too high. would definitely have checked it out

Posted by: brownie77 at February 18, 2009 3:37 PM in response to Oil/Steam Pressure Questions

I would not take a risk with gas. Call your gas company and tell them you smell gas. They will send someone within the next hour and it's free.

Posted by: brownie77 at February 18, 2009 3:35 PM in response to gas leak?

I asked MP to quote for me on an oil-to-gas conversion for a 3 family. They were twice as expensive as an average of 8 quotes ! So they're good but beware, extremely expensive !

Posted by: brownie77 at February 18, 2009 3:29 PM in response to Boilers 1 vs 4 separate boilers

I got 8 estimates recently. Was looking for a package deal - company taking care of everything including tank removal, etc .... so I would only deal with one guy (even if they have to subcontract some of the work, just wanted 1 interlocutor). Cheapest quote was $6200. Most expensive was $18K (from Master P by the way). Most of the estimates came between $6200-$8500.
Hope it helps.
Cheers.

Posted by: brownie77 at February 5, 2009 3:23 PM in response to Oil to Gas Conversion: Questions

I got 8 estimates recently. Was looking for a package deal - company taking of everything including tank removal, etc .... Cheapest quote was $6200. Most expensive was $18K (from Master P by the way). Most of the estimates came between $6200-$8500.

Posted by: brownie77 at February 5, 2009 3:22 PM in response to Oil to Gas Conversion: Questions

it's because assessed values are ridiculously low and need to catch up ...

Posted by: brownie77 at February 3, 2009 10:48 AM in response to S#!t Outta Luck: Values Down, Taxes Up

when you convert from oil to gas, keyspan gives boiler for free (or $600, ie almost free). I got many quotes (from about 10 reputable plumbers) and they all came around $6k-$8k (new boiler + new water heater) except from Master Plumber. His estimate came at $18k. Ooops !

Posted by: brownie77 at January 27, 2009 3:14 PM in response to Hi-efficiency on the cheap(er).

Thanks so much for your quick reply, Master Plumber !
The first explanation seems to make sense as I know that one of my tenant upstairs turns her radiator knob on and off as a way to regulate the heat.

Is it a problem ? Should I try to solve it or will the water level come down automatically ?

Posted by: brownie77 at January 26, 2009 8:55 AM in response to Boiler Water Gauge Glass

you need one per floor so it gets expensive if you have 4 or 5 floors brownstone

Posted by: brownie77 at January 26, 2009 7:54 AM in response to Tankless Water heaters

Get Mr. Slim A/C

Posted by: brownie77 at January 23, 2009 5:05 PM in response to Banishing my AC units

Saw the house as well during an Open House. Amazing property. Tons of space, tasteful renovation and 4 car garage ! In the best neighborhood in Brooklyn, Cobble Hill so no surprise !

Posted by: brownie77 at January 17, 2009 4:12 PM in response to 155 Warren Sells; Highest Price Ever in Cobble Hill?

Cobble Hill by far. It's got the best of both neighborhoods !

Posted by: brownie77 at January 17, 2009 4:08 PM in response to Brooklyn Heights OR Park Slope?

Paid $2.69 on my last 260 gallons delivery. I figure my delivery guy takes about 50-75 cent premium for the delivery and the maintenance he does at each delivery for free. 50c on 260 gallons, that's $130 dollars. Seems fair to me for delivery and maintenance.

I use Scarlino Oil.

Posted by: brownie77 at January 11, 2009 1:31 PM in response to oil prices

BOB MARVIN - Don't know about you but my browstone dated 1850 has been through a few cement repatches on the facade - otherwise would be in dire state. I was talking about the cement mix that contractors use to resurface brownstone facade. Depending on the color and quality of the cement mix, this will granularity and color of your brownstone facade.
Clearly you don't own a brownstone.

BRICKS ARE BORING !

Posted by: brownie77 at January 9, 2009 9:29 AM in response to House of the Day: 295 Pacific Street

Dave - just wanted to be accurate - that's all really - not discrimating at all. I do own a brownstone (and not a brick house) and I actually find there's a lot to learn about brownstones - I mean the mix used to achieve different colors - cheap pink or deep dark beautiful brown. I think brownstones have more character but that's only my opinion. Bricks are boring.

Posted by: brownie77 at January 8, 2009 4:30 PM in response to House of the Day: 295 Pacific Street

Also for fun, look back at the 147St James - House of the Day blog. Everyone of you who commented back then was so wrong! The house did sell for $1,930,000 in Clinton Hill !!!

As I've always said, townhouses/brownstones vs. condos, 2 very very very different type of buyers. Can't compare.

Posted by: brownie77 at January 8, 2009 3:58 PM in response to House of the Day: 295 Pacific Street

This is low-end townhouse (brick not brownstone). Would say $500/sqft is a fair price in this market for low-end stuff. 2744*500=$1.372mil. So here you go, about $1.3.

Posted by: brownie77 at January 8, 2009 3:49 PM in response to House of the Day: 295 Pacific Street

Chestnut is terrible. Had my worse meal in a long time there !

Posted by: brownie77 at January 7, 2009 3:53 PM in response to Quote of the Day

I have about 4,000sqft (about 1,000sqft per floor) in my brownstone (5,000sqft if I include the basement). Where can I get a 4,000sqft condo ?1!?!?1?!!?!?1?1?1

Yes maintaining a brownstone is expensive but no more than paying maintenance fees on a 5,000sqft condo !!!

Posted by: brownie77 at January 5, 2009 4:40 PM in response to Quote of the Day

Tolls or more tolls means fewer cars on the road and less traffic. So please yes, toll all these bridges.

Posted by: brownie77 at December 4, 2008 11:08 AM in response to Adding Tolls to Brooklyn Bridges?

I am not surprised. After 10 years in Manhattan, I moved about 1 year ago to Brooklyn, Cobble Hill. If I knew, I would have moved much earlier. Beautiful brownstones streets, it's quiet and CIVILIZED ! Still lacking the top quality service industry (restaurants, etc ...not as good as Manhattan) but the quality of life is just so much better.
GO BROOKLYN !

Posted by: brownie77 at November 26, 2008 9:57 AM in response to Wanna Save Money? Leave Brooklyn For Manhattan

Seems like a decent deal. Your break-eben point is at about 30% down, ie about $600k down and a mortgage of about $1.4mil. Then it clearly pays for itself (inc. taxes and heating bills). So if you got the cash, I would say it's a good investment.

Posted by: brownie77 at November 25, 2008 2:22 PM in response to House of the Day: 208 Carroll Street

Petebklyn - you're pathetic !

Posted by: brownie77 at November 21, 2008 11:41 AM in response to AMNY Does Cobble Hill

Couldn't agree more. I relunctantly left NY city 12 months ago to buy and move in Cobble Hill as my family was growing and I am SO in love. I wasn't sure what to expect from Brooklyn after 10 years in Manhattan so I went thru an extensive and very long search of all neighborhoods in Brooklyn and ended up in what I considered the best: Cobble Hill. It is the second closest after BH but let's say more affordable.
I have been pleasantly surprised. Ok .... restaurants are clearly not up to par (and I have tried all the best ones), and it's hard to find the same level of convenience (as far as proximity of your gym ,massage place, beauty salon, yoga studio, dry cleaner, pharmacy, no whole foods, bla bla bla) but I definitely found peace and civilized people. It is so quiet (no more loud FDNY and NYPD sirens) and I actually know and enjoy my neighbors. We help each other out everytime we can (from sweeping the leaves, to looking after their house when they're gone, from putting the garbage off the streets after it's been collected).

Recently at a brunch, a friend who lives in Park Slope complained about his scooter that recently got trashed while parked outside on his block, another complained about the constant subway noise in Dumbo to the point you cant even have a discussion outside and the other one complained about the street noise in Boerum Hill. Frankly, I couldn't come up with one complaint about Cobble Hill.

Posted by: brownie77 at November 20, 2008 3:47 PM in response to AMNY Does Cobble Hill

127 Congress St -
$2.2mil for the lower duplex. Whouah ! That would bring the whole house value to about $3.5mil (if you discount for the upper floor and no outdoor). Go Cobble Hill !

Posted by: brownie77 at November 19, 2008 11:10 AM in response to Last Week's Biggest Sales

I couldn't agree more. Just look at where the foreclosures are happening ! Bad neighborhoods ! You wouldn't want to live there anyway.

Posted by: brownie77 at November 18, 2008 4:12 PM in response to Quote of the Day

you guys been in this hood at night. its scary. i hear wolfs are howling around the canal.

Posted by: brownie77 at November 13, 2008 3:22 PM in response to House of the Day: 356 President Street

Petebklyn. That's exactly my point my friend, which is you don't know your neighbors before you move in and you could spend millions sometimes and end up next to some crazy neighbors. I know tons of people who've spent millions on brownstones and ended next to crazy neighbors. A guy had a huge pool installed in his backyard during the summer and was throwing some insane parties. Fun if you're single, a little less fun if you're a family.
Anyway, I see an empty lot next door on the pic here. Any development planned there. If this is the case, then that should drive the price down.

Posted by: brownie77 at November 13, 2008 3:15 PM in response to House of the Day: 356 President Street

i disagree - i am sorry you didn't get it. What i am saying is that the price seems reasonable for that part of town. Few blocks west would have been over $2MM, no prob, 2 blocks east probably another $100k or $200k less. Amazing how a few blocks make a difference.
I was referencing neighbors as a difficult factor to gauge when buying brownstone or townhouse. You can spend $4 or $5MM on a brownstone (in Brooklyn Heights or Cobble Hill for example) but even at that price, you would still be living right next door to someone who can turn out to be a nightmare. And most of the time, you actually don't know before you buy.
Neighbors can also mean empty lot like it seems to be the case on the picture. The buyer here should be aware of any future plan for real estate development. I thought I would throw it out there as too many postings unfortunately make very way too simplistic conclusions on prices. Real estate is a complicated business and prices are much more than just a price per sqft. Sorry for my long rambling ... Doesn't make much sense anyway. Just got extra time ;)

Posted by: brownie77 at November 13, 2008 3:11 PM in response to House of the Day: 356 President Street

For the location (Gowanus to me even if it's still officially CG) it seems reasonable. As long as you don't mind who you might end up with as neighbors. That's one thing people don't realize when they buy this multi-million brownstone. You might choose your location and whether it's fixed or not to your taste but you don't choose your neighbors. That's why different neighborhoods command different prices (even sometimes a block makes the difference) because in this part of town I wouldn't be too picky about neighbors.

Posted by: brownie77 at November 13, 2008 2:10 PM in response to House of the Day: 356 President Street

Denton. No heat yet ! Where do you live ?

Posted by: brownie77 at November 4, 2008 4:19 PM in response to Calling MasterPlvmber!

GKW - clearly you don't get it. You talk about business news on TV or in the papers when I am talking about brownstones in prime Brooklyn neighborhoods. The brownstone market in landmark districts is very different from the stock market or the commodity market. 1BR or 2BR in a high rise brand new building might be more subject to fluctuation but my point is that the $2-3mil+ brownstones in prime Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill or Park Slope are being bought by people who will actually live there and most of the time raise families there for many many years to come.
look at the comment by "idisagree" (which made quote of the day by the way). When it's about life in a neighborhood, it's rock solid. As I said, 1 or 2BR in high rise are flooding the market and therefore will go down more.

Once again, in life, you really get what you pay for.

Posted by: brownie77 at November 4, 2008 3:40 PM in response to Last Week's Biggest Sales

Well said my friend ! Finally somebody who understands real estate. Bravo ;)

Posted by: brownie77 at November 4, 2008 3:29 PM in response to Quote of the Day

well GKW, that's not a dream, is it ? Seems to be reality actually. Look at the national real estate market and look how much we've come down. Clearly we can't be too far from bottom. Clearly it hasn't affected the brownstone market in brooklyn (I am talking nice brownstones not brick rowhouse on a sheety block).
It's like everything else my friends. You always get what you pay for.

Posted by: brownie77 at November 4, 2008 11:54 AM in response to Last Week's Biggest Sales

No surprise here. The "brownstone market" is a very specific one. Not much supply anyway. Brownstones in the historical and landmark districts of Brooklyn will always hold their value.

Posted by: brownie77 at November 4, 2008 11:19 AM in response to Last Week's Biggest Sales

Any plumbing company would come and do an estimate for free. Go with someone else.

Posted by: brownie77 at October 31, 2008 2:55 PM in response to rec's for oil to gas conversion (plumber?)

Completely with you, Mattt and NorthHeights. Zips cross over neighborhoods and vice-versa. A ranking by neighborhood would have made much more sense.

Besides, I would add that the $1mil threshold seems rather low if the point is to try to define "luxury". $1 mil these days in real estate doesn't get you much and if their point was really to address "luxury" sales, I would probably have set a higher threshold than $1mil.

Posted by: brownie77 at October 31, 2008 11:34 AM in response to Sheepshead Bay: Fifth Most Luxurious Neighborhood

I think the "writing a letter" is a good suggestion indeed. Collecting datas and posting them on a website is very different than analyzing these datas. PropShark is very useful when it comes to collect datas but all they did here was to present datas according to a ranking which I thought didn't make any sense in terms of what you get from it. Hopefully that closes the argument. No harm, Biff Champion. Nice arguing with you ;)

Posted by: brownie77 at October 31, 2008 11:25 AM in response to Sheepshead Bay: Fifth Most Luxurious Neighborhood

Thank you NorthHeights. I am happy to see that some people got it. The point was indeed that this ranking by zip and number of luxury sales is just useless.

Posted by: brownie77 at October 31, 2008 11:09 AM in response to Sheepshead Bay: Fifth Most Luxurious Neighborhood

Once again Big Champ you dont get it. If your measure is the number of luxury sales, then go back to school and take a few extra classes in math. Median price is a better indicator. Obviously, you would know (if you would actually know what you're talking about) that the top end sales of brownstones of Cobble Hill come second to the ones of Brooklyn Heights. But, anyway, I am done with you. Waste of my precious time.

Posted by: brownie77 at October 31, 2008 11:06 AM in response to Sheepshead Bay: Fifth Most Luxurious Neighborhood

No kidding ! But you see Ros Biff, the problem with blogs these days is that it gets populated with jokers like you and therefore lost some of their appeal. If you like to crack up jokes, i'll send you a few links where you can really express yourself ;)

Posted by: brownie77 at October 31, 2008 11:01 AM in response to Sheepshead Bay: Fifth Most Luxurious Neighborhood

looks like it's broken down by zip code. I agree with Carol Gardens, that classification by zip code is not very representative. Cobble Hill is included in 11231. By itself, Cobble Hill would most likely be second to Brooklyn Heights. Real estate is very very local, beyond zip codes obviously.
Obviously stupid comment from Biff the Champ.

Posted by: brownie77 at October 31, 2008 10:42 AM in response to Sheepshead Bay: Fifth Most Luxurious Neighborhood

I couldn't agree more. I was myself a hard core Manhattanite for many years until I discovered Brooklyn. My reaction was the same. People are nicer, it is greener, it is prettier. It just feels civilized compared to Manhattan. I moved about a year ago in charming Cobble Hill and I love it. Now, each time my friends come over to visit from Manhattan, they have the same reaction. Since I moved, 3 of my friends have already followed. We are all very well paid professionals so it's not even a money issue but a real choice based on quality of life.

Posted by: brownie77 at October 6, 2008 3:37 PM in response to Quote of the Day

Best block on Henry, among some of the best blocks in Brooklyn so brownstone inventory is low so my guess is yes, it will catch close to asking.

Posted by: brownie77 at August 7, 2008 1:48 PM in response to House of the Day: 440 Henry Street

Terrible taste ! That's the problem. Poor guy, he would have use another architect or interior designer with some taste, it would have sold already !

Posted by: brownie77 at August 5, 2008 2:15 PM in response to House of the Day: 85 State Street

Clearly it will get ask or over ask considering the renovation. The neighborhood is clearly not the most wanted - not Brooklyn Heights or Cobble Hill - but fully renovated brownstones get double this price in these neighborhoods. I think considering the hood and the renovation and the square footage it will get at least asking price.

Posted by: brownie77 at July 25, 2008 7:51 PM in response to House of the Day: 210 Prospect Place

I got 8 estimates recently. Was looking for a package deal - company taking care of everything including tank removal, etc .... so I would only deal with one guy (even if they have to subcontract some of the work, just wanted 1 interlocutor). Cheapest quote was $6200. Most expensive was $18K (from Master P by the way). Most of the estimates came between $6200-$8500.
Hope it helps.
Cheers.

Posted by: brownie77 at February 5, 2009 3:23 PM in response to Oil to Gas Conversion: Questions

FYI, we converted from oil to gas in November, one pipe steam system, for $7500, $2000 or so of which was for an indirect (ultra stor) hot water system. It included removal and disposal of the two oil tanks in the basement. The boiler is a Burnham Independence, reg efficiency (82-84%).

Posted by: riis10 at February 5, 2009 5:38 PM in response to Oil to Gas Conversion: Questions

Christophe, you claimed in another post to have "10 plumbers" quote you on your boiler replacement job.
I suspect you haven't had it done yet because I see no permit in the system for your address. Either that or your plumber just didn't follow through with his responsibility to file.
Your building required a 12-section boiler. That's much bigger than most boilers we see in a residential building. The price I quoted you was more like $11,000, which is what the job was worth if you wanted it done well, with options for commercial and high-efficiency water heaters that certainly do cost more than standard equipment.
If I remember correctly, you were looking to gain efficiency with your new equipment. These were simply options. You were in no way obligated.
Now that you've posted this misleading claim three times, in two different threads, can we leave it that you got other prices more in line with your budget and stop what looks like a personal vendetta against my company?

I don't have a dime of your money and never will.

Move on.

Posted by: Master Plvmber at February 5, 2009 7:54 PM in response to Oil to Gas Conversion: Questions

Master Plumber, your comment above really caught my attention:

"Yeah, but there are lots of ways to green up your steam systems using conventional stuff."

I'd welcome any elaboration on that. Even looking at Burnham boilers, it appears all their EnergyStar-rated units are for hot water systems only, not steam....

Posted by: Roebling at February 5, 2009 9:51 PM in response to Hi-efficiency on the cheap(er).

To add a point to Master Plumber's excellent explanation above, I'd like to add a bit more regarding the architectural requirements for the enclosure room.

First of all, there is a breakdown between single family homes and multi-tenant dwellings. In the case of a single family home, a rated enclosure is not required (or wasn't prior to 2008 I don't know if the new code changed this).

So assuming you've got a multi-family building mechanical room, there is the question of when the building is built. If the building construction or entire boiler room is new, it must follow all aspects of the newly adopted code. If the boiler room existed prior to 1968, only aspects of it that are being modified would be required to be upgraded to current code. It's important to consider that codes are safety MINIMUMS, so that it's probably a better idea to upgrade to current safety standards anyway if possible.

Most inspectors would be looking for three at least different things on a mechanical room enclosure:

1. The door assembly would be fire proof and self-closing, with a UL fire rating of 1.5 hours (called a type "B" door and frame). I'm using the word assembly rather than just door since it means door, frame, and how the whole thing's attached to the wall. You can't place a rated door into a non-rated frame for compliance.

2. The assembly of the walls and ceiling would be 2 hour fire rated if the room is built post 1968. The integrity of the rated assembly would need to be certified by an engineer or architect. There are occasional posts on this forum saying things like fire rating equals a certain amount of sheetrock, like one layer of board, etc., which is not correct. Fire rating is determined by every component of the partition's assembly, materials of both sides of the wall or ceiling, taping methods, and stopping around any penetrations from things like pipes or conduits.

3. The fresh air intake would be appropriately sized and have a fire damper.

If the boiler room is old code (pre 1968), it is built prior to modern fire ratings, so the material standards of the enclosure are proscribed by a chapter in the 1916 code. This code is in some respects a bit more flexible and includes things like sheet metal enclosures. It is still up to an inspector's discretion to require that the room be brought to contemporary standards.

If an inspector is being a real stickler for some reason, then clearances and dimensions around the equipment come into play. The next circle of Hell would be compliance with MEA numbers for all installed components. This rarely comes up though.

I know that this is all a bit confusing but want to stress that there is no single answer for enclosure requirements. It is a mixture of overlapping codes, based on when the room was built, and requirements that are complex enough that the people who enforce them don't always fully know them.

Posted by: Smokychimp at February 6, 2009 12:36 PM in response to Oil to Gas Conversion: Questions

Smokychimp

Thanks for contributing to a thread that I hope will be helpful for many forum users looking at a conversion. This is very valuable information

In my case, this conversion is for a single-family house. So I realize the enclosure code may not be as strict.

However, I am dealing with the following spatial puzzle and I would welcome architectural input.

The footprint of this property includes a primary section that 17 feet wide by 38 feet deep. A secondary kitchen extension is 9 feet wide by 19 feet deep.

The chimney stack is on the left side of a passageway from the main section of the basement to the extension, so that dictates where the boiler must go. (It is currently in the larger section of the basement, immediately next to the stack).

A half-bath is on the right side of the passageway and an existing waste line and shower drain (no sink) dictate the location of that bath.

Unfortunately, the juxtaposition of the chimney stack and the bath lines creates a bit of a bottleneck in that section of the basement.

So while I would like to create a visual enclosure for the boiler for aesthetic reasons, I don't much clearance to do so.

That's why I raised the idea above of using some sort of ceiling to floor metal panels (similar to those found on radiator covers) These would be removable to service the boiler. And allow sufficient air flow, of course.

Have you ever seen such an enclosure? Or have an opinion on whether it would work?
Or another solution to the same issues of small clearance enclosure?

Posted by: Roebling at February 6, 2009 5:05 PM in response to Oil to Gas Conversion: Questions

Outstanding post, Smokychimp.
I've never had a clearer explanation of these points.

Posted by: Master Plvmber at February 6, 2009 5:17 PM in response to Oil to Gas Conversion: Questions

May I take this discussion of oil-to-gas conversion back a step?
I own a one-family attached brick house, circa 1910.
The oil furnace was relatively new when we bought the house in '97. I was advised at that time (by a plumber) not to spend the extra $ to convert. Oil was cheaper than gas, etc....
We haven't had heating problems. But the price of oil has gone up and recently we had a smoking/sooty problem that has me thinking again of possibly converting to gas. I consulted a plumber -- same guy as before -- and he still advises against it. Reasons: Something about better BTU with oil (vs gas); pressure from the street into homes is poor because so many homes have gas, so the furnace is "on" all the time, but the warmth isn't there...
I don't know what this plumber's angle is ... maybe doesn't want to be the last kid on the block using oil?!... but I'M thinking - Hey, should I just sit tight longer and see if, in a few years, maybe ..solar panels?! or something...won't be the way to go? I mean, if I'm spending so much $ to convert, let's convert to something that really will pay off.
So, my question is: What are the arguments FOR/AGAINST conversion? Obviously, up-front costs of conversion are in the AGAINST column. Back-end savings are in the FOR column. What else? Did this plumber have any good points, about the quality of the heat/ gas pressure / etc?
I really appreciate the help MP and others provide here.... May you all be blessed with trouble-free, affordable, sustainable warmth!

Posted by: crownheightshood at February 12, 2009 10:27 PM in response to Oil to Gas Conversion: Questions

Christophe, what is your problem? There is ***no way*** you were quoted half my price for the job I proposed. You said in another post you had "10 plumbers" give you prices. Is that a hobby for you? Because I don't see a permit in the DOB system showing you've had the work done. Either that or you hired some fly-by-night that didn't file the job.

Zuffy, I do free estimates all the time. What I don't do is free on-site problem solving or whole system evaluations.
You're right though, I do charge a fee for total system designs like this one. I've got to if I'm going to stand by it and guarantee it's going to work. It takes a lot of time and thought to get these things right.

Posted by: Master Plvmber at February 18, 2009 6:19 PM in response to Boilers 1 vs 4 separate boilers

mp..i think that brownie77 is either a former girlfriend or a client who lusted after you to no avail..lol

Posted by: eman1234 at February 18, 2009 8:11 PM in response to Boilers 1 vs 4 separate boilers