rpz620,

Good luck my friend. My wife Sandy and I did what you are doing (started in 2001) and I think it shaved 10 years off our life. In the end, we have an amazing home that has appreciated in value, but the process nearly killed us. (Is that negative enough for you?)

The hardest part is living in the midst of the rubble. Suggestion: have some place in your home that is a haven...no tools, no mess, someplace to shut the door and pretend life is normal.

As to contractors, there are a lot of con men out there. So get recommendations. And try to put in some incentive to complete the work on time. Say a bonus of $x if they get it done by a certain date. I always wanted to say: I will deduct $100 for every day this project goes past a certain date. I wish I had done that, but my day job is being a psychotherapist and my empathetic and understanding side would always get suckered by the excuses and crisis that they came up with for why things took longer than promised.

I will give you one great name: Rolando of Clear Flow Plumbing. This guy gets a Christmas card from me every year. The best I ever dealt with. phone: 201-955-0011.

Good luck.

Clay

www.jcity.org
www.walkandtalk.com

It's a legal two family - Garden floor for 1BR apt and top 3 floors for owner's triplex. Anyone worked with any architects in the area? What's the process - do they generally give you a few design concepts and then if you decide to go with them, they draw full designs?

Quote:

I think that's too simplistic. I've renovated quite a few apartments. HD & Lowes have many satifactory products, from national name brands down to generic chicom imports. The trick is figuring out which is good, which is garbage, and most importantly, which is a value. Paying twice the price for better quality lumber at Dykes only makes sense if it makes a big difference, which it frequently doesn't.

Kraftmaid cabinets are a decent value.

Mills pride cabinets are cheap but still crap, and much better can be gotten elsewhere at the same price.

While a homeowner may not want to invest the time in the learning curve of figuring out where to spend money and where not to, a contractor should know these things, and not be afraid to go to HD for the things he knows are good values.

As for the rest of hiring a contractor, I wish you good luck, and lots of patience. Nothing will happen at the speed you see on TV, or even close.

I hope you did your homework - the cost of an already renovated building seems less than the cost of an unrenovated + gut rehab. That's just my sense from looking around and from what I paid in the not too distant past for top notch work. Unfortunately my contractor has gone on to bigger projects and won't do individual houses anymore.

Anyway: Random advice, based on experience:

1. get an architect and a set of plans - that way all contractors are bidding on same specs

2. get a contractor with experience in old houses

3. check contractor's insurance and credit

4. call and visit references

5. avoid anyone who immediately says - I know how to save you money.

6. ask them what they think of Home Depot quality - if they say: I piss on HD - they get points

Quote:

"Multifamily" or "Two Family"? There is a world of difference.
Best consult an architect before you begin.
That's my two cents.

I did not see a lot of threads.

We will not be living in the home during the renovation.

It is not in the Historical District as confirmed by the folks in City Hall.

It is a multi-family and we are retaining it that way - we are looking to keep the garden apartment and the upper three floors will be the owner triplex.

We are not adding on more space - save a deck - just doing a gut rennovation.

For qualified answers, you really need to be much more specific about what your intentions are.

Are you changing it from single to multi-family or vice-versa? Are you adding on more space or just gut-rehabbing what's there? Do you know what historical district (if any) you fall in? Do you plan on maintaining one floor to live on while the rest is gutted or will the place be empty for the entire process?

There are lots of threads on these matters.

Quote:Double your estimate.

Double your time frame.

Good luck.

We are about to undertake a gutting of a brownstone in JC - any advice from the many of you who preceeded us would be appreciated:

Dealing with City Hall? Permits?
Contractors - any suggestions of good ones, things to watch out for, etc.
Any horror stories or success stories?

Just trying to be as educated as possible prior to embarking.

Thanks.