We have soapstone countertops from Teixeira, too. We're happy with ours, and i agree with all of the comments above. One thing to note, though, is that Teixeira sells lots of different kinds of soapstone. Some kinds are softer than others. Some are naturally more light gray (when not oiled) and others are naturally a bit darker. Some have veining and some do not. If you like the dark look, you'll have to oil quite a bit no matter what you buy, but if you're worried about maintenance you might pick one that is naturally a bit darker.

Also, we had them carve a drainboard into the countertop next to the sink for drying dishes. It works great, and it's a pleasure to not have to have a big dishrack on the countertop at all times.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at September 15, 2009 9:32 AM in response to Sopstne Kitchen Countertops

We had our soil tested by the UMass Amherst soil lab, which you should be able to find pretty easily online. We had the results in a couple weeks. (Bottom line: High lead content, so we had to build raised beds.)

Posted by: brooklynrulz at May 4, 2009 2:19 PM in response to Soil testing

Sounds more than reasonable to me. I think the price could easily end up being below $5/sq ft -- about $2-2.50 to install and then $1.50-$2.00 to sand/seal.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at April 28, 2009 9:27 AM in response to Installing new wood floor

A couple of years ago we did a similar project: new staircase to the roof with new bulkhead, steel running from party wall to party wall, and a new cedar deck built on top of the steel substructure. Contractors' bids varied dramatically, but we ended up having the whole thing done for about $60-65k, including the cost of the architect/expeditor.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at April 22, 2009 9:36 AM in response to Stairs to Roof and Bulkhead...

Talk to Ted from Capital One Construction. He has done three projects for us (everything from two new bathrooms to a total gut of a brownstone) and he is great. Smart, honest, affordable and very fast. His main weakness is that he isn't terribly savvy with historic fabric. Tell him Andrew from Underhill Ave sent you. 917 577 5839.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at March 19, 2009 11:13 AM in response to General Contractor Recommends

Ivan, 917 568 7574, did a terrific job and was very pleasant to work with. I think his prices were good too. He did interior work for us, but I wouldn't be surprised if he also did exteriors.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at March 19, 2009 11:04 AM in response to painting fire escape

also keep in mind that any new molding will likely not be nearly as nice as the old stuff, which will one day be reflected in your resale price.

and yes, joe salem is a pleasure to work with.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at March 10, 2009 8:11 PM in response to Stripping interior moldings

(917) 642 2752

Posted by: brooklynrulz at March 10, 2009 8:06 PM in response to floors

We have some pairs in our basement, too, though probably not 54" tall. Email us at brooklynrulz@gmail.com.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at February 17, 2009 10:35 AM in response to Pocket Shutters

Lee's Studio on 57th St in Manhattan has lots of bathroom lights on display. Some are expensive, but some are reasonable.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at February 16, 2009 9:00 AM in response to Historic-ish lighting Not $$$$$?

Mind sharing your expeditor? We're at a similar stage and the quotes that we are getting are substantially higher than $2k.
brooklynrulz@gmail.com

Posted by: brooklynrulz at February 13, 2009 1:53 PM in response to C of O change without Expeditor

I, too, think it wise to hire an expert to help you work through this, particularly for the first couple years. You will most likely make your money back, and then some.

To answer your questions, though, and bearing in mind that i am not an expert: Repairs made to the rental unit (ie, new lightbulbs, mousetrap, etc.) can be deducted 100% off of your rental income (but not as against your salary income). Longer-term improvements (new water main, plasterwork, kitchen cabinets, etc.) attributable to the rental are depreciated on 27.5 yr schedule, again, only as against the rental income, not salary income. If the improvement relates to the whole house (like the water main), you'd only depreciate 33% of the overall cost, in your case, if you're using the 1-of-3-floors-is-rental metric. But rather than use the 1/3 metric, you could potentially be better off going with a per-square-foot metric. Depends on your mortgage interest, rental income, and many other factors.

1/3 of gas, water sounds right. Electricity might be different if they pay their own electric bill.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at February 10, 2009 9:35 AM in response to Rental taxes and deductions

Isn't the old CofO from 1940 still technically in place until a new one is pulled? I would have thought that what you have is a building with the old CofO, and some uncompleted, filed work. The bank might not want to close with that either, but it's a little different than having no CofO at all.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at February 5, 2009 1:12 PM in response to HELP: Cert. of Occ. issue

Happy to discuss the architect further - email me at brooklynrulz@gmail.com

Posted by: brooklynrulz at February 3, 2009 5:49 PM in response to The Need for Construction Plans?

The tradeoff, by the way, is not only the money, but also the time: No architect means that you will spend countless hours picking out all of the details and finishings. I spent more than 3 hours online and on the phone just figuring out what kind of hinges we needed for our old, heavy doors: ball-bearing? 2- or 3-per door? 4" or 4.5" or 5"? It's a full-time job. I'd do it the same way again, but know what you're getting into.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at February 3, 2009 1:41 PM in response to The Need for Construction Plans?

We recently completed a (near) gut on a 2-fam, 4-story brownstone while working on a tight budget. It's a matter of tradeoffs: we opted to spend relatively less money on architects so that we'd have more money to spend elsewhere (HVAC, nice floors, etc.), but it was very helpful to have the architects at least do the floor layout and one or two kitchen elevations, and they ended up costing us less than $10k. That, to us, was money well spent, as the layout is something that we would not have thought of ourselves, and it's very permanent. Some things (like appliances, etc.) can be upgraded and improved later. When doing the gut, i'd advise that you focus on getting the more permanent things (plumbing, electrical, layout, etc.) done right.

One way that we maintained control over the overall cost was by telling the contractor to exclude from his price all of the appliances, fixtures, tiles, woodwork (moldings, doors), floorboards, etc. (Basically, his price was demo, structural, plumbing, electrical, floor insallation, new windows, walls, kitchen/bath installations.) As costs in one part of the project (say, the boiler) increased, we were able to decide for ourselves from where to save money(say, bathroom tiles).

Posted by: brooklynrulz at February 3, 2009 1:33 PM in response to The Need for Construction Plans?

I should add: Building is attached. Insulation was put in both the front and back walls, and the roof, as part of the renovation. 3150 sq ft total (all 4 floors).

Posted by: brooklynrulz at January 30, 2009 11:04 AM in response to Cost of monthly heating?

$300 for January, cold month. 4-story, 2-fam brownstone, recently renovated. New high-efficiency Weil-Mclein gas boiler. Baseboard radiators on garden floor, hydronic heat on parlor and upper floors. New windows, which makes a HUGE difference. Garden apt was 70 day, 66 night. Upstairs apartment: Weekend was about 70 during the day, off at night (and by morning it would still be in the low 60s); weekday was set for 70 for just a couple hours in the morning, and a couple hours in the evening.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at January 30, 2009 11:02 AM in response to Cost of monthly heating?

We moved to Prospect Heights from Park Slope recently (with a 2-yr-old). The primary motivation was more space, but we also really like the friendly, neighborhood vibe here. Vanderbilt has good restaurants and amenities, and we are only a couple blocks from 7th and 5th Avenues in Park Slope. Close to the trains (23BQ), Prospect Park, the farmer's market at Grand Army Plaza, library, etc. As for schools, you should try to speak with some of the parents who have been active with PS 9.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at January 21, 2009 10:39 AM in response to Prospect Heights

1- One of the best ways to increase property values in Brooklyn (anywhere, really) is to reduce traffic (houses on quiet streets are worth more than on highly trafficked streets).
2- One of the best ways to decrease traffic is to charge more to drive.
Every Brooklyn homeowner -- particularly those with a good transit option -- should favor tolling the bridges. Most of the traffic on Flatbush, Atlantic, Eastern Parkway, etc., is through traffic! Why are we paying the price for other people's convenience?

Posted by: brooklynrulz at December 5, 2008 12:27 PM in response to Majority of Readers Opposed to Bridge Tolls

Appia Marble 718 745 5309
824 62nd St between 8th and 9th ave, BK
(Sat open 9-2)

Appia custom-made our front door saddle. They have lots of selection and their price is reasonable. Best of all, they're a pleasure to deal with.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at October 29, 2008 8:57 AM in response to Front Door Stoop Step

I second that recommendation for Joe Salem. He did a terrific job for us stripping eight doors and some window moldings. He's a really nice guy and very reliable.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at October 9, 2008 7:33 PM in response to wood stripping

Maybe you can negotiate a reduction (5%?) in the purchase price. So as not to disturb all of your financing documents, it might be possible to arrange it as a credit paid by the seller to the buyer at closing. The lawyers could probably work something out.

It's possible that the seller would rather sell the unit for 5% less than pocket a 10% deposit but have an unsold unit on his hands. If so, and if the seller is afraid that you might walk, then maybe you can strike a deal.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at October 7, 2008 12:19 PM in response to Front Page Forum: Walk Away from Downpayment?

Against all of our architects / contractors / engineers' advice, we did not install a hood, and we're very happy with our decision. As long as your cabinets are a safe 24" above your stovetop you should be fine. As you have been fine without one so far...

Posted by: brooklynrulz at August 8, 2008 1:58 PM in response to stove hood

Yup, Panasonic is it!

Posted by: brooklynrulz at July 31, 2008 1:55 PM in response to Bathroom fan

Thanks for the info, Master P. We have the Ultra with the required venting, though only one for the house.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at July 28, 2008 4:17 PM in response to indirect water heater combo

Master Plvmber-
What type of venting would be necessary for the high efficiency route? And if high efficiency is available, what would you recommend?

Posted by: brooklynrulz at July 28, 2008 3:22 PM in response to indirect water heater combo

Forgot to mention that he said that the water tank is sufficiently insulated that it loses only 2 degrees in a 24-hour period.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at July 28, 2008 1:33 PM in response to indirect water heater combo

On our contractor's recommendation, we used a Weil McLean gas boiler plus indirect hot water tank. One boiler (and one water tank) for the whole house -- 4 story, 2 family. Seems to be working well, though i'm no expert in this area.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at July 28, 2008 1:31 PM in response to indirect water heater combo

I concur with the recommendations of Joe Salem at Woodzone. Reasonably priced. Good work. He stripped doors and window casings for us, and finished/restored newels.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at July 22, 2008 3:09 PM in response to Woodstrippers around Park Slope

The Parks Department rule used to be you had to own the house, but ever since PlaNYC and the Million Trees Initiative, anyone can request trees for any location. I requested several trees to be planted a couple of blocks away from my home and they were planted within 2-3 months (I think I made the request in the middle of the winter).

Posted by: brooklynrulz at July 17, 2008 9:10 AM in response to Street Trees

Regarding the bearing wall issue: While renovating a 17'10"-wide house in P Heights, we were surprised to discover that the floor joists were not resting on the wall in the middle. They ran straight from brick party wall to party wall. Our structural engineer had drawn up plans for putting in a steel beam, but scrapped them when he saw that the middle wall was not, in fact, bearing any load.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at July 14, 2008 5:32 PM in response to House of the Day: 615 2nd Street

You are going the right thing by getting a good tiler. Our general contractor recently installed penny tile in our bathroom, and although he is generally a good tiler, it turns out pennies are really hard to get just right. He did the best he could but they are very uneven -- it is very clear where each sheet of tiles ends. It drives me nuts but I don't want to have to pick everything up again.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at July 11, 2008 1:30 PM in response to Tiler Recommendation?

We faced the same dilemma a few months ago -- we wanted something new and clean but not overly modern, and most importantly we wanted something really striking (I think a beautiful floor makes a world of difference, at least as important as door/window casings etc.).

Anyway, we decided to go for long planks of rift and quartered white oak, finished in the most flat natural finish water-based poly.

It wasn't cheap -- $7 a foot I think (plus $1.5/SF for finishing) -- but it is absolutely stunning. When people walk in the door it is often the first thing they comment on.

I can send you some pics if it would help, send me an email at brooklynrulz@gmail.com.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at July 10, 2008 9:42 AM in response to Hardwood floor recomendation

We built a roofdeck a couple years ago. What we found was that a wood deck that rests directly on the roof could cover only 20% of the roof. But a deck that is built on steel beams that rest on the party walls can be covered with wood and cover more than 20% of the area of the roof. There are other restrictions however -- no flammable material can be used within 3 feet of the lot line. We got around that one by showing planters on those 3 feet. Another way to get around these antiquated fire regulations is to use ipe, which is a type of wood that is dense enough that it is not considered flammable.

You should talk to an architect who's built these before -- she'll be able to tell you exactly what the rules are.

Building the deck was a lot of trouble, but well worth it! We enjoyed it for several summers, and got back every penny we invested in it when it was time to sell.

Posted by: brooklynrulz at April 17, 2008 9:59 AM in response to Wood Deck... Don't Get it!

These are not all in new york but since i did a search a few weeks ago:

Farrow & Ball
Mod Green Pod
Cavern Home
Graham and Brown
Rapture and Wright
Ferm Living
Nama Rococo
Flavor League
Cole and Son
Wall Collection
Hamilton Weston
"the future perfect" in williamsburg 718 599 6278
• Wallpaper by Timorous Beasties (UK)
• Hybrid Wallpaper by Nice (UK)
• Cowboy Wallpaper from Cath Kidston (UK)
• Walldecoration by Toni Kjeld (DK)
• Explosive Wallpaper by Maxalot
• Animalflowers by Hanna Werning (DK)
• Traditional Wallpaper by Farrow Ball
• Flavorpaper by Flavor League
• Wallcoverings by Eijffinger (NL)
• Wallpaper by Twenty2
• Wallpaper by Nama Rococo

Posted by: brooklynrulz at March 25, 2008 5:05 PM in response to wallpaper

Owner here: Both tubs are on the short side, perfect for an apartment. One is 4'3", the other 4'5". Both are 30" wide. Both are in need of being reglazed but don't have rust and have never been painted.

I apologize to all the people I haven't been able to respond to personally. I have been deluged with emails. I'm working my way through them and will continue to until everything is given away.

Juliette
brooklynrulz@gmail.com

Posted by: brooklynrulz at January 25, 2008 1:37 PM in response to Salvage materials to give away

Don't use Don Perrone. His company did a bathroom renovation mid-January which he said would take 6-8 days to finish. 2 months later and I'm still waiting for his plumber Doug to come replace the shower body that he broke. I call and text and email and they either don't return my calls or they don't show up when they say they're coming or they keep saying tomorrow, tomorrow. Not to mention, Doug put in my new tub not knowing how to install the trip lever (which stops the drainage), and I wound up with a really cheap push drainer because the trip lever will not function unless he removes the tub. STAY AWAY from these guys.

Posted by: butterlane at March 20, 2009 5:34 PM in response to General Contractor Recommends

Don't use Don Perrone. His company did a bathroom renovation mid-January which he said would take 6-8 days to finish. 2 months later and I'm still waiting for his plumber Doug to come replace the shower body that he broke. I call and text and email and they either don't return my calls or they don't show up when they say they're coming or they keep saying tomorrow, tomorrow. Not to mention, Doug put in my new tub not knowing how to install the trip lever (which stops the drainage), and I wound up with a really cheap push drainer because the trip lever will not function unless he removes the tub. STAY AWAY from these guys.

Posted by: butterlane at March 20, 2009 5:35 PM in response to General Contractor Recommends

Don't use Don Perrone. His company did a bathroom renovation mid-January which he said would take 6-8 days to finish. 2 months later and I'm still waiting for his plumber Doug to come replace the shower body that he broke. I call and text and email and they either don't return my calls or they don't show up when they say they're coming or they keep saying tomorrow, tomorrow. Not to mention, Doug put in my new tub not knowing how to install the trip lever (which stops the drainage), and I wound up with a really cheap push drainer because the trip lever will not function unless he removes the tub. STAY AWAY from these guys.

Posted by: butterlane at March 20, 2009 5:35 PM in response to General Contractor Recommends

I did a gut renovation a year ago-everything from the lathe on up-custom finishes, moving plumbing and electrical, installing soundproofing, new windows. I was very pleased with the professional job done by the contractor, Andy at 917-584-7286. A hard-working crew, polite and unobtrusive-We finished within 2 weeks of the schedule. The contractor is smart, solved some complicated problems for me and helped me save some money. Loved the finishes, and the attention to detail. Andy's a pro, and I recommend him with pleasure.

Posted by: Simon Hawthorne at March 20, 2009 8:24 PM in response to General Contractor Recommends

Simon Hawthorne--does Andy the Contractor have a last name?

Posted by: smokinbarn at March 21, 2009 11:45 AM in response to General Contractor Recommends

Hello,
I am an Architect with much townhouse renovation experience...including construction managing (some) projects myself. That is, I oversee the construction, coordinate the trades, make decisions in the field, bid out and hire the subcontractors for select projects as required. I usually work with a handful of contractors that have given me good results on projects.
This service, construction management, is not always required. I tell you this because I not only provide clients with design and construction documents, but I also know how to build and detail and interface with contractors in the field.
I have a small practice and would love to speak with you about your project. I have my own expeditor and we have gone through the townhouse conversion/renovation process many times over...our fees are reasonable. I have a sliding scale depending on the project and client requirements.
If you wish to connect you can reach me at ra@andradearchitecture.com

Posted by: lucara926 at March 25, 2009 1:34 PM in response to The Need for Construction Plans?

I HIGHLY RECCAMEND A GUY NAME ANDY (917 676 8000) HE WAS VERY PROFESSIONAL AND REASONABLE

Posted by: fitzroy at March 25, 2009 6:07 PM in response to painting fire escape

perfect spot for my comment,

youve got all the reasons needed to hire the right architect for your needs. its like going to a pet shop to spend 300k on a fish tank and thinking you can pick out a bunch of stuff and throw it together and it will work. you need the guy who knows what fish can live together and what size filter will sustain them.

My comment is this: after hiring an architect, you should hire your own expediter directly paid by you. im writing an article on the subject and my short advice is that if you hire the expediter you dont get the excuses that 2ND CENTS got from his/her architect. you control the process you know exactly where things stand because the expediter works for you!

i can say its kinda like letting the bank hire your closing lawyer. you want to get the real story all through the process. In your case Scott is going to hire an expediter, mark up the fee, and tell him or her what to tell you! thats if you ever get to talk to the expediter at all!

also when you say 5k to file the permits it says you dont have the whole process covered. you need him to go all the way to signing the job off before he gets all the payment. i can tell you stories about the many "clean-up" jobs i am asked to do that stem from focusing on getting to the permit by any means neccessary, causing un-fixable problems at inspection and sign off time.

last tidbit, when your contractor builds something different from what is on the DOB drawings, you will have to ammend the plans filed. make sure that is encompassed in the 5k. if so 5k is not alot

Posted by: dexpediter at April 20, 2009 8:09 PM in response to The Need for Construction Plans?

That price is in the ballpark which is all you can expect over the phone. It could be considerably more if you find the masonry or joists have deteriorated which is very common.The existing roof may be under built to begin with and compromised over time=$$$$
A small spiral stair would be much cheaper as the roof opening is smaller and requires much less demolition and structural work and the stairs can be prefabed

Posted by: edifice rex at April 22, 2009 12:40 PM in response to Stairs to Roof and Bulkhead...

Thank you everyone for the advice and information.

Posted by: Anav at April 22, 2009 3:06 PM in response to Stairs to Roof and Bulkhead...