Thanks for the link to the blumotion type. However, i can't imagine that this cabinet style soft close system will work for my doors. These are not cabinets (those I actually use Blum hinges for with blumotion), but rather large steel/glass doors going to the deck (and upstairs).

So was hoping for the equivalent to the blum soft close mechanics but for a large door rather than a cabinet.

Posted by: sunspot19 at October 17, 2009 6:18 AM in response to Soft close/open for large doors

Well, Vaccaro didn't have an insert that worked, and Eddie's was not open yesterday (too bad).

I'll hopefully make it out to Eddie's some point this week.

Posted by: sunspot19 at October 13, 2009 7:05 AM in response to Mantle Insert - Where to Find?

I was just at New York Old Iron (Architectural salvage) which is right under the F train at the end of the Lowes parking lot (Roy Vaccaro).

I was there looking for fireplace inserts, but noted he had a huge selection/supply of steam radiators there in varying states.

You may want to check them out as he has a ton of different sizes, etc.

Posted by: sunspot19 at October 13, 2009 7:03 AM in response to Need 2 Cast Iron STEAM radiators

OMG, this has been great. Thank you so much for all the tips.

Orrsuz, Greenwoodgeneral, would love to see what you have although it does sound like in any event a replacement won't be too expensive. How can I contact both of you?

Going4broke, not sure we want to keep it. Looks pretty crappy and bent (you can't tell from the photo), and is incidentally the only one like this. Rest are more ornate inserts, and clearly years ago someone broke or otherwise yanked it out of this fireplace.

In our bedroom and just getting a new insert to put in would be a great finishing touch.

Posted by: sunspot19 at October 11, 2009 7:23 AM in response to Mantle Insert - Where to Find?

Presuming your question relates to blown in cellulose, which is what we just had blown into our ceiling recently during renovations, we have a 22' wide brownstone, and the cost was around ~$2500.

I say around because I am not sure exactly, we have a contract which has cellulose being blown in on all our floors, and from what I read in our contract, I think that probably represents the right number.

We are using Brooklyn Insulation & Soundproofing. Very nice folks. 718-388-4814 is their number I believe (kind of faint on my contract but that's what I think it reads).

Posted by: sunspot19 at October 11, 2009 7:11 AM in response to Blown In Insulation

I used Mr. Slims on my two lower floors. The bottom floor was a triple blower inverter system (heat/cooling) and then on my parlor floor was a 22.8kBTU cooling only unit.

i think my overall cost was around $16k installed a few yearas back (2003).

Incidentally i had tried to sell my 22.8kBTU unit since i now have retrofited for the top three floors (including parlor) a Daiken system.

However, sadly no takers. Guess it will collect dust in my basement for a while - too bad. Great unit.

Posted by: sunspot19 at October 8, 2009 6:09 PM in response to Split Level A/C Cost for 2 Floors

In our case we gave our clawfoot tub away, but honestly it was always a gut wrenching decision.

If you can find a way to keep it, do so! They are just so cool!

Posted by: sunspot19 at September 28, 2009 2:12 PM in response to Worth Keeping Clawfoot?

Argh! Oh well. I actually had already posted previous, but nobody was interested the first time around. It is really a great convection oven. Just doesn't work with our new setup.

Posted by: sunspot19 at September 28, 2009 11:57 AM in response to GE Range For Sale

To throw in my two (maybe one) cent(s), we just recently renovated rooms with original crown mouldings and although they were originally painted semi-gloss against a flat white ceiling, we decided to go with flat white for the mouldings and the ceiling.

Somehow the overall look is more elegant to us. I don't know why, but it makes the mouldings pull together with the ceiling with a far more subtle and elegant overall feel.

But that noted, the original semi-gloss of the mouldings looked ok before - so I don't think you can go wrong either way.

Posted by: sunspot19 at September 23, 2009 7:22 AM in response to Paint for Crown Molding?

Cool. I'll try to snap something this eve and post it. I was also curious whether if I ever wanted to switch out to hot water in the future if I could still use the same radiators or not. I thought there was something about my radiators that would not work with water.

Posted by: sunspot19 at September 21, 2009 6:57 AM in response to Antique Radiators For Sale

It definitely is beautiful! I am curious, I noticed there appears to be a center vertical segment in the radiator pictured.

I have a steam based system and I have radiators of equal length/height, but there is only the one vertical segment (long loop) with no center run.

What is the main difference? If necessary, I could take a picture and post and people would immediately see what I mean.

Posted by: sunspot19 at September 20, 2009 8:41 PM in response to Antique Radiators For Sale

JLo, totally with you on using shutters in the front, if it is a brownstoner. But I am not sure the OP is.

We were darn lucky our shutters were original and still in good condition. They had been (ugh) nailed nastily into the pocket sides and had been painted with layer upon layer of paint. It was a bear when the pain stripping team came to remove them.

But when they came back from being stripped, they were just awesome. With the TLC of our contractor (which included actually rebuilding or making from scratch a couple of panels, plus cleaning up the pockets, they have added what is really a special element back to this old house.

Sadly the garden floor does not have the shutters in - not sure but suspect the folks who renovated years ago when they bought before us knocked them out. Too bad, but we saved the top three floors.

For a brownstone I definitely recommend renovating existing shutters but if not there, then considering trying to recreate. Just beautiful.

Sure, honeycomb or other shades are more useful, but not as elegant.

Posted by: sunspot19 at September 18, 2009 7:59 PM in response to Shutters or Shades?

Putting aside the proposed solution above, we are in the midst of finishing up our reno where we will be activating one of our fireplaces on our parlor floor (back kitchen area) to be gas burning.

But it was just not an inexpensive venture. What I thought would be a $5-$10k project I believe has turned into something closing on $20k because of work we had to do with the chimney, etc.

In any event, the total cost is not for the feint of heart. I am sure people have done fireplaces for far less expense, but my contractors are adamant the guy they use does it right as opposed to many of the others out there. Apparently they used to use less expensive sub-cons for the work, only to have problem after problem at other sites.

I don't know - in retrospect given all the expense, not sure I would do this again.

Posted by: sunspot19 at September 18, 2009 7:52 PM in response to Making Fireplaces Functional

We are using extra space on 3rd Ave (can't recall exactly the cross street). They gave us a 5x15' storage space which is perfect, with first month free and a free 2 hour rental van to move in.

I also noticed that there is a place really close by called Treasure Island as well - very close to Ikea and I understood it has pretty decent rates as well.

Posted by: sunspot19 at September 17, 2009 10:06 PM in response to Recommendations for Storage

This is great. Thanks so much- I will call Paradise Glass/Mirror. Sounds like a cost effective option.

Posted by: sunspot19 at September 17, 2009 12:34 PM in response to Mirror Mirror on the Wall...

Oh, if you are interested in going to stone source, here is a link to their location. Not everything was inexpensive, but they had an awesome range of stuff we liked and prices on our choices were just amazingly competitive.

http://www.stonesource.com/

Posted by: sunspot19 at September 16, 2009 6:51 AM in response to Inexpensive Tile?

I don't think there is a one versus the other being more desirable. It can't be taken out of the context of viewing the space you intend these for.

For instance, in our home, we renovated and restored all the original shutters with their mahogany inlays and it just looks stunning (to me anyway). But these shutters only are in the front and have pockets they fold into. It is really elegant.

In the back of our home, those back rooms are still under discussion between my wife and I, and we are looking at the silhouette shades from hunter douglas as well as just going with a honeycomb style. But for those back rooms, either of those are lite and nice, and the window frames really wouldn't support a heavier look of shutters. They are not deep and do not support pockets.

So I guess my point is you can't really opine on something like window treatments without looking specifically at the rooms you are trying to treat.

This all written, I like both your choices (but then again, as I noted, I am using similar concepts for different parts of our place).

Posted by: sunspot19 at September 15, 2009 9:52 PM in response to Shutters or Shades?

It pays to shop around as we found out. We initially started out with simple subways tiles at one place in lower manhattan around 20-25 per sq. ft. Then we accidentally came across Nemo tile, where they had even nicer clean white subway tiles that were longer for around $14 per sq. ft.

Finally one day while I was in my men's bathroom at work (yes, in reno world, you look everywhere), I noticed we had what looked like the exact same type of tile plus a cool flooring. I found out they used Stone Source, went there, and got essentially the same cool tile for about $6 per square foot!

Plus at the same place we found everything else such as glass tiles, porcelain floor tiles, etc., all incredibly well priced.

I am not stating go to Stone Source (although it may be worth a shot), but it does really pay as we realized to shop around a bunch of places as they often carry similar types of stock at varying price levels.

Posted by: sunspot19 at September 15, 2009 9:36 PM in response to Inexpensive Tile?

I tried all sorts of things to store my files in the basement of our place which wasn't even that humid - big mistake.

I have learned my lesson and now, rather than storing my paper files, if possible I just scan and store it all on a Network Access Storage device (and make DVD backups). Just a thought - scanning can be a great trick to get around paper constraints.

There are some really small/slick scanners like the Fujitsu Scansnap series that are really great at making quick work of paper.

So now recent paper files I keep locally, rest are scanned and then shredded. Keeping paper storage needs down.

Posted by: sunspot19 at September 15, 2009 9:28 PM in response to Documents in Humid Basement

This has all been extremely helpful, thanks!

Out of curiousity, for most of you, does your cleaning person also do laundry? Admittedly we are really spoiled in having our laundry done too and shirts ironed which has just been something I almost find indispensible these days.

It sounds like paying $100/day (2x a week) isn't out of the ballpark if we really do split up to two floors a turn. Of course, again, we have the laundry in there.

Our place isn't overly fancy so there aren't tons of nooks and crannies.

Posted by: sunspot19 at September 15, 2009 12:13 PM in response to Rate for Cleaning 4fl Bstone?

Apartment Therapy and Dwell had nice things to write:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/brooklyn/atlas-industries-as4-shelving-001424

http://www.atlaseast.com/publications_dwelloct04.html

To counter all the amazingly negative posts so far, my wife and I were really intrigued by this adjustable shelving system last fall when we were trying to figure out a shelving system for one of our walls in our renovation. Key here being it is *adjustable*. Obviously if you don't want that type of system, you probably won't like this look.

We went to see Atlas in person and one of the guys there (really friendly, not pushy at all, just proud of his product) showed us around, showed us the quality of their material and workmanship, and i have to say though I was super skeptical once we went I admit I thought the shelving looked beautiful (to me, admit all a matter of taste). I had been shown on line photos and I think it feels better to see it live.

This all stated, this is an extremely expensive system and that is why we ended up taking a pass. It also didn't perfectly work with our new rooms where we didn't need to go with an adjustable system.

But it is definitely elegant compared to other alternatives like vitsoe. If you want an adjustable shelving system, the choices are few in terms of the top quality makes. And this one, in wood, is really pretty than most of the alternatives.

Posted by: sunspot19 at September 15, 2009 1:40 AM in response to Atlas Shelving System for Sale

Where would you be installing the radiant heating system?

We were looking into a piping based radiant heating system for our renovation but because of expense and the interest in maintaining some of the old flooring, turned out to be impractical for us.

So instead we have for our bathrooms had electric mats installed for heating the floors in the fall/winter mornings.

But I wouldn't necessarily think to use the electric mats for more than just creating a toasty floor first thing - not for any sort of alternative to our main heating system (in our case steam).

Posted by: sunspot19 at September 8, 2009 5:44 AM in response to Electric radiant floor heat

We had our shutters on all our floors done by East End Woodstrippers and they have just done a superb job.

They do not dip but use a different technique (I am forgetting what exactly) which does not screw up the wood. My architect was very concerned anything but hand stripping would possibly ruin the shutters but i think he (and I) have been really impressed.

Between the work Dean (East End Woodstrippers) and my contractor put into the shutters, they are just absolutely fabulous now. Really tops. Dean also stripped some of our other wood pieces and again everything came up just wonderful. With some extra TLC from our contractors, the end result on everything so far has been great.

Check them out: http://www.eastendwoodstrippers.com/

Posted by: sunspot19 at August 23, 2009 4:33 PM in response to Wood Shutters

Hi, both the toilet and the pedestal sink have been taken.

Thanks for all the alternate suggestions, I will keep in mind in the future. I posted here before freecycle and anywhere else because I figured there was someone in the brownstoner community that may be interested/want to make use of our older fixtures such as these.

Works great, just not in style with the rest of our renovations.

Again, thanks for the alternate suggestions and if someone doesn't take our dishwasher I have just posted, I'll probably go the other recycling routes. Do not want to just throw all of this away.

Sunil

Posted by: sunspot19 at August 18, 2009 5:57 PM in response to Toilet Free for the Taking

Our parlor floor is quite open. It was installed on the back wall of our brownstone and easily cooled down the whole parlor floor.

In fact with our new system, which is a Daiken that uses one compressor unit to run units on the top three floors, our parlor floor again will be cooled by a single blower that is fairly large (though the actual BTU at the moment is escaping me).

I have it running right now at 79F for the floor and it is wonderfully comfortable.

The Mr. Slim we have is really wonderful - I just hope the Daiken turns out to be as quiet and nice...

Posted by: sunspot19 at August 11, 2009 7:23 PM in response to Mr Slim 24k BTU A/C

Last comment - I indicated it was a 24k BTU unit. That was a mistake - it is a 22.8k BTU unit. Sorry about that (not that I think 1.2k BTUs really make a big difference - it really cooled down a very large full through parlor floor pretty easily).

Posted by: sunspot19 at August 9, 2009 1:28 PM in response to Mr Slim 24k BTU A/C

Oops, in case you are interested, please email shopping at inthespace dot com.

As with our convection oven range, this can be loaded into a vehicle for transport by my contractors. Unlike the range, probably a bit easier to fit into an SUV or similar vehicle.

Posted by: sunspot19 at August 9, 2009 1:13 PM in response to Mr Slim 24k BTU A/C

Don't necessarily just go with Brownstoner. Shop around. We were also told we needed a Builder's policy, but then discussed this with our contractors, architect, and others, and found much better pricing elsewhere to cover both during the construction phase and thereafter.

We were "lucky" in that the timing of our constuction coincided with the renewal of our policy, so we just swapped carriers at the same time.

Posted by: sunspot19 at July 28, 2009 2:21 PM in response to Builder's Risk

It is definitely a Cicada Killer. Or at least it is the colloquial name. If you google search you will see it come up. Neighbors independently figured this out too.

It has now been hanging around in the exact same spot for a week. The construction crew at my place now have gotten use to it as I have, and it does not appear to be interested in causing any problems. In fact my foreman goes out of his way to ensure he doesn't accidentally step on it (though it always seems quick enough about getting out of the way).

We think it is pretty clear it has a nest in the crack between two of my bluestone slabs in the front yard.

Interesting creature - never saw one before.

Posted by: sunspot19 at July 23, 2009 12:21 AM in response to Identify a Pest/Hornet?

If you don't locate Fred and are going to call around, we had our Mr. Slims installed and maintained by Mike Weston at Weston Bros on our bottom two floors.

Very reliable, good guy, and did a great and speedy job on our house. Have recommended them to a bunch of friends who have also used and liked his work.

Just google and you will find them - in Queens. Admit I don't know how much maintenance work they do for installations that are not their own though (or their prices for such work).

Posted by: sunspot19 at July 19, 2009 1:03 AM in response to Split Unit A/C

Actually, it is closer to 2" the more i look at it. And amazingly it hovers and kinda watches me.

Really bizzare.

First started up the summer with a carpenter bee (huge) my kids named Harry. Now we have this sucker.

They keep getting bigger with each new critter that shows up. Wonder what is next.

Ah, the wonders of the insect world of Carroll Gardens.

Posted by: sunspot19 at July 18, 2009 1:00 PM in response to Identify a Pest/Hornet?

Totally serious. It scared the hell out of me this morning. THere were actually two hanging around yesterday and day before. Was really freaking out my foreman.

Posted by: sunspot19 at July 18, 2009 11:21 AM in response to Identify a Pest/Hornet?

Ok, I think I identified the suspect as a "Cicada Killer". Pretty scary in looks but apparently tough to instigate into stinging (though the females can).

See below link if anyone else is interested. Still trying to decide what I am going to do.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06217/711258-47.stm

Posted by: sunspot19 at July 18, 2009 10:44 AM in response to Identify a Pest/Hornet?

In our case we were toying with the idea of moving our fridge, but in this case it would have to move up two flights of stairs. It is a big GE profile fridge and I am just not sure it is worth it.

Eventually the fridge does end up moving into the basement as a secondary.

Has anyone ever taken out their microwave that is built in and used that on a table? Is that even possible? If so, far superior to my buying a new table stop one - love to avoid if I could help it.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far.

Posted by: sunspot19 at July 17, 2009 11:48 AM in response to Compact Fridge/Cooktop?

Anyone looked at the new Miele fridges? They look pretty nice, but perhaps are too new?

They seem to be around the same range price-wise as the vikings and sub-zeros.

Posted by: sunspot19 at May 16, 2009 12:26 AM in response to Built In Refrigerator

Thanks for the comments. This strip was really meant to be a test strip to see if it made sense to do a more professional job getting this stripped. Which it looks like it will be well worth it! Nice wood underneath.

I got just a wee bit carried away annoyingly. I should have really just done a small square test strip like I had originally intended. Now it is a bit more of a mess.

I used a mineral spirits product to clean everything up and it looks like I am ok. Boy, peel away 6 is definitely a mess. Took me forever to clean everything up properly. Nearly broke my back and had a complete headache just from the small section I was stripping.

Posted by: sunspot19 at May 11, 2009 7:43 AM in response to Peel Away 6

I used Weston Bros. for our A/C Mr. Slim installation and they were excellent. I liked them so much that I have referred a bunch of neighbors on the street and other friends and several have used them for the Slim installations.

In particular we worked with Michael Weston. Their number is (718) 793-2000. They were not the cheapest of the installers we talked to, nor the most expensive, just smack in the middle. But Michael made a really great impression and he is extremely meticulous when he comes over, measures the space, and spends a lot of time getting things right.

I'd highly recommend him. That stated, definitely not an inexpensive solution, but boy, nice and comfortable and also QUIET!

Posted by: sunspot19 at May 10, 2009 10:45 PM in response to AC Advice?

Why don't you call some A/C experts to have them come and do an estimate for you. They do it for free.

I highly recommend Mike Weston at Weston Brothers in Queens. They did our split systems (Mr. Slims) for our first two floors and were just wonderful to deal with. He has also done the work for several of my neighbors and other friends through the city (and everyone loves using him). Actually we had four or five different mitsubishi installers come thru and ended up with Michael.

Below is his information. Sure he would come out and give you the whole scoop. Very professional.

Weston Brothers A/C
99-16 Metropolitan Ave.
Forest Hills, N.Y. 11375
718-793-2000

Posted by: sunspot19 at April 28, 2009 8:01 PM in response to Ductless A/C questions

Hi, the sink and the tub are gone already. Thanks everyone for your interest!

Posted by: sunspot19 at April 27, 2009 5:04 PM in response to Clawfoot Tub for Pickup - free

Hi, the sink and the tub are gone already. Thanks everyone for your interest!

Posted by: sunspot19 at April 27, 2009 5:03 PM in response to Cast Iron Double Sink - Free

In 2003 when we were having horrible pigeon problems, all I did was go to the local home depot, bought some wire mesh, cut it and then rolled it up and conformed it to the shape of the space above my stoop, and stuck it in there.

My neighbors did the same thing. No more pigeon problems.

Ok, not super attractive, but then again, no unattractive pigeon poop all over our stoop either!

Posted by: sunspot19 at April 22, 2009 12:42 PM in response to Pigeons!

Thanks for the responses. The contractor will be fully insured. The only issue is about my own insurance.

I just want to ensure I don't get into a quagmire here when my policy comes up for renewal.

I will be continuing to live in the full house. Just redoing the upper two floors which have not been updated for decades to bring up the electrical and other elements.

Posted by: sunspot19 at April 8, 2009 11:44 AM in response to Renovate and homeowner insurance

We used East End Wood Strippers to strip our parlor floor shutters a couple of years back, and they came out beautiful. They are pine. We then had a constractor fix them up and re-install and couldn't be happier.

This year we are renovating our top floors and had the shutters again pulled out and stripped by Dean and his crew, and again they have come back beautiful.

In any event, can't recommend him and his crew enough - he did a quick and professional job.

This all after some people warned me similar to comments above that the dipping would ruin the wood, which it did not. But perhaps just pure luck, I don't know.

Posted by: sunspot19 at April 2, 2009 7:40 AM in response to Hand or Dip Stripper?

We will be starting renovations soon and in the second phase will be taking down our fire escape on the parlor floor (keeping the rest for safety).

I would be more than happy to figure out if you can take that particular piece of the escape rather than putting it in the dumpster.

Posted by: sunspot19 at April 2, 2009 7:29 AM in response to Fire escape or Metal Needed

Really sad to see the Brooklyn Artisans Gallery gone. My wife and I would buy little things there from time to time as gifts, etc.

Are they just closed down for good or did they relocate to a cheaper rent location?

Posted by: sunspot19 at March 24, 2009 7:42 AM in response to Streetlevel: New Boutique Opens on Court Street

Thanks for all the responses. Since if we go this route (as pricey as it is turning out to be), at least it looks like with their installation we save a helpful chunk in terms of avoiding taxes.

I did call several outfits and they confirmed your point - if they do the installation, no tax.

I also understood at least from one outfit that even if we just bought the cabinets and have our GC install, we can do it by having the GC essentially be the purchaser and installer and again we can avoid sales tax that way.

Thanks again.

Posted by: sunspot19 at March 24, 2009 7:34 AM in response to Poggenpohl/Bulthaup and Taxes

We initially used Evelyn Costa Tully for our backyard and although I thought the stone work was ok, the plantings she did were not that great - felt like she just threw in a ton of bulbs that initially looked good but over time just felt like overkill. I don't mean to fully knock her - I really liked her stone work and certainly the first spring compared with what we had before it was a nice change from mud in the back. Just that I think she didn't completely resonate with us in her plant choices and layout, and overall she was expensive for that piece.

We now use a guy named Tom Castimore who has an outfit called Brooklyn Gardens and we are thrilled with his work. He has done a bunch of gardens right around us and is super down to earth and not pricey at all. In fact I'd reckon far less expensive than Evelyn. He worked with our existing front garden, rearranged the back, and we will be using him once we have our renovations done to rework some stone in the back as well.

Tom's number is (718) 858-7836. He is pretty busy and I know other friends who have had a hard time trying to reach him cause he has so much work, but if you can reach him and he has time, well worth it!

Posted by: sunspot19 at March 24, 2009 7:31 AM in response to How Much to Create a Garden?

Ok, apologies but I may be confused, so just to clarify:

If I purchased from Bulthaup and/or Poggenpohl with installation included, I could fill out a form so that the full amount is sold w/ and exclusion from sales tax?

Or are you suggesting I would still pay tax on the cabinets and not on the installation?

When I talked to custom guys, I got the impression there would be no tax period, whether on the cabinets or on the installation... But maybe they took care of that in a way I didn't see the break out.

So am I right to assume I should ask them (if we go with a design kitchen store) whether they can exclude sales tax?

Posted by: sunspot19 at March 22, 2009 9:28 AM in response to Poggenpohl/Bulthaup and Taxes

I have used a guy named Willy for several years - I don't recall the name of his outfit but his office # is 718-857-0204.

My plumbers recommended him when we first installed a new boiler and ran into trouble because the chimney got clogged up. Now I call Willy annually to clean the chimney just to ensure no problems.

Posted by: sunspot19 at February 28, 2009 6:14 PM in response to Chimney sweep rec?

We have used Donato since we purchased our brownstone and couldn't be happier. Responsive, friendly, good quality work.

We needed a brand new boiler when we moved in and they quickly and efficiently had it installed. They are quick to respond when we have a problem.

Don't know whether they service Fort Greene but I suspect they would - I know they work a ton in Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill/Park Slope.

Posted by: sunspot19 at February 28, 2009 6:02 PM in response to Plumber reccommendation?

I havent tried muriatic acid--just be aware that anything that would need to be neutralized (and I'm not sure if that would apply to MA) is not a good idea for unglazed tiles or old tiles with crazing in the glaze. Regarding regrouting, old floor and wall tiles were typically set in a bed of concrete ("thick set" or "mud job") and the grout is of the same color (medium gray). However, the grout lines are very thin so my approach was just to clean the whole wall and not worry about trying to "clean" the grout. In places where grout was cracked or missing I asked the contractors to fill in the gaps with gray grout, and that looks good. Thin grout lines and gray color (vs. white) are a subtle combination that makes tile look original, other than the choice of tile and crazing, etc.

Posted by: BHS at September 30, 2009 3:03 PM in response to Worth Keeping Clawfoot?

Just remembered the name of the plumbing store in Queens: It's Alfano Plumbing. They are delightful. Very helpful, have every old thing in stock, will offer a workaround if they don't, and will remachine the part you have inexpensively and quickly if you want.

Posted by: mopar at September 30, 2009 3:57 PM in response to Worth Keeping Clawfoot?

Update on this tub (and bathroom)-I examined it well yesterday armed with all the great information gleaned here. The tub is in really almost perfect shape once it is scrubbed out; kind of amazing. I realized all the brown and beige was just years of use. As of course I should have realized the house was built in the late 1890s (I believed it was built in 1930 as that was what I read on ACRIS but that must of just been it's first recorded date) and it is the original bathroom.
Our contractor says do very little to the bathroom, or tear it out (we never intended that); meaning it's a solid old house of cards and try to keep it intact, which I am. The "Add-a-Shower" will work great.

Posted by: sogo at October 2, 2009 6:55 AM in response to Worth Keeping Clawfoot?

I looked into this about a year ago and the cost was approx 2.00 per square foot for upto 6 inches of cellulose.

Posted by: isaacly at October 11, 2009 7:31 AM in response to Blown In Insulation

2.00 psf is correct and note that the insulation is blown in through the skylight on the inside of the house - so no holes in the ceiling!!

I used Brooklyn Insulation & Soundproofing as well - very good job - and well worth it!!

Posted by: SenatorStreet at October 11, 2009 9:21 AM in response to Blown In Insulation

Thanks to all - very helpful :)

Posted by: parkslopemom at October 11, 2009 11:32 AM in response to Blown In Insulation

Do you want cellulose or icynene....the foam injected in as a liquid and which expands to 60 times its volume??? There is an authorized installer in Park Slope!!

Posted by: outerboro at October 11, 2009 12:16 PM in response to Blown In Insulation

Here's yet another strong rec for Brooklyn Insulation & Soundproofing who did a wonderful job of insulating the externals walls and roof of the rear extension on our house with cellulose last year. The gain in heat retention in the ell been amazing and the cost, approximately $1k, was very reasonable.

Posted by: Brooklynista at October 11, 2009 4:50 PM in response to Blown In Insulation

You need to add at least one roof vent when you do this. Federal Conservation did mine, $2psf plus $200 for the vent

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at October 12, 2009 7:12 AM in response to Blown In Insulation

And another recommendation for Brooklyn Insulation. Super fast, friendly, a good value.

There is simply no consensus on the need for roof vents, Dave. That is especially true with cellulose, which can absorb and release moisture much better than the fiberglass that Federal Conservation uses. I found Brooklyn Insulation to be about less than 2/3 the cost of Federal, who would have insisted on cutting holes in the roof and vents.

Posted by: renomandru at October 12, 2009 8:49 AM in response to Blown In Insulation