Need Multiple Recommendations
ok so here it goes…. I would love your guys’ suggestions for the following repairs/renovations i need to make on our bushwick brick house. 1. the most pressing issue is our plumbing. during the crazy rainfalls, the sewer water comes up the shower drain in the basement. we did not put this bathroom in ourselves….
ok so here it goes….
I would love your guys’ suggestions for the following repairs/renovations i need to make on our bushwick brick house.
1. the most pressing issue is our plumbing. during the crazy rainfalls, the sewer water comes up the shower drain in the basement. we did not put this bathroom in ourselves. we had a plumber tell us that all we need is a check valve. one quoted us 1,500 and another something crazy like 2,500…and said we would have to dig up the kitchen floor ourselves to do the work.
has anyone had experience with this? what did you end up paying? are you done dealing with the floods?
2. we want to put in trees/shrubs for instant privacy in our fron yard. we have a six month old and no back yard so this is all we got for outdoor space. it’s a super busy street. the space is about 20 by 20 and we want to put some kind of evergreens going all the way around. my husband did some research and is suggesting emeralds/arborvitaes. i have heard horrible things about them. some guy form long island was willing to put in leyland cypress tree for 120 a tree. reading up on them they seem like the wrong thing as well and will grow too much.
what is a good thing for an instant living fence (maybe 6-7 feet)? and finally, do you have a recommendation for a nursery or a guy who will sell me the trees and put them in as well for a reasonable price?
3. our stoop is sagging and has been sorely neglected. the cornice and columns need to be repaired and painted. i think we can start out by having someone pump some concrete under the steps to lift them and pain the cornice at minimum, then move onto replacing the chipped and peeling columns.
how much does this cost and who would you recommend?
the brick was once painted, but the previous owner strpped most of the paint off. unfortunately they left some paint in the front. can we just power wash this off ourselves or have a professional do it?
thank you in advance for any responses to this. i will probably have so many more questions. i’m kind of overwhelmed by the amount of work this house needs, but for now i am just flashing to the memories of last summer when i was wiping shit water off our basement nine months pregnant. and…i cringe every time i walk up to my home and see the slupming stoop (eye sore) and the white paint on the cornice.
Thanks guys!
Well, the thing about my privacy screen/trees…I have one of those old iron fences going around my whole house. It’s about four feet. I may have the front yard demensions wrong but maybe a picture will explain it all. i’ll post one tomorrow. I don’t want to do containers. I got 811 to give me the ok on digging, no lines. I am willing to get the mature trees and shrubs that are slow growing and mature already. What’s a “normal” price for those (with labor)? The spruce suggestion is right up my alley. My husband was talking about getting emerald green arbovitaes. They stay smallish. Any experience with these? Our front yard is drenched in sunshine. I would water every other day when there is no rain.
The reason for the insta fence is that Bushwick Avenue is a super busy street, with cars going by, a traffic light at my intersection, and people walking by all day long. I do not mind my neighbors and they are not the reason i want privacy. I do however want to plant something deep into the ground/something that can’t be easily pulled out, because yes, as my neighbor above said, I too hope to not have my trees/plants stolen. All of my planters, window boxes, etc. were stolen last year. sob and violins…after i lovingly picked them out at the BBG members only preview sale, repotted, planted and arranged. All while super pregnant. That was so miserable to wake up to. I replanted my yard though, and made the planters inaccesible, spoke to neighbors, sat on my porch a lot just chatting up anyone who would listen to my story an my sweet neighbors wanted to help and really pitched in.
I’m definitely gonna contact BBG (why haven’t i thought of them, I even got married there), and look at the spruce prices. At this point I just need some contacts for nurseries so I can cold call and ask for quotes. Thanks for the Long Island Person.
Ditto on the handyman tip. I am so there this Saturday.
We have access to the sewer main inside the house by the cleanout. so no digging out front. I will definitely make sure that once the bad boy is installed (hopefully once I find a plumber i can trust) we will have it cleaned yearly. I flooded three times last summer. It was a nice cherry on the stolen flowers for sure.
Also, Anyone know a good person for raising a slumping stoop/brownstone porch? Or someone who does masonry/powerwash the paint off the brick?
All Best,
Sophia
Thanks guys!
Well, the thing about my privacy screen/trees…I have one of those old iron fences going around my whole house. It’s about four feet. I may have the front yard demensions wrong but maybe a picture will explain it all. i’ll post one tomorrow. I don’t want to do containers. I got 811 to give me the ok on digging, no lines. I am willing to get the mature trees and shrubs that are slow growing and mature already. What’s a “normal” price for those (with labor)? The spruce suggestion is right up my alley. My husband was talking about getting emerald green arbovitaes. They stay smallish. Any experience with these? Our front yard is drenched in sunshine. I would water every other day when there is no rain.
The reason for the insta fence is that Bushwick Avenue is a super busy street, with cars going by, a traffic light at my intersection, and people walking by all day long. I do not mind my neighbors and they are not the reason i want privacy. I do however want to plant something deep into the ground/something that can’t be easily pulled out, because yes, as my neighbor above said, I too hope to not have my trees/plants stolen. All of my planters, window boxes, etc. were stolen last year. sob and violins…after i lovingly picked them out at the BBG members only preview sale, repotted, planted and arranged. All while super pregnant. That was so miserable to wake up to. I replanted my yard though, and made the planters inaccesible, spoke to neighbors, sat on my porch a lot just chatting up anyone who would listen to my story an my sweet neighbors wanted to help and really pitched in.
I’m definitely gonna contact BBG (why haven’t i thought of them, I even got married there), and look at the spruce prices. At this point I just need some contacts for nurseries so I can cold call and ask for quotes. Thanks for the Long Island Person.
Ditto on the handyman tip. I am so there this Saturday.
We have access to the sewer main inside the house by the cleanout. so no digging out front. I will definitely make sure that once the bad boy is installed (hopefully once I find a plumber i can trust) we will have it cleaned yearly. I flooded three times last summer. It was a nice cherry on the stolen flowers for sure.
Also, Anyone know a good person for raising a slumping stoop/brownstone porch? Or someone who does masonry/powerwash the paint off the brick?
All Best,
Sophia
If you put in a check valve, make sure you get it serviced each spring before the big rains start. They can stick open if you don’t make sure they’re swinging properly etc.
/sad personal experience
Regarding green screening: I second/third the cautions of the other responders about selecting the right plant material. “Fast-growing” is almost never the right choice for a city garden. Mature, slower-growing specimens will be proportionately more expensive to purchase.
Are you in full sun, or is your yard shaded by other buildings, or street trees? Do you have bare ground to plant in, or will you need to use containers? Can you, will you, keep it watered? Do you have access to a faucet and hose? These are factors that will influence which plants will thrive, merely survive, or outright die in your location.
Carefully consider what your needs are for screening. Does it really need to be screened “on all sides”? Are you trying to screen off your neighbors, or just the street? Keep in mind that everything you plant will take up usable space on the interior of your garden, as well as increase the costs.
Does it need to be screened during the winter, when you’re not spending time outside? If not, deciduous plants are an option, opening up more choices. There are many ornamental grasses that will grow 6′ high or more during a single year, but they tend to want full sun. Bamboo in the genus Fargesia are slow-growing, but they are clumping and non-invasive, shade-tolerant, and are semi-evergreen. Upright forms are available.
Since the space is so small to begin with, consider other options. Think vertically. You can get cheap, quick covering with screens of willow or bamboo which can be attached to vertical supports. You can try that for one year/season to understand what you need before investing in plants. Is there an existing fence? How high is it? Vines grown on the fence can provide a lot of privacy, while taking up little interior space.
Hi neighbor!
There’s a little hardware store on Cypress between Greene Ave. and Bleecker. The owner is a plumber and electrician. (Not a licensed electrician but he works with one — not sure of his plumbing status.) We’ve had him over to do a couple of minor things. He’s very honest and hardworking. Don’t know if this is the kind of thing he handles, but it’s worth asking him to come by for a bid. He is in the store on Saturdays or you can get a card and number from his wife and call him on other days.
In my gardening experience, you need to get shrubbery whose full size is appropriate for your location. If you don’t want to wait for it to mature, then you have to buy it already fairly developed. This is expensive. Hope no one steals your trees.
Serbian spruce would be nice for privacy and they grow quickly. Also, those narrow spruces you see everywhere would do and any nursery would have them on hand.
As for the plumbing problem, yeah, you’re gonna have to pay big time for the check valve because there will be digging but I thought that would be outside in your front where it meets the sewer line.
Just on your tree question—There are several free classes coming up as part of the Greenbridge program at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden where you would probably find good answers to your questions. See: http://www.bbg.org/edu/adult/community.html
The BBG also has a gardener’s resource center and help line: 718-623-7270, http://www.bbg.org/lib/grc.html
For a large variety of reasons, I do not believe that rapid-growth tree screens and city gardens are compatible. Hicks Nurseries in Westbury, Long Island, has good stock and knowledgeable staff. You might find them too pricey, but they are definitely worth visiting: http://www.hicksnurseries.com/