I'm with ConEd Solutions too. Transition was pretty painless.

Posted by: Chudilo at April 2, 2007 9:46 AM in response to Green Energy Providers

One more question: Everyone's saying that there are problems with a draft coming from the brick walls, as a result of removing the plaster. We've been in the apartmetn after the plaster has been removed with the temperatures being VERY cold and we did not notice any drafts. Also the wall is pretty thick, sO I do not think there should be any problems.

Posted by: Chudilo at March 27, 2007 8:58 AM in response to Exposing brick - why is it black?

Hi all.

Yes the moldings look pretty good on the pics that you saw.
We obviously took the pictures in the best light, in order to hide all the scary crap hanging off the detail. Not to scare people that will see the pics.

If you saw them up close, especially in artificial light, this would wouldn't be an argument. They were in terrible shape, had lead paint, and were broken and split in multiple places where it really counts.

So yes it is a shame, we have evaluated all the options , but could not have kept the moldings.
Some of our neighbors, that wanted to keep the moldings, ended up ripping them off anyway and duplicating everything from scratch.

We are however going the extra mile and hiring Verrazano Flooring to RESTORE the vintage inlaid floors, even though there is irreparable water damage under the radiators and a hump right in middle of the living room due to sagging joists. It is costing us a hek of a lot more then putting new hardwood flooring (not laminate).

The floors are covered right now, in order to preserve/protect them. You can't see them in the demolition pictures.

It's easy to scream "bloody murder" about all the detail. But this isn't a huge brownstone house. This is a 680sq ft. apartment. We're trying to create the feeling of space not cozying it up to make it feel smaller.

Thank you for the info about the Tar on the bricks. If anyone has any additional info on removing that stuff, do tell.

Posted by: Chudilo at March 26, 2007 9:02 PM in response to Exposing brick - why is it black?

What are your complaints about KraftMaid .. would you care to elaborate?

Ough yes and Hamilton Home depot is horrible.

Lowes practically across the street is so much nicer. The kitchen rep I dealt with is extremely nice and helpful.

Posted by: Chudilo at March 7, 2007 3:02 PM in response to Home Depot /Kraftmaid Horror Story

One more question: Everyone's saying that there are problems with a draft coming from the brick walls, as a result of removing the plaster. We've been in the apartmetn after the plaster has been removed with the temperatures being VERY cold and we did not notice any drafts. Also the wall is pretty thick, sO I do not think there should be any problems.

Posted by: Chudilo at March 27, 2007 8:58 AM in response to Exposing brick - why is it black?

The easiest way to remove the tar is to sand it off with an electric sander. It comes off much faster that way. I'm a landlord and have done it many times on rentals and never had any complaints of drafts.

If the cement between the bricks is crumbling, I suggest you have your interior brick walls 100% repointed before you have the place painted. It stinks to always have cement dust falling on the floor. Of course, you should also use a clear, satin stone sealer, but a total repointing is even more important and makes life much better one you move in. If you're really lucky the cement is in great condition and pointing isn't necessary.

I had to point my own apartment post renovation and it was a nightmare even though I stayed in another apartment while the work was being done.

Posted by: at March 28, 2007 8:43 AM in response to Exposing brick - why is it black?

I just posted above. I looked at the photos and you should definitely have the brick 100% repointed. You'll be SOOOOOOOOO much happier after you move in -- please listen to me -- suck up the cost and do it right or you'll be sweeping up cement dust constantly! It also looks a million times nicer.

It'll probably cost about $2500, but it'll be worth it. Find a Bandleshi outfit -- much cheaper than others, but just as good.

Posted by: at March 28, 2007 8:49 AM in response to Exposing brick - why is it black?

Thanks for the post. I just wish I found it sooner. I have my own horror story with Home Depot Cabinets.

http://homedepotcabinets.blogspot.com

Posted by: guest at July 22, 2008 9:04 AM in response to Home Depot /Kraftmaid Horror Story

I purchased Kraftmaid cabinets through Home Depot, both for my kitchen and for a bathroom. All were great.

However, we are in Florida, and I think Kraftmaid has a factory here. The cabinets arrived in a factory truck, all packed nicely in cardboard boxes. The delivery men open and look at all the cabinets before they left.

I suggest that anyone ordering from HD find out how and who will ship the cabinets. Make sure they will all be shipped at one time.

Also, be aware that there are many upgrades to Kraftmaid cabinets that are well worth the small up-charge to add.

For example, if you pay a little more, you can get better hinges, plywood (instead of particle board) sides and bottoms, self-closing drawers, and wood veneer exposed sides (instead of vinyl fake wood).

Finally, the HD installation is not a good deal. They have private installers that have to pay back a fee to HD to get their installation business. It is better to find your own installer based on reputation and word-of-mouth.

You probably should find your installer before you buy the cabinets from HD, because the installer can tell you what to do to make sure that the cabinets are delivered as promised.

A little bit of research, understanding, and thinking, goes a lot farther than an after-the-fact, whining rant.

Posted by: brownwards at October 28, 2009 7:22 PM in response to Home Depot /Kraftmaid Horror Story

For kicks
I worked for kraftmaid for 3 years. 1.5 years in customer service, another 1.5 years in quality and a couple months in management.

Just some error correction from many of the above comments

UPS does not require signature confirmation. I now run a graphics and sign production company and they often leave boxes in my workshop when I am not even here.

Lowes typically has better trained designers than Home Depot, but local shops are usually far better as they usually have vested interest in your home. Lowes and Home Depot reps are often hired with minimal experience and training no matter what brand and they work off commission. Kraftmaid cannot control this.

The mullion glass door thing is true. There is a totally different process for prepping and shipping these doors and they always ship separate as they glass/mullions is far more often shattered when shipped with the regular boxes.

Shipping to Brooklynne is a huge problem for many companies as many shipping companies sub their shipments out to other companies when approaching the NY area. There are NY delivery driver and there is the rest of the country. Kraftmaid does not own or run their shipping, it is run by cardinal logistics. Even then when I worked in customer service I dealt with about a dozen shipping companies every week. So one company would complete a shipment in Arizona, another in NY. Different companies, different drivers with different attitides, all outside of Kraftmaid's control and you can only push so far with business contracts

And Kraftmaid does not have a factory in Florida.....3 in NE Ohio that function as 1 whole and 1 in Salt Lake City

Posted by: starbiter at November 18, 2009 3:40 PM in response to Home Depot /Kraftmaid Horror Story

We are going on our fourth year with Kraftmaid cabinets installed. I guess we were lucky when we ordered from Home Depot, Marysville, Wa. Our kitchen saleperson was actually a kitchen cabinet maker/installer in his previous years. He was very informative and did a great job helping us through the selection process. The shipment arrived all at once and although there were a few issues with door front flaws (very minor) and one door in the wrong color, KM shipped us perfect replacements for them within 7 days to our door. I installed the cabinets myself and they went in great and the fit (thanks to Home depot's careful measurements) was incredible. So, perhaps we were the lucky ones. I would probably buy KM again based on my experience, and through the same home depot. By the way, the same salesman still works there after 4 years.

Posted by: funkykeys1 at December 19, 2009 12:13 PM in response to Home Depot /Kraftmaid Horror Story