+1 for Steve Nuding. He did a fantastic job on our street facing windows and handled all historic permits. Well worth the higher price tag. To save some bucks, we used a different contractor for the rear windows (to answer the OP's question). I have had to apply for a Certificate of No Effect for numerous jobs on my property and have always found the Office of Historic Preservation and its officers nothing but extremely helpful. I really appreciate their commitment to preserving the character of our historic neighborhood.

I had the city's sewer main collapse and fill my cellar with sewer so I feel your pain. I've had numerous other plumbing/sewer issues since that time. As the owner of a property with sewer issues, I think it's vital to develop a relationship with a good plumber who you can call on in emergencies and who understand the idiosyncrasies of your house's plumbing. I can recommend two: Al Lloyd of Super Rooter and Byron Hutchinson whose name I got from JCList. Al is cheaper and perhaps a bit more willing to tackle big projects and he does have more experience but we found Byron to be very professional and diligent in his solutions.

This doesn't directly address your problem but a few bits of additional advice if I may: 1. Find out what your homeowners insurance says about sewage backups. 2. Once you have your lines fixed, it might be advisable to roto rooter them on a regular basis (we do ours twice a year). 3. Make sure the city is maintaining the street main properly. Since we're downtown we often find that the street main is backed up (which sometimes leads to sewage in our basement). It should always be "low and running." The MUA can check that for you if you suspect a problem.

Good luck!

This is all very helpful info. I guess my next stop needs to be the zoning department to see how my building is zoned and what constitutes a permanent structure.

I hoping to put a garden shed in my back garden this summer but I'm not sure where to begin. I want to to be attractive but not too expensive. Can anyone recommend a builder or local supplier of such things? Just has to be big enough to fit a few bikes, lawnmower and some garden tools. Also, do I need a permit for this kind of thing?

Same here. I've been trying to set up a meeting with Candace's office for a while now to talk about these issues with no luck.

Wondering what the timeline is on the independent water testing. Does anyone know? Is this the kind of thing that will take years to accomplish?

Just curious how you would use DE to treat/prevent bed bugs. I am a big believer and have used it for ants. But how would one apply it for BBs? My friend had a minor infestation and now I live in mortal fear of one. Trying to do everything to prevent it.

Anyone know where I can buy fresh (not dried or dyed) eucalyptus in or near DTJC? I want it to treat this pesky cold (so I'm not looking to go too far afield -- although NYC would be o.k.).

I'm concerned about the extension of the permit parking to 11 p.m.!!! When I can convince my friends to visit from the burbs, they're likely to come for dinner and stay 5-6 hours. Do I have to give them a visitor permit every time? And, FWIW, I know several people who drive to JC and PATH it into NYC, leaving their car on the street or in a commercial parking lot.

I live downtown and parking is getting much more difficult lately. Twice last week, we had to drive around for a solid hour looking for a spot and once ended up parked a little bit on a crosswalk overnight and got a $50 ticket. $15 is a bargain for a residential parking permit but not if there are no spots and you end up with frequent tickets. Not sure how this plan would impact this situation but I'll be watching (and circling the block).

EDIT:
I'm editing the above post to say that I've now read Osborne's plan and I think it's very positive It includes allowing residents to park in 2 zones instead of one (I once got booted!!! for parking in a adjacent zone). She also recommends a pilot program to reduce street sweeping to 2 days a week which could improve things. It would also redesign the parking signs for additional clarity and -- here's where Mr. Two Boot's disapproval comes in -- create a dedicated parking zone for food trucks.

Great question! I've often wondered this since when/if I leave JC, I want to move somewhere with like-minded people! For better or worse, I'm committed to the Northeast though. Maybe Rochester? Corning? Ithaca? Or, in NJ, Lambertville?

I hate it too!!! Every time I look at it, I get upset remembering the water in my house from Hurricane Irene. It's pretty damn tasteless and thoughtless.

I'm on 3rd Street and got no notice when the work was being done on 3rd Street.

I also think it's pretty bad that the city hasn't suspended some of the street sweeping/alternate side parking. With so much street parking being eliminated, there's nowhere to move the car during street sweeping, especially when you throw in a Jewish holiday! I called the parking authority and they told me that city hall is giving out too many permits (not just for the PSE&G work but for construction dumpsters, etc.). Don't know who to call about that but something's gotta give!

I'm finally taking the plunge on this bathroom reno and wonder if anyone has had experience with the city inspection that they'd like to share. From what I understand, the bathroom gets demoed, plumbing and electric get installed and then you have to wait for the city inspectors to approve it before you can have your toilet and shower installed. I'm so afraid they'll stall and I'll be without a bathroom for a month. Anyone have experience expediting this process?

Yes, this is the guy who sweeps and shovels snow in front of the church. Never saw him with a guitar. He's a short-ish, not too old (40s? 50s?) Latino guy with a mustache and baseball hat.

Until recently, my encounters with him have always been friendly. Once, we had a very brief conversation about the weather as I was passing by. I said it looked like rain and asked him if he'd heard a weather forecast. He said, "Let me ask the boss" and took off his baseball cap. Underneath it, he was wearing another baseball cap that said something like "Jesus is my boss" and he sort of rolled his eyes up toward the message on the hat and laughed and said he didn't know.

It's unfortunate he feels the need to spew his hateful message, so loudly because he's always seemed likable (if quirky) and harmless otherwise.

Does anyone know the story with this guy who hangs around the baptist church on 4th and Jersey and screams about sending homosexuals to the lake of fire?

I've had several friendly conversations with him in passing and he joked about the weather and invited me to church. But lately, he's been going around the neighborhood screaming about how all homosexuals are going to hell. Today he practically screamed right in my sleeping baby's face as my husband was pushing him in the stroller.

It seems like his behavior is getting more extreme and I am a little concerned that he might be dangerous.

Bravo, Mr. Mayor!!! Thank you for holding PSE&G to the agreed upon standards and not letting them further disrupt our quality of life!

I just wanted to share an update on the Cafe Zoning Amendment from Candice Osborne's office. Because of neighborhood feedback, the proposed ordinance has been revised to remove the backyard seating option. The amendment would allow for cafes to have a combined total of 20 seats in front of their establishment and indoors. I believe this will be voted on at the next city council meeting.

I remember the bodega. It didn't have garden seating. That's the difference. "Maybe get your facts straight before ranting."

So you would be O.K. if a business, for which your neighborhood is not zoned, opened up next door to your home and significantly impacted your property value? Let's say it's a pawn shop, just for the sake of argument.

I'm not objecting to them being in the neighborhood (I love Prato!) or that they have indoor seating. It's that they are trying to have outdoor seating which is apparently prohibited and which they knew wasn't allowed when they chose their location. Why should their desires trump the needs of the hundreds of people whose windows and backyards are within earshot of the outdoor garden?

I'm trying hard not to get too drawn into this but it seems like some of the commenters don't understand the concept of zoning. Areas that are zoned as "residential" prohibit businesses from opening up there. This helps protect the character of a neighborhood and protects property values. Without zoning, a car repair shop could open next to my brownstone and leave broken down cars all over the place.

The "time to move to the burbs" comments don't help either. I've lived in JC for 15 years. I'm not a renter. I own a home here, vote, pay taxes and as a participant in a democracy think that my voice counts. I am thrilled that JC has changed so much for the better since I moved here. I love all the new restaurants. It's amazing. I'm not opposed to change. But they SHOULD NOT INFRINGE ON OTHER PEOPLE'S RIGHTS! Current zoning should be enforced and I sympathize with those whose lives would be impacted should this variance be accepted.

Does anyone know what happened at the Tuesday (7/21/15) meeting?

Something some people on this thread are not understanding is that NOISE cannot be blocked out with a fence. I invested a half a million dollars to have a beautiful Jersey City condo with a quiet back garden and I'm counting on the quiet back garden to be a selling point when I decide to cash in my chips. I've invested a lot of time, money and energy in my property to that end. My young child's bedroom is next to the garden and when neighbors occasionally have loud parties, he can't sleep (he still naps so daytime noise is also a problem which is why he doesn't have the bedroom that faces the street). Having a even somewhat loud cafe next door would dramatically impact my quality of life as well as my property value. If the city wants to keep attracting people to invest in residential real estate, they need to think twice about this one. FWIW, I live on the same block as Prato but not close enough that the cafe would impact me directly. I have been a big fan of their establishment since it opened but I was kind of bewildered how they were able to open in such a residential neighborhood. I hope the city continues to enforce the zoning and not bend the rules on a whim.

Am I the only one wanting more info on the owner, the "now-late yet still infamous Vladimir Dremluga's wife"?

FWIW, I push a stroller around a lot and it has gotten stuck on the sidewalks downtown sooo many times I've lost count. But there doesn't seem to be any enforcement at all to make homeowners repair and maintain their sidewalks. We had ours re-poured a few years back and it's one of the only smooth patches on the block.

If I remember correctly, the majority of the faux brick crosswalks downtown were hurriedly installed just prior to the mayoral election in what was, I assume, a bid for Healy to get some votes from the yuppies. It's a shame because there is a way to do stamped concrete that is durable and attractive.

I logged on here today to get the scoop (pun intended) on this ongoing PSE&G work because I'm very alarmed at the state of the streets. Has anyone here had any direct communication with them? Or heard anything official from city agencies? The idea that they might want to drill into my newly refurbished stoop makes me very upset.

Has anyone had any success in controlling, repelling, diminishing mosquitoes in their yards? They are out of control thanks to this rainy weather. I went in my garden a few evenings ago to try to enjoy it but came back in completely covered in bites despite having applied bug spray. Trying to figure out the best approach. Any suggestions?

Thanks all for the info!

Yes, Brewster, I am thinking of moving from DTJC to one of those cheap mansions in the Heights. That's why I'm trying to do a bit of research.

Where can I find information about the quality of the Jersey City school system? Does anyone here want to share their experiences with specific public schools in the city? I'm particularly interested in elementary schools.

Agreed about these lists. It seems like they included JC just based on the fact that WORD is here. I mean that's great and all but is that it? Of course, these things become self fulfilling.

Wow, thanks so much MDM, Brewster and Coreybraiterman! I appreciate all the tips. I've done a lot of renovations in the past decade of condo ownership but never a whole room so I appreciate the input. There are a lot of variables to consider.

Agreed about sealing the grout. I used a grout color in another area of my condo that I thought wouldn't show stains... kind of a taupey brown. Well, wouldn't you know that the first cup of spilled coffee and we have a darker area.

Anyone have a contractor to recommend? That's the million dollar question.

The time has finally come for me to do a complete bathroom renovation.

Anyone want to share the name of a reliable, professional and inexpensive contractor? I need the job done fast since I have a 1-bathroom condo.

I'd also be interested to know if anyone found suppliers of tile and bathroom fixtures that they would consider a bargain.