tanner's Profile
Author's Posts
August 20, 2008
rec for a truly expert, knowledgabe mason?
i'm not looking for someone who just good at repointing or laying brick--I want to find someone who is seriously expert.
after a lot of research, it seems clear that one of the reasons (probably the primary reason) for the spalling of our brick walls is that it was repointed by the previous owners using cement mortar rather than lime-based mortar. apparently, in pre-1900 buildings, the mortar was lime-based, which worked harmoniously with the type of bricks they were using: the walls "breathe" through the mortar, which is softer and more porous than the brick. when you lay concrete mortar over that, the bricks are forced to breathe through their faces, which is a major cause of spalling.
we had the moisture levels of the bricks and building as a whole check--there is not a moisture "problem" as most will suggest.
thus far, I've spoken to several people--contractors and the like--who have never heard of this. they insist you just coat the walls with more cement or impenetrable sealers, which is just contrary to what professional masonry literature says to do with buildings this age.. SO, I'm really trying to find someone with a truly expert knowledge. any great rec's?
August 12, 2008
wildly divergent contractors' estimates
I'm trying to do some subsantial, though almost entirely cosmetic, work on the 3 rental apartments in my house. We've gotten quotes from four different contractors, and the estimates are WILDLY divergent, despite being quite specific about what we'd like done. We're talking a range from $50k to well over $100k... One of the very low quotes is from All Renovation, who seems to be recommended by many here. One of the high quotes comes from a firm we feel very confident about, but their price tips over what we have to spend. Any advice on how to choose?? I think I'd feel reasonably comfortable about All Reno's work (though not TERRIFIC, given a couple of mediocre reviews I've heard), but I'm very curious about how much OVER their actual estimate I should expect they might end up being.
Anyone know if All Reno tends to low-ball their estimates??
I'm afraid if we end up going with one of the lower quotes, they might be lowballing and end up costing as much as the higher quote anyway, without doing as good of work...
Advice?
August 7, 2008
Efflorescence, fast deteriorating brick, a great mason
I know there have been a few posts in the past about efflorescence and separately about crumbling brick, but I wanted to post in hopes of clearing up some conflicting advice.
The interior, exposed brick of our garage (c. 1850) is suddenly crumbling like mad. Numerous bricks just seem to be turning to dust, literally. At the same time, we've got crystals forming on others, and in some cases the same ones. In the interior of our house, which is a separate building, the exposed brick is not crumbling (yet!), but is VERY dusty. That is, if you touch it, your fingers get a load of tiny particles, though it's not actually crumbling off. The dust also drops to the floor quite regularly.
Advice?
Most of all, any strong recommendations for a really experienced mason?
And any others who have successfully dealt with this problem?
Thanks in advance.
June 14, 2008
an accountant who knows vacation rental/real estate taxes well?
Just purchased a home that has three rental units in it. We're planning to use one of them a part time vacation rental and second home for family. My attorney suggests I find an excellent accountant to handle our taxes (as opposed to the fly-by-your-pants dude who does them quick and easy) and to advise us on how to handle claims, deductions, how to register the property, etc. If anyone has a very strong recommendation for someone, I would be very appreciative.
February 1, 2008
Anyone with experience using "House By We"?
House By We (www.housebywe.com and username housebywe here on brownstoner) sounds like just the kind of service we're looking for to help us with a home search, as we're searching from cross country... Anyone with experience with them?
home search: realistic expectations?
Getting ready to start an out-of-state (mostly) search to find a new home in Brooklyn (my former home, so I'm very familiar with it). I'd love some advice about whether I have realistic expectations for what I'm looking for, lest I waste too much time holding out for that "just right" place that takes years to come along.
Budget: around a million (but thrilled to pay far less!), less if it needs work, more if there's rental income. Prefer something renovated or new, but if all else is perfect, we would consider doing reno ourselves.
Nabes: Prospect Heights, Park Slope, Ft. Greene,m Clinton Hill, Boerum Hill, etc. Walking distance to "good stuff." Would LOVE walking distance to Prospect Park and Grand Army Farmers Market. Not Lefferts Garden or Kensington (too far out, and not enough walkable stuff).
Size: 1500+ sq. ft. At least 1.5 bathrooms. Pref. 3 bedrooms (or two bedrooms plus office area), pref. formal dining room or ample dining space.
Must have: dedicated parking on-site or super nearby.
My (no doubt unrealistic) dream home: a townhouse with parking and a yard, sizable owner's duplex, plus in-law unit or studio and a one bedroom rental. I see one like this listed in Lefferts Garden, a limestone beauty, listed for under a mil. But it's too far! If it were this, I could probably swing $1.3 mil...
OR, a large condo for a lower price, with reasonable maintenance. Parking for sure. A patio or yard would be great. Actually, the Vermiel listings for the largest units seem perfect, except that they front 7th Ave and Sterling (with the windows RIGHT, right, right on the street) and the asking prices are high!
Am I crazy, or is this doable?
The other dream (im)possibility, a well-priced empty lot that meets the above requirements and is buildable... for a super-dope prefab...
January 30, 2008
what if i really NEED a buyer's broker?
I know, I know, it's not standard practice in NYC to get a buyer's broker. And it's generally not necessary, if not counter-productive. BUT, I think I really need one, so how do I find one? My situation is this: I'm a former Brooklynite who recently moved to CA. Big mistake. We're ready to move back. We want to buy in BK and move directly into the place. That means we need to do our searching from here, mostly. Of course we'll come out as necessary, but that's so hard to judge! Listings are often so misleading; how do we *really* know what's worth its salt without seeing it first? If it REALLY seems like the right place, we're happy to fly right out to see it. But obviously we can't be doing that every time we see something interesting.
My sister recently bought a home here in CA. As is standard practice here, she got a buyer's broker, and that person worked tirelessly for her. She'd search the MLS like mad, and she often saw places before even recommending them. My sister didn't want her time wasted on places that didn't meet her very strict criteria. The broker was awesome! I'm thinking that's what I need.
Any advice?
Author's Comments
"The listings have been pulled at his most recent project 433 Warren Street," -- anyone know why? I'm actually pretty interested in checking them out (saw a post on Craigslist and I don't mind the location one bit), but I can tell there is something fishy going on... Why'd the developer pull out? What stage is it in? Any response would be very much appreciated...
Posted by: tanner at January 15, 2008 12:11 AM in response to Celebrity Investor Gears Up at 470 Washington Avenue
Ya'll are a helpful bunch. Thanks.
For the record, the "we" is my husband, my son, and myself. Will post separately re: what we're specifically looking for, as I'd love advice regarding how realistic I'm being...
Posted by: tanner at January 31, 2008 11:56 PM in response to what if i really NEED a buyer's broker?
Okay, okay...! So cut out that paragraph about the "dream home." (I did say I knew THAT was unrealistic!! :) Is it still unrealistic? I was thinking a condo, co-op, or tiny S. Slope single family might fit the bill. No? The outdoor space is not a req, just a bonus... I'm seeing new development condos that seem to, but so much about the advertising for them seems deceptive, I'm not so sure...
Posted by: tanner at February 1, 2008 12:56 AM in response to home search: realistic expectations?
Fake post? I have no idea what would be gained from a fake post like this one. Some of you are just funny...
To the rest of you, thanks for your advice. It's super helpful. I have no delusions that I'd find what I'm looking for in *prime* park slope or ft. greene. I'd be thrilled to be in s. slope or the fringes of any of the neighborhoods I mentioned, if it's walking distance to good stuff. I work from home and have one little one with me, another in the next year hopefully, so convenient is good. Playgrounds are, too.
The car thing is hard... I'm a native of the motor city, originally, and I have to say, all the auto company workers in my family have just gotten into my blood. But besides, my husband will probably working in the Bronx, and public transportation to there is just a killer. We've done it before. (Lived in Sunset Park for a very long time.) I really want to move back to BK, not to the BX, so easy parking is just a must for us.
I know about Prospect Lefferts... I've been eyeing a place there for a while. And yes, I know it's not much farther than the slope via train, but it's the walking distance thing...
I'd like to exhaust all the possibilities before widening the neighborhood search... Maybe "prime" windsor terrace, though i always thought it was a tad bland over there... Maybe I'll look into Crown Heights.
Check this place out. Needs a lot of work, inside and out, I'd guess. Anyone have a good guess about how much? Is the 100k per floor one poster suggested a pretty good starting point? http://www.ahrlty.com/H-198W/H-198W.html
Posted by: tanner at February 1, 2008 1:10 PM in response to home search: realistic expectations?
4:37, I have no idea whatsoever what that means.
I've been watching all the realtor's websites for a while, (which includes, yes, a place in PLG that seems perfect to me EXCEPT for the fact that it's in PLG) and my husband and I are almost ready to get serious about searching. Thought I'd get some advice here before that.
Sorry if that offends you.
Seriously, though, I'd be thrilled if someone would explain why some folks on this forum are so hostile and skeptical. I can't quite figure out why anyone would think I'd be a "fake"... or why in the world anyone would want to "fake" a post like this in the first place...???
Posted by: tanner at February 1, 2008 5:36 PM in response to home search: realistic expectations?
Actually I said I'd *prefer* 3 bedrooms and that I'd *prefer* a dining room or ample (which means big enough for a table) dining *space*.
Anyway, thanks, folks.
Posted by: tanner at February 5, 2008 1:26 PM in response to home search: realistic expectations?
And, btw, given that my post was quite specifically (and sincerely) asking for advice on whether what I'm hoping to find is realistic or not (and, in fact, that I was clear in my OP that I was describing a "dream" from which I was working to define my actual expectations), I wasn't really expecting so many smart-ass "this lady needs a reality check" and "you are crazy, don't waste our time" comments. Interesting the cowardice that comes along with that -- always the unregistered, anonymous "guest." Hope that feels empowering.
Brownstoner, if you're reading this, I'd like to suggest requiring folks to register with a username before posting comments. It would go a long way toward more respectful dialogue and the building of an actual community--something I always think of Brooklyn as being rooted in.
Posted by: tanner at February 5, 2008 1:34 PM in response to home search: realistic expectations?
I'd sooner become a renter again than buy another co-op.
The board is full of nice folks who are totally ineffective and don't know anything they need to know. Plus a few of the inevitable power-trippers, who are ineffective except in their ability to be stubborn for no good reason. More of a pain in the neck that I could ever describe. Takes FOREVER to get anything done or answered...
Go condo, condo, condo, IMHO.
Posted by: tanner at June 14, 2008 1:48 PM in response to First Time Buyer - Condo or Co-op?
Housebywe offers both buying/selling services as well as renovation/project management services. We just used Erin and Ari (of Housebywe.com) to act as our buyers brokers and handle a long-distance home search for us. They were AWESOME! SO professional, down to earth, and extremely, extremely knowledgable. We definitely couldn't have done it without them. If we needed a project manager for a renovation, I wouldn't hesitate to hire them.
Posted by: tanner at July 22, 2008 10:53 AM in response to Project Manager Recommendations
Responses to Author's Forum Comments
For what this is worth, we have a similar spot on the inside of our garden floor wall, adjacent to the neighbor's chimney, where it gets damp after the rains and has efflorescence. Brick can easily wick moisture from adjacent structures (in our case the water that gets into the neighbor's chimney) and when it does, it evaporates leaving behind the efflorescence or salts. Interior brick, especially what they may have used in a garage (1850? what was it used for then?) had a softer outer layer than brick used on the exterior.
Antique brick was not fired the same way as modern brick, so after all these years, the brick on the inside of your house will throw off dust/ crumble lightly. Which is why they should never be pressure washed and NEVER sandblasted, since that removes the outer shell and starts the deterioration process.
I would not bother about those though. You probably have about a foot thick of brick in those walls.
In the garage, just check for any source of water getting into the wall. If none, run the dehumidifier and let air circulate.
Just one piece of advice, be very careful before you seal the bricks. Bricks need to breathe and give off the moisture in them. Sealing or painting them will worsen the problem.
Posted by: ohiise at August 8, 2008 11:08 AM in response to Efflorescence, fast deteriorating brick, a great mason
January 14, 2008 update anyone? I'm really trying to figure out what's going on with this place, as I'm vaguely interested... Anyone know anything about building progress or sales??? Thanks!
Posted by: tanner at January 15, 2008 12:10 AM in response to Condos of the Day: 433 Warren Street