I joined Angie's List because I am about to buy a home in Brooklyn and know no one for referrals. There are plenty of bad reviews posted. Some companies have straight A's and some are mixed and I have seen one deck building company from Staten Island that had over 40 reviews, almost all positive.

Posted by: premadas at June 30, 2008 3:07 PM in response to Angies list

Try "Iron Works by Cropsey" on Utica Avenue. Google them, they have a website. I've used them before for apartment window gates and I am having him come to my new house next week to measure and make a wrought iron security door, back window gates, weld the loose iron stairs from the 2nd floor to the backyard and put wrought iron window box holders on the front of the building. He has stock designs but will do any custom work you need. It's been family owned and operated since the 50's.

Posted by: premadas at June 30, 2008 3:16 PM in response to screen door

Sonsackett,

Can I have his name? I am buying a townhouse and it needs work, and I am nervous that I could hire the wrong GC and have lots of problems.

Posted by: premadas at June 30, 2008 5:46 PM in response to Which contractor to pick?

To add more to above post...I have seen companies with D and F reviews. If the company has a string of bad reviews, I think they are taken off the list. I had one company bookmarked for possible use and when I went back to a few weeks later, it said this company can no longer be accessed through Angie's, but there was no reason why.

Posted by: premadas at June 30, 2008 6:07 PM in response to Angies list

My friend's CO detector kept going off and registering high readings. She finally figured out that it was whenever she ran her air conditioner. Now she is having central air installed.

After reading these posts she should have checked what her neighbors were venting close by her AC instead. I'll have to tell her somehow now that she's spent all that money.

Posted by: premadas at June 30, 2008 11:25 PM in response to Carbon monoxide

I grew up in the 60's in the area now called "Victorian Midwood". Back then it was still just considered Flatbush. There were more kids on the street than you could count playing from 9 am till the sun went down only because you couldn't see the ball anymore. That's when you got Mom to give you an old Mayo jar to collect fireflies and caterpillars in. All the neighbors sat out on their porches all night. Air conditioners were only put on for sleeping.

Our blocks, Glenwood Road between Coney Island Ave and the D train, had malls in the center. You couldn't play on them because that was where everyone walked their dogs and there were no poop laws then.

But those malls were the greatest for organizing bicycle races and playing Roller Derby. We were some banged up, bruised group of kids, boys and girls alike. Freeze tag, red rover, and more street games than I could ever remember the names of. My Mom still owns the house on the block and I'm always so sad that there are no longer any kids out playing, all the life has gone from the neighborhood AFAIC.

In the summer the hydrants were opened and the streets were so clean we would lay towels on the sidewalks to sun ourselves.

Avenue J library, the real Jewish bagel store run by one old lady who only baked 3 kinds of Bagels - salt, plain and poppy - 5 cents each and so fresh out of the oven they burned your hands. And across the street the Pickle guys selling under the Ave J train station overpass...

Alot has changed in 40 years.

Posted by: premadas at June 30, 2008 11:50 PM in response to street memories

Forget about them....I left a message with the woman who answers the phone asking for an appointment for an estimate but the owner never called me back.

Meanwhile, I called for the same with All Renovations and my call was returned that same day. $300 for an estimate, that will be taken off the top if I book the job.

I'm also going to call Perfect Renovation for another estimate. From the look of their website I think they are going to be high.

Interestingly, neither All Renovation or Perfect are on Angie's list...but Diamond Era, who doesn't return calls is, with straight 'A'.

Posted by: premadas at July 1, 2008 2:54 PM in response to Renovation Work

So it seems that All Reno is just collecting the $300 and not delivering. Did they charge you to come out for the estimate also?

I called Perfect Renovation and they do not work in Bay Ridge. So the owner gave me the number of a subcontractor he uses - Transition Construction.

Any one heard of them?

Posted by: premadas at July 2, 2008 1:39 PM in response to Renovation Work

Colonial is in Valley Stream...my job is in Bay Ridge

Posted by: premadas at July 2, 2008 1:43 PM in response to Renovation Work

The length of your reply is not a problem, thanks for the tips. I am new to this and going to have a few contractors come in and give me estimates. I do not mind paying more if it means the job is done professionally and clean. He is coming this weekend and I will ask him if he has other jobs in the area I can see.

Posted by: premadas at July 9, 2008 12:15 AM in response to Transition Construction?

Chill...no he didn't say what colors but everyone I mentioned it (contractors, plumbers etc) said they have heard about it but they have it in their homes anyway.

Posted by: premadas at August 23, 2008 7:18 PM in response to marble kitchen counter top

Poster "Premadas" continues to write negative post about us even after explaining the following on this site per his/her previous posts...

AllRenovation ONLY charges $300 for estimates IF it is for a "speculation property" or a property in review to be purchased. This type of estimate will act as a tool for a potential buyer when in negotiations to purchase a house. As a contractor, the time involved in consultation and preparation of an estimate should be considered especially in this unique situation.

WE DO NOT CHARGE FOR GENERAL ESTIMATES OTHERWISE. We also always make sure callers are aware that the $300 for "Speculation Properties" is automatically pro-rated if they eventually purchased the home and hire us based on our estimate.

We understand and respect that everyone has a right to their views but we are firm believers of putting into practice quality service and customer satisfaction as reflected in our website pictorials, references and our history.

Thank You,
AllRenovation Construction LLC.

http://www.allrenovation-ny.com

718-351-4099

Posted by: allrenovation at August 23, 2008 7:22 PM in response to All Renovation

Muggings don't only happen late at night or early morning. It's unsafe to believe that. My husband was mugged in the early evening in prime North Park Slope. I have a Bay Ridge mugging story too. Wherever you live, stick to crowded streets on walks home at night even if you have to go a little out of your way. In Bay Ridge everybody is inside and the sidewalks empty by the time it's dark. When I rented an apt in Bay Ridge my first year in NYC in 2004, one of my young female neighbors got mugged in our foyer when a guy followed her home after work around 8pm at night. We were on a nice block too, 95th and Marine. There are both houses and large coop and apt buildings around there but most often I wouldn't see a soul on the sidewalks at night even when it wasn't late.

Posted by: traditionalmod at August 24, 2008 11:24 AM in response to Shooting - Monroe & Nostratd, Bed-Stuy

Muggers usually don't mug in their own neighborhoods, for obvious reasons. They usually (but not always) focus on neighborhoods where people are patronizing restaurants, bars and stores and where the mugger is reasonably sure that the victim is carrying cash.

Street muggings are fairly uncommon in Bay Ridge for several reasons, one of which was already mentioned: there's not a lot of sidewalk traffic in its residential neighborhoods for it to make it worth a mugger's effort and where he might get spotted by cops before he finds a victim. Much of the after-dark pedestrian traffic around here are dog walkers. Finally, a lot of law enforcement types reside here. That's just the nature of Bay Ridge, or at least north Bay Ridge. A mugger would know that by the large number of personal cars parked at fire hydrants with NYPD dashboard placards.

Posted by: Steve at August 24, 2008 4:20 PM in response to Shooting - Monroe & Nostratd, Bed-Stuy

From my own experience with an old converted coal-fired boiler that was extant when I bought my house, I would highly recommend that you replace it with a new boiler, whether it be oil or gas. We were told by our surveyor that the boiler was close to the end of its useful life (and, surely, your surveyor must have told you the same) and one extremely cold December, a couple of years after we bought the house and about a week before my mother-in-law was due to arrive for the holidays, my next=door neighbor comes over to tell me that there's water seeping from my basement to hers. Sure enough, the boiler had split. Space heaters kept us and our tenant warm for three days until, thankfully, we got a replacement installed before the MIL descended on us. Believe me, not an experience to be savored; either the boiler situation or the MIL descent :-)

Posted by: johnife at August 24, 2008 7:01 PM in response to Heating oil consumption estimate

I agree. Replace that old burner. Will pay for itself and you may dodge a bullet of failure.

We spent $4,000 on heating oil (heat and hot water) in the past 12 months.

Our space is 17.5 x 45 x 4 floors.

While I grew up in a house that was 60º in on winter mornings, nyc tenant regulations require that every part of the apartments be al least 68º most of the day:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/html/tenants/heat-and-hot-water.shtml

We put in some new storm windows this spring and I hope this will help.

Posted by: phripley at August 24, 2008 9:12 PM in response to Heating oil consumption estimate

I also think bay ridge is really nice but its also more connected culturally w/ staten island or long island than brooklyn. And while thats not a deal breaker for me, I just cant bring myself to sign up for it yet.

Food fun and fashion...Bay Ridge has it all.

Posted by: slick at August 25, 2008 4:40 AM in response to restored Victorian in Bay Ridge

True, it's such a great walk to stroll the streets looking at the big houses between Ridge and Shore Road in the 80's and 90's blocks.

But those houses cost as much as a brownstone in Park Slope or the most special, largest house in Ditmas Park. The young, wealthy professionals targeted here by the OP are so unlikely to choose Bay Ridge for $1.9 million, for the reasons Slick mentions. (Unless they grew up there). All the young professionals and families I know coming out of apartments in brownstone Brooklyn or Manhattan, who have bought in Bay Ridge or are thinking about it, they're going for the 2-story brick and limestone houses priced under a million. That's what is bringing them there, the bargains. Not the properties priced $2 MM to $3 MM or more. Steve had the right idea about which house to point out to people here.

Posted by: traditionalmod at August 26, 2008 10:47 AM in response to restored Victorian in Bay Ridge

I called Perfect Renovation about a year ago for a bathroom remodeling project and they also referred me to Transitions Contracting. Of course I also got 3 other estimates from other contractors. Transitions was not the lowest but I did hire them because their references checked out, they were a member of BBB and had the license and insurance requirements needed by my building. He also showed me albums of his work which looked clean. I have to say that the owner is a bit too serious at times, but he stuck by his contract and I was very happy with the completed job.

Posted by: Hannah1975 at August 26, 2008 1:41 PM in response to Transition Construction?

I've just returned to this website for the second time since I wrote a post on June 29th. "Guest" thought it was a fake post. No, I'm a real live 75 year old guy who loves creative names. In fact, I've just written a children's book called "The king Who Gave Names".I'll send it to guest or anyone else who would like to read it. I'll monitor the site.
In the meantime,I'll try to enclose a story i wrote about my pop, which is part of my very large memoir.
Ira Spector-"pussylocks"

My Pop - by Ira Spector
My father was a very handsome guy when he was young. Faded photographs, older than my sepia memory bears testimony on the fading pages of our family album. Apparently he parlayed those good looks into being quite a ladies man before my mother snagged and removed him from the meat market. I heard stories of his prowess as a wild cocksman when he was single. He remarked with awe to his brother Dave”, this certain young lady; could pee into a coke bottle standing up without spilling a drop”. That was my Pop!
I grew up in the fifties through the fits and starts of adolescence, the revealing mysteries of puberty and the inculcation of ambition all Jewish boys are indoctrinated with before leaving home. Growing up I never thought of my father as handsome or ugly. He was just Pop! He was good to me as a kid, but afflicted with a terrible depression that permeated his behavior and personality, and prevented a close relationship between us. His perpetual sadness limited his sharing of life experiences and wisdom’s that might have guided me from making some of the mistakes I later did in life. However one time he did do something for me for which I have everlasting gratitude
I was a sophomore in Brooklyn College, and flunked the only course in my school career- Structural Geology. I was quite discouraged and depressed because Geology was my major. I had trouble interpreting mathematically how certain layers of rock on the surface in one area would emerge in another outcrop some distance away. In shame and despair, I wanted to quit school for a while and get a job. Pop feared that once I quit, I would be sucked into the vortex of the working world and never return to complete my education. He pleaded with me to stay in school, but it fell on deaf ears. He then asked me to talk to “Red” the house painter in our building. “Red”, square jawed, tough, hard as a rock, and street wise, looked me in the eye and said “look shmuck you want to wind up a painter like me. I never had the opportunity that your father and mother are offering you. Don’t blow it or you’ll regret it the rest of your life”. I finally got the message, stayed in school, transferring to New York University and graduated with honors two and a half years later. My parents never told me, but I think graduation day was probably the happiest day I had ever given them, and relief too.
Everyone in our family, including Pop’s brothers and sisters thought the origin of his depression was psychological. He thought of himself as a failure for blowing the only money he had accumulated in his life. I thought his condition was psychological too, until many years later when his younger brother, my Uncle Dave, a successful factory manager, quite suddenly came down with severe depression that lasted the rest of his life.
In Graduate school in 1972 I first learned about chemical depression, which is genetic in origin. The body lacks a certain chemical that affects behavior. People diagnosed with this malady take medicine for the rest of their lives to compensate for the deficiency and can lead a normal life. I suspect this was probably the source of both my father and my Uncle’s problems. My father’s two other brothers seemed to exhibit moroseness associated with their personalities as well.
Pop thought he was a failure, because he only had a sixth grade education. This was pretty typical of his generation. There was no money in his immigrant parent’s household, and he had to get a job to pay his way. He finally made some money after marrying my mother. Uncle Dave and he opened a Malt and Hop shop during prohibition in Babylon Long Island. The business flourished, prohibition was still the law of the land, and they did some bootlegging to augment sales. Everything was going fine and the money poured in. Pop bought a fancy cream convertible car, wore argyle socks with his golf knickers, and looked and acted like a Great Gatsby dandy, but he never forgot his family. Every Saturday morning, he drove to Brooklyn, an hour’s drive in the nineteen thirties. There he picked up my Grandma Molly and my two cousins Ethel and Phyllis to spend the weekend in Babylon. They lived together with Aunt’s Shirley and Dotty. Five women in one small apartment, with one bathroom, which must have been miserable.
One day mobsters came to pay the two brother’s a visit, warned them about muscling in on the mob’s bootlegging territory, and suggested they quit the business. If they didn’t they were warned, various of their body parts would be found in selected garbage dumps and polluted waterways throughout the greater New York area. They shut the doors within the hour.
It was 1933, the depths of the Great Depression. There was not much job opportunity for educated men, and certainly less for one who never went beyond the sixth Grade and had no particular skills or trade. Additionally, Pop had a wife and child (my sister Beryl, I was not born yet) to provide for. It must have been scary times.

Luckily he found a job as a building superintendent in Brooklyn. This provided the family

Posted by: pussylocks at August 29, 2008 11:11 PM in response to street memories