Finding affordable contractor?

@resident2 – I would also love your contractor’s contacts: Maysaa.halloway@gmail.com
Thank you!

nodapic

in General Discussion 8 years and 4 months ago

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returnrestoration | 8 years and 5 months ago

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Can anybody recommend how I would go about finding an affordable contractor. I don’t need somebody who is perfect because I cannot afford that. But I want honest and competent. We’re looking to add back doors to the kitchen where the window is, make a cut-through in the wall between kitchen and dining room, and move around the arrangement of the kitchen. We’ll use appliances we have and kitchen cabinets from Ikea. We’re also looking to do a gut of the bathroom but keep everything where it is. We’d also like to add stairs to the attic. We’d like to take out the illegal basement apt and just open up the space. Nothing too complicated. Our home is a duplex in East Flatbush but we’re historic district BK Heights pricing. Frustrated here. Advice?

BobMarvin | 8 years and 5 months ago

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IMO the best approach is to ask your neighbors who they used.

greenworks | 8 years and 5 months ago

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Agree with Bob wholeheartedly. My two cents – One can get a warped idea of “how much things cost” from this site/forum.

We live in Cypress Hills, which is decidedly non-brownstone Brooklyn, and have found enough like-minded individuals through neighbors to create our own “Angie’s List” of contractors who service our neighborhood for rates that are real world (non-brownstoner) reasonable prices. And some of these guys are GOOD — don’t think that bc you’re not using the big names on here with big prices that you can’t get nice work done.

It’s just a lot of leg work and a lot of talking to people but well worth it.

resident2 | 8 years and 5 months ago

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You live in East Flatbush? and you can’t find a good fair priced contractor??!! They live there! All around you.
They do not run around driving Escalates etc, but they are the guys that work for a lot of those guys as the subs, subs; the ones that actually do the work.
I do not want to give out names & numbers because whenever I do, the guys get the most ridiculous calls. But post some contact info & I will get in touch off line.

abc123 | 8 years and 5 months ago

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resident2 Please email me your contractor’s contact info to: nat215@me.com

suebklyn | 8 years and 5 months ago

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@resident2 – I would also love your contractors contact info: lipsmackin@gmail.com

cate | 8 years and 5 months ago

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Good luck and be careful about opening up the space in the basement. All the original walls are supporting or load bearing and you need to put in new hidden supporting beams to do this safely. (This and a few other things you mention require filing permits and hiring architects or engineers.)