s also the issue of dogs going on the turf (and pooping), despite there being a giant dog run nearby, but I’m trying to deal with one issue at a time.

Posted in Forum by Biff Champion at 8:28 AM | Comments (6)
Categories: Quality of Life

May 1, 2009

Carpenter / Handyman

Can anyone recommend a talented and reliable carpenter / handyman who can move around kitchen cabinets and build surrounding cabinets for a new fridge (and who can possibly assist removing an old fridge that would have to go through a kitchen passthrough)?

Posted in Forum by Biff Champion at 9:36 AM | Comments (8)
Categories: Carpentry