Cost of Owning a Brownstone

When we lived upstate we bought several cars through a truly great guy in Kingston named John Conlin. He looks a little more established now; but when we used him, he was buying cars at auctions and we told him the price range and type of car we were looking for: ie. solid, 4 door....and we had to agree to buy what he picked up. We always ended up with very solid, reliable cars in the Toyota/Honda vein. I've recommended him multiple times and don't know anyone who has been offered a lemon.
http://www.manta.com/coms2/dnbcompany_f3q494
He worked great for us, especially since we knew nothing about cars.

Posted by: stoppedlurking at November 10, 2009 1:58 PM in response to used car dealers

Much appreciated- thank you again.

Posted by: stoppedlurking at November 5, 2009 10:10 AM in response to Cost of Owning a Brownstone

This is great- thank you again.

Posted by: stoppedlurking at November 5, 2009 10:09 AM in response to Cost of Owning a Brownstone

Thanks for the feedback so far. The place has been converted from multiple apartments and has new windows, etc., so the old bills don't seem as relevant. I've lived in old, drafty houses before so heat is a big concern. Although, I guess that brownstones insulate each other. From the site we've learned about things like basements flooding, main lines breaking, facade work, etc. So, if people would be willing to put out numbers that would be really useful. Again, thank you.

Posted by: stoppedlurking at November 4, 2009 7:15 PM in response to Cost of Owning a Brownstone

I did detailed estimates when I was working on a tenants-in-common.

Similar sized 4-st house, came to $17000/yr, including $4400 re tax, 3,400 insurance, all mechanical components & stoop and facade prorated (ex: furnace, 5000, 30 years), utilities (heat: 3300 mostly), garden, plus $2500/yr contingency.

Posted by: cmu at November 4, 2009 10:57 PM in response to Cost of Owning a Brownstone

I was surprised at how reasonable my gas bill was for the heat & hot water. I have a forced air system in a three storey building and I pay about $1,700- 1,900 per year in gas. Electric for the common sharges is never over $60 per month in the winter and usually around half that the rest of the year.

Maintenance is minimal. Ocassionally you need to replace a door lock or something but if your sytems are all new, little will be needed. Expect your hot water heater to go sometine in the next 10 years! roof and skylight repairs might be necessay but only depending upon age. Get your crwl space between the top floor ceiling and the roof insulated...about $2.00 psf

I do however spend a lot of money impulsively on cosmetic things but that's totally discretionary.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 5, 2009 8:00 AM in response to Cost of Owning a Brownstone

This is great- thank you again.

Posted by: stoppedlurking at November 5, 2009 10:09 AM in response to Cost of Owning a Brownstone

Much appreciated- thank you again.

Posted by: stoppedlurking at November 5, 2009 10:10 AM in response to Cost of Owning a Brownstone

Agree with cmu and dave's estimates. I have same sized house and don't have exact numbers in front of me but recall Gas bill in winter is ~$350-400/mo in winter and ~$35 in summer (steam heat/70-72 degrees/gas stove, grill and dryer), electric ~$130/mo. (higher in summer depending on A/C usage, water ~$350/yr, annual boiler service ~$150. Heat & electric will vary based on what kind of system you have, how much heat you like, how often people are home during the day, level of insulation in your attic, quality of doors and windows, and whether your exposed walls are insulated.

Maintenance is impossible to predict as it depends on the age of your systems the level of ongoing care you give them, and your level of handiness when it comes to fixing stuff, but you should have the ability to cover at least $10K of unexpected surprises in any given year, and budget $2-3K for fixing small issues to prevent them from turning into big stuff.

The temptation to make improvements is pretty powerful, so you may as well make a wish list, price it out, and plan out what you want to do in any given year.

Posted by: wyckoff at November 5, 2009 11:20 AM in response to Cost of Owning a Brownstone

I would definitely set aside several thousand dollars in an emergency repair fund, similar to what coops do. CMU or Wasder had a good formula for this, but I can't remember what they said. I would say at least $15,000 and maybe as much as $40,000 in case you need a roof, facade, plaster (in case of flood), boiler, or need to relocate a family of raccoons.

Posted by: mopar at November 5, 2009 5:06 PM in response to Cost of Owning a Brownstone

Often, successful jewelers have come to the craft as a means of escape from their daily lives - a hobby that has blossomed into an art, and it is refreshing to see how jewelry making has allowed this couple to share their interests and enjoy the creative process together. In this two part interview, they share what influences and motivates them to keep creating.

http://www.peridotlovers.com/

Posted by: gemstone at November 10, 2009 2:09 AM in response to Cost of Owning a Brownstone

I'm very happy with the '03 certified used Honda CRV I bought from Bay Ridge Honda in 2006. I think it was worth the extra cost to get something with a warranty from the manufacturer.

Of course that doesn't mean I'd suggest getting anything other than warranty service from this, or ANY other dealer.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at November 10, 2009 5:10 PM in response to used car dealers

Asking for an honest used cars salesman is like trying to find an honest real estate agents

Posted by: hannible at November 10, 2009 5:40 PM in response to used car dealers

I bought my car from Roberto Lorenzutti. He is my mechanic and is fabulous and I never worry about the car because he makes sure they are perfect.

Posted by: tsarina at November 10, 2009 5:53 PM in response to used car dealers