Need referrals for reno work
Hello, My husband and I will be embarking upon a brownstone renovation (sort of mid-range, not a gut job), and would love recommendations for the following types of tradespeople – we live in Bed-Stuy, so anyone local would be an added bonus! Floor refinisher General carpenter for repairing walls and ceilings, and skim-coating Plumber Mason…
Hello,
My husband and I will be embarking upon a brownstone renovation (sort of mid-range, not a gut job), and would love recommendations for the following types of tradespeople – we live in Bed-Stuy, so anyone local would be an added bonus!
Floor refinisher
General carpenter for repairing walls and ceilings, and skim-coating
Plumber
Mason
Roofer
Asbestos remover securing or removal for a very small area
Floors — Jose Costillo is excellent, meticulous, highly reliable and honest, and reasonably priced ($1.50 a square foot including sealing and staining). DaveinBedStuy has his new number and has posted it here. He lives in Bushwick.
I have used Nu-Lite of Maspeth for boiler and plumbing work. They have three master’s plumbers licenses, and are a small firm. The guys they send out to do the work are very skilled. Their minimum is $150 an hour.
I tried to find someone to do a small bit of asbestos removal too. No dice. Joe Bova said he only does inspections/ID not removal.
Also love WCK, but OP didn’t ask for electric.
Re skim coat, whoever you get, make sure they use mesh tape everywhere or the cracks will come back within nine months or so.
Herkimermaid,
With all due respect, “The licensed guys are a joke”? Are you aware it is unlawful to take on any work that is more then $200.00. What you are suggesting is what? Tohire people that might be skilled but dont have the proper insurance and safety training that is required?
I am sure there are some people out there that could be good attorneys without a license but I think I would rather hire a licesned one.
Also if you do hire an unlicensed, uninsured contractor what recourse do you have if he does not perform as he should, zero?
Not long ago I posted asking for recs for a general carpenter and got a lot of responses. I think I talked to about 8 different guys from handymen to full blown contractors. And yeah, my head was spinning — from the shocking and obvious incompetence that presented itself to me and prices they wanted me to pay for that.
The licensed guys were a joke. One of them showed up reeking of booze in the middle of the day. Another one argued angrily with me about the floorplan and told me “impossible!” (it has since been built and is perfect). He also left the smell of BO and garlic in his wake that lingered for 2 full days. Several of the unlicensed guys were also a joke and obviously had no idea what they were doing. The only difference between them was the price. Draw your own conclusions.
Unlicensed people are often just as skilled, they’re just not especially businessy. Some of the best work done at my house by the smartest and easiest people to work with are/were unlicensed and I will continue to recommend them. Those doing the hiring can decide for themselves which route to go. I’m just offering my experience and recommendations. If people are doing good and fairly priced work the recs will follow, licensed or unlicensed.
Herk said ” Those people aren’t necessarily licensed”.
Like I said, “I can’t stress enough”. There’s a reason people aren’t licensed. Most of them aren’t qualified to flush my toilet.
I’ve been in the construction industry(plumbing & heating) for over 30 yrs and I could tell you some nightmarish stories about jobs done by unlicensed contractors.
Not to say there aren’t licensed ones out there too who aren’t qualified to flush my toilet. Just be careful. Make sure to take out permits!!!!
You WANT the job to be inspected by a city inspector!!!
Rule of thumb: Get three quotes, more than that and your head will be spinning.
Go with your gut, not price.
It sounds like you’re GCing the project yourself in which case go with the people who come recommended, you feel you can work well with and fit your budget. Those people aren’t necessarily licensed. The most important thing is to interview as many candidates for each job as you can and really discuss the work before making a decision. It’s definitely worth the time and effort. Besides getting a sense of the person you’ll learn a lot. Following are the people with whom I’ve had very good to excellent results:
Floor refinishing: Jose of Better Wood Floors 917-355-7977
Light plumbing: Richard Haviland 917-213-5173
Carpentry/building: Lino Revilla 347-248-8476
Electrical: WCK Electric Paul Laidlow 917-939-4956
Sounds like OP is acting as his/her own GC. Make sure to get the proper permits. I recommend you also read The Homeowner’s Guide to Managing Own Renovation. It gives you tips on how to deal with subcontractors and the bid process.
Also if you are acting as your own GC make sure that you have enough insurance. You don’t want one of the subs getting hurt and suing you for workman’s comp. I don’t think you can have enough insurance.
Just be sure to hire only licensed plumbers, electricians & General contractors. Ask for documentation of insurance and hire only highly recommended contractors.
There are several highly qualified plumbing & heating contractors who contribute to this forum.
But I can’t stress enough that you hire pro’s. Remember, you get what you pay for and most times when you hire the unlicensed contractor you get even less than what you pay for.
Ask questions! The real deal won’t have a problem if you make inquiries.
Good luck.
Hello there,
I have used brownstone boys experts recently and they completed a new rubber layer of roof and some masonry work. The price was great and they were very punctual and cooperative. I highly recommend them. Below is their contact information.
347-932-9253
http://brownstoneboysexpert.mynetworksolutions.com/
Floors – Verazzano
Minor sheet rock & any plumbing – Winston – 718 755 2802
Mason – VinRoy – 718 735 6725
Roofer – Jacov – 917 257 7049
Asbestos – Joe Bova – 718 234 7437