TJR's Profile
Author's Posts
May 30, 2009
Noisy business
A business opened across the street from me. They move a large speaker in front of the store and blast loud music that goes straight into my apartment. I asked them twice nicely to turn it down and they said they would. But they didn't.
Is there anything I can do about this? Any advice is appreciated.
February 9, 2009
Are cherry doors a good investme
I'm replacing all the doors in my coop. I'm not painting the new doors. I'm staining them a "mocha" color.
If I buy cherry wood doors, the cost is $5,141 as opposed to Hemlock, which is $1,978. I actually like the look of the Hemlock wood more than Cherry.
If I get the Cherry, do you think I would get a return on this investment when I sell the apartment in 5 to 10 years?
How important is the quality of wood?
Thanks!
October 1, 2008
Joint compound or plaster of paris?
A former owner had wallpapered the ceiling of my bathroom. I've scraped it off but in places, the plaster has come off all the way down to the cement.
To patch it, should I use joint compound or plaster of paris?
Thanks so much for your help.
September 21, 2008
Bathroom ceiling plastering question
The ceiling in my bathroom was wallpapered and I have been scraping it off. I have found there to be 2 layers of material on the ceiling under the wallpaper. One is a solid, smooth brown layer. Under that looks like a very thin tissue paper and then the plaster. At places, the brown layer practically falls off, in others it takes off deep pieces of plaster if I try to remove it.
I plan to tile the part of the ceiling over the tub and skim coat the rest of the ceiling.
My question is, should I attempt to remove the brown layer? Also, how long in my bathroom can the ceiling remain exposed all the way down to the plaster?
Thanks for your help,
TJ
September 15, 2008
Is it possible to renovate a 6 by 8 bathroom for $12,000?
Someone from New York Kitchen & Bathroom (NYKB) just told me that I will be "miserable" and "Good Luck!" when I told him my budget was $12,000 for a small bathroom reno. Is this budget so low it warrants being treated like such a worthless pauper by these companies?
What I need to have done is:
1. Redo the ceiling and install overhead lighting
2. Replace iron tub
3. Replace tile on walls and floor
4. Install new vanity
5. Install 3 feet of cabinetry
6. Install a new radiator cover
I’ve already called a few contractors I have found here on this forum. But so far, no one has called me back. Can you give me some good opinions on whether I will be able to do this within a budget? Also, can you give me some more recommendations for contractors?
Author's Comments
I bought my coop apartment last year and paid only 10% down. I didn't want to do it, but the apartment that I had lived in for 8 years was due to become unstabilized with my 01/01/2009 lease renewal and I was afraid that the rent would be raised to market value and I would have to move (way out of my neighborhood) anyway.
Even though I didn't have a lot of cash, my coop board accepted me based on my credit rating and solid, steady job history. When I was the cash-poor buyer, I thought that having a strict coop board was a negative because I thought it eliminated potential buyers when you want to sell. But I have since changed my mind. Now that I'm in the coop, I think it's wise to want your fellow shareholders to be as financially responsible and have a healthy debt ratio.
The bank appraised my coop at 7% higher than my purchase price. So I guess this means that if the market drops more than 17%, my mortgage will be higher than the value of my shares. But I don't think this makes me a liability to my fellow shareholders. I'm a considerate neighbor who always pays my maintenance (and all other bills) on time and I have a healthy savings account, so I don't understand why they would be concerned about me just because I paid 10% down.
I don't regret my decision to buy with 10 % down. But my advice would be to stay put in this market until you can afford the 20%. My old apartment was also tiny and I felt cramped. But if you can just deal with the space problem a little longer, I would wait. Definitely wait.
Posted by: TJR at October 18, 2008 9:37 AM in response to Mortgage for Coop with 90% financing
I'm a traditionalist so I'm not so keen on this design. I do like the open floorplan concept. But this feels like a loft to me. And having a loft in a brownstone just feels off. I think it's possible to open it up but I like the idea of having half walls or beams to add some sort of delineation of the functional spaces.
Posted by: TJR at October 12, 2008 5:10 PM in response to considering open floor plan for our place
I just wanted to thank everyone for the helpful comments.
We tried for about four hours to work with plaster. But the stuff would get hard within 3 minutes to the point we couldn't work with it. We got about 3 square feet done in the four hours and then gave up after nearly pulling our hair out and passing out from exhaustion. I now agree that working with plaster if you are an amateur is extremely difficult.
We ended up using structolite as a base and then skim coating with joint compound. For now, the ceiling looks great. If it doesn't last, I'm definitely going with a professional next time.
Posted by: TJR at October 11, 2008 2:23 PM in response to Joint compound or plaster of paris?
I just wanted to shout out a huge thank you to everyone who responded to my post here. You've given me lots of great ideas and I feel encouraged again that this can be done.
Thanks again.
Posted by: TJR at September 18, 2008 7:46 AM in response to Is it possible to renovate a 6 by 8 bathroom for $12,000?
Responses to Author's Forum Comments
I'm late here, but in case you are still checking in, I redid my 5x7 three years ago for $8400, replaced everything except the tub--undermount ceramic sink, vanity, toilet, silestone extended countertop, kohler faucets in tub and sink. I didn't go over the top (except with the $800 toilet, don't ask).. Picked black and white ceramic tile and did not tile walls, decided expense wasn't worth it, I'd rather paint. Very happy with results. Used Cambria Remodeling, nice to deal with, cleaned up well, came in on schedule.
718-759-0466
Posted by: westernnygirl at September 20, 2008 10:18 AM in response to Is it possible to renovate a 6 by 8 bathroom for $12,000?
Call my Contractor, they were even placed in a magazine and there work was on TV twice.
IEB @ 718.204.2552
PK
Posted by: Bklyn1 at September 20, 2008 4:22 PM in response to Is it possible to renovate a 6 by 8 bathroom for $12,000?
LMAO! Listen, I'll tell you something about NYKB: They're CROOKS. They ruined my apt and walked off my job and kept my money (which they DIDN'T--contrary to state LAW--place in escrow). Oh, and my bathroom? They messed up the tiling so badly that it ALL had to be ripped out and redone by another company. So I paid twice. Be thankful those SOBs treated you like a "pauper" and sneered at your budget. If they come back to you wanting your business, take it from me: Say "no way" and hang up. If you don't you'll regret it for months (or, like me, for years).
Posted by: uessue at October 1, 2008 12:12 AM in response to Is it possible to renovate a 6 by 8 bathroom for $12,000?
I dunno, TJR, I've seen loft style spaces in brownstones, often in garden and basement levels, and it's really cool. The look suits its purpose and doesn't feel "off" in those spaces in the context of the house. But I agree for the parlor level unless the historical details are already gone or were never there or all that special, it feels very suburban townhouse to do the open layout on the parlor level. In general I'm with BH76, I don't understand the appeal of seeing the mess in the kitchen from the LR and DR, or getting the noise back and forth from kitchen to LR. But that's a rarity. Most people love open layouts. So they can watch the kids and have togetherness and whatnot.
Posted by: traditionalmod at October 14, 2008 10:25 AM in response to considering open floor plan for our place
This is slightly off topic, but what are the repurcussions if your shares fall below the value of your mortgage (assuming 1. you plan on staying in your place for 10 years or more, and 2. you believe the market will rebound in that time)? If you believe the NY market will stay strong or will get weaker but rebound before you decide to sell, I would think this shouldn't be a big deal? Also, I'm not sure how the appraisal factors in - if it's too low I understand that the bank will not lend the money, but what if it's just a little more than the price you are purchasing for? Is that a bad sign?
Posted by: spyre98 at October 20, 2008 5:34 PM in response to Mortgage for Coop with 90% financing
Cherry is oiled... if you have any cherry wood anything, don't stain it mocha for chrissake. A beautiful cherry tree gave it's life for your furniture -- its plan was not to look like a stained piece of pine!
Posted by: tybur6 at February 10, 2009 10:54 AM in response to Are cherry doors a good investme
I agree with tybur6 - Cherry will darken over time - to start by staining it dark is nuts.
Go with the cheaper wood that you prefer anyway.
Posted by: SenatorStreet at February 10, 2009 11:28 AM in response to Are cherry doors a good investme
chances are whoever buys your place won't even know what species of wood your doors are. Case in point: the PO's of our place insisted the woodwork was "maple." Uh, no, it's red oak. They lived here for 15 years or so and even stripped some of it with a paint gun.
I agree that if you spend a little more on decent hinges (Baldwin, von Morris) and a nice lockset that it will give your doors some "wow" factor, especially if you keep the brass clean and shiny (I'd go for lacquered).
Posted by: Bolder at February 10, 2009 8:54 PM in response to Are cherry doors a good investme
Thanks to everyone for the replies. I'm going with the hemlock.
Thanks again. This board is so helpful!
Posted by: TJR at February 10, 2009 9:48 AM in response to Are cherry doors a good investme