The extension takes shape

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Partially due to weather and partially due to working through structural details we’ve had a number of starts and stops with our extension over the past 2 months. In November, I posted about the pouring of the extension’s concrete foundation walls. These were completed in December and we have built up CMU block walls for the 1st floor and poured the cement slab for the floor of our future master bedroom.

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While most of this was complete in December we ran into unexpected delays with the structural work that was only resolved this week. Our extension requires the removal of the rear brick wall on the first and second floors of the building. This is a lot of brick, one large container full, and some civil engineering was required to safely support the remaining 12,000 lbs of brick in the 3rd floor wall.

The original plan was to use 16 foot steel channels anchored to the rear wall and supported by the brick in the party walls shared with our neighbors. Unfortunately, after opening up the walls in December we discovered they are only 2 bricks wide instead of the assumed 6. Two bricks are not enough to support the wall so back to the drawing board we went and after a few rounds with our civil engineer we have a new solution.

The solution involves 2 long steel channels anchored into the brick of both party walls and 2 channels running the width of our building on either side of the 3rd floor brick wall with large bolts running through the wall to anchor it. It was quite an install process involving welders, epoxy pins and large drills but it’s done and we have happily moved forward with framing out the extension and installing the subfloors for our kitchen extension and terraces.

channels and rear wall

Here is the right party wall channel and the 2 rear wall channels. Note the metal plate welded to the underside of the channels to provide additional support for the brick wall.

before channel install

Here is the kitchen before the final channels were installed. In the background you can see the framing of our kitchen’s future door and window openings. In the foreground there are jacks and temporary beams in place to support the brick wall while the channels are installed.

back parlor floor

Here is what the room looked like when we first purchased the house. Seems like that was over a year ago. Oh wait… it was over a year ago.

channels

Thanks to iOS 6 and the panoramic photo feature here is the left and right channels as well as the ones attached to the 3rd floor rear wall. We were able to keep most of the ceiling shown in the before photo.

This was by far the most exhausting and challenging part of our project and has held up the progress for about 6 weeks. If you’re ever planning a similar project be sure to double check the party wall size. Had we done this last summer when planning the project we would probably be moving in now.

What to consider when refinishing floors.

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We recently visited The Merchant’s House museum and can’t believe we’ve lived in NYC all this time and did not know about this house.  If you are renovating an old row house, we would recommend you see this piece of history.  It is one of the only houses (open to the public) that has been changed very little since it was owned by the family that purchased it back in 1832–before the days of Landmark Preservation Commission.  One very interesting thing we learned was that typically houses at that time had basic wood flooring laid down (rather than detailed high-quality wood flooring) because the fashion at that time (and symbol of wealth) was to carpet from wall to wall.  This struck me as funny since everyone fusses about original wood floors in older houses.  Here is a photo of the carpet from the Merchant’s House (it is newish but an exact reproduction of the original).

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Another interesting tidbit we learned was that the family room, where much of their time was spent, (not to be confused with the formal parlor room, which was for entertaining) was located on the garden level next to the kitchen.

Anyway, back to our reality:  One of the very first things we did after closing on the house was to go over and rip up the linoleum to see what was underneath. The back of the parlor floor (which will be the kitchen) had the best floors in the house with only one thin layer of linoleum.

parlor floor back

The rest of the parlor floor had mostly been stripped when we looked at the house but still had layers of a black paper-like substance that was used as an adhesive (luckily not asbestos – it was tested).

parlor facing south

Our contractor had some major concerns about how difficult it would be to remove and what the floors would look like after.  So we priced out new flooring and decided that we liked the old weathered look after all!  Actually, we do like the look of older flooring and we were a little disappointed that there was not wide planks–but you get what you get.  We were told the floors were pine sub-flooring in the front and oak finished flooring in the back (second photo above). When we researched pine, the pictures we saw were finished in a light golden color when stripped down to its natural color as in the photo below.

pine floors

Our contractor did a test patch to see how it would look sanded.  We were happy with the condition of the floor although we still have to decide if we want to put a filler in the cracks.  It was unexpected that the floors were so amber/cherry colored (there is no stain on it here).  We are not a big fan of red coloring in floors.  After a little research we learned that gloss oil-based polyurethane, like that used by the contractor, actually adds a slight amber color to the floors.

floor sample

We did a little more research and found out that water-based finishes do not add an amber color to wood and are less likely to darken or turn yellow over time.   We intend to use a product called Bona Traffic (or a similar brand like Basic Coatings) that is a water-based polyurethane finish in a matt or satin finish.  Other benefits include the fact that it typically has half as much VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) content than the traditional oil-based polyurethane finishes, it dries faster and is easier to clean when mistakes happen.   Some sources say it is not as durable and point out that it requires 2 or 3 coatings (which negates the fact that it dries faster I guess).  We like the pros more than we are concerned about the cons.  Since this product is more expensive, make sure you note its use in your original bid for contract–or else your contractor may charge you extra.

Peeling Back Time

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Every time we remove something not original to the house, it feels like the house is breathing a happy sigh.  During times when the contractor has been in a holding pattern, waiting for materials or for changes in the weather, the crew has started to strip the paint from some of the moldings and doors.  When we first looked at the house, the moldings over the doors seemed a bit cheesy and over-elaborate as our taste tends toward simple and classic.  Over time they have grown on us and seeing them without a hundred years of paint has really added to their attraction because  you can now see the detail of the design.

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The question is now: to paint or not to paint?  It seems a shame to cover all that wood with more paint but at the same time we’ve never been a fan of exposed wood molding.  The vision we (or I) had for the parlor floor is light and white.  The other consideration is whether they are in good enough shape to stain or has stripping many years of bad paint jobs and door repairs damaged the wood so that staining would merely bring out more flaws.

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It is always a great feeling (because there are so few in renovation) when something turns out better than you thought.  The crew stripped the old door handles, hinges and doorplates and we love how they turned out.

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When they are all done we will do a test patch to see how they look stained and then decide.  Hopefully, by then, the extension will nearly be complete and we will get a sense of how the light is going to hit all the rooms.

Renovation Freight Train or Hurry Up and Wait

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I can’t believe I am using the words “freight train” and “our renovation” in the same sentence.  It seems we were waiting for weeks for the structural engineer, architect and contractor to formulate a new plan for the extension to address some structural issues and the next thing we knew the crew was skim coating walls.

How did it happen that one minute we were stymied and the next they needed the plumbing parts stat?  We were totally unprepared once again.  That is how it is with renovation.  We were told the plumbing was going to start and we needed the rough-in parts for the showers and our tub the following week.  Panic!

Luckily, we (I) have been doing a lot of Pinterest surfing and we had a board completed for our bathrooms.  Since we intended on using the same bathroom tiles and faucet fixtures that we used for the renovation to our condo bathroom a few years ago, we thought easy peasy, right?  Wrong.  Turns out the tile place we used has since gone out of business, we misplaced the receipts from our previous purchases (so we had no product numbers), and the faucet fixtures we had used were not longer in production.  We had two options:  pick different tiles and faucets or doggedly search for the old ones.  Of course we chose the latter.  With love and renovation:  when you are told you can’t have something you want it even more, even if it was maybe not that great to begin with.

Thanks to a little invention call the world wide web, we were able to locate our tiles as well as our shower and tub fixtures (albeit on three different sites).

Hansgrohe Metris S Thermobalance III - that caused all the problems. We loved the fact that the temp and water control were all in one unit.

Hansgrohe Metris S Thermobalance III – the little device that caused all the problems. We loved the fact that the temp and water diverter control were all in one unit.

As for the tub, sinks and vanities, it was a bit more research.  We had a 5.5 foot tub picked out (a Toto) that, according to the website, could be installed as an alcove or a drop-in.  In the photo it looked like a drop-in.  We emailed the website to confirm because we need an alcove due to space limitations.  Just before we were going to order it we had an attack of doubt.  So I emailed Toto who confirmed that this model was a drop-in only.   Moral of the story:  Do not trust listings on websites.   If the picture does not look like what it is supposed to be, then it might not be.  Double check with the manufacturer.  A few minutes might save you a great deal of hassle.

This is the tub we ordered. Although it is acrylic, we like the square modern look.

This is the tub we ordered in the end. Although it is acrylic, we like the square modern look.

In the end we found another bathtub that we liked better.  We debated the whole acrylic vs. cast iron thing but figured it was more important to like the tub rather than just because it is made with more durable material.  Besides, we had no problems with our acrylic tub in our condo.  We did not see this tub when we did our initial search so goes to show that if at first you don’t find what you are looking for, keep looking and you will find it eventually.

Next up, sink and vanity cabinet.  Our struggle here was finding a double sink that was only 40 inches wide.  The initial plans for the house showed the bathroom with two sinks.  Next lesson, just because your architect inserts two little sinks in the plan, doesn’t mean they can actually fit in there.  All the nice double sinks are in vanities 48 to 60 inches wide.  At first we picked out a 60 inch vanity, then adjusted to the reality and picked out a nice 48 inch one only to measure the room ourselves to see that we had to go down even further.  My dreams of multiple drawers all to myself when down the drain.  As we mentioned before, the size of the bathroom did not initially take into consideration the old fireplace hearth that took a foot and a half of space from our master bath.  For those of you looking for a 40 inch vanity with a double sink there are some options including Pottery Barn, Ikea or pricier option like Lacava.  We still have not ordered the sink and cabinet but may go with the cheap Ikea cabinet and a higher end sink.

An alternative to separate sinks. We can still both brush our teeth without getting on each other's nerves.

An alternative to separate sinks. We can still both brush our teeth without getting on each other’s nerves.

At the end of the day, the plumber (subcontracted by the contractor) did not show up on the day he was scheduled so our panic was for nothing.  Hurry up and wait is what we do.

Next up, what is with all these trades people in the building industry that don’t show up or return sales calls?  I guess there must be so much work in the city that they don’t need to follow the business rules of etiquette.

Restoring Old Fireplaces

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When we were looking at houses, one of our must-haves were at least one working fireplace.  When my husband and I first met, I had an apartment with a working fireplace and it was so cozy and romantic.  But behind the romance there is a lot you have to know to get a working fireplace

Parlor floor mantle

First, most realtors will tell you that if there is a fireplace mantle in the house that “you can get it going” with a little restoration but what they don’t tell you is the cost.   At one point in time our house had six working fireplaces.  We know this because there are six separate chimney flues.  Even though you see only two chimneys on the roof, each of those chimneys house three separate flues.

In the third floor rental unit the mantles were removed and the hearths were dry walled over.  On the garden floor there is one marble mantle (still painted over) and one brick hearth (both closed up).

On the parlor floor there are two marble mantles with metal summer doors (see above).  After our offer on the house was accepted, we looked at the house more closely during the inspection.  In one of the fireplaces, part of the summer door was removable and we saw that there was no bottom.  We asked some contractors and architects for possible explanations and they thought that the house had never had wood burning fireplaces and that there was coal burning heat in the basement and that these were essentially decorative openings to let the heat in.  Turns out they were wrong.  Yes, these were actually once wood burning fireplaces.  We finally got the summer door off of the other mantle and there was a brick bottom on it that clearly had been used to burn wood. This opening (or firebox) was also much deeper than the other one and it is an unsolved mystery why they are different.

The Anatomy of a Fireplace

chimney-diagramA fireplace and chimney is made up of several parts including the mantel, the hearth, the firebox and the smoke chamber.  Over the years these components can get damaged, wear out or no longer fall within modern code requirements.

The Cost

When we first priced fireplace restoration, we researched the average cost in our area for this type of work.  In New York City, the prices varied from five to seven thousand dollars per fireplace.  That does not necessarily include all the extras.  Do the chimneys need refurbishing?  Do you need a new boiler flue liner?    If the house has not been updated in a while, you probably will.  That will run you about an extra three thousand.  Do they need to rebuild or enlarge the hearth to make sure it is up to code?  –an extra thousand there.  If the hearth opening is too narrow, they may need to remove the mantle so it can be enlarged.  That will cost you, in addition to the fact that with a marble mantle it may CRACK when removed.  There is nothing they can do to prevent it and the cost of replacement is on you.  Finally, there is the smoke test which must be performed by a third party company, and as with all construction related inspections, it is not cheap.

VERY VERY IMPORTANT

IMG_2679A certain amount of fireplace restoration can be done without a permit from the DOB.  However, if you are in the process of doing a renovation then it must be done under the general construction permit.  This means that it must go under your contractor’s insurance and therefore your contractor will “manage it” i.e. tack on a 20% fee.

And then there is the mess.  When we first contemplated our renovations we though we would put off the fireplaces because they weren’t an absolute necessity and we knew they were expensive. Afterwards, we thought we should get some estimates to verify how much it would cost.  We acquired three estimates and they were roughly the same price.  In addition to cost, we learned the physical requirements of the project.

Ouch - glad we did not paint up here.

Ouch – glad we did not paint up here.

When chimney liners are replaced with modern flexible steel liners they need to open the walls above the mantle as well as on any floors above.  While they do put plastic around their work, mess is inevitable.  We realized how crazy it would be to finish the other renovations and then reopen walls after they had recently been re-plastered and painted not to mention the damage that may be done to the floors as well.

Best Old-house Advice You Will Ever Get

Do the fireplace restoration before you start anything!  Once you have filed with the DOB for construction permits, then you must put the fireplace restoration under that permit.  Our house sat there for over a month while we waited for a Letter of No Objection that never came and then waited another month for the preparation of filing drawings and paperwork.  We might have saved ourselves filing fees and mark-up fees, not to mention the fact that something on the house would have been progressing, by starting right after closing.  By not restoring the fireplaces first thing, it also stalled the work in the rental unit. We didn’t want our new floors to be scratched up by the sand in the mortar which gets all over the floor and is ground in by the construction workers boots as they walk around.

Cost and mess aside, we were very happy we decided to refurbish the fireplaces.  They look great and will increase the value of the home in the end (we hope).  We look forward to future delightful snowy nights with no place to go.

Progression

fireplace upstairs

Fireplace as we found it covered with several years of paint

They framed to mantle to prevent damage.

This is the chimney in the rental unit that had to be opened up.

This is the chimney in the rental unit that had to be opened up.

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Installing the new firebox.

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Frame and summer door stripped down to original metal.

Frame and summer door stripped down to original metal.

The wall will be re-plastered later by our contractor.

The wall will be re-plastered later by our contractor.

T’was the day before Christmas

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T’was the day before Christmas

and I went to my house

to check on construction

with my loving spouse

 

we brought gifts of wine

to reward the hard working crew

some spent most this week

installing a fireplace flue

 

we showed up at 3

and walked through the house

nobody was working

except for a mouse

 

the extension is stalled

awaiting structural beams

at this rate we won’t move in

until 2014

We’ve Been Framed.

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First, let us apologize for the title.

The crew started the interior framing on the garden and parlor floors. It was great to get a feel of the room sizes. Some feel bigger, others smaller.  One disappointment (and there is always disappointment in renovation) was that the square footage calculation for the master bathroom did not account for about a foot and a half of space taken up by the old brick fireplace–this was not drawn on the plans.  This fireplace will not be removed because they are concerned that it provides structure for the fireplaces on the two floors above it.  There goes the dream of a two sink vanity!  Expectations adjusted.

On a positive note, we were able to catch a mistake we made in the plans. In our second bedroom, the opening to the closet follows the plans exactly but we realized that there is about  one to two feet of space on either side. We thought about how annoying it would be to dig in the side of the closet to reach stuff. Our architect suggested we use part of that space for shelving and move the doors over and re-center them. Hopefully we will be able to offset the cost of this oversight by finding areas that we can cut that save the contractor work.

They also started the framing for the parlor floor hallway.  This will be where we separate our duplex from the rental unit.  The first plan was to try and save the original railing in case some day we, or another owner, wants to turn the house back into a one family home.  The contractor put up the framing to see how it would look.

We decided that the gap between the wall and the stairs would be too weird and went with option number two–the wall right up against the stairs.  It will look a little institutional but at least it won’t look wonky.

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View from the 3rd floor

View from the 3rd floor

Ups and Downs

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Last weekend was a series of ups and downs.

Things are moving forward again.  Last week, all the debris was removed from the house, the footings were poured, concrete testing was performed, engineer inspection was complete, and they will be installing forms for the foundation walls, which are scheduled to be poured by this mid-week.

This weekend we got a call from our neighbor.  In the middle of the night the wind blew a partition (the old wall of the extension was left up to block debris from getting in this neighbor’s yard) into his backyard and damaged his barbeque, table, fence and garden hose.  Now he is hopping mad.  We told him our contractor would cover the cost of the damages but now he says he does not want to let the construction crew on his property.

Last week we offered him some “inconvenience money” to make up for the noise and the hassle of the construction but he wouldn’t take it.

We don’t know how this will effect the work but hope he will come around.  After all, if we can’t get on his property he will have to look at a wall of cinder blocks and flashing which won’t be pretty.

In these old Brooklyn neighborhoods, the real culprit is change.  No one likes it.  We find it funny that our neighbors would rather have the old overgrown backyard overrun with mosquitoes and rodents than suffer for a couple of months and have a nice clean well-kept house and yard next to them.

The Concrete, the Rebar and the Worry

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On day 80 of our construction countdown, the crew was scheduled to lay the concrete foundation for the extension.  Pretty exciting, right?  As always, things went awry.

We were excited that the concrete pouring was happening because the cold weather is coming and concrete should be poured and allowed to cure in temperatures over 40 degrees.  I was able to go to the site at the allotted time to take photos but when I arrived the crew was still be digging out the area.

Prior to pouring concrete, a number of inspections must be done.  Our structural engineer must inspect the rebar framing (short for reinforcing bar) to make sure that it is in the correct place, depth and quantity.  A concrete inspection lab must test a sample of the poured concrete and confirm that the concrete is what the supplier says it is. They also complete what’s knows as a TR-2 report for the D.O.B.

If our concrete was delivered by a concrete truck we’d also need a TR-3 report for the DOB. This report certifies that the supplier is properly mixing the concrete. In our case, because there is no access to the backyard and because our contractor does not want to risk running a tube of concrete through our house, the crew will be mixing the concrete on site from premixed bags. This takes more time but we save a little cash because we don’t need the TR-3 report.

Since I had no idea how this process works, I just smile and nod to the all Spanish- speaking crew.  Eventually, I go sit on the stoop and greet the guy from the concrete inspection company.  He is concerned because the mixer is not even on site–which to him means he may be waiting awhile.  Our structural engineer then shows up, and thankfully explains things to me. He sees that the rebar has barely been started and will likely take a few hours and by then it will be getting late and with the sun going down the temperatures are expected to drop into the 30′s.

I made a flurry of phone calls to our architect and contractor, in the end the concrete will not be poured until Monday. Luckily no rain or freezing temperatures are in the forecast for next week otherwise we would fall even further behind schedule.

Moral of the story:  Is wise to visit your renovation site on a work day?  I came away feeling like things were very disorganized and communications were not well executed.  Now I am worried.

It sounds crazy but it might just work…

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Because of hurricane Sandy, we are behind schedule about a week and a half, due mainly to transportation issues for the crew.  Although demolition was almost complete, they were not able to haul away the debris yet because alternate side parking rules were suspended and it was too difficult to get a dumpster right in front of the house.

Our second bit of disappointing news was that our contractor quoted us a price to rebuild our neighbor’s shed that we have to tear down.  A whopping 13K to replace a 50 year old box!  While we want the lady’s shed to be replaced a little better than it was, we do not want to provide her with a state of the art solarium.  What pains us most is that it mainly houses old cleaning supplies and the like.  

Nevertheless, the crew started the excavation for the extension in the back.  At the end of last week we  attended a status meeting at the site with our architect, structural engineer and foreman.  As we have mentioned before, if you are planning on major structural work to your home you will need to hire a structural engineer.  His or her price tag will be high and you will think, oh man.  Well last week our engineer (along with our architect) earned his paycheck.

During the meeting we all took a close look at the shed wall abutting our property and determined that instead of demolishing her entire shed we could simply incorporate the wall into our extension. The plan was for our extension to use CMU blocks (concrete masonry unit) with an EIFS (external finishing insulation system) with a stucco coating. Under this new plan we’ll continue to use CMU blocks and EIFS but in the areas of the wall abutting her wall (top photo, right side) we’ll leave out the stucco and apply a metal flashing over the top of her wall to water proof it.

We will have to give up about 2 inches of space in our bedroom (sadly from our closet) but we will have saved the cost of the new shed and when it’s complete we won’t be able to tell the difference.  Like most things with renovation–it is a wait and see game.  They will go forward with this new plan until or unless some unknown factor prevents it.  In the renovation game, it’s the best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men.