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I wandered in there during an open house a few weeks ago and walked through several apartments on a few floors.

It's not just the steep stairs (and they are very steep) and the low height mezzanine. It's the front windows that look out on the car service place and the back that looks into a small shaded enclosed courtyard. It's the very high ceilings relative to the room size - way taller than wide/deep - that make the rooms appear even smaller, it's the flashy kitchens that take up too much space relative to the size of the living area and some odd layouts.

The entire building was open and under construction. Finish materials (appliances/cabinets/counters) were installed in apartments where rough construction was still going on, the rough construction was sloppy, the finish was sloppy (picture door casing notched for a wall switch that was installed too close to the door). If there was a model apartment, I didn't see it. It was a sunny afternoon and most of the rooms seemed dark. The exterior was also sloppy in places and gave the appearance of being high maintenance. The pricing seemed silly.

On the plus side there seemed to be good closet space.

Posted by: jfss at November 20, 2008 10:35 PM in response to Price Cuts at the Satori

The view out the front windows is of the school and it's not pretty. I think the price reflects that.

If you're at work all day you won't notice the student presence but if you're home it is really noisy and can be rowdy. Also the school buses picking up idle right in front of that house for a long time. Otherwise it's a quiet block. Projects are not an issue.

It is 1 block from the train, not 3.

How big is the back yard ?

Posted by: jfss at November 13, 2008 8:28 PM in response to House of the Day: 356 President Street

Try Star Metal in Brooklyn. He cast new stair railing for me from pieces I supplied as models, one of which was a large round ball on a round base. He may know where to get it.

When I was looking architecural iron (townhouselady's link) had a smaller ball but not bad looking. I thought they were out of business.

Posted by: jfss at November 10, 2008 6:56 PM in response to Cast iron Ball caps for new newell

I can't give you specifics but the city views a 2 family as primarily the owners home which has a rental apartment and a 3 family as primarily a business where the owner happens to live. There are fewer building department requirements for a 2 family than a 3. Since you are planning on building an addition you will be inviting the DB into your home for inspections and they can violate you on anything they see which may be a non issue for a 2 family. As far as taxes, I know that the city's current policy is to not raise taxes for improvements to 2 family houses even though they have the right to. 3 family houses may also fall under that policy but you need to be sure.

OTOH, it has been my experience that smaller apartments are easier to rent than large apartments and tenants stay longer in the smaller apts. Also it is unlikely that both rentals will be vacant at the same time so you don't lose all your rental income when the apt turns over.

Posted by: jfss at November 7, 2008 7:24 PM in response to 3 Family vs. 2 Family

Me and My Egg Roll is on Court St where it's always been.

Posted by: jfss at November 6, 2008 11:06 PM in response to Streetlevel: New Café on Smith Street

I saw the picture you posted and it could be a picture of the back of my house. About 15 years ago I had it evaluated by a top of the line, highly experienced mason who recommended brushing the bricks gently to remove whatever sealer was loose and point in the few places that needed it. That's what I did and it's unlikely to ever need more maintenance by me (and I plan on dying here and being buried in either the backyard or cellar).

As stated above, unless you are getting interior wall deterioration you should not coat brick with anything. It needs to breathe - it absorbs moisture and then dries out. Any coating traps moisture and promotes deterioration.

I have seen the wire lathe jobs fail within a few years and require removal.

Posted by: jfss at November 6, 2008 10:44 PM in response to To Thorocote or not to Thorocote, that is the question

denton has it covered. I went through everything z suggested and more when I needed access to my neighbor's property to do building department approved work. Information sharing during planning, assurances, payment offers, formal contractor meetings, intermediary negotiations, significant additional cost for the design to be aesthetically pleasing on their side rather than the functional cheaper solution (and more) were all rejected my my irrational neighbors. I spent a couple of thousand on an attorney to get them to cooperate.

Although they were consistently rude (including foot stamping temper tantrums), at no time was I rude or inconsiderate. They had just gotten used to telling me what to do and they expected me to obey.

In spite of what vinca said, neighbors don't dictate what you can build on your property, the building department does. A building's light and air requirements come from their own property, not neighboring property and if they don't own the view then it isn't theirs to lose.

Get a tough guy attorney.

Posted by: jfss at November 5, 2008 9:51 PM in response to Need advice on neighbor relations during construction

A few years ago there was a mix up and they didn't have my name in the book so I was required to fill out a paper ballot. I asked them when it would be counted. They told me it would not be counted or even opened unless the results were close and/or there was a challenge.

It's worth my time to go to my polling place to have my vote counted no matter what. I want to contribute to the mandate I'm hoping for.

Posted by: jfss at November 4, 2008 7:46 PM in response to Long Lines, Everywhere

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

Posted by: jfss at October 29, 2008 6:25 PM in response to Adobe Flash Popup

I'm not familiar with the current market but based on my experience with the 89-93 economic downturn, it took a while for contractors to lower prices but eventually they did.

In '92 I was in the right place / right time. I had brownstone refacing, cornice and door restoration done and contractors were responsive and prices had come down. I used a top notch contractor who I would not have been able to afford a couple of years earlier. He was still very expensive but his price had come down enough. When the market picked up his prices skyrocketed.

Construction has been slow in New Jersey for a while but is just starting to affect NY. Wait a while.

Posted by: jfss at October 23, 2008 8:39 PM in response to Renovation & Construction Costs

It's not fixed yet.

Posted by: jfss at October 23, 2008 8:26 PM in response to Adobe/Google Pop-Problem Fixed?

I'm still getting it.

Posted by: jfss at October 22, 2008 7:42 PM in response to Adobe Pop Up Surfing brownstoner

My original was white marble (which was broken). The vestibule is black and white marble. I had white marble installed and lucky for me the contractor installed it incorrectly. The bright new white saddle made the 130 year old vestibule look terrible. I had it redone in black granite before honing was available. If it were honed it would match the black in the vestibule exactly. The second door has a wood saddle.

Posted by: jfss at October 22, 2008 7:02 PM in response to Saddle material for new entry doors?

I used Mainman 9 years ago to replace my lead water main. Efficient, competitively priced, showed up when they said they would. If I need the sewer done I would have them back but so far it hasn't been necesary.

Posted by: jfss at October 21, 2008 9:20 PM in response to Like a lead......... pipe?

I signed up through MrLandlord.com. As an individual owner you need to submit proof of ownership and a few other things to justify why you need a credit report but there is no sign-up fee and there is not a site inspection. For a management company there is. They have sample application forms which I simplified and used.

You need to sign up in advance and snail mail the forms to them but they send you a login and you get the credit reports online.

Posted by: jfss at October 20, 2008 7:31 PM in response to Landlord credit/reference check

Blame the victims bkn4life. Right.

Posted by: jfss at October 16, 2008 7:21 PM in response to Quote of the Day

How could there be no comments on this photo ! Where is it ? What is it ? Someone please explain.

Posted by: jfss at October 16, 2008 7:14 PM in response to Thursday Blogwrap

Do not assume because you can see brick that you can use the fp for wood burning unless the work outlined above has been completed - you are risking a serious fire.

The cast iron insert is identical to those on my fireplaces. They were gas fired. There was an insert inside that produced flames - somewhat similiar concept to gas logs that you see in restaurant fireplaces. My inserts were gone but the gas valves to turn them on located next to the fireplaces were (are) still there.

I lined my flues (terra cotta), installed dampers and rebuilt the fireboxes with firebrick. Expensive and messy. The firebox is really too small for a nice wood fire but a Duraflame log with one or two pieces of wood for effect works nicely.

Posted by: jfss at October 16, 2008 7:00 PM in response to Form is lovely, but what about function?

People get tickets for drinking beer on their stoops but fire code and safety violations are OK ??? How does that work ?

Posted by: jfss at October 15, 2008 9:16 PM in response to Wednesday Blogwrap

The DOB rules on code; Landmarks rules on aesthetics. The building department will not approve plans for any work on a landmark building until after the Landmark Commission rules. If the exterior is not visible from a public thoroughfare the Landmark Commission issues a Certificate of No Effect and has no jurisdiction over any part of the design.

The concept of private property is alive and well. If the addition meets the building code it doesn't matter what the neighbors want. Light and air requirements are met based on your property; your neighbor's property is not a factor and shade from a neighboring addition is irrelevant.

Unless that house is on a really deep lot, it looks like it exceeds the limits. However the limits are based on mathematical calculations not looks so maybe it is within limits.

Posted by: jfss at October 14, 2008 10:43 PM in response to A Sexy Behind for 139 Lincoln Place?

No you aren't. Pass on anyone charging for an estimate. It's the cost of doing business.

Posted by: jfss at September 24, 2008 10:54 PM in response to sidewalk repair

It isn't a layout I could live with functionally and spent real money building an addition to accomodate a working kitchen on the parlor floor. I use the front parlor as a living room and back parlor as dining room.

Posted by: jfss at September 24, 2008 10:31 PM in response to double parlors

You are on the right track looking for a skilled mason. From my experience, the masons from Spain who apprenticed there know what you're talking about and how to do it right. The trick is to find the good ones. They come to NY from Spain around April and work until almost Christmas when they go back to Spain. The good ones will likely be booked for this season.

I don't think either of the two masonry contractors I used will take a repointing job. I learned everything you explained in your post (and more) from Edson Construction when he instructed me re my brickwork after he had refaced my brownstone. I used Costas Construction for brick pointing plus much more masonry work. Last I heard he is doing strictly brownstone refacing and his lead time is 2 years.

Posted by: jfss at August 20, 2008 9:17 PM in response to rec for a truly expert, knowledgabe mason?

Lots of people are giving you bad information. Ed Towns' office is very interested in where planes fly and in the past his office was working closely with the FAA. I know one flight path is supposed to be over the Gowanus Canal but it's easier for them to go at an angle over dense residential so they were taking the short cut. Towns office put a stop to that quickly. Just call his office. I've called the one on Court St about a couple of different issues over the years and found them very responsive.

You wouldn't be so entertained if they were flying low over your house every 4-6 minutes - in Carroll Gardens which is not exactly near an airport. And then there was the time a blue blob about 6-8" diameter landed in my front yard. And you know what that is. It came straight down and went through a thick, hard crust of ice over snow. Not acceptable.

Call your Congressman.

Posted by: jfss at August 13, 2008 9:43 PM in response to Commerical Airplane flying over Prospect Park

If you do a lot of stove top cooking, especially frying there is a huge difference between an exhaust fan or window and a real hood with exterior venting. Most people I know currently and knew growing up had hoods and they did not have pro ranges. They cooked.

In addition to removing cooking odors, a hood traps steam, smoke and grease when then does not get deposited on you walls, ceilings, cabinets and furniture. You house just stays cleaner.

If you don't cook much then it doesn't make much difference.

I have a recirculating fan with charoal filter in my rental apartment. When my tenant cooks fish with the fan on, I don't know it. With the fan off, I smell it. It does nothing for grease or smoke.

Posted by: jfss at August 8, 2008 10:48 PM in response to stove hood

I've used Benjamin Moore latex on my risers (hot water heat) for 25 years with no problem. I use gold metalic on the radiators because I like the look.

Posted by: jfss at August 6, 2008 10:19 PM in response to Painting the Heat Pipe

He might be OK for a sidewalk but I wouldn't hire him again.

A few years ago, after seeing his work (there were strengths (masonry) and weaknesses (finish carpentry) visible in the jobs I saw), I hired him for a very extensive job (six figures, 5 years ago). He was doing an even bigger job a few blocks away where he spent his time and sent some unskilled laborers to work my job. My back cellar steps that he did are uneven, ugly crap as compared with my front cellar steps previously done by other masons that I specified as a model. After detailed discussion about the height of a slab, he poured the slab for an addition 2.5" higher than spec, making the finished wood floor higher than the rest of the house (nice tripping hazard in my retirement apartment). He flooded my cellar regularly. There were many more serious mistakes. The last straw was that he sheathed the extension not per spec. It was actually better than spec but the architect (another person to avoid) refused to approve it. Mike re-did it per spec and then asked me for payment for 90% completion when he was about 40% complete. I refused and he walked off the job leaving a huge mess, the house open to the elements and not secure, with no drainage, no sump pump, no roof leader, thereby flooding the cellar with every rain, addition roof leaking, custom Marvin windows uninstalled and getting rained on, etc, etc.

I don't think he's a bad person, but he made a mess for me and demonstrated consistent bad judgement.

I'd appreciate knowing who you use for your bluestone sidewald.

Posted by: jfss at August 6, 2008 10:12 PM in response to Seeking any feedback on Everlast Custom Construction for Bluestone Sidewalk Repair

i am glad you asked this question--i have been wondering about this too. I just wish the downturn would make these contractors easier to work with--despite the economic downturn-my contractor walks around like a total primadonna and always acts like he is doing me some kind of favor. Meanwhile I am working 80 hours a week to pay him. Seems kind of f-ed up.

Posted by: HomeSweetstuy at October 25, 2008 5:04 PM in response to Renovation & Construction Costs

Still getting the Adobe pop-up with IE....

Posted by: bookgrlny at October 27, 2008 3:04 PM in response to Adobe/Google Pop-Problem Fixed?

Ongoing opposition by neighbor...........................................................1
Use of word "dictate" in my post (actual or implied).............................0
Success to date of "tough guy attorney".............................................0
Need of Brownstoner advice in light of attorney failure.........................1
Time, aggravation, cost of funding attorney................TBD, and growing
Future goodwill between neighbors.......................TBD, and diminishing

Posted by: vinca at November 6, 2008 11:08 AM in response to Need advice on neighbor relations during construction

Thanks everybody for the advice. Am going to talk to the pointing guy and see why he thinks I should do it. As I understand him, what he wants to do is just brush it (paint it on) with this waterproofing coating. But it sounds like most people think this is a bad idea so I will probably tell him not to do it. Thanks again for the info.

Posted by: wasder at November 6, 2008 11:16 PM in response to To Thorocote or not to Thorocote, that is the question

Don't forget, you will also have to change the certificate of occupancy. I haven't done it, but I believe it can be a headache.

Posted by: hoffster at November 8, 2008 5:06 PM in response to 3 Family vs. 2 Family

The NYT ran an article (in 2005) on how certain changes (including changes in classification) might cause the City to reassess your property for property tax purposes. Not sure what effect decreasing the apartments would have.

See http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/20/realestate/20cov.html?_r=1&scp=8&sq=property%20tax%20harlem&st=cse&oref=slogin.

Posted by: butterfingers at November 8, 2008 10:02 PM in response to 3 Family vs. 2 Family

Given the necessary permits, you can reconfigure as you describe without changing the CO, and probably preferable NOT to change CO. (If you were going the other direction, from 2-family to three, a change in CO would be required.) I am pretty sure that whether 2 or 3-family, you will remain in Tax Class 1 (Tax Class is different than Building Class). If configured as 4 or more, you would move into Tax Class 2 (higher rate of taxation). Since you're considering major renovations, you should discuss all this with your architect.

Posted by: vinca at November 9, 2008 12:34 AM in response to 3 Family vs. 2 Family

Yes it's pain to change the COO but tax wise it will pay off. I'm sure you have heard stories about angry renters calling the City and telling them that the Landlord has an illegal apt. that he/she rents out.
The City takes that seriously, the reson: it is cheaper to have a 2family than 3 family house, tax wise of course.

Thinking long term-do it!

Posted by: karo25 at November 10, 2008 9:42 AM in response to 3 Family vs. 2 Family

I appreciate everyone's input.

I am learning that, because we live in an area where there is not even an inch between us and our neighbors, sticky situations arise when the inevitable time comes for repairs/expansions. I know that sooner or later, the time will come for my neighbors to make their repairs, too.

Thank you, Denton, Z and jfss, for taking the time out to share your helpful and informative advice with me.

Posted by: newcomertobrownstones at November 11, 2008 12:21 PM in response to Need advice on neighbor relations during construction

If you plan to file the conversion at the DOB you will have to file for an Alt type I, which implies change in occupancy. Not only is this more time consuming, expensive, and intricate, but the applications make it compulsory for the building to completely comply to code. Nightmare.

If you want to live the building as a two family, then try to buy a two family only.

Also keep in mind that a three family unit will have all the meters separated (three total) so you will have two meters serving one unit, this applies to gas, water and electricity for most buildings.

Also, for resale value, if you are making an illegal conversion and thinking of removing meters, there will be written record of the illegal conversion, and the next owners may ask that the building get a cert from DOB. This will force you to open up walls and get a through inspection when you least want it.

I strongly advise againt this.
Good luck!

Posted by: ssimonpietri at November 11, 2008 11:45 PM in response to 3 Family vs. 2 Family