Actually I was wrong. The Landing made out mortar mix and gravel. The steps are made out of brown stone blocks. Can I paint it over with Ames solution?

Posted by: bobjohn at November 20, 2009 1:29 PM in response to How to Paint Stoop?

In other words. I did not have problems with BRW and would recommend them.

Posted by: bobjohn at November 19, 2009 11:08 PM in response to Replacing Windows/Brownstone

I bought a few windows from Bay Ridge Windows. I installed them myself so cannot make representation here. They are Ok. The only problem: they forget to call you when windows arrive. Otherwise no problems.

Posted by: bobjohn at November 19, 2009 11:07 PM in response to Replacing Windows/Brownstone

Hm Bentley is an ostentatious car. I wander how is best to communicate with Bentley owner in record industry. :)

Posted by: bobjohn at November 19, 2009 7:32 PM in response to Illegal Business Next Door

hannible: "if you can't pay the mortgage with the rental income then the house is not worth that price plain and simple!"

this is quite different from what CFA books say about NPV and time-value-money.

Posted by: bobjohn at November 19, 2009 10:28 AM in response to Habitable? Financing? Time-Bomb?

Actually I do not mind to use BX everywhere. Preferably 10 gauge everywhere. I have all CAT5 and thermostat wires in conduits. I probably should start trend of pulling BX inside of rigid conduit.

Posted by: bobjohn at November 18, 2009 6:41 PM in response to Cost of Bathroom in Basement

The bathroom is right under the shaft where windows from 1st and 2nd floor bathrooms look. so I wanted to vent into the shaft. It sits right next to the stack. The floor is made of soft concrete and I wanted to break concrete and dig to the main stack myself leaving plumber only with plumbing part.

I will use pre-fab shower and probably even no sink - just a faucet on top of the toilet (I saw bunch of these in Tokyo).

Posted by: bobjohn at November 18, 2009 4:49 PM in response to Cost of Bathroom in Basement

Petebklyn - it is above of the waste main.
Houses next to ours have batrooms and I believe they never had problems with waste coming back up.

Posted by: bobjohn at November 18, 2009 3:33 PM in response to Cost of Bathroom in Basement

JimHill, thank you for explanation. Do you think the architect can take a look an point out at the "obvious violations" before DOB gets involved?

Posted by: bobjohn at November 18, 2009 2:44 PM in response to Cost of Bathroom in Basement

Who sigend the lease agreement? I suspect it should have LL contact info. Also what would be a legal basis to deny your contacting LL... Unless LL is your ex with restraining order.

Posted by: bobjohn at November 17, 2009 7:19 PM in response to Contacting Landlord

if wiring is up to date it is easy. if wiring is old you can make boo-boo. if wiring is not in electric box you can set house on fire.
here is how pros do it: http://www.flixxy.com/helicopter-cable-inspector.htm

Posted by: bobjohn at November 15, 2009 1:35 AM in response to Changing Light Fixture

I did it myself. I use rustoleum kit.

Posted by: bobjohn at November 13, 2009 6:44 PM in response to Bath Tub Advice Needed

do you want to remove the kid or the neighbor or the floor? :)

Posted by: bobjohn at November 13, 2009 2:02 PM in response to Marker on Wood Floor

You can stop by at local scrap metal yard and ask them to arrange something. One yard located next to Lawes. Another is next to HD in Coney Island. (is it a coincedence?).

I did it before. The guy, who took my scrap metal can be reached at: 347-922-1423. Call him and explain your situation.

Posted by: bobjohn at November 13, 2009 2:00 PM in response to Junking a Radiator?

cmu. thanks for explanation. Since there is no drier connected to the outlet at this time, I will just disconnect the whole circuit and come back to the point, whenever the tenant will want to install the drier.
A one more follow up: does 30A 2-phase breaker caries 30A on each phase or on both phases combined?

Posted by: bobjohn at November 13, 2009 1:53 PM in response to Weird 2-Phase Wiring

try to clean heater: find went on the side and let some water out. be sure not to get scolded.

Posted by: bobjohn at November 12, 2009 10:51 PM in response to Hot water problem. Help!

check what your lease documents say about it. in any case selling is a lengthy process and you will have planty of time. also you might want to carry the lease over to new landlord.

Posted by: bobjohn at November 11, 2009 8:40 PM in response to Landlord Selling Building

I usually go to Russian mechanics and ask them somebody who goes to the dealer auction. Basically dealer will buy you car from the auction and charge ~$200 for this.
This is way cheaper then looking around on the dealer lots.

Posted by: bobjohn at November 11, 2009 9:33 AM in response to used car dealers

please ignore this post. the poc fixed itself.

Posted by: bobjohn at November 8, 2009 11:25 AM in response to Fridge Makes Ticking Sound

the little balls fall out. so the inner rail is very loose relatively to the outer rail. I need to buy the replacement assembly. Installing is not that difficult. Than you for attention in any case.

Posted by: bobjohn at November 7, 2009 12:28 PM in response to Drawer Rails

sounds like you make stereotype out of any male involved in home improvement. And the eman got in crossfire by proxy.

Males of all different occupations have very strange thoughts about women. It just hardware supply store blokes do not talk to any women so when they see you they cannot hold their ideas.

Posted by: bobjohn at November 6, 2009 9:55 AM in response to Contractors & Chauvinism

mopar these are metal ball bearing rails.

Posted by: bobjohn at November 6, 2009 9:42 AM in response to Drawer Rails

IMBY is my hero

Posted by: bobjohn at November 4, 2009 7:28 PM in response to Mouse Infestation - Help!

frame it and put fake brick panels over it :)

Posted by: bobjohn at November 4, 2009 3:33 PM in response to Sealing Brick Fireplace

oh and it was converted from gravity-fed hot water wood/coal burning furnace into circulator-forced furnace burning oil. So efficiency in not the name of this game.

I try to convince myself that if time will get tough and I will have no money to pay for oil. I will burn furneture for heat :)... And I can dispose corpses in it for fee :)

Posted by: bobjohn at November 3, 2009 10:08 PM in response to Furnace 'False Starts'

chaps. I completely agree. We got the house a year ago and will replace boiler coming spring. We would do it past summer but in light of continued recession, we wanted to keep more cash on hands in case of employment difficulties, etc.

Posted by: bobjohn at November 3, 2009 10:02 PM in response to Furnace 'False Starts'

we posted on craigs list and got tenant signing lease 13 days latter. Brokers do not do magic. Just look at supply-demand and put reasonable price. Make good picture / description and people will come in.

... or maybe right now is slower time of the year.

Posted by: bobjohn at November 3, 2009 9:56 PM in response to Landlord Paying Broker?

I use to live next to fire house and latter next to police station. None of these bothered me. On the other side ambulances and garbage trucks are very anoing.

Posted by: bobjohn at November 3, 2009 9:51 PM in response to 11th Street Firehouses

second the sniffing dog point. The dog visit costs ~$200-300. Much cheaper then try to get rid of the bugs latter.

Posted by: bobjohn at November 3, 2009 9:49 PM in response to Bed Bug Early Detection

soliciting sx... hm economy recovering. :)

Posted by: bobjohn at November 3, 2009 2:53 PM in response to Illegal Dumping, Drugs, Rats

my furnace built in 1910. It turns itself on when water temperature goes bellow 150F. Thermostat controls the water circulator not the burner.

Posted by: bobjohn at November 3, 2009 2:47 PM in response to Furnace 'False Starts'

I usually stop by at the nurseries when we drive to upstate or to Vermont.

I cannot comment on prices. They are driven by supply/demand as I understand. Also just think how much effort is to grow a tree.

"Installing" tree is pretty straightforward process. Small trees are not heavy and will not damage your back. If you try to not get dirty - get latex gloves.

The most important is the location of the tree. Read about amount of sun it needs. Think about the composition of the garden. Also think how this tree will affect surrounding when it grows up. Tree next to the house can damage foundation wall or waste pipe or fence.

Posted by: bobjohn at November 1, 2009 9:12 AM in response to Where to Buy Small Tree?

I found phone bill and letters from 1912. I framed them and put on the wall in hallway.

Posted by: bobjohn at October 29, 2009 11:02 PM in response to Creepy Crawls in the Walls

the cramping tool to put RJ45 connectors cost ~$40 and box of connectors cost ~$7. You do not need permit to do anything with CAT5, you cannot set house on fire unless you connect it to the power wires and you cannot burn computer if you connect RJ45 the wrong way. So I do not see why it would stop you from doing it yourself.

Posted by: bobjohn at October 29, 2009 10:08 PM in response to Brownstone Ethernet Network

LL responsibilities end at calling exterminators. And they did it. AFAIK

Posted by: bobjohn at October 29, 2009 5:22 PM in response to Bed Bugs

BTW, if you do reno and thinking about recessed lighting opportunity, maybe it would make sense to put wires in place. Latter if you decide on it - make holes and hook up cans.

Posted by: bobjohn at October 29, 2009 1:55 PM in response to Thoughts on Recessed Lighting

it is wise to do what wife said.

Posted by: bobjohn at October 29, 2009 9:33 AM in response to Thoughts on Recessed Lighting

Call Master Plymber or eman1234. Both very respectable and professional.

Posted by: bobjohn at October 28, 2009 11:22 PM in response to Uneven Heat in Building

I bough this epoxy re glazing kit http://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-7860519-Refinishing-2-Part-White/dp/B000PTSBKW/ref=pd_cp_hi_1 and did it myself. So far I did not see any issues with the finish. Preparation took quite long time.
Besides having respirator, I would suggest to put big fan in the window and run it on high during the process and few hours after the process.

Posted by: bobjohn at October 28, 2009 11:10 PM in response to Epoxy Painting Bathtub

it is all sounds like more escalation of the situation with RS client. If you take him to the court for water, he will do something else.
Sounds like your tenant is passive-aggressive. He lives water running for 1-2hours. He goes to court and then pays the rent. Maybe he will get use to idea of not having the roof access and the thing will blow off?

Posted by: bobjohn at October 25, 2009 9:23 AM in response to Tenant Leaving Water On

you know, that you will not be able to use mosquito net, window AC units or child window bars with this windows.

otherwise they suppose to better isolate drafts.

Posted by: bobjohn at October 22, 2009 3:56 PM in response to Tilt & Turn

great house.

Posted by: bobjohn at October 22, 2009 1:46 PM in response to Major Facade Restoration

roof insulation is very important (warm air moves up)

check all doors for draft. Especially attic door and the roof hatch. check skylight draft.
Check basement windows/doors/other places of draft.
tune up furnace/radiators
check the thermostat settings

Just consider yourself lucky - brick townhouse much better then detached frame house.

Posted by: bobjohn at October 21, 2009 3:45 PM in response to Weatherizing My Brownstone

your boiler looks scarier then mine. I have one from 1910 which was converted from firewood to coal and then to oil and then replaced oil pump.

Posted by: bobjohn at October 19, 2009 10:21 PM in response to Question for MasterPlvmber

neighbors will not be happy.

Posted by: bobjohn at October 19, 2009 10:19 PM in response to Change from 2- to 4-Family

I am sure there is bunch of them on craigs list and ebay. But if you buy something used and cheap and will have to replace it soonish, you probably will pay more for labor and replacement.

Posted by: bobjohn at October 19, 2009 10:17 PM in response to ISO: Inexpensive gas furnace

it is quite "post-industrial" to build studio from ground up with industrial style. I guess you mean to take an industrial space and convert it into studio.

Posted by: bobjohn at October 17, 2009 3:27 PM in response to To Build, or Not

sliding doors have three parts: two regular door panels (without martises) and rail. Door panels and the rails can be bought in any door shop. Use Bay Ridge windows & doors (ad on the right). Rail costs $60 or something.

Installation can be funky.

Posted by: bobjohn at October 15, 2009 11:00 PM in response to Where to Sliding Pocket Doors?

I am sure the seller will make all sorts of concessions for somebody with id "tiny kitten" :)

Posted by: bobjohn at October 13, 2009 11:43 PM in response to Offer Advice for 1st Timer

mm-mmmm bed bug express

Posted by: bobjohn at October 9, 2009 11:22 PM in response to Antique Shops

hannible.....you're a complete moron if you think prices are going back to 1996 levels. More of an uneducated fool than I thought.

An uninhabitable house will not qualify for a mortgage. There have to be functioning bathrooms, kitchens and electricity. You can get certain commercial loans for it if it will be an investment property and you can try Community Preservation Corp as well but not if you plan to occupy it.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 19, 2009 4:06 PM in response to Habitable? Financing? Time-Bomb?

You must get a 203K. As of July, you could do it with only 3.5 percent down -- but that was on a conforming loan and this is more. And yes, you have to live in it. Adam is right, call Wells Fargo, they do a lot of 203K loans. Anyway, sounds like a world-class hassle. Will take one or two years to renovate.

Posted by: mopar at November 19, 2009 5:06 PM in response to Habitable? Financing? Time-Bomb?

To tell you the truth, the only things that are serious and that the city will compel him to fix are the roaches and no hot water. Also, for the roaches, all he's required to do is pay for an exterminator. They won't actually eliminate the roaches, especially if the problem is being created by tenants.

Posted by: mopar at November 19, 2009 5:20 PM in response to Contacting Landlord

Thanks y'all for your helpful advice!
You confirmed what I was thinking and you provided some extra thought-avenues.
Very helpful!

Posted by: brownlime at November 19, 2009 5:25 PM in response to Habitable? Financing? Time-Bomb?

Just be careful if you go the 203k route. It won't cover all the repairs and there is a ton of red tape with them. I've heard and been involved with some horror stories with them. That is why I am for the moment passing on these types of deals.

Posted by: Adam Dahill at November 19, 2009 6:00 PM in response to Habitable? Financing? Time-Bomb?

Thanks Adam.
I'll look into 203k with caution.

Posted by: brownlime at November 19, 2009 6:09 PM in response to Habitable? Financing? Time-Bomb?

I sympathize, I have a Trust Fund DJ living next door who illegally sub divided the house to accomadate tenants. A single family house now used as a two family. The noise was unbearable, like living in a bass drum. I banged on his door(non-working bell) and told him that my lawyer advised me to speak to him about the volume and persistence of his music and could he please lower it so we both could avoid legal issues. That has worked some. DOB never showed up, the PD never showed up, five to ten calls to 311. If you tell the FD that the roof has holes and the back of the building is in danger of collapse and your worried about the fireman's safety, you may get the FD to send a report to the Buildings Dept.(an A-8). Complain, complain, complain the squeaky wheel gets the grease in this city. Document, document,document, time called, date called, person spoken to, etc. finally, get a lawyer.

Posted by: Grumpy at November 19, 2009 9:19 PM in response to Illegal Business Next Door

I don't think 100k per floor may be a good estimate because you may find a lot of structural work, and for what you say not only you may need to build the inside (water damage is very pervasive, you might find mold everywhere, may end up having to re-do absolutely every wall and every floor) and extensive outside repairs, which can be really expensive.
On the other hand if you need a mortgage and won't find lenders for this place (at a reasonable rate) I guess you'll have to continue looking... if so, remember that a place where you can live while it's being renovated, while painful, may be cheaper overall (you won't have to pay rent while paying mortgage, your insurance will be cheaper if you live in the building etc.)

Posted by: Ray at November 19, 2009 9:35 PM in response to Habitable? Financing? Time-Bomb?

Ray,

Thanks for the words of caution.
They confirm my thoughts: The discount on this brownstone should be great enough to cover the not-unlikely problems that may arise, including structural problems. (Assuming I could even obtain financing).

Posted by: brownlime at November 19, 2009 10:30 PM in response to Habitable? Financing? Time-Bomb?

In other words. I did not have problems with BRW and would recommend them.

Posted by: bobjohn at November 19, 2009 11:08 PM in response to Replacing Windows/Brownstone