April 04, 2005

Bricks and Stones

Hi. I am looking for bricks and stone for a patio project.
Does anyone know where I can find some?

Posted by anon at 06:36 PM Comments (0)

Repointing

Does anyone know roughly how much it cost to have a four story federal bulding repointed?

Posted by anon at 02:28 PM Comments (0)

April 02, 2005

deck cleaning/sealing

With spring coming up, it looks like time to clean and seal the deck behind the house. Can't decide if I should just rent a powerwasher and do it myself, or if it pays to bring someone in.
Anyone have any recommendations on DIY vs contracting, and if I contract, than who?

Posted by anon at 09:04 PM Comments (1)

Lead Paint

Does anyone have experience eliminating or containing lead paint within a brownstone?

We recently discovered that the levels in our home were too high.

Are there any solutions to resolving the presence of lead without completely stripping all of the moldings and doors?

Thanks.

Posted by anon at 08:30 PM Comments (0)

Staircase renovation

I am about to purchase a brownstone which needs extensive interior staicase repair and renovation. I am looking for contractors that specialize in this work.

Posted by anon at 10:57 AM Comments (1)

April 01, 2005

Backyard fences

Does anyone have any recommendations for a fencing company? They would have to take down the existing one as well, since it is beyond repair.

Posted by anon at 02:33 PM Comments (0)

Landmark Windows app

Can anyone tell me how long it usually takes to get a Certificate of Appropriateness for installing new wood windows in a landmark area? Does that kind of application ever have to go to public hearing or is it pretty standard?
Thanks
Rollerman

Posted by anon at 07:18 AM Comments (2)

March 31, 2005

Apologies...

...to those of you who posted in the last week. As we mentioned on the main blog, it appears that the last several days of posts were lost in transit. We're still hoping they might turn up but can't be sure. Feel free to repost in the meantime and we'll take care of any doubling up should the old ones reappear.
Thanks,
Brownstoner

Posted by brownstoner at 03:06 PM Comments (0)

March 23, 2005

Shutters and door repair

We just bought a brownstone and desperately need privacy! We have the old shutters from the house, but enough of them are rotting that we think we would prefer to have new ones made. We looked into Home Depot and Smith and Noble- but they don't have that traditional brownstone look. Have you found a good place to do shutters?
Secondly, our original doors are pulling apart and don't shut properly (and it is cold!)- does anyone suggest a carpenter for door repair and rehanging? Thanks so much.

Posted by anon at 09:04 PM Comments (1)

March 21, 2005

Demolition

Looking for someone to do demolition work for me in Windsor Terrace. This will include removing plaster and lathe from first story and carting away the debris. Also debris removal from the second story. The second story work has been completed, but it still needs to be cleaned up. There may be some additional small jobs.

Posted by anon at 01:21 PM Comments (1)

March 19, 2005

ipe roof deck?

Anybody built a wood roof deck on a brownstone? I understand that NYC buildings/fire code doesn't let you build on more than 20% of the roof area with combustible material.

But I also hear that ipe wood is "Class A" fire-rated and isn't considered combustible material. Could I build an ipe deck over most of the roof?

Posted by anon at 03:24 PM Comments (5)

March 18, 2005

paint stripping

I am stripping old shutters and surrounding window frames in my Park Slope brownstone. Under the oil paint there's a very thick whitish primer that looks like chalk and is very hard to remove. After some google research I have concluded it must be milkpaint; none of the products I have tried does a really good job. Does anyone have any experience with this, any favorite product to recommend? Thanks, Laura

Posted by anon at 06:21 PM Comments (0)

HVAC Engineer

I am looking for recommendations for a good, not too expensive, heating, ventilation and air conditioning engineer. We are gut renovating our brownstone and need to replace the 1940's era heating system.
Thanks for your help!

Posted by anon at 09:27 AM Comments (0)

March 17, 2005

Bathrooms

Does anyone know of any reputable contractors to gut and rennovate a bathroom? Looking for any suggestions. Thanks

Posted by anon at 05:08 PM Comments (2)

March 16, 2005

plaster repair/replacement

We would love to fix up the somewhat damaged plaster walls in our prewar co-op. We'd like to maintain the look of the large moldings, but they and the walls are puffy, caked with peeling paint, and have had shoddy repairs in quite a few places. We've heard a few recommendations, none satisfactory: tearing the moldings down and putting up fresh sheetrock over the existing walls; performing spot-repairs in the worst areas; etc.

Does anyone have experience in this area? Is chemical stripping an option for the moldings, door frames, and window sills? Would spot-repairs on the walls just be putting off the problem? How much might all this cost? Any help is appreciated.

Posted by anon at 10:25 PM Comments (2)

March 14, 2005

GC for retail space?

Sorry this is slightly off topic - not a brownstone, but. . .

I'm looking for reco's for a GC for a smallish job in Park Slope. I'm opening a retail shop on 5th and need some work done - demo, floor, patch & paint, electrical.

Any advice?

Thanks!

Posted by anon at 09:22 PM Comments (1)

making a condo

Has anyone else tried this?
My wife and i are buying a brownstone with another couple. It is already cut into two apartments ( a legal two family) but currently owned by a single family.
We're getting a mortgage together to buy it, but plan to go condo as soon as possible, at which point we will each get our own mortgage.
I'm researching the costs associated with doing these two transactions, particularly what taxes we might have to pay twice. Additionally, I'd be interested to know how long it has taken others to convert a two unit townhouse into a condo.

Posted by anon at 08:23 PM Comments (1)

converting 1 family to 4 family

what would i need to do to get a brownstone zoned as 1 family rezoned as a 4 family? is it a long costly process?

Posted by anon at 11:29 AM Comments (4)

Facade Grants/Loans

Our funds have been exhausted renovating our brownstone in Bed Stuy and the brownstone facade needs to be redone. Can anyone suggest a lead for facade improvement grants or loans or any ideas that may help us get it done? Is it worth donating if it's not in a landmark district?

Thanks.

Posted by anon at 12:40 AM Comments (0)

March 13, 2005

Looking for a General Contractor

I'm in a hundred year old Victorian in Ditmas Park. Somewhere around 40-50 years ago, a previous owner "upgraded" the front porch and siding to less than original specs. I'm looking to restore them. Can anyone recommend a good General Contractor or specialist who can redo my porch and re-side my home with an eye towards historical appropriateness? Thanks in advance.

Posted by anon at 08:52 PM Comments (1)

March 12, 2005

Cheap Building Materials! (Architectural Salvage/Recycle)

Check this place out, much needed in the NYC area - althought it is in LIC:

BUILD IT GREEN! NYC

The Build It Green! NYC Warehouse is a non-profit retail outlet for reusable, environmentally-friendly and low-cost building materials.

Salvage & Surplus: Build It Green! NYC Warehouse sells salvaged and surplus building materials at the warehouse -- great products at half or below their new price. And you help keep perfectly useful material out of the landfill!

http://www.bignyc.org/

Posted by anon at 05:55 PM Comments (1)

Estimates for Warehouse to Residential Conversion

Does anyone know a ballpark figure for converting warehouse/factory space to (raw) residential? I know it depends heavily on specifics, but let's say you have a multi-floor M1 building and you want to make artist lofts, so polish is unnecessary. Someone said $150/sqft, does that sound right? Let's assume the structural stuff is sound, and the building is in decent condition. Also, how difficult/costly is it to get the zoning changed? Thanks b-stoners!

Posted by anon at 01:42 PM Comments (5)

March 11, 2005

Engineer recommendation

Can anyone recommend an engineer for building inspection prior to purchase? I'm in contract on a 19th C Brooklyn townhouse, and need a professional to check all mechanicals and structural soundness. Thanks for any suggestions.

Posted by anon at 08:25 PM Comments (3)

Water Pressure

Is there any way to improve shower water pressure in a brownstone? It's a tough trade from a big pre-war building's shower.

Posted by anon at 11:31 AM Comments (2)

March 10, 2005

Landmark Windows Replacement

Has anyone replaced their windows on a landmark block? I've noticed Marvins are a popular choice. Would accept any and all adviced.

thanks

Posted by anon at 09:18 AM Comments (4)

March 09, 2005

4 Family C of O w/ a 2 Family tax base- tax issues?

Anyone know more about how a four family house could have a 2 family tax base? I'm in contract on a house now that has that situation. I'm concerned about the tax consequences if it's determined that it should really have a 4 family tax base (it's being used as a four family building).
After buying the brownstone, I plan on renovating it to a two family. I'm addtionally concerned that filings with the DOB for such renovations and conversion will alert the Finance Board of this four family w/ a (seemingly erronously classified)2 family tax base and trigger a huge tax increase. Also, if they do find that the house should've been taxed as a four family, could they charge me with back taxes even though I would be a new owner? Any help would be very much appreciated!!

Posted by anon at 05:28 PM Comments (0)

Deck Next to an Extension?

If a house has an extension off the back that only runs about half the width, is it possible to put in a deck adjacent to the extension or does it have to run in a continuous line with the extension? I want to have a deck off a 2nd floor kitchen which has an extension with a bathroom off it -- so looking out from the kitchen on the left right outside the window would be the deck and to the right would be the extension. Any coding issues?

Posted by anon at 12:00 PM Comments (0)

stoop repair

I need to have my stoop and the front wall of my house refinished, and the concrete path in my front yard redone. Does anyone have any recommendations for this kind of work, and ideas of how much I should expect to pay?

Posted by anon at 10:38 AM Comments (2)

FREE hardwood flooring!

About 40 sf of brand new, unfinished, select-grade solid red oak hardwood flooring-- yours for the asking/ schlepping (from Greenpoint). 2 1/2" wide pieces; lengths range from 1 to 4 feet. This would be great for patching or to supplement an existing stock. Left over from recently completed flooring project-- this is quality stuff and we don't want to throw it out! If interested please call Naomi, (917)674-3993.

Posted by anon at 09:10 AM Comments (1)

March 08, 2005

waterproofing

Can anyone recommend a good waterproofing/roofing contractor for a repointing job?

Posted by anon at 08:06 PM Comments (2)