sourgrapes's Profile
Author's Posts
November 11, 2009
Brownstone paint
The front of my brownstone had been painted years ago with a slightly textured paint. Over the years, many areas of the brownstone had degraded and I have had them chipped out and rebuilt. My contractor is now ready to prime and repaint the entire surface of the facade. He is recommending an option of either a Benjamin Moore exterior latex paint, Dunhams "Dunit" exterior latex paint, or a Thorocoat textured paint. Since the surface already has a texture, I think he is encouraging the Thorocoat so that the repaired areas match the previously painted areas. Any opinions on the subject? I know the general consensus on painting over brownstone is that it is akin to original sin, but this repair is what the budget would allow. For the brownstone painters out there, what coatings have you used and what do you recommend?
November 10, 2009
Home Equity Line of Credit
I'm considering applying for a Home Equity Line of Credit as I am starting some renovations on my 3 family in Brooklyn. Anybody out there have opinions of the pros and cons of such an operation, and the risks involved? Any experiences good or bad?
October 5, 2009
Amigini Architectural
Has anyone out there used Amighini Architectural in Jersey City for restored front entry doors? They seem to have a large selection and offer installation services as well. Any reports good or bad?
June 26, 2009
Beadboard Question
I plan on installing a beadboard ceiling in my kitchen. We are planning to use pine 3" tongue and groove boards. Dykes sells these in long lengths, up to 12' I think. However, my kitchen is long and skinny like a bowling alley. Over 20' long. I want th ceiling to run parallel to the floor, the long way. So, I have to have seams somewhere on the butt ends of the beadboard planks. How do I hide the seams? I know I should stagger the boards so the cut ends don't line up. If I make sure the butt ends fall in the middle of a joist and nail the plank up, then putty the seam with a flexible filler, is this enough to hide the seams? Or should I create some sort of lap joint on the ends? Overkill?
Would love some input from someone that has done this before.
Thanks!
May 13, 2009
Roofing quotes
Wonder if I could pick your brains... We have a small extension (about 8' x 15') on our first floor that recently developed a leak. There was a problem with the roof drain and bad roof on the extension, complicated with gutter problems from the main roof. Have gotten quotes from Premier and Rocco's in the $2400 to $2800 range for a new double layer bitumen roof, and new copper box and aluminum leader from the main roof. -Double layer because we want to put a deck over the extension. Does this sound reasonable? Its seems high to me, considering we had the huge main roof done a couple years earlier for about three times as much, albeit only a single layer, but also including a couple of skylights. Also, Roccos wants to tear off many old layers of roor and redo, whereas Premier wants to roof over. Roccos also thinks we need an overflow outlet on this small roof, whereas Premier didn't quote for this. Thoughts?
Thanks!
April 22, 2009
Gutters and more
This is a long one, so get comfy folks. We own a three story brownstone in BK. Like many of you, when we had tremendous amounts of rain, storm water used to back up through the main trap of the building and into our basement. I'm talking a LOT of water. Disgusting. We were told that the location of our building at the intersection of several storm drains was to blame. Our neighbors have similar problems. At the advice of several plumbers, we installed a check valve in the waste line. Thankfully, no more storm water in the basement. However, where am I supposed to send the roof water? Currently, the downspout is improperly rigged to direct all the water from the roof onto the back patio from where it drains, slowly, into the waste line that runs under the building. When we get a lot of rain, the patio floods and water leaks in through the basement door. There is also a small extension off the first floor and honestly. I'm not sure where that roof water goes. There is a small drain on this roof that I suspect hooks up to the waste line somewhere inside the building. The real dilemma is, if the check valve is engaged, temporarily blocking water from coming in or out of the building, what is the best way to deal with the volume of water coming off the roof? Is it possible to create a system where it drains into the waste line but can be diverted into the yard if that line is full? I know a few other people on the forum have confronted this problem. What was your ultimate solution?
We'd appreciate your advice.
August 8, 2008
patio stone
I'm looking for a small amount of flagstone or irregular bluestone for a patio in my yard. Probably less than 100 sq ft. I haven't had much luck finding a supplier in Brooklyn and going to S.I. isn't really an option. I'd like to transport the stone myself. Anybody have a source?
July 9, 2008
bison deck supports
Has anyone ever used this product?
http://www.bisondecksupports.com
Any feedback? I'm building a small deck over a concrete patio and would prefer the deck to float rather than tear through concrete for the deck supports. Thoughts?
May 10, 2008
Brooklyn Fence
Has anyone here used Brooklyn Fence for a wooden fence installation? I just had them come out for a quote and wondered if anyone had some feedback.
Author's Comments
We painted some of the molding in our house that tested positive for lead with a lead encapsulating paint purchased from Janovic Plaza.
Posted by: sourgrapes at November 11, 2009 11:18 AM in response to Keeping Brownstone Shutters?
Thanks for the input. I need the front and back doors of my building replaced and have been having a hard time finding suitable doors and someone to install them for me. Did you find their installation fees to be reasonable?
Posted by: sourgrapes at October 5, 2009 3:00 PM in response to Amigini Architectural
Thanks for the advice, everyone! Yes, I'll definitely be using a pneumatic finish nailer, and the ceiling is already drywalled, so it is fire safe. Wish me luck. I'll be requesting more expertise if I get stuck...
Posted by: sourgrapes at June 25, 2009 7:52 PM in response to Beadboard Question
haters.
Posted by: sourgrapes at June 25, 2009 4:38 PM in response to Closing Bell: Bushwick is 'New York Cool'
Thanks for all the ideas everyone. To the above commenter 'mshook', may I ask how large your roof is? I'm interested in the rain barrel idea, but as our roof is pretty large, maybe 18' x 40', I wonder if the barrels will fill up in a matter of minutes and then the yard has to handle the rest. It already tends to be a bit soggy in the wet weather.
Posted by: sourgrapes at April 23, 2009 8:36 AM in response to Gutters and more
Winginit,
Thanks,
If you wouldn't mind giving his number, I'd like to give him a call. This is the style of door I want, but none of the contractors I've contacted know how to get it right. I guess I'd like to hear how your contractor would handle our job. Thanks again!
Posted by: sourgrapes at October 20, 2008 9:33 PM in response to back wall cement work
Winginit,
Can you tell me who installed your back door? I have to do similar work to the rear of my house and one part of the project is replacing the door. I have a similar situation with transom over door but haven't gotten good feedback from contractors. What you have is veery similar to what we are looking for. Could you recommend anyone?
Posted by: sourgrapes at October 15, 2008 10:39 AM in response to back wall cement work
Today we are completing a wooden fence installation by Fence Plaza Corps. Altogether it has been a very good experience. After an onsite quote and custom fence order, they showed up right on time to install and worked until 7PM to finish. Due to some irregularities in the terrain of our yard, they are coming back today to further adjust the installation. When we asked if this would affect the price of the job, the foreman said "Oh no, George is good like that." George is your man, very polite and easy to work with as are all of his workers. We got a comparable quote from Bracci, with a fair amount of attitude. I can't speak for wrought iron installations, but I imagine they as skilled with iron as with wood. I'd definitely recommend.
Fence Plaza Corp.
1020 Rogers Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11226
718-469-2200
fenceplaza.com
Posted by: sourgrapes at June 13, 2008 10:00 AM in response to fence contractor recommedations?
hm. what happened? lot lines not where you expected them to be?
Posted by: sourgrapes at May 11, 2008 5:10 PM in response to Brooklyn Fence
Congrats! I would love to see your plans, even just a rough sketch up. I also live in a floor through apartment and have often wondered about the best solution to breaking up the space should the time come when we might like to expand our family.
-Also on a budget. Its a conundrum.
Posted by: sourgrapes at April 30, 2008 5:57 PM in response to baby is coming. need a contractor
Responses to Author's Forum Comments
I didn't have them install the door - the contractors doing the rest of the work in my house did that part. I just had them install the hardware. If I recall, I thought their prices for installation were extremely high. I understand installing anything in an old home can be a crap shoot so I can see why their prices should be somewhat expensive but even so, I had sticker shock.
Their prices on the doors themselves were expensive but reasonable considering the quality.
Posted by: MrsLimestone at October 5, 2009 4:22 PM in response to Amigini Architectural
They sell antique doors that have been restored, right?
Mrs. Limestone, I thought you bought your house partly because you loved the original front door?!
Posted by: mopar at October 7, 2009 10:39 PM in response to Amigini Architectural
With something like a shutter, window, or door that moves, the effect of surfaces brushing against each other will cause paint dust, hence lead dust if the item was ever painted with lead paint. But like the other poster says, if you strip them, problem is gone.
Posted by: mopar at November 11, 2009 11:32 AM in response to Keeping Brownstone Shutters?
seems odd to focus in on shutters when every painted surface in a brownstone contains lead -from the baseboards to the ceiling. Disturbing these features while the room is occupied is the big no-no. Never ever sand or strip woodwork with children anywhere nearby. Vacuuming makes it worse. Either have the place professionally abated when no one is living there or leave it alone.
Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 11, 2009 11:43 AM in response to Keeping Brownstone Shutters?
First, I agree with bricktop that you're entitled to the shutters remaining if they were there when you signed the lease. It would never have occurred to me to remove anything, let alone "fixtures", from my tenant's apartment without their consent.
As for abatement, even though, at the time of lease signing, my tenants and I both signed the disclosure form acknowledging that I had no knowledge - one way or the other - of any lead paint in their apartment, several months AFTER they moved in, they decided, without either consulting or telling me, to have their apartment tested for lead. (As an aside, my tenant's apartment was a beautiful, newly gut-renovated, 3-bedroom duplex.) To my surprise, lead paint was found ONLY on 3 bedroom doors and on the surrounding moldings and baseboards, buried beneath 30 years of non-lead paint. Before sharing the results with me, my tenants then reported me to the Department of Health, which contacted me and was pretty nasty; but, when DOH learned that my tenants had signed the lead paint disclosure form and that I was not a slumlord, they apologized to me and told my tenants they were on their own. I offered to let my tenants out of the lease, and even though I was under no obligation, and there was no chipping or exposed lead paint, I offered to have my contractor paint the doors and moldings with lead encapsulating paint, which is what we finally agreed on.
Posted by: CarrollGardened at November 11, 2009 12:34 PM in response to Keeping Brownstone Shutters?
Interesting comments. But the question was about recourse. The owner has stated the reason is lead and that would be good enough for me, having someone that is interested in your well-being...or at least pretending to be is not often found.
Have you asked if they will be replaced once the others are removed? That should really be your issue. I feel that if the shutters are replaced, your question about recourse is answered.
Posted by: cillmylandlord_again at November 11, 2009 12:48 PM in response to Keeping Brownstone Shutters?
before recourse there's negotiation. the tenant could offer to share the cost of having the shutters stripped, would be the first thing that comes to my mind. as for whether the tenant can prevent the ll from removing the shutters, it seems unlikely. as for the ll, why now? maybe there is more here than meets the eye?
Posted by: raphael9 at November 11, 2009 1:37 PM in response to Keeping Brownstone Shutters?
Don't we think that most if not all of the tenements and Brownstones built here in Brooklyn all have lead paint buried beneath 1000 coats of paint?
Surely after so many coats of paint, the lead must be sealed......
If the tennant signed some sort of release knowing that the shutters contains lead that should cover the LL arse????
and since the tennants like the shutters and seem to be taking care of them, the lead shouldn't beleaking out.....
Posted by: STARGAZER at November 11, 2009 2:32 PM in response to Keeping Brownstone Shutters?
I just went through the same thing. Masons did a superb job chipping & coating w/ a brownstone-toned cement on the bottom part of my house. They then painted it w/ Ben Moore. Since there was a texture to the cement work, there's a texture to the final look. It's not perfect but, as you said, it is uniform & it makes the place look better & keeps further erosion from happening.
Posted by: Arkady at November 11, 2009 2:41 PM in response to Brownstone paint
Having the paint stripped and just leaving the stone exposed, no matter the condition, is a better option than painting it.
How much do they want to strip & paint??? How bad is the stone underneath?
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 11, 2009 3:36 PM in response to Brownstone paint
I hear you. I just really don't have the money for a full scratch coat, re-brownstone affair. I got quotes from multiple masons for different approaches to this problem. I'm afraid that if they stripped the paint and tried to repair the brownstone to match what is underneath, it wouldn't match. I see it a lot and it looks stained and shabby. Someday, I'll be able to do it right. This is a step to keep the facade intact, safe, and looking decent. Now, I know there is fierce debate on the damage that thorocoat does to the underlying brownstone veneer, but I wonder why that is? From what I've read about the product, Thorocoat is designed as an exterior finish for masonry and also allows it to breathe. It seems to be used all over the place.
Posted by: sourgrapes at November 11, 2009 2:26 PM in response to Brownstone paint