laurie11201's Profile
- Laurie
- 1998
- 2006
- Brooklyn
- Cobble Hill
- Co-op
- Personal technology / Mac support
- Female
- 37
Author's Posts
October 15, 2009
Giving props to Blaze Electric
I've gotten so many good recommendations in these forums over the years that I like to take the time to make recommendations of my own when its warranted.
We needed 3 recessed lighting fixtures replaced in our kitchen as they were the 25+ year old original fixtures and the sockets were shorting out regularly. I originally contacted Ceriello Electric, as they have done work for us in the past that we've been happy with, but through a series of mis-steps on their end that I won't go into, we ended up having to look for another electrician to help us out.
I called Blaze Electric on Tuesday (I saw mention of Blaze in a previous forum post here) and left a message, and got a prompt call back from Frank Caparale, who I subsequently learned is the owner. He came out himself on Wed to take a look at what we had (they are odd-sized Atlite cans and we didn't want to re-sheetrock the whole ceiling for this - we were hoping for drop-in replacements) and give us a quote.
A few hours after he left, he called me to say he could get the correct housings that would work with the existing holes and ring brackets and could install them on Thursday (today).
At 8:30am this morning, one of his guys (I believe his name was Keyshawn) arrived and promptly replaced our old lights, so that I wouldn't have to cook in the dark anymore :) The job took about 90 minutes, he was polite and efficient and most importantly, he cleaned up after himself, sweeping the kitchen floor, gathering all the boxes and old fixtures to be put out in the compactor room, etc.
Total cost, including the housings/baffles, labor and even the new floodlight bulbs (he advised R40s instead of of the R30s we had been using) came to $300 even, which is exactly the price I was quoted on Wed. My kitchen isn't dark anymore!
Although this was a small job and maybe not the best job to rate an electrician on, I have to say that I was impressed enough with Frank's responsiveness and his worker's professionalism, that I wouldn't hesitate to call Blaze again in the future, for jobs big or small.
Blaze Electric is on 5th Ave in Park Slope, Brooklyn and their main # is 718-369-0810. Frank's cell # on his card is 917-576-6900
If you happen to use Blaze, I hope your experience is as positive as mine was.
December 29, 2008
Speed bump in our livingroom!
Hiding under our couch for has been a speed bump in the form of buckled floor boards. The warp spans about 10 slats across and about 8 feet long and at the high point is off the ground about 6 inches. There is no sign of water anywhere near the buckled boards, although the buckling extends under our HVAC unit. We had the HVAC unit checked for leaks immediately upon discovering the floor problem (if i hadn't gone to clean under the couch, we might never have known!) and there are no leaks at all (the HVAC unit itself is brand new, installed in August - we discovered the damaged floor mid-Sept). There has been no external sign of water but the only way anyone thinks this buckling could have happened is if water was involved.
We know the floors were fine when the new HVAC was installed so there's about a 45 day window that this had to have happened. The building engineer (hired by the co-op board) says he thinks there must have been water that leaked when the OLD HVAC was removed and the new one was installed but we were here during the install and there was no water visible before, during or after the new unit was installed.
The mystery of HOW this happened aside, we filed a claim with our homeowners insurance and they denied the claim because they said the original flooring is covered under our co-op's proprietary lease. The co-op management company says it's not their problem and they refuse to file a claim at all with the coop insurance because it would not even meet their deductible, as they didn't cause the damage (we thought water might have come in from the outside wall, which has many facade cracks, but the engineer says that's not possible because that wall is over a foot thick and the cracks are surface cracks).
So we still have this speed bump and while we're still trying to figure out why we're paying for insurance that won't actually cover damage to our floor, we need to start the process of getting it fixed. I don't think replacing just a section of the floor is really an option, so we're going to have to install new flooring.
Before we do that we want to simply look at what's underneath the warped boards and see if the source of the water can be determined from any stains on the subfloor, etc. We're afraid to open the floor ourselves and risk doing more damage - but who do we call for something like this? Not to install new floor - but to carefully open up this section of damaged floor so we can see what, if anything, is going on under it? We don't have a lot to spend, obviously, and we can't afford to install new floors till later next year. Perhaps if the source of the damage becomes clear, we'll be able to go back to one or both insurance companies and get them to pay up.
Any advice is appreciated.
June 30, 2008
Electrician referral needed to have a bathroom outlet moved
We are doing some minor reno in on Cobble Hill co-op bathroom (re-tiled, new fixtures, etc) and need to have the only electrical outlet moved. It's only an inch from the top of the pedestal sink and we need it moved over about a foot and down about 6 inches. Looking have this done ASAP so that we can get the rest of the walls patched up and prepped for painting. Thanks in advance for any recommendation.
Author's Comments
+1 vote for cork.
Posted by: laurie11201 at October 26, 2009 6:06 PM in response to Kitchen Floors
I'm here! you can reach me at lauried at gmail dot com
Posted by: laurie11201 at October 23, 2009 10:18 AM in response to Looking for Laurie11201
I'm pretty sure /blowfish/ is referring to Rob Mara. I (and others) have used and recommended Rob many times here.
He's done nice work for us on several occasions. Nice guy, works hard and fast, he is professional and friendly and his prices are great. Give him a try!
Here's his contact info:
Rob Mara
917-670-6900
http://www.thegroutandtileguy.com
email form: http://thegroutandtileguy.com/contactus.aspx
Posted by: laurie11201 at October 20, 2009 8:22 PM in response to Tile/Grout Repair
We went with blue glass subway tiles for our backsplash when we did our galley kitchen reno. We also have Ikea cabinets (light birch with frosted center panels), black "leather" texture Silestone counters, stainless steel appliances and sink and coffee brown cork floors. The blue glass tiles (with a medium gray grout) really make the kitchen look fabulous. When the under-cabinet lights are on, it really pops. Also easy to clean and because it's gray grout instead of white, the grout lines still look perfect after almost 5 years. Looks like we spent $50k on our kitchen instead of $15k. We got our tile at Classic Tile in Bay Ridge. They are Daltile. They weren't expensive.
Posted by: laurie11201 at October 20, 2009 11:27 AM in response to Kitchen Backsplash
I've recommended our cleaning woman many times here. Email me at lauried at gmail dot com for her contact info.
Posted by: laurie11201 at October 15, 2009 1:42 PM in response to Cleaning service
We pay $75 every other week (Cobble Hill, about 500sf) and our cleaning woman is awesome. She's usually here about 4 hours and very thorough and very nice. She's been with us for years and also works for several of our neighbors that we've recommended her to. We don't have her do laundry, though, as we send that to the wash & fold down the block. Every 6 weeks or so she does an even deeper cleaning when all the furniture gets moved, fridge/freezer gets completely cleaned out, etc, as that isn't really needed every time she's here. Happy to recommend her if you email me at lauried at gmail dot com
Posted by: laurie11201 at September 24, 2009 12:15 PM in response to Cleaning Person Rates
We love our Ikea kitchen. Still looks great after 4 years. The installation needs to be done right. We loved our contractor and he had done quite a few Ikea cabinet installations so we felt confident with him. We had met with Traemand and one of the other installers that had cards at Ikea (don't recall the other co'd name), but weren't impressed with either of them at any point in the process. Neither company seemed really equipped or qualified to do a full kitchen reno either and we wanted to deal with the same contractor for the whole job. Ultimately we went with a contractor that a friend of a friend recommended and we were very pleased.
Posted by: laurie11201 at September 1, 2009 10:22 PM in response to IKEA Kitchen
I should add that we didn't relocate the plumbing or gas line - with the exception of running a water supply hose from the sink and dishwasher hookup through a wall channel to the opposite wall of the kitchen so we could connect the water/ice dispenser on the new fridge.
Posted by: laurie11201 at August 26, 2009 7:31 PM in response to Labor Cost for Kitchen Reno
We did our 9x7 galley kitchen a few years ago for about $12k when all was said and done. Cabinets from Ikea (which we still love) with high-end hardware (which I got very cheaply on craigslist), mid-range stainless steel appliances, cork floor, glass tile backsplash, Silestone counters, Elke under-mount sink + Grohe faucet. We did all of the materials sourcing ourselves and got some amazing deals, which impressed our contractor (who we loved working with) very much. By doing a lot of the groundwork, design work and behind the scenes stuff ourselves, and leaving the physical labor and technical aspects to the contractor and his crew, we got the kitchen we wanted at the price we wanted and couldn't be happier with the results. We originally wanted to stay under $10k, but we decided to splurge on the floor and the backsplash and it was worth it. Only thing we left out was the overhead lighting (3 recessed cans were already there and we didn't change them), which I'd still like to replace. The under-cabinet lights were a nice touch, though (and so cheap from Ikea).
Posted by: laurie11201 at August 26, 2009 7:26 PM in response to Labor Cost for Kitchen Reno
FedEx/Kinkos on Court St, near Montague, has Macs & PCs for rent by the minute/hour.
Posted by: laurie11201 at August 24, 2009 5:31 PM in response to Internet cafe
I (and others) have recommended Rob Mara for tile work many times on these forums and on other sites. He's done nice work for us on several jobs. Nice guy, works hard and fast and his prices are great. Give him a try!
Here's his contact info:
Rob Mara
917-670-6900
http://www.thegroutandtileguy.com
email form: http://thegroutandtileguy.com/contactus.aspx
Posted by: laurie11201 at August 6, 2009 3:48 PM in response to A Good Tiler?
If yesterday is any indication, they have firmly removed the "Fast" from "Fast Food." I know it was their first day, but they seemed completely unprepared. The chocolate shake was pretty good, though!
Posted by: laurie11201 at June 17, 2009 2:36 PM in response to Streetlevel: Checkers Opens!
Yay for Rob! We've had several good experiences with him and I've recommended him here in the forums many times. Always happy to hear when other people have good experiences with service providers that I like. He's a good guy and does good work at a very fair price. Those qualities aren't easy to find these days - in a single person, at least.
Posted by: laurie11201 at June 3, 2009 5:33 PM in response to Excellent Tile/Grout Guy
laurie11201 wrote a review about Mazzat on May 29, 2009 4:06 PM
I love this place. I've never had anything there that I didn't want more of and it's always a joy to dine there. As Boywithcat notes, the tilapia is absolutely delicious. I also love the feta cheese dip and the chicken cigars.
I've purchased many fixtures from ylighting.com over the years and have always had a good experience with them and I find their pricing to be quite good. A few years ago when we added track lighting to the livingroom, I neglected to change the color option on the connectors I was ordering so my order had a bunch of white track sections, with black connectors. A cust service rep from ylighting called me the next day to find out if that was intentional on my part - or just a mistake. It was a mistake, of course, and they adjusted the order for me and saved me the hassle of having to return them and exchange them for the right parts, which would have delayed our install by at least a week.
Posted by: laurie11201 at May 20, 2009 10:28 PM in response to Lighting
I've been a Tuck-It-Away customer for about 20 years. Last year I moved from one of their Manhattan facilities (in Chelsea), to their new Brooklyn facility ((John St & Gold in DUMBO - a little cheaper and way more convenient for me than W. 29th St in Manh.)
I've never had any problems with them and they still seem to have some of the best rates around, especially for large rooms (i have a 10x14 room that I use for both business and personal storage and I currently pay $200/month for it).
Here's their website: http://www.tuckitaway.com/
Posted by: laurie11201 at May 14, 2009 7:29 PM in response to Storage
We stopped in to see the space on Saturday while work was still going on. Very nice woman (presumably one of the owners, but I didn't ask) welcomed us in and said they'll be opening this week and that the food is NOT Scottish - but "new american." They've done a nice job with the reno. Looking forward to sampling the food when they open.
Posted by: laurie11201 at May 4, 2009 9:11 PM in response to Streetlevel: Watty & Meg Coming to Court Street
FWIW, we SOLD our entire 7x9 galley kitchen (15 years old, white and taupe Formica cabinets and countertops + black&white enamel appliances) on Craig's List a few years ago when we were starting our own kitchen renovation. We had our contractor carefully remove all the old cabinets, countertops, dishwasher and stove (it took them only a few hours and we weren't charged extra for it) and it all sat in our livingroom for a few days until a lovely couple who'd just moved into a kitchen-less loft in Williamsburg responded to the ad and said they'd be happy to take it all off our hands for $1200. They rented a truck and my husband and I helped them load everything into it. They paid cash and that $1200 was a nice supplement to our new kitchen budget. It would have cost us about $500 to have it carted away and disposed of so selling it meant we saved that $500, plus made a nice chunk of change on top of that.
I actually ran into that couple in a restaurant not long ago and they are still very happy with our old kitchen and feel like they got a great bargain.
Posted by: laurie11201 at April 27, 2009 12:08 AM in response to I want to freecycle my kitchen
laurie11201 wrote a review about Ted & Honey on April 19, 2009 7:55 PM
I do love that Chicken Salad sandwich, but they always seem to be out of it when I get a craving for one! Yesterday, in fact, being the first really nice spring-like Saturday we've had this year, hubby and I stopped by there to grab a sandwich to eat in the park after our long walk. I was really craving the chicken salad but of course they were sold out of it. I made a mild, light-hearted fuss and mentioned that it was literally the 3rd time over the course of several months that they were out of the chicken salad and that if they keep running out of it, perhaps that's a sign they should be making more of it to begin with (it was only about 2pm, which is not exactly late for lunch on a beautiful Saturday). To their credit, one of the cashiers suggested that they "go ask Ted to make a new batch" and a few minutes later, a guy came upstairs and said they were making more chicken salad and if I didn't mind waiting I could have the sandwich I was craving. I was half-afraid they'd spit in it :) But if they DID spit in it, it didn't affect the taste because it was still quite yummy!
All that being said, I do think the prices are a bit high, but the quality of the food has been pretty consistent (and yes, I've had other things besides the chicken salad) and the service hasn't been any worse than similar establishments. I agree with everyone about them needing a public restroom... when your casual eatery is steps from the entrance to a busy park that is frequented by adults as well as kids, it would generate a lot more good will from the neighborhood. The place is pretty small, but a small bathroom could still be squeezed in there.
Another vote for the Dodge YMCA. My husband and I joined before they opened a few years ago and got a great deal on a locked-in charter family rate ($90/month for both of us). It's not the most luxurious gym on the planet, but considering the price (much less than Eastern Athletic) it's clean, modern and has a pool, sauna, steam rooms, a wide variety of classes and decent cardio and strength training areas.
Posted by: laurie11201 at April 19, 2009 7:37 PM in response to Club / Gym in BH or PS
Sorry for the delay in responding (i wish there was a "notify me of new replies" button in this forum!).
The company we've used most often is Steven Windows Company. The owner is a russian guy. Their phone # is 212-595-6620. Haven't been in touch with them yet this year, but probably will be hankering for clean windows again in May. We've always been happy with their work. There was one year 3-4 years ago that we used a company that we found at the Atlantic Antic. They did a great job and I recall them being based in Cobble Hill, but I managed to lose their card, can't remember their name and they haven't been back at the Antic since :(. Oh well!
BTW - if anyone has any other recommendations for quality, affordable residential window cleaners (working on getting our whole coop building done all at once since many other unit owners are interested), please do post the info.
Posted by: laurie11201 at April 3, 2009 1:05 PM in response to window cleaning rip off?
laurie11201 wrote a review about Cafe on Clinton on April 2, 2009 2:29 PM
The new owners ruined this place for us. Food and service were better under previous ownership.
laurie11201 wrote a review about Waterfalls Cafe on April 1, 2009 3:38 PM
We live a few doors up the block and dine in or take out regularly. I LOVE their emjaddara (with gobs of extra fried onions), the fool medamas (fava beans) and the fried cauliflower, along with the full range of grilled meats. The ambience is lacking, sure, but they keep it clean the the woman who owns it is such a sweetheart.
$40 per window? We have our windows cleaned once a year, for the last 10 years (three large 3x8 windows, 2nd floor overlooking atlantic ave - with a deep ledge for them to stand on) and have never paid more than $15 per window, although one company we used did have a $50 minimum, which we were happy to pay.
Posted by: laurie11201 at March 19, 2009 7:50 PM in response to window cleaning rip off?
$1500 is realistic and about what we would have paid for roughly the same size bathroom last year (Rob Mara did our job and I've recommended him here many times - he's a good guy and we like him a lot). We opted not to replace our floor tile, though, so while we did re-tile the whole shower/tub enclosure, we only regrouted the existing 2x2 tile floor (which made it look new again!) and including the new backerboard Rob installed for us (previous walls had water damage) it ran us around $1000 if I am remembering correctly. Plus the cost of the tile we bought, obviously.
Posted by: laurie11201 at February 27, 2009 7:17 PM in response to Wildly different tile estimates
I've recommended Rob Mara in these forums before and am happy to recommend him again.
Here's his contact info:
Rob Mara
917-670-6900
http://www.thegroutandtileguy.com
email form: http://thegroutandtileguy.com/contactus.aspx
Posted by: laurie11201 at February 17, 2009 11:28 AM in response to Tile/grout repair person?
laurie11201 wrote a review about Pete's Waterfront Ale House on February 13, 2009 12:44 PM
We live right across the street and Waterfront is always reliable on those nights we don't feel like cooking, and just want to grab a bite somewhere no-frills. Great burgers and I love the wurst selections. I appreciate the variety in their daily specials for when i get bored with the regular menu items.
Ugh - excuse the sloppy typing above. "brock-over" should be brick-oven and their name is La Pizzetta :)
Posted by: laurie11201 at January 28, 2009 7:04 PM in response to Streetlevel: Reginella Now Open on Atlantic
La Pizetta is the brock-over place on Atlantic bet Clinton & Henry that Brooklyn Chicken and martis and Brownstonerlogin are referring to. And it's pretty good. The pizzas and toppings are fresh and hot and the crust has been close to perfect each time we've been there (5 or 6 times since they've opened). It's a nice relaxing atmosphere - not too loud, although they often have a soccer game on at the TV above the bar. The service there has also been quite good and we, too, were comp'd a desert the first time we were there.
As for Reginella - I'm the "laurie" who left the "mixed" review on CHB and I stand by what I said there. While I hope they get up to speed and that they do well, for the neighborhood's sake, there's nothing really special about it right now to make it worth repeat visits.
Now I want to know the status of the former "Lifestyles" hair salon space on the same block as Reginella as well as the former TV repair place on Henry bet Atlantic & Pacific.
Posted by: laurie11201 at January 28, 2009 7:01 PM in response to Streetlevel: Reginella Now Open on Atlantic
Agreed that it was convenient for gas - and one of the guys there was really helpful one day when my sister drove in to visit and her car needed an emergency jump before she could leave (of course, being a friendly guy who didn't charge a pregnant woman in distress is probably grounds for dismissal). I used to fill up my Avis rentals or Zipcars there before returning them. I think there are still a few fill-up stations on Tillary, near that McDonalds - a Hess I think? Or is that gone now? Otherwise, Hamilton under the BQE is the closest, but it's so inconvenient.
However, given that I live literally 2 doors away from it, I would be happy to see it go. There's something unnerving about living so close to a lot that is filled with copious amounts of flammable liquids! Plus, they park all their cars (and their customer's cars) at all the meters on the South side of Atlantic Ave and leave them there all day - from 7:30am till closing time. I watch them walking up and down the block all day putting muni-meter tickets in all the windows - sometimes 7 or 8 cars. Those are parking spots that some of the rest of us who live here would like to use on occasion. I'm not even sure what they do in that regard is legal, even if they keep feeding the meter. Perhaps I should look into that.
Posted by: laurie11201 at January 16, 2009 8:19 PM in response to Atlantic Avenue Shell Station: Re-Open or Re-Develop?
laurie11201 wrote a review about Bocca Lupo on January 2, 2009 3:24 PM
We appreciate the fact that it serves food later during the week than most places in the 'hood since we rarely have dinner before 10:30pm. The food is always good and we like to try at least one new thing each time we go. We love the small plates since it allows us some variety without spending a fortune. It can get way too noisy, but we've learned to accept that most places will always be too noisy for old fogies like us :)
Thanks for the responses so far. We will probably call Verazano first to see what our options are. Since we really can't afford to install all new flooring right now (due to large coop assessments for needed facade and roof work), we may do a patch job temporarily and not worry about refinishing since it is hidden under the couch. Just means we can't change the layout of the room :)
The reason a patch & refinish job isn't really a good option anyway is that it would be very difficult to refinish the floors with no way to remove the major pieces of furniture (like the couch). It's a 480sf alcove studio and the apartment entrance door is situated around a corner - with a few feet between the door and the hallway wall that's across from it, a stairwell entrance to the right of the door. The sofa had to be taken apart to get it into the apartment 5 years ago when we bought it and removing the sofa isn't an option without taking it apart again (we had to take apart our old sofa to get it out when we bought the new one). The sofa fits through the door just fine - it just doesn't have any clearance to actually turn the corner. Even if we could get the sofa and the rest of the furniture out, there's no where to put it. It can't be left in the hall, obviously and there's no storage in the building. To refinish he floors in sections, just moving furniture around, makes for a long and more expensive process that we're not looking forward to living through (even when we painted we had to move out for 3 days because it was impossible to live there while everything was being moved around, covered, etc and it's too time consuming to put it all back together at the end of every work day.)
Installing prefinished floors throughout the studio (sans the kitchen and bath, both of which actually have new floors from their respective renovations) is the only sensible solution for us.
The current HVAC unit is not the source of the leak. It provides heat & AC. The water pipes come up from the basement. Out unit provides the compressor and blower. There is no leak and nothing is clogged. The source may have been the old unit, which was always problematic (was installed by the coop 5 years ago, we went through 4 compressors in 6 years), hence our replacing it on our own. Since that unit is now gone, we'd have a hard time proving that it caused the water damage.
To answer some other questions - we're on the 2nd floor and the wood floor is over a very thick concrete subfloor. There are no apartments under us - we're over a lobby vestibule and there is no sign of a leak in the ceiling below us.
Posted by: laurie11201 at December 30, 2008 1:51 PM in response to Speed bump in our livingroom!
We went with Silestone instead of marble or granite and we don't regret it. It looks fantastic and it's so much easier to care for. No stains, no chips or scratches, no damage from hot or cold. I highly recommend it.
Posted by: laurie11201 at December 28, 2008 10:37 PM in response to Marble Counter Top - Practical?
I'd suggest Rob Mara, whom I've recommended before:
http://www.brownstoner.com/forum/archives/2008/08/help_need_tile.php
In fact, the first time we hired Rob (several years ago), was to repair a shower wall that had 6 loose tiles. He did a very good job, and his rates were (and still are) excellent.
Posted by: laurie11201 at December 12, 2008 4:54 PM in response to Need Someone To Do Shower Tile Repair
I'll second the reco for Ceriello. They did a nicm, reasonably priced job for us on several projects and were friendly and professional to deal with.
Posted by: laurie11201 at December 11, 2008 5:05 PM in response to Electrician recommendation??
In our Cobble Hill co-op, based on our very recent appraisal and other recent studio sales in our building, the average is $662.
Posted by: laurie11201 at October 28, 2008 1:33 PM in response to Price per Sq Ft in Cobble Hill
laurie11201 wrote a review about Joya and Song on October 27, 2008 7:48 PM
Love the food at Joya and we've always been treated very well there, since literally the 2nd day they were open - but it's just too loud and crowded to eat-in there, unless you sit outside in the warmer months. Sometimes we will go for an early dinner when it's not too loud or too crowded, but mostly we just get delivery or pickup there now. We have never had a bad meal from Joya, though. The fried calamari, chicken massaman and pad see yue are our favorites.
We used NYCityStuff for painting as well as a few handyman jobs. Scott Moran is the painter and he did nice work for us in one room. Also a very nice guy. In fact, we'll be having him back soon to paint the rest of the apartment!
Posted by: laurie11201 at September 24, 2008 8:08 PM in response to NYCITYSTUFF for Painting?
We've used Harp Appliances several times for warranty service on our Frigidaire fridge and previously on our old fridge and we've been very pleased with their service each time. Their # is 877-632-2737
Posted by: laurie11201 at September 17, 2008 4:51 PM in response to Refrigerator repair commendation?
Another vote for cork. We put espresso-colored cork tiles on our kitchen floor as part of our mini-reno and it is still one of my favorite parts of the kitchen! We laid them right over the existing hard-wood floor, which was in fine shape, but clashed horribly with the new light ash cabinets we'd put in. Looks great with our stainless appliances and I no longer dread standing in the kitchen.
Posted by: laurie11201 at September 12, 2008 4:52 PM in response to A penny for your... kitchen floor??
I had a great Cancos experience myself and have also recommended them here before. Glad I'm not alone!
Posted by: laurie11201 at August 25, 2008 2:34 PM in response to Forget Nemo...try Cancos Tiles
Another vote for Rob Mara. I've recommended him before. See previous post for contact info: http://www.brownstoner.com/forum/archives/2008/07/tiler_recommend_2.php
Posted by: laurie11201 at August 20, 2008 12:32 PM in response to Help! need tile installed
Just say "NO" to Advanced.
They manage (mis-manage is more like it) our coop and I find them to be disorganized, non-communicative and ineffective for even the simplest things.
Posted by: laurie11201 at August 13, 2008 1:16 PM in response to Management Companies
Twice I've tried to buy tile with reasonable turnaround time at Ann Sacks and both times they were unable to accommodate me. Try Cancos Tile on W. 21st. They have a large warehouse nearby (Long Island I believe) and there's nothing I've ever tried to get from them that I couldn't have delivered the next day, with the exception of a few special orders that took less than a week.
Posted by: laurie11201 at August 8, 2008 10:02 AM in response to Ann Sacks Tile
We just had our whole shower body replaced as well as new sink fixtures installed on the existing pedestal sink. The plumbing bill came to about $900 (Weiss Plumbing). The demo and re-tiling we did once the plumbing was finished came to about $1200 (plus the cost of the tile itself).
Posted by: laurie11201 at August 7, 2008 2:20 PM in response to Plumbing estimate
Another vote for Classic Tile. We bought our blue glass subway tile for our kitchen backsplash there and had a very positive experience.
For our bathroom tile we bought from Cancos on W. 21st St in Manhattan, however, and also had a great experience.
Posted by: laurie11201 at August 5, 2008 4:33 PM in response to Tile shops in Brooklyn
I can also vouch for Rob Mara.
We'd used him a few times in the past for minor tile repair and he just re-tiled our 5x7 bathroom a few weeks ago. He did the tub & shower enclosure (including tearing down to the metal beams and putting up new backer board), baseboard and re-grouted our existing 2x2 floor tile. He's a nice guy, works fast, does good work, charges fairly and has always returned calls and emails promptly.
Posted by: laurie11201 at August 1, 2008 4:56 PM in response to Bathroom Renovation
We just completed a mini-reno of our bathroom. For tile, I recommend Cancos Tile on 21st bet 5th & 6th in Manhattan. I second the Toto recommendation. We kept our pedestal sink and tub so can't help there, but all our showe, sink and wall trim/hardware came from various online sources (faucetdepot.com, hardwareaccents.com, etc).
Posted by: laurie11201 at July 23, 2008 8:07 PM in response to Sources for bath reno supplies?
We have Silestone countertops (quartz, like Ceaserstone, just different brand) and it was slightly more expensive than granite. I found that to be the case from every fabricator we considered. Not much more, but slightly more, nonetheless. Then again, granite and quartz both have varied pricing, depending on the color and the finish.
Posted by: laurie11201 at July 22, 2008 10:41 PM in response to Inexpensive Ceaserstone
Responses to Author's Forum Comments
UPS store on Montague, just off Hicks St in BH.
Posted by: christopher at August 24, 2009 10:44 PM in response to Internet cafe
there is a UPS store on Court St between Book Court and Starbucks. IDK if they have internet machines for rent, but if the other nearby UPS stores do, this one might also.
Posted by: bowl of dicks at August 25, 2009 7:09 AM in response to Internet cafe
Don't forget the public library.
Posted by: zgori at August 25, 2009 10:24 AM in response to Internet cafe
Library works well for this, also I think there is still an internet cafe on Court just south of Union, next to the Park Foods.
Posted by: neilw at August 25, 2009 2:53 PM in response to Internet cafe
I should add that we didn't relocate the plumbing or gas line - with the exception of running a water supply hose from the sink and dishwasher hookup through a wall channel to the opposite wall of the kitchen so we could connect the water/ice dispenser on the new fridge.
Posted by: laurie11201 at August 26, 2009 7:31 PM in response to Labor Cost for Kitchen Reno
Please share the name of your contractor who knows ikea kitchen installations.
If you want you can email the info.
ysabelletheloon@yahoo.com
Thank you.
Posted by: Ysabelle at September 2, 2009 10:33 AM in response to IKEA Kitchen
I can reiterate everything above. 9 months in I really like the Ikea cabinets we installed. Look good, work great. We went with separate granite counters and some appliances.
I did buy some other items (faucet & sink) from Ikea as well. I am less happy with the faucet and wish I had bought it elsewhere. Pretty easy to fix but just a reinforcement of the advice stated by others to buy higher end appliances, hardware, etc from one who didn't take it.
Posted by: pmmtenement at September 2, 2009 3:53 PM in response to IKEA Kitchen
Good Morning Dear, I am a contractor who had recently installed an Ikea Kitchen cabinets and I got to say that they are really good, I like the fact that there is al 2" metal track mounted into wall first, witch gives you stability and holds more weight, The reason is cause is mounted with Lead bolts and Toggle bolts and is easy to put toghether, Make sure you use Liquid PL-100 glue, Good luck, if you need any help or advice you can call me at 347 234-3597
Martin B.
Posted by: Inti at September 3, 2009 10:19 AM in response to IKEA Kitchen
The "interest" can come in the artwork on the walls and maybe an interesting bowl, glassware, red espresso maker, etc.
Posted by: mopar at October 20, 2009 12:09 PM in response to Kitchen Backsplash
There are many shades of "white" available -- cream, off white, grayish white, bright white, etc.
Posted by: mopar at October 20, 2009 12:11 PM in response to Kitchen Backsplash
I've used Ceriello before, but the last time I needed work done, they failed at every step of the process and I ended up using Blaze Electric, which I posted about here: http://www.brownstoner.com/forum/archives/2009/10/giving_props_to.php
Had a very good experience with them. Hope others do too!
Posted by: laurie11201 at November 2, 2009 4:17 PM in response to Where Are the Electricians?