We came across this problem about three years ago. We had painted steps that were peeling. First we stripped and repainted with a Farrow-Ball paint specifically for these stairs. The paint was peeling again in under a year.

So, we stripped them, sealed the cracks, joints with a colored mortar/crackfiller, and left them their natural limestone color.

We are so happy we did it. What we did paint, a neutral gray color (as the stairs are gray) is the riser, but not the tread. The tread is where all the paint would peel. This has lasted going on two years, and they still look great. We painted the riser because, after all the different times and all the different colors that the steps had been painted, the riser was stained and we would have had to sandblast to get those colors out...so we painted to have them match the color of the tread.

Let me know if you want to come by and see. breukelyn at mac dot com.

Posted by: spintoto at August 2, 2009 2:08 PM in response to Painting Stoop Stairs?

manor = manner

Posted by: spintoto at June 16, 2009 8:10 AM in response to Ikea Kitchen

We used them and were happy with them. They came on time, worked hard, made suggestions, and totally know what they are doing. They are very focused on moving quickly b/c there is only a certain amount of time allotted for the job and they make money on volume. Having said that, I've no major complaints.

Their kitchenside manor is not the greatest...not much of a sense of humor, but I'd use them again.

Posted by: spintoto at June 16, 2009 7:58 AM in response to Ikea Kitchen

Over the past four years, I have worked with five different plumbers across various projects: Gateway, Alladin, Vigilante, Park Set & John Hlad.

The different contractors I used over time reflects a maturity process I went through as a homeowner...over time you learn that you should probably pay for the peace of mind, and not cut corners on things like plumbing, if you can afford it. In that vein, I would use Gateway if you have the money.

I first worked with John Hlad because I liked the idea of working with a veteran and a family operation. He didn't do a bad job, but the process of getting him to come was too cumbersome and it wasn't the most professional experience. But the work held up...no complaints about the work.

I then worked with Viglante and, again, had no problems with their work, but had to use them in an emergency and was resentful about the pricing...they do have a good Sudden Service.

I had to do a oil to gas conversion, as well as fix some plumbing and gas violations. For this job, I got estimates from Gateway, Park Set & Alladin. I ended up using Gateway for this and they did an outstanding job. They were very professional, came on time, finished on time, and followed up,and the piping to/from the furnace is a work of art. You get what you pay for with Gateway. Also, Master Plvmber (aka Gateway) will engage in email correspondence to answer you questions...this came in very helpful when I was buying a Runtal radiator and wanted advice on how to buy/things to think about before buying.

Alladin came in and did some minor work in my tenant's apartment. I didn't use Gateway b/c I needed it right away and Alladin was the only place that could come in a hurry, besides Vigilante. That work was eventually corrected by Gateway a few months later when it broke again....it was not great workmanship.

Lastly, as part of our kitchen renovation, our contractor introduced us to Park Set Plumbing as a subcontractor.

So far, they've done great work, very reasonable pricing. This could be a good mid-price range alternative to Gateway. I ended up using Park Set to replace our sewer line when the rains came this spring and we discovered a crack in the sewer pipe.

So...all in, I would definately use Gateway if you have the money, and can pay for the peace of mind. Otherwise, Park Set has done some good work for us, at good prices through our contractor, and I've no reason to complain about them or their work.

Based on my experiences, I would not use Alladin or John Hlad going forward.

Posted by: spintoto at May 29, 2009 12:40 PM in response to Plumber recommendations

We had 17 windows and two exterior doors replaced by Bay Ridge Windows & Doors this spring. We used the Marvin Infinity windows (fiberglass) after doing a ton of research and talking to others that had used them. It was a good middle ground, price wise, between wood and vinyl, without the maintenance of wood frames, or the warping of vinyl. Also, it seemed like the best environmental choice, among three bad choices.

BRW did a great job. We met with 5 different vendors. They were by no means the cheapest, but they were the only ones that had done positively recommended installations of these windows, and were the most professional in terms of their estimate, description of what they were going to do, and advice. The windows/doors took nearly 8 weeks to arrive, but they came on time, took two days, and, knock on wood, I have no complaints, save a little mess here and there that didnt get cleaned up.

Posted by: spintoto at June 4, 2008 7:39 AM in response to Window Replacement

We installed a rainbarrel two springs ago and it ended up being a total nightmare, thus, we gave it away. We ordered it from gardeners.com..it had the best prices.

Our issue is that with a typical brownstone flat roof the water from the entire roof drains down one drain. That was the drain we tapped to funnel into a 60 gallon rain barrel.

As it turns out, if it rains even a 1/4 of an inch, all of the rain from your entire roof (20x50 building = 1000sq ft roof = a lot of cubic space) will fill up a 60gallon barrel easily. Thus, in bigger rains, the barrel would overflow and cause flooding in that area. There are ways to prevent it and divert the overflow rainwater back into the guttering, but it would have required a professional guttering person to fix it.

Also, the few times that it did work, its hard to get enough water pressure coming out of the hose from the rain barrel to make using the water very practical from a time perspective. There's not enough pressure to feed a sprinkler, so you end up having to stand there with the hose for a 1/2hr.

Anywho, there are perhaps ways to address the issues i've raised, but at a certain point it just became too complicated/costly/time consuming.

Posted by: spintoto at March 21, 2008 12:41 PM in response to Rain Barrel

I agree that is shameful and bordering on cruel to print and publish this type of information, particularly when it is a human being that is under this pressure and is facing, not some corporation.

When this blog first started it seemed as if the mission were to be helpful to folks wanting to live in and improve homes in Brownstone Brooklyn. Now is has become predatory.

You should take a close look at yourself Mr. Brownstoner. You may have left behind investment banking, but it sure hasn't left you.

Posted by: spintoto at January 25, 2008 12:11 PM in response to Foreclosure Pressure at 14 Fort Greene Place?

There were only two pro Metro postings, both of which were from two different registered users with different details and experiences. What's more likely is that 9:32AM guest is J.Mos.

Posted by: spintoto at November 16, 2007 10:08 PM in response to Brownstone Authority

The thing at Hassan at Metro is, as you'll see from other postings, that he's hard to get ahold of b/c he's all over the neighborhood. Everyday when I'm walking the dog, I see at least 3-4 Metro signs...so he's busy, but if you can get ahold of his cell phone number, which i don't have right now, i was able to talk directly to him and that worked the best.

Posted by: spintoto at November 15, 2007 11:45 PM in response to Brownstone Authority

We used JMos to fix our brownstone stairs and he did a horrendous job the first time AND the second time after we raised cane. Within 3 months its cracking/peeling and we ended up using Metro to fix those things and their work has lasted well.

I don't, however, question his professionalism. He was very courteous and responsive during the estimates and when we asked him to come back and fix the work, he did it for free...just the work itsself was not quality work for the prices he charged.

Posted by: spintoto at November 15, 2007 10:09 PM in response to Brownstone Authority

We met with and really liked this guy, Ben Baxt. He seemed to be the dean of architects. We held off on renovating to save up more money, but will use him when we do.

http://www.baxtingui.com/

Good luck.

Posted by: spintoto at October 16, 2007 12:59 PM in response to Recommendations needed

We recently had four companies come and give us an estimate on a oil-to-gas conversion on our heating and hot-water system, one of which was Gateway.

The four estimates were as follows: $4K, $7K, $9K and $14K, for same size system in all respects.

While the man that came from Gateway was the most professional, their proposal was the $14K proposal, which was clearly off-market, IMO.

We went with the $9k proposal from a very reputable provider, often praised on this site, and we are very satisfied.

It is also worth mentioning that of the proposals, Gateway didn't cover asbestos removal or removal of the old oil tanks. So, not only were they the most expensive by far, but that didn't even cover all the necessary work to get the job done.

While I do appreciate the advice Master Plvmber gives on this site, I didn't appreciate the off-market pricing he gave when he came to my home.

Posted by: spintoto at October 15, 2007 11:57 AM in response to Experiences with Gateway Plumbing?

I was generally of the same opinion "slick" but after having done it, it wasn't as bone jarring as I expected. The hardest part was loading up the dozens of bags of broken up concrete. Adding a day laborer as "guest" has prescribed, is a good way to break up the work, no pun intended, but i didn't have the chutzpah or knowledge to know where to find one.

Posted by: spintoto at September 18, 2007 6:34 PM in response to jackhammering concrete garden

We did it by renting a jackhammer from Home Depot and several boxes of contracter clean up bags, then just hired a trash hauler to take the bags out...all in, we spent about $500, albeit a weekend of hard work.

Posted by: spintoto at September 18, 2007 1:51 PM in response to jackhammering concrete garden

1:08 - I agree, although you have to keep in mind that the water is going to sit in the barrel for while before you use it, so there is going to be prolonged contact with the barrel material. So if we have to be concerned about "food grade" material i would be most concerned about the barrel. But I have to say that I have been thinking about installing such a system and never thought about the "food grade" issue.

Posted by: guest at March 21, 2008 1:31 PM in response to Rain Barrel

I've seen it advised also to throw some compost into the barrel and it makes and incredibly nutritious "tea" for your plants. Food grade...NO. Don't pay up for a food grade barrel.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at March 21, 2008 2:11 PM in response to Rain Barrel

A rain barrel is a good idea...if you want to breed mosquitoes. Make sure to cover it with a screen.

Posted by: guest at March 21, 2008 2:30 PM in response to Rain Barrel

Last year at the Atlantic Antic the Gowanus Canal Development Org. was talking about giving away rain barrels for free sometime this spring. I put my name on the list, but haven't heard anything.

www.gowanus.org

Posted by: shasla at March 21, 2008 2:33 PM in response to Rain Barrel

I have a 55 gal. plastic barrel that is looking for a new home. Food grade- ???. It was used for collecting sawdust. 718.832.1058

Posted by: southslope at March 21, 2008 3:38 PM in response to Rain Barrel

In what way is compost tea not food grade? That's the whole point - fertilizing your food.

Posted by: guest at March 22, 2008 12:33 PM in response to Rain Barrel

Last year I got a 55 gallon rain barrel with a spigot, screened top and overflow valves for watering plants on my 700 sf low roof deck. In its first life it was a greek olive container. I collect rain from my main roof and divert the excess toward the secondary drain on the low roof. I fill up a watering can from the spigot and water away. Works great, though the water still smells like olives. My plants were so much happier since my previous watering required lugging gallon buckets of tap water from the kitchen. The rain barrel cost around $100 and the diverter about $29, which I found high since I'm cheap but I highly recommend it.

Posted by: guest at March 24, 2008 11:58 AM in response to Rain Barrel

Last year I got a 55 gallon rain barrel with a spigot, screened top and overflow valves for watering plants on my 700 sf low roof deck. In its first life it was a greek olive container. I collect rain from my main roof and divert the excess toward the secondary drain on the low roof. I fill up a watering can from the spigot and water away. Works great, though the water still smells like olives. My plants were so much happier since my previous watering required lugging gallon buckets of tap water from the kitchen. The rain barrel cost around $100 and the diverter about $29, which I found high since I'm cheap but I highly recommend it.

Posted by: guest at March 24, 2008 12:01 PM in response to Rain Barrel

I have a roof garden and lug 10 watering cans full of water almost daily and am looking for an alternative method since I have no water source up there. I looked into rain barrels but since I am on the flat roof and you need to divert a drain to the barrel I am afraid I cannot do this.

I tried to extend a garden hose to the roof but the pressure won't send it up one full flight and the spout under the kitchen sink where I connected the hose ends up flooding.

Does any one have any suggestions? Much appreciated.

Posted by: guest at March 24, 2008 2:06 PM in response to Rain Barrel

To spintoto
Thank you for sharing your information.
I will be happy to call them.

Posted by: Ysabelle at June 4, 2008 11:11 AM in response to Window Replacement