lah's Profile

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Author's Posts

August 2, 2009

Water Leak from Roof Pipe?

We've been grappling with water leaking through the walls of our three-story victorian. Today our roof guy came out and discovered that, in addition to a few small holes in the roof, one of the pipes on the top of the roof was clogged.

He didn't seem to know what those pipes are for--we have two, one on each side of the house, they are open on top--and all the houses around us have them. Anyway, he suggested capping the drain in case that's where the leak is coming from. My worry is that those pipes are there for a reason--and that capping them will create problems for our drainage or sewer system.

We'll call a plumber out for advice, but does anyone here know what the purpose of those roof pipes are? Or knowledge about what capping them might do?

Thanks so much for the help!

April 1, 2009

Sprinkler Inspections??

Can anyone clarify what the current NYC rules are for sprinkler system inspections? I've spent the last few hours going through all the different incarnations of the rules to see if we need monthly inspections of our system: we live in a 2-family house that used to be a 2-family plus doctor's office. When we bought the house last year, we inherited the sprinkler inspector, who literally showed up (unexpected) once in a while to go down and stare at the main sprikler valve for 30 seconds and then leave. He now want $500 to renew the inspection contract.

We'll obviously do it if we must by law. But we'd much rather have our plumber look at it once a year when we checks the boiler. Does anyone know what the guidelines are here? Thanks!

December 17, 2008

Yikes..Could this Heating Bill be Right?

We moved into a large victorian house last spring, so this is our first winter in the house. We were expecting to pay a ton for winter heating, but we just got our National Grid bill for Nov...it's over $700.

We replaced the boiler last month, so I can't imagine that eating up gas. We also keep the thermostat at 68 degrees...often to the dismay of our office tenants on the first floor.

Is this what others pay for heat in the winter? Or are we out of whack? Granted, the house is big (4000 square feet), three stories, detached, and drafty. But $700/month??? I shudder to think of what Dec and Jan will look like. Tell me it ain't so...

December 10, 2008

Someone to Install PVC Fence

I know this is out of season, but we just bought a pvc fence that we need installed in our front yard--9 sections, each 8 feet long. Would go in the ground (i.e., not concrete), which makes the installation easier.

Anyone know of someone who could do this for a reasonable rate? The place we bought the fence from just increased their install rate to way beyond our budget.

Thanks

November 22, 2008

Whistling Radiators

We recently had our boiler replaced (steam heat) and since then many of our radiators are whistling when the heat goes on, especially at night. Not too loud, but just loud enough to wake up our 2-year-old. So we need to address it. Does it sound like a problem with the valves (that's where the whistle comes from)? Or something worse (I shudder to think...)?

Thanks.

July 3, 2008

Someone to Install Attic/House Fan?

Anyone know of a good person to install a whole house fan? After reading all the posts on this, we're going to put one in the attic of our 3 story detached house and need someone good to do it. Thanks

Someone to Install Attic/House Fan?

July 1, 2008

Licensing Agreement vs. Lease?

Does anyone have experience using licensing agreements over leases? We're in the process of renting 4 office spaces on the first floor of our house and someone suggested it would be better to do licenses rather than leases--mainly we're renting out small rooms that can't be lived in and thus shouldn't come with the same legal guarantees as a lease.

Any opinions about these agreements? Does anyone know of a lawyer who specializes in them?

March 6, 2008

Residential vs. Office rental?

We just bought a 3-story victorian house in Ditmas Park and the first floor is a 1700 sq/ft rental--currently a doctor's office. We plan to continue to rent it out but can't decide if it's better to keep it as an office or to turn it into a residential rental (c of o allows for both). The layout could go either way as well--we'd obviously need to do more renovations if we turn it into an office, which were willing to do if it's worth it.

So any thoughts or experiences with renting out an office versus an apartment would be much appreciated. As would ideas about which make better tenants, overall. Because we'll be living on the second and third floors, we're leaning toward an office--more privacy at night, less strain on building, maybe even less expensive to maintain. But we're novices here.

Any ideas or advice?

Thanks...

February 3, 2008

Tumbled Marble Countertops?

We're planning a kitchen redo and would love to find a way to put in countertops with the look of tumbled marble--i.e., the look of weathered stone/concrete. We already found some tumplbed marble tiles and a great farm sink in the material but can't seem to locate countertops to go with them. Any ideas?

Thanks so much!

Author's Comments

This could have been my post: just two weeks ago, we confronted the same thing with our Ditmas victorian. In short, we learned never, ever to put carpet in a basement. We carpeted it last year and then found that the one time water went into the basement (we've since fixed the leak), it corroded the carpet. So out the carpet went...as well as the lower part of most of the basement walls. Some were as a precaution, but it seemed prudent. We cleaned the whole thing with vinegar since I read it works better AND doesn't small as bad a clorox. New walls go up next week and a tile floor to follow.

It was a bummer to take out the new carpeting but ultimately it didn't seem wise to keep it in there--the mold risk for the future is too great with a carpeted basement. I wish I had know that before I spent $ to carpet the darn basement only a year ago.

Our contractor did the whole thing for us since there wasn't a lot of active mold to clean up once the carpets were out and walls off. Just be careful of expensive mold remediation companies...their scare tactics can be really effective. Most of this stuff you can do yourself.

Good luck.

Posted by: lah at September 30, 2009 2:00 PM in response to Who do I call to check for mold?

My son would go nuts for this bed...so if the previous poster doesn't work out, we'd love it. lynnehaney@earthlink.net.

thanks, lynne

Posted by: lah at September 27, 2009 2:21 PM in response to Take Me - Red Race Car Bed

I disagree with the claim that it's a bad idea to buy a house if you rely on the rental income. Most brownstone owners in the "prime" areas like the slope and the heights need rental income to make the mortgage. Not sure why a DP house is any different.

We own a 2-family in DP and they do exist. But, yes, the ones close to Cortelyou and the trains are over a million. There seem to be more in Beverely Square East (that is, 16th-19th streets). And if you get a fixer-upper, you can use the rental income to do the fixing. That's what we've done...Although at least for the first year, the costs of the reno always exceeded the rental income.

Good Luck

Posted by: lah at August 17, 2009 10:09 PM in response to Renting the Basement?

Just stunning. And on our block! Houses like this are what makes DP such an amazing place to live...And at less that $450/sqft, lots of bang for the buck. A real beauty!

Posted by: lah at August 5, 2009 1:53 PM in response to House of the Day: 439 East 19th Street

Yes, I agree about the roofer. I insisted that he not cap them, so he didn't. But it sounds like they are vent pipes for plumbing as they correspond to the parts of the house where the bathrooms are.

Since the clog is next to the turet on the third floor of the house, I wasn't going up there to see what the clog was. The roofer tried to clean it using a long wire but claimed it was totally clogged. So, yes, maybe it's an animal...or debris of some sort. It's unclear to me how I'd even have them cleaned as I can't imagine a plumber going up there--it's really, really high on a pitched roof.

A nail that caused a leak and an excavation into the walls and ceiling? Ugh, what have I gotten myself into with this old home thing?!!

Thanks again.

Posted by: lah at August 2, 2009 6:01 PM in response to Water Leak from Roof Pipe?

This is a great price for what looks like a very nice house. It would be $200,000 more if closer to the Cortelyou strip...so this is an excellent deal. If we didn't already have one of the big places on our hands, with perpetual renovations underway, we'd consider this one!

Posted by: lah at July 2, 2009 2:00 PM in response to House of the Day: 664 Westminster Road

I don't know about the legal regulations here, but check with your insurance asap if you're thinking about this. We have an office space on the first floor of our house--and this requires us to have a commercial insurance policy...for businesses/offices. And it's like 3x the price of a regular homeowner's policy. So beware!!! Good luck.

Posted by: lah at June 23, 2009 2:34 PM in response to cellar to office-I have new info

Looked into this last year--for the 3rd floor of our victorian house since it good insanely hot up there. Estimates came in around $2000 so we passed. Decided instead to use that money to better insulate the attic.

But the fan can be done. It really only releives the heat on the top floor since it's hard to get enough movement going to suck up the air from the floors below that.

Posted by: lah at June 10, 2009 5:39 PM in response to Attic Fan Recommendations

Thanks for all the info. Seems like folks have very different ideas about what's required. Like Vinca, I also heard the rules changed in the last year. But then others claim the inspections are still required. Yikes.

Posted by: lah at April 2, 2009 9:08 PM in response to Sprinkler Inspections??

Alberth Chica--do a search for him on this site. I can't recommend him enough. 646-472-4842.

Lynne

Posted by: lah at January 31, 2009 2:46 PM in response to looking for contractor-recommend

The c of o of our Ditmas house is this as well--actually, it's formally a two-family with a doctor's office. We thought about changing it as well but was advised not to. We were told that if/when we sell it, this could come in handy if someone wants to put an office in. If they just want to use it as a 1-family, they can. And actually it helps our property taxes in this neighborhood--since non-single families are assessed at a lower value.

Posted by: lah at January 31, 2009 2:44 PM in response to C of O change from 1 Family+Dr.

Ah, we had the VERY same issue in October--found out our 15 year-old Weil-McLain had cracked in almost the same place. This after our engineer told us the boiler was in great shape..."like finding a Mercedes in the boiler room" (we just bought the house in April, so October was the first time we tried to use it). We also suspect bad maintenance, but worried that there was something about the brand itself. So when we replaced it, we didn't get another one. Bad karma...I feel your pain!

Posted by: lah at January 20, 2009 2:21 PM in response to My boiler died young!

Wow, this is so, so helpful...definitely one of the most useful exchanges I've had here. I like Amanda's idea of posting this stuff. I'm also in shock at the variation here. It's like salaries: the more info we have, the more we can do to change things (in this case, make adjustments to our houses, check with National Grid...).

Posted by: lah at December 18, 2008 9:07 PM in response to Yikes..Could this Heating Bill be Right?

Thanks for the input. Especially the point about catch up: indeed, the bill does seem to be higher because of a low estimated reading last month. But, still...

My post shouldn't dissuade folks from moving into these houses. They are awesome in so many other ways. And we save a lot on AC in the summer, with four exposures and lots of windows. Something for something, I guess

Posted by: lah at December 18, 2008 1:34 PM in response to Yikes..Could this Heating Bill be Right?

Justinm--would you be willing to share your painter's info?

Posted by: lah at December 3, 2008 9:23 PM in response to Trying to Create Apt. Painting Budget

This just recently happened to us...sorry to report but we had to replace the boiler. Liberty Bros did it for us for a very reasonable price. And George was very responsive and knowldegeable. 718-526-4718.

Posted by: lah at November 19, 2008 10:42 AM in response to Huge leak from boiler, boiler plumber recommendation, please!

We have a few walls in deperate need of skim-coating and re-painting. What does something like that go for...rough estimates are fine as I know people don't like giving precise #s on this forum. Thanks!

Posted by: lah at November 1, 2008 5:54 PM in response to Painter/Plasterer Recommendation

He is AWESOME!!! He did a huge reno of our house and I can't say enough good things about him. A real gem: fair, pleasant and very, very skilled.

Posted by: lah at July 9, 2008 12:05 PM in response to Recommended: Fernando Alberta Chica

Great, thanks. I'm at:

lynnehaney@earthlink.net

Posted by: lah at July 1, 2008 4:24 PM in response to Licensing Agreement vs. Lease?

We just bought a house and Hymie Serure from Trachtman and Bach was a lifesaver: honest, responsive, and not salesman-y. The best.

Posted by: lah at April 13, 2008 9:15 PM in response to mortgage broker ?

We just bought a house and Hymie Serure from Trachtman and Bach was a livesaver: honest, responsive, and not salesman-y. The best.

Posted by: lah at April 13, 2008 9:15 PM in response to mortgage broker ?

Thanks for all the advice...you seem to be confirming our sense of things.

Posted by: lah at March 7, 2008 2:07 PM in response to Residential vs. Office rental?

Thanks for the advice. I realize that not everyone shares this look, but we like it. Of course, the hygenic issues are paramount so we'll probably end up going with granite. Sigh. Anyway, thanks again.

Posted by: lah at February 4, 2008 10:27 AM in response to Tumbled Marble Countertops?

Thanks again for a great discussion and excellent advice. All things considered, I decided that a HEL (loan not line-of-credit) was the best option here--since it gives us the lower fixed rate without the uncertainty of the variable rate. For some reason, the rates we were quoted for a HEL were higher than 7%; perhaps it's because they are higher with the bank we are getting the low fixed rate with (cause my credit score is in the 700s). But even with the higher HEL rate, this scenario makes the most sense.

Posted by: lah at January 5, 2008 10:20 AM in response to Mortgage question--are variable rates no-nos?

You all are awesome. Thanks for much for the smart, insightful advice. Your comments really clarified things for me.

The site is such an amazing resource!

Posted by: lah at January 4, 2008 9:56 AM in response to Mortgage question--are variable rates no-nos?

Thanks so much for the quick response. 9:16--that's exactly my question: if home equity rates are sure to go up, why would someone use one if you'll need to refi in a few years? Wouldn't it just be smarter to fix the whole 80% now at 7% and thus avoid a refi later?

I need to get the details of the reset...I assume it's set to prime.

Posted by: lah at January 3, 2008 9:28 PM in response to Mortgage question--are variable rates no-nos?

Like 11:05, we've found our mortgage broker to be awesome--not only for the best rates,m but also for doing lots of legwork/paperwork. There's a small apllication fee, but we'd be paying that to the bank anyway.

We're using Hymie at Trachtman and Bach...would totally recommend him!

Posted by: lah at December 11, 2007 12:48 PM in response to Mortgage Brokers

Robert,
That's funny cause I actually saw that FSBO--and almost bid on it. So, yes, I'd like to chat. lynnehaney@earthlink.net.

Posted by: lah at December 5, 2007 8:31 AM in response to Photographer Needed for FSBO

Yes, 2:58, I agree about the vicious cycle. This has been our dilemma--we finally found a fixer in Ditmas that we can swing even if we don't get the very most we could for our coop (we looked for years in PS but finally concluded that it's close to impossible to trade up to a house in this hood).

So here's where the choice comes in: we could still try to go for top dollar and continue the trend or opt not to. I'm not saying go back to 2004/5--actually, that's when we bought our coop so we'd take a hit there. But we shouldn't keep expecting a huge appreciation every year and pricing our places to secure that...or we'll price everyone out of the market. I'm not being altruistic...just realistic.

Posted by: lah at November 17, 2007 3:14 PM in response to Open House Picks: Apartments

Yes, it's in the center slope...and 1100 square feet. So I know if I went with a broker, they'd push us much higher. But I just don't see why PS-ers are continuing the insulting asking price trend. Few of us got into a market like this (or even could have).

Posted by: lah at November 17, 2007 2:48 PM in response to Open House Picks: Apartments

I agree with all the comments about how out-of-control PS prices seem to be. People are being really greedy in this hood at this moment. We're just about to put our 2+ bedroom (2 plus office/nursery) on the market as an fsbo...and we wouldn't even think of asking such prices. Given that everyone is looking at decent apprciation, and that it's importance to try to keep the area accessible to folks other than the super rich, I can't see asking more than $700/square foot. Anything more is just damn greedy--I wish my neighbors would come to their senses!!!

Posted by: lah at November 17, 2007 2:04 PM in response to Open House Picks: Apartments

I agree with all the comments about how out-of-control PS prices seem to be. People are being really greedy in this hood at this moment. We're just about to put our 2+ bedroom (2 plus office/nursery) on the market as an fsbo...and we wouldn't even think of asking such prices. Given what we paid for it, and the importance of keeping the area accessible to folks other than the super rich, I can't see asking more than $700/square foot. Anything more is just damn greedy--I wish my neighbors would come to their senses!!!

Posted by: lah at November 17, 2007 1:58 PM in response to Open House Picks: Apartments

Responses to Author's Forum Comments

Ditmas Park has only a couple of 2 families while the adjoining neighborhoods have more.

We take building violations seriously here and your neighbors will report any illegal conversion or use of cellar space as living space. There are no legal basements in the entire area.

Prices are down and there are houses on the market in the $800-$900,000 range.

Posted by: yaakovdoe at August 17, 2009 10:27 PM in response to Renting the Basement?

"We take building violations seriously here and your neighbors will report any illegal conversion or use of cellar space as living space. There are no legal basements in the entire area."

- Would you really want to live near someone like this anyways? Sounds horrible.

Posted by: goodoleboy at August 17, 2009 11:03 PM in response to Renting the Basement?

"We take building violations seriously here and your neighbors will report any illegal conversion or use of cellar space as living space. There are no legal basements in the entire area."

- Would you really want to live near someone like this anyways? Sounds horrible.

Posted by: goodoleboy at August 17, 2009 11:04 PM in response to Renting the Basement?

- Would you really want to live near someone like this anyways? Sounds horrible.

Sounds to me like a tight knit neighborhood of homeowners who are concerned about preserving the character of their neighborhood and their investments.

Posted by: SenatorStreet at August 18, 2009 9:50 AM in response to Renting the Basement?

The reason why people don't suggest depending on rental income whether in DP or elsewhere to make your mortgage payment is so that you don't find yourself in a bind if tenants don't pay or don't pay on time. Yaakovdoe, although there are probably more illegal basement rentals in DP as is the case in many parts of Brooklyn, I can assure yoy that there are LEGAL basement rentals in Victorian Flatbush. One in particular was found out to be legal after neighbors reported what they thought to be a violation to DOB.

Posted by: Chaka at August 18, 2009 10:43 AM in response to Renting the Basement?

I just moved out of a ditmas park house and i was renting the first floor. The landlord lived on the second and he rented the top floor AND the basement. He put in a second exit as it's illegal to have only one entry/exit in the case of a fire.

Posted by: rachelfran at August 18, 2009 1:04 PM in response to Renting the Basement?

You can rent a room or apartment on a short-term or long-term basis through www.roomorama.com. They make it pretty safe and easy. Much less sketchy than craigslist.

Posted by: drewmccartor at August 18, 2009 3:19 PM in response to Renting the Basement?

You should take up the carpet first, see if that solves the problem.

If you decide you want a real inspection, hire a certified industrial hygienist (not just some company with a mold inspection license). I have been very happy with Microecologies in Manhattan. However, these kinds of inspections are not cheap.

You could also try poking around with a dampness meter.

If you have one of those old-fashioned originally unfinished basements with a stone wall and dirt floor, they were not made to be water tight and never will be. It is a very poor idea to install anything in them on which mold can grow, such as carpet or drywall.

Then again, an excess of water could be getting into the basement through a leak, badly graded or cracked cement outside, or some other problem, and that is fixable. A structural engineer would be your best bet there.

Posted by: mopar at September 30, 2009 3:44 PM in response to Who do I call to check for mold?

Thank you all for your input. Amazingly and lucky for us, the problem is solved and the source of the mildew smell was found by our new cleaning person....! Our previous cleaning person had left a damp mop in a bucket in the back hallway where it sat for a few weeks getting mildewier and mildewier. Crisis averted. The smell was strongest right where the bucket had been left. It never dawned on me to consider the mop as the culprit. So. Finally a problem that won't cost 5 figures to remediate!!

Posted by: brooklyny at September 30, 2009 4:14 PM in response to Who do I call to check for mold?

there are few things that smell worse than a sour mop.

Posted by: IMBY at September 30, 2009 4:50 PM in response to Who do I call to check for mold?