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Architect recommendation
Hi, has anyone worked with an architect James Kostner? I appreciate your feedback. Thank you! More»
2:10 PM 05/10/2012
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Staircase: Repair vs Rebuild
I've been living in a brooklyn brownstone for 10 years and have a question. Our staircase has seen better days. Nothing major, just wear and tear over many years. The question is do we repair or do we rebuild. Obviously the main issue is cost but I have that mostly figured out.What I'm concerned with is that we pay for a less expensive (but still very costly) repair job and then have to rebuild in a few years.Anyone out there had their staircases repaired who care to weigh in? How has the repair held up? How long do you think it will last? Thanks... More»
10:28 AM 05/09/2012
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Hey, I have had people call me and ask me to rip out and replace perfectly good staircases just becuase they looked bad. And we have gone in and rebuilt those stairs and saved them a ton of money in the process. Your best bet will be to talk to contractors. now keep in mind there are contractors...... See More » -
Faux Brownstone Repair??
Bedford Stuyvesant
My facade needs some serious repairs and honestly, spending thirty or fourthy thousand dollars is not even close to be in my budget. The worst parts are really around the windows on each floor. It's practically falling off the building. A contractor (not a brownstone repair guy) recently told me that there's a product or trim that is foam on the inside with concrete on the outside (sort of like the faux wood beams for interior use) which can be used to repair and patch around the windows for less than five thousand dollars...Does this ring a bell with an... More»
3:31 PM 05/02/2012
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Do not ruin an actual Brownstone with this stuff. It is junk. See More » -
Deck costs?
We are putting a deck on our brownstone and want to do steel frame with wood on top, and have been quoted a price of almost 29K for the deck and wood (20'?X8'). I was browsing the site and saw someone quoting what sounded like a similar project for 15k. Does 29K seem reasonable? The fabricator is coming through our contractor, so we haven't comparison shopped, but I am thinking that we should based on the other poster's number. Thoughts? More»
9:21 AM 04/30/2012
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I am no expert, but just shopped for a steel deck estimate for 2 decks (one small one, one full sized one), and the estimate I am going with is less than a third of that. I am not doing any wood though. Have you had Lopopolo come in? They came in with the lowest estimate, and come highly recommended...... See More » -
Adding a fireplace
Does anyone know if it is possible to add a WB fireplace to an aparement? Some of my friends in Amsterdamn added one to their apartment and it looks great. It's free standing with a large metal duct coming out of it, going up through their roof or something. More»
4:45 PM 04/27/2012
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There are defnitely a number of options for this. They can be free standing or against the wall, or possibly even hanging. The big determining factor will be running the flue through whatever is upstairs. Jim Hill, RA, LEED AP Urban Pioneering Architecture See More » -
How much value will changes make
We're considering several projects on our home and I wanted talk to a professional of some sort to get an opinion on what portion of the costs we could reasonably expect to get back when we sell. Who do I need--realtor, appraiser of some sort? Will they charge for this? Feel free to recommend a specific person.Thanks in advance for any help. More»
10:25 PM 04/10/2012
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This should help. http://www.remodeling.hw.net/2011/costvsvalue/national.aspx But consider this, an increase in your quality of life and enjoyment from your home is much harder to quantify. See More » -
Brownstone doors
Guest
Anyone have a good recommendation on where to go for new brownstone doors? Something traditional? Cost? More»
2:05 PM 04/04/2012
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Eddie on Green and Grand Ave in Clinton Hill.. He has tons of doors See More » -
At what point do you call it quits with your architect?
We closed on our house two months ago, should have started construction already, and we still don't have permits because we still don't have a plan we can all agree upon. My spouse and I have been very clear from the start about what we want to achieve, and we keep getting plans that reflect what the architect thinks would be better. So we sit down, have a meeting, he agrees that he sees our point, we think we're all clear, and then we get a new set of rough plans that bear no resemblance to what we want. Oh...and the architcect is a friend of a friend... More»
9:03 AM 04/02/2012
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It is important to listen to your architect as they are the practiced expert in the process and are ultimately liable for their work, but they should always exhibit a professionalism that allows for compromise. In the end, the goal is the design and construction of a home for YOU. See More » -
bathroom reno recommendation
Our two bathrooms need attention. We have the original sinks and tubs, floor tiles and marble wainscotting, which is charming--but after 115 years, they are in rather poor shape--scratched, chipped, dirty beyond the usual cleaning. I'd like to save what I can, so I'm looking for a contractor who can advise on whether the tubs can be "refinished" successfully, if the old marble wainscotting can be re-honed or something and re-installed without the gaps in the seams, etc. I know many would prefer just to gut and start again. Any recommendations? More»
11:35 AM 03/28/2012
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im not sure if jason does this work but you can give him a call at 718 314 4517. He does alot for us around the house so hopefuuly he can help you guys out. See More » -
cornice options
Bedford Stuyvesant
My cornice is not in the best shape.
What are the options if I want to replace it?
I heard there are fiberglass cornices. Is that something that makes sense?
More»11:25 AM 03/26/2012
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yes i have heard of fiberglass cornice,and corinces can be either made with metal or wood .you should find an expert who specializes in cornice. i had a friend who replaced their cornice with a metal. See More » -
Skim-Coating in garden level?
We are getting ready to renovate the garden floor of our brownstone with a budget. One of the expensive costs is the skim-coating and I am wondering if it is necessary? We plan on using the garden level as a rec room/play room for our kids and a guest bedroom. We have some rotted beams in the cellar, so we will be taking out the floor and moving the walls. Since it is the garden level, it gets decent light but not great light. The contractor is acting like it would be a huge mistake not to skim-coat it, but I was wondering what your thoughts... More»
9:09 AM 03/26/2012
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Skimcoating is time consuming detailed work. That's why it's expensive. Are your walls in bad shape? Can you get away with skimming in the rough areas. If so, try that, use a high quality primer and flat paint and it should be okay. If you want museum quality walls you will have to skim coat. See More » -
Replacing Window with Door from Parlor Level-Recommendations?
As the title says,We're looking to replace a window with a door to access deck off our Parlor level.We'll need to remove the stone and brick currently between the bottom of window frame and the floor at least.I was wondering what options people have used for this process.Install a full height door ? or install a small window with a door below it ?Any recommendations for approach and for sources of materials and labor would be appreciated.Thanks More»
11:54 AM 03/21/2012
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I went with a full height glass door and transom for maxium light. Door was rather cheap,( $500) special order from Lowes. Get a few estimates on the labor. Expect it to run 3-5k. including everything. We spend a great deal of time in the kitchen and the deck off the parlor. We love it.See More »
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Anyone add a porch on a frame row house?
Tax photo shows that our South Slope frame row house originally had a porch and we'd like to build one when we redo the facade. We're working with an architect who is looking at the code, but has anyone done this? We're thinking we can't add a wood structure without a metal base - assuming the same code applies as for a deck. Anyone know offhand while we reseach this? More»
11:53 AM 03/19/2012
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Depending on the block, make nice with your neighbors, have a contractor prefab the framing for the flooring and ceiling, and install the whole thing over a long weekend. See More » -
Awkward!
Cobble Hill
Here is an awkward situation I could use help with...We hired a designer (not an architect, but her husband is) to do our renovation. One of the reasons we chose this designer was that her fee was capped at 13% of the budget, which seemed reasonable since she is just one woman working out of her home, not a full office. Plus, she is not licensed.We scaled back our budget along the way by about 15% when it became clear that the economy was continuing to wreak havoc on our plans. (Adios, big bonus!)We arrived at a budget with our contractor but the des... More»
2:49 PM 03/16/2012
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13% for an unlicensed design advisor? And she still can´t get enough?
I guess she is done designing anyway at this point, just say good bye and that´s it. See More » -
Renovation in Historic District?
Just as a hypothetical question before considering this more seriously, does anyone out there have experience doing a big renovation project on a brownstone in a historic district? Ie, how difficult is it to get approval, and what sort of timeframe does it take to get all the necessary permits in place assuming you are very organized and on-top of things with a good architect and contractor?Would you be tied up sitting on an empty house for months waiting for all the permits to get approved, or is it something that you might theoretically be able to a... More»
9:15 PM 03/07/2012
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It will depend on the work that you want to do. If your scope of exterior work is minor - leaving the exterior as-is with repairs or patching, or doing minor work like window replacement or adding a light fixture - you can likely get the work approved by landmarks at staff level - without a hearing...... See More »
