Jackson Heights Life

Just finished this unit at 3730 83rd St.  I also contracted the unit to a really nice couple with a beautiful baby.  The husband is an executive chef and they currently live in Astoria.  These nice people will be a great addition to the neighborhood. 

My wife & I just rennovated a 3 br coop here which was probably not touched since it was built back in 1953.  There was a lot to do, and we came out of the experience very pleased with 3 of the contractors who we worked with:

Electrician:  Einstein Electric (718) 274-7600. Did great work fixing a ceiling lamp, wiring our kitchen appliances and installing an outlet.
Plumbing:  Skillman (718)457-7229.  They moved a drainpipe, removed a heater and hooked up or dishwasher.
Carpet/Floor/Tile: Hamiloton Carpet (718) 899-3610.  They did our carpets, wood and tile floors and tile backsplash in the kitchen.  Have a very nice showroom in Maspeth too.

All of these guys did a great job, were polite, courteous and trustworthy.  The Electrician's prices seemed a little on the higher side, but nothing that would break the bank and he is very accomadating to your schedule, and in my opinion worth paying a few extra bucks.

I have a few others I dealt with who I wouldn't reccomend, but I won't take the time to slag anybody here.

Good luck with the rennovations. It was a trying undertaking for us, but we love the outcome.

Okay, one more duo who's thinking about a kitchen makeover.  But don't want those Home Depot / Ikea style cabinets.  Any tips on a cabinet maker who is 1) good, 2) reliable, and 3) not outrageously expensive?

Does everyone know the saying about construction/renovation?

You can have it:
a) Good (i.e. quality, design, etc)
b) Cheap
c) Fast

Pick two of the above, because you can't have all three.

IKEA tends to be the closest you can possibly get to all three. They have Good designs, but not so good quality. They are definitely cheap and it usually only takes 2-4 weeks to arrive, which is definitely fast!

I recently did two kitchens. One was an IKEA kitchen and the other was a kitchen similar to WoodMode and was about 3-4 times as expensive. The IKEA kitchen still looks like brand new, while the WoodMode kitchen is looking extremely beat up. Both kitchens are occupied by young families of four (i.e. children under the age of 3).

Sadly our kitchen/cabinet guy is one of the ones I don't want to slag here. 

In all honesty, he got really nice granite for the countertops, and nice-looking yet somewhat shoddily produced cabinets, and I just didn't have a great feeling about his overall 'dedication to service'

In his defense though, we did cut some corners and measure ourselves, and the slight slanting and crookedness of the walls made it more difficult for the installer to install a square cut, but still, I can recommend anything but a kitchen guy, unless you want to talk tiles.

PS: The Home Depot Cabinet Handle drill guides are useless!!!! That's my only other gripe.  I eyeballed three which look perfectly straight, but for some reason using the guide screwed up all symmetry in a 2 screw handle.  (Save yourself the aggravation and get a one screw handle)

I do want to talk tiles!  I'm taking a "time out" from my kitchen renovation ordeal but this winter I'll want to finish and the only thing left is a tile back splash.   So talk tiles, baby.

And I know it's after the fact BUT YOU MEASURED YOURSELVES. O M G!   :2funny:   I did a lot of the work myself in both my bathroom and kitchen. i.e. shopped for and dragged home tiles, sinks vanities etc. BUT I left the measuring to the guys who actually had to install. 

I'm very happy with my granite guy if that ever comes up.  And I went to every granite yard in the tri-state area and looked for months until I found just what I wanted.  (I didn't know what I wanted UNTIL I saw this slab of granite and fell madly in love....  )

Hi, I'm looking for a wood flooring contractor, can anyone recommend one?  I need my floors sanded and stained. 
(Also looking for rubbish removal, if anyone knows someone for that) '

Thanks.

Cary did my floors a few months ago. I put his number a few pages back. I went with the water based stain so it dried fast and didn't have any odor.  I've had the oil based urethane in the past and wanted to try something diff. this time.   I'm happy.  Here's a link on the diff. stains:

 http://www.woodfloorsonline.com/products/finishes.html

Just got this recco from another list I'm on.  It's a "second-hand" recommendation, so take it at your own risk. . .

I recommend my plumber, Keith French. He works under Empire Heating and
Pluming Company's license. They are licensed in New York and New
Jersey. Keith is very professional and is interested in doing the best
for his clients, and also offers suggestions. His prices are very fair,
minimum job is $100.00. His specialty is also bathroom renovations,
and does tile work as well!
Keith works in Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens.

Keith, a young family man with three lovely children and wife.
Keith can be reached on his cell 1 646 852-3281.

Under NY License # 1490 New Jersey license # 10594

Michael-

I'm glad your floors turned out well. I've used 800WOODFLOORS a few times and they've always been very professional and the work turned out pretty good considering the low price. For a super luxury look, I'd probably use someone else, but they are perfectly good and reputable.