I believe the plumber gets the gas line running and an HVAC guy takes care of the vents. At least, that was how it was done in our home. Don't know how much it cost, though, as we did a renovation and we were charged by the project.

Good luck!

Posted by: luvtocook at March 3, 2008 2:04 PM in response to Venting a Dryer / Washer and Dryer Combos

Unless the stainless steel is of a high quality, it looks cheap, in my opinion. And if the rental kitchen is small and you can only fit 24" fridge and range in it, the stainless makes the appliances look like toys. Go for white.

Posted by: luvtocook at February 21, 2008 6:16 PM in response to Stainless vs New Appliances

We just finished renovating the garden duplex in our 17x40 4 story brownstone (still renting the top two floors). We knocked down all the walls in the garden level and placed the kitchen in the middle, with the family room leading out to the garden, knocked down the back wall, raised the ceiling in the family room area (architect's idea) and installed sliding glass doors with transoms. The garden level, which is usually the darkest, dimmest level, is very sunny and open. We also have a powder room and two closets on the garden level.

On the parlor level, we have two bedrooms and two full baths, plus a room where we watch TV and hang out at the end of the night. All rooms are divided by pocket doors.

The parlor level is also configured in such a way, that if we want to take over the third floor, it would not involved moving pipes and electrical.

Our next project is to finish the cellar, which we have already dug down, so the height is higher than most. A skylight was installed (basically, the hatch is glass) on the southern end to allow some light into the cellar. Currently, our laundry is down there, but we will eventually turn the cellar in to a gym and have storage.

We love our space. A friend of mine who owns a house that is 20 feet wide said that our house feels more spacious.

A good architect should be able to help you make your space feel more spacious and be more efficient.

I will say, however, that the total costs was more than your budget of $200-$250K.

Good luck!

Posted by: luvtocook at February 15, 2008 11:31 AM in response to 16.5 x 40' brownstone layout?

We just finished renovating the garden duplex in our 17x40 4 story brownstone (still renting the top two floors). We knocked down all the walls in the garden level and placed the kitchen in the middle, with the family room leading out to the garden, knocked down the back wall, raised the ceiling in the family room area (architect's idea) and installed sliding glass doors with transoms. The garden level, which is usually the darkest, dimmest level, is very sunny and open. We also have a powder room and two closets on the garden level.

On the parlor level, we have two bedrooms and two full baths, plus a room where we watch TV and hang out at the end of the night. All rooms are divided by pocket doors.

The parlor level is also configured in such a way, that if we want to take over the third floor, it would not involved moving pipes and electrical.

Our next project is to finish the cellar, which we have already dug down, so the height is higher than most. A skylight was installed (basically, the hatch is glass) on the southern end to allow some light into the cellar. Currently, our laundry is down there, but we will eventually turn the cellar in to a gym and have storage.

We love our space. A friend of mine who owns a house that is 20 feet wide said that our house feels more spacious.

A good architect should be able to help you make your space feel more spacious and be more efficient.

I will say, however, that the total costs was more than your budget of $200-$250K.

Good luck!

Posted by: luvtocook at February 15, 2008 11:31 AM in response to 16.5 x 40' brownstone layout?

Mrs. Limestone is right -- simple and clean does not mean inxpensive. We just finished a renovation that is Dwell-ish (a little warmer, I think) and because of the need for clean lines, it is actually harder for the contractor. I compare it to hair cuts -- pin-straight hair is a lot harder to cut than curly hair -- nowhere to hide imperfections.

Good luck!

Posted by: luvtocook at February 13, 2008 6:37 PM in response to Contractor price per square foot?

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! I stopped by PC Richards yesterday and took a look at some of the suggestions. The LG24" is nice, but expensive for a rental -- and the total square footage is actually smaller than others. I saw a Summit fridge -- and it's energy star approved, but the overall storage is not well laid out. I may go for a GE fridge, which has great storage for the size.

In terms of the range, Premier's appears to be the nicest (actually, Viking was the nicest, but I don't even have a Viking). I'm probably going for the one with sealed burners. As someone who has rented for so long, I know how much of a pain it is to have to clean spills from unsealed burners.

The LG microwave over the range also looks nice.

I'm not a fan of the stainless finishes for the smaller appliances -- they look cheap, so will go for white.

Thanks again everyone!

Posted by: luvtocook at February 13, 2008 10:09 AM in response to Appliances for small kitchen

I hope the artists do get to move back in. It's because of artists that so much of NYC came out of the housing slump -- so many people seem to forget that there was a time when nobody wanted to live in NYC. Whether is is downtown Manhattan, DUMBO, Long Island City or Williamsburg -- these neighborhoods required somebody who would take the risk -- legal or illegal -- to live there when everyone else thought they were crazy.

Posted by: luvtocook at February 11, 2008 11:30 AM in response to Glimmers of Hope for 475 Kent Residents

The reasons for this family to move to Ft. Greene are similar to those of many families and individuals who have moved to Brooklyn (and other boroughs and New Jersey) from Manhattan. Manhattan is like a big mall, with too many banks and Gaps.

Coming from a family who moved 3 times before I turned 13, I can understand why the family in this article still sends their kids to the West Village for school -- the mother says the kids seems to be adjusting quickly, but when it comes to the friends at school, it is harder.

As far as private vs. public -- it's a personal choice. In my family, three of us attended public schools and two attended private. Is there a difference among the siblings in terms of worldliness, demeanor, etc? Not really. Did my public school suffer because people in the neighborhood also sent their kids to private schools? Not really either.

This is NYC -- people have been moving among the boroughs for years -- I know many people who have lived in at least 3 boroughs. And people have been sending their kids to schools in other boroughs, pubic or private for years. None of this is anything new.

Posted by: luvtocook at February 11, 2008 11:21 AM in response to From the West Village to Fort Greene, With Few Regrets

We knocked down our back wall and installed Pella sliding glass doors and windows, knocked down all the walls AND raised the ceiling in the back section so we could add transoms -- and the house is still standing. We worked very closely with an architect and engineer to make sure everything was sound. We love it. Our garden level feels like a loft.

V.

Posted by: luvtocook at February 6, 2008 11:46 AM in response to blowing out rear wall in historic district.

We have soapstone countertops, which are beautiful -- and naturally hygenic.

A friend of mine has limestone countertops and they are beautiful, although I think they are pricy.

For both soapstone and limestone, there is a lot of characther in the stone so if there is a scratch or a stain, it really doesn't matter. And for soapstone, if the scratch bothers you, you just need to sandpaper it down and rub in some mineral oil. Easy.

Good luck!

V.

Posted by: luvtocook at February 4, 2008 4:35 PM in response to Tumbled Marble Countertops?

I agree with Dean Street. Many dog owners allow their dogs to pee on other people's property and it is just not considerate. Even peeing on garbage bags that will be picked up by the collectors is inconsiderate. And of course, not picking up -- that is just awful. I used to live on the Upper West Side and you can see where dogs' pee have eroded some really nice pre-war buildings.

For all the dog owners who claim they can't control when their dogs decide to do their business -- it's called training -- and it's your fault, not the dogs', if they ruin other people's property.

Posted by: luvtocook at February 1, 2008 8:23 AM in response to Curbing dogs

We knocked down the back wall on the garden level and put up sliding glass doors. We had an architect draw up the plans. A steel beam had to be put up for support.

Posted by: luvtocook at January 17, 2008 11:12 AM in response to Adding a window in back parlor?

Our floors are stained dark -- but not too dark -- you can see the grains. I forget the name of the stain, sorry! Previously, the floors were stained light, and that looked nice as well, but with the renovation that included new kitchen cabinets, the darker stain looks nicer.

Whatever you choose, don't super gloss it! I've seen some super-glossed old floors in brownstones and they look awful, no matter what stain shade.

Good luck!

Posted by: luvtocook at January 3, 2008 1:47 PM in response to What color floor stain did you use?

Come to think of it, no one has ever told me how much water the washers use -- they just say that the water level does not go over the bottom of the window, so you are able to actually open the washer once it's started (unlike the ones in the laundrymats)

Posted by: luvtocook at January 3, 2008 12:18 PM in response to LG or Whirlpool Steam Washers -- comments?

We didn't use MCKB for kitchen design, but did purchase our stove, fridge, dishwasher, hood and kitchen sink from them. Some of their prices were lower and others higher than other places -- I think on the whole, it evens out. We purchased from them because they were so helpful in helping us figure out which items to purchase. They don't seem to be given commissions by certain companies to push their brands, so they are objective. Also, they were very helpful with our contractor so that all the appliances fit in perfectly.

Posted by: luvtocook at January 2, 2008 11:12 AM in response to MCKB? (Manhattan Center for Kitchen and Bath)

We are just finishing a renovation of the garden duplex of our brownstone and we have a tiny powder room on the garden level, where our kitchen and living areas will be. In order to fit it in, our archtect slightly changed the direction of our staircase, so that the landing was moved to make room. We also have 2 bathrooms upstairs. The garden level powder room is something I insisted on, as I can't imagine our family and guests to go upstairs, where the bedrooms are, to go to the bathroom.

Posted by: luvtocook at January 2, 2008 11:05 AM in response to poll: add a powder room to the main floor of a house or have a bigger, better kitchen?

Stainless is the avocado green of the 21st century.

Posted by: guest at February 22, 2008 11:16 PM in response to Stainless vs New Appliances

I'd love to have avocado green appliances. What's old is new again, like they say.

Posted by: guest at February 23, 2008 1:23 PM in response to Stainless vs New Appliances

Yeah, now.

In 2030, stainless appliances will be reborn. Until then, I think white is classic.

Posted by: guest at February 23, 2008 5:48 PM in response to Stainless vs New Appliances

11:16 - as the poster who first mentioned avocado green as yucky, I totally loved your:
"Stainless is the avocado green of the 21st century" !

I've always hated staineless - it seems cold and institutional to me - from the first time I saw it, much as I hated the avacado green - and harvest gold, remember that? - of my childhood. Yes, dating myself here...

White is good. Black/white combo is good (black door stove with white tops especially nice); retro in bright colors and pastels are cool. I will never like stainless or the colors from the 60s/70s.

Posted by: guest at February 24, 2008 2:12 PM in response to Stainless vs New Appliances

I actually have been checking because since we got our LG washer, our water bill increased. That's why I'm looking for answers at this point. That said, I checked our water meter after a load and it used 20 gallons. That seems to be the norm after each use. I'm going to be more careful with the loads to see if that will lower our monthly, but after reading what a top loader uses, I don't think that the washer is the reason for our hike in usage. Hope that answers the original poster.

Posted by: guest at February 28, 2008 7:20 PM in response to LG or Whirlpool Steam Washers -- comments?

Hi, I used Nick from Transcend also. Very nice guy, charged us a reasonable price . . . I would definitely use him again.

Posted by: clintonhillmom at March 3, 2008 2:19 PM in response to Venting a Dryer / Washer and Dryer Combos

Sorry, to clarify I didn't mean that the gas unit had two separate vents, I was meaning that the vent from a gas unit is treated very differently (it is considered exhaust) than a electric dryer vent (just hot air).

I agree that the fear of exhaust is overstated, and the 10' to a window rule is extreme, but from the standpoint of the regulations, carbon monoxide seems to kill a couple of people every year in the city, so the rules err on the side of safety.

Posted by: Smokychimp at March 3, 2008 3:04 PM in response to Venting a Dryer / Washer and Dryer Combos

Put a hard-wired, not plug-in, carbon monoxide detector near the floor somewhere near the dryer.

The co2 thing from gas also applies equally to gas ranges, I think. And many of them are not vented, due to where they are in the building (especially in apartments where the kitchen has been moved.)

Posted by: guest at March 3, 2008 3:47 PM in response to Venting a Dryer / Washer and Dryer Combos

its worth saying 3 times, to those who even think of it. don't do structural work yourself, anyone.

worst case scenario, the building falls down, or a kookoo building inspector says it might, even though he is wrong. the city comes and knocks it down, to be on the safe side. it has happened in ny. play it safe, dude, play it safe!

Qoute, when seeking advice, think how you would advise someone else, then follow your own advice!

Posted by: brownstone89 at March 11, 2008 12:06 AM in response to blowing out rear wall in historic district.

There are "leathered", brushed, and flamed finsishes available as well as ndulated finishes, which are all presealed. If you use a light colored limestone, especially one with fossils, you will never notice any etching. There is a line of coutnertops that DeZahra in DC and Allstone in NJ carry which provide this material. You will need to call as not information is available on their websites. I have a leathered Golden Alyssa limestone from DeZahra which is treated with a special sealer and it is very difficult to stain or etch. http://www.dezahra.com

Posted by: guest at March 12, 2008 4:00 PM in response to Tumbled Marble Countertops?