I live on that corner and was at home when it happened. As best as I can tell, a gypsy cab was coming down dekalb and clipped the front end of the SUV as it was heading south on waverly.

That flipped the SUV onto it's side and it slid down and hit the silver car parked on the corner.

And for all of you who were asking, both drivers seemed to be OK.

Posted by: kedalb at July 9, 2009 12:35 PM in response to Another Crash on Waverly

Just following up - Fred came in and fixed the issue as soon as we got back from our July 4 vacation - one of the pipes has a pinhole leak and the system wasn't remaining pressurized. He replaced the broken section and everything is running great now.

Let me re-iterate, I'm very happy with the work he and his crew have done, and feel terrible that his phone number change led me to doubt him.

If anyone wants to speak to me personally about the job or wants to take a look at our install, let me know.

Posted by: kedalb at July 9, 2009 11:21 AM in response to Wither Rumba Air?

Yep. I got in touch with him and he came the next day.

Despite the problem we are currently having, he is the best contractor we worked with throughout our entire renovation. If only all the other guys were as diligent as Fred & his crew.

Fingers crossed, the problem will be fixed soon.

Posted by: kedalb at July 2, 2009 4:22 PM in response to Wither Rumba Air?

It was a long shot, but I called their old fax number and was able to get in touch with Rumba Air. They are still around. You can reach them at 718 964 0341.

Posted by: kedalb at June 30, 2009 1:22 PM in response to Wither Rumba Air?

What about simply taking apart the washing machine? Usually the drum inside is the biggest component, but there is plenty of space inside the machine for the suspension. Removing the outer casing should leave you with plenty of wiggle room and will only cost you a few minutes of your time instead of $500.

Posted by: kedalb at December 16, 2008 12:03 PM in response to Help me, please. Need an Iron worker and not the Artistic Vinny of Vinny's Italian Art Iron works

There may be some variance among the scores as provided by the 3 credit reporting agencies. One may be missing a significant transaction, or may have miscategorized something. That said, they are usually pretty close to each other.

You can get a copy of your most recent report for free each year and you should check them out in detail to make sure there are no mistakes. Don't fall for those 'Free Credit Report' scams that charge you to access your free report.

Posted by: kedalb at December 16, 2008 12:00 PM in response to FICO Scores

I recently rehung some doors and found it was quite hard to get the pins out. I had similar issues with layers of paint and brass that had long lost its sheen. Once the pins were out it was surprising how easy they went back in after a quick clean.

Posted by: kedalb at November 26, 2008 11:49 PM in response to old hinge, new pin?

I saw that this morning around 7:30. There were camera crews filming the line and people were dancing. My guess was an audition for 'So You Think You Can Dance'

Posted by: kedalb at November 13, 2008 2:29 PM in response to Long Line Around BAM?

Hi - I've posted replies to a few comments about Beer. We had some issues in the past, but talked through them, and over all I am quite happy with his work. I'll write a full recommendation once the job is done, but consider this a thumbs up.

Posted by: kedalb at September 18, 2008 5:53 PM in response to Follow up on Contractor recommendation

Yes - but he usually does the tiling on most of his jobs, but is concerned that with expensive tiles his work may not be perfect. Given that he usually does the tiling, he doesn't know many tilers.

Posted by: kedalb at July 10, 2008 2:13 PM in response to Tiler Recommendation?

I feel pretty bad now. Beer got wind of my post, and while I don't think he has read it, someone told him about it. I didn't mean for it to be a bad review, rather, I just wanted to shed some light on the micro-management issues as tactfully put by guest 11:11.

I had a long chat with him last night and we have settled on a system whereby I will mark all areas where I see the need for improvement and we can then track these issues as they are resolved.

When the job is complete I will try to present a more balanced post that benefits from me knowing the end result rather than what I am seeing at this interim stage.

Posted by: kedalb at June 13, 2008 10:45 AM in response to Contractor Recommendation

Well - he is a really nice guy but I'm not too happy with some of the finishing from his workers. I have told them and him about it and they say they will fix it, but it is yet to be seen. For example, I have not seen the painter ever use painter's tape, and as a consequence the lines aren't as crisp as they should be. Our agreement was to skim coat where needed, and Beer assured me that he would see and fix many more defects than I would notice. But I keep on going back and finding places where they missed. I'm not terribly anal, so I don't think I'm being too nit picky. They say they will go back and fix them - but again, yet to be seen. When I spoke with him earlier today he said "Oh, you know how it is - it is hard to find good workers", which I thought was interesting given that his wife was doing a fair whack of the painting.

They have just finished roughing our bathroom (which needs to be re-done in places as the pipe outlets for our dual sinks aren't anywhere close to symmetrical) and I am concerned about the quality of the finished job.

It was a little amusing watching them try and install my shower. A week before it was delivered, I gave them a long installation document from the manufacturer, complete with detailed measurements and drawings. I read it. I understood it. But when I saw them installing it, the shower was upside down. I had to spend quite some time explaining what the diagrams meant. I found this a little odd as I know nothing about plumbing, yet I understood what to do.

Now that I'm reading my previous paragraphs the experience sounds much more negative than how I feel. But I think its worthwhile pointing out a few of my niggling issues in light of the fact that all the reviews I read and heard about him were 100% glowing.

Posted by: kedalb at June 11, 2008 6:55 PM in response to Contractor Recommendation

I've been working with Fred from Rumba Air. He's a great guy with an excellent crew. They haven't finished yet, so my enthusiasm may be misdirected. But I have a good feeling about this guy. The prep work has been immaculate, they are on time every day, and are very clean.

Posted by: kedalb at June 11, 2008 3:57 PM in response to Fujistu vs. LG mini split systems

ahh.. so that's why he's not at my house every day. he told me he was completely free to work on my project. I guess he is working on your project too.

Posted by: kedalb at June 11, 2008 3:51 PM in response to Contractor Recommendation

The only reason I prefer having others logged in is that it makes conversations in comment threads easier to follow. With long (30+) comment threads, its difficult to keep track of who said what at 11:42 and why 9:38 has an issue with 6:45. Especially when 6:45 may or may not have been the poster behind the comment at 7:13!

But in reality, it isn't a situation that I lose sleep over. I'd much prefer it if you fixed up the problem with repeat posting of comments. If you need a hand with your technology, let me know. I can help with that sort of stuff.

However, if you need help with custom newell post design, get in touch with 8:13, I hear he/she is a master.

Posted by: kedalb at May 30, 2008 10:30 AM in response to Taking the Pulse on Anonymous Commenting

zillow.com will give you trends that may or may not bear any semblance of reality. PropertyShark.com is a better bet.

Posted by: kedalb at May 28, 2008 12:09 PM in response to sales trends by neighborhood

Total guess - but perhaps the drop ceiling contains the plumbing for the bathroom. If the extension is built directly on a concrete slab, running pipes through the ceiling would make sense. The pipe that you see coming out is probably the plumbing vent.

Posted by: kedalb at May 28, 2008 9:50 AM in response to Small Bathroom Repair Estimate & Recommendations

After reading this post I called Beer and had him over to check out my brownstone. Seems like a great guy - still waiting for his quote.

Posted by: kedalb at April 30, 2008 12:57 PM in response to CO-OP Reno

4:44 - Thanks, that is much better than what I've been seeing so far.

Posted by: kedalb at April 29, 2008 5:22 PM in response to Non-ugly ductless air conditioning units