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[Touchofevil]

This is one of my renovation pet peeves - how often the new electrician / plumber / carpenter / etc. tells you all the wrong things the last guy did and, then, the next electrician / plumber / carpenter / etc. tells you what that guy did was wrong and on and on.

Yep. We had that conversation with a plumber. He pointed out the so many errors of the plumber's work done before him. We dismissed that plumber. His work was no better than the plumber he was dissing.

 

[alanfgag]

Exceptionally beautiful!

Many thanks!... here is the view looking down from the second floor.

 

[Touchofevil]

Many thanks!... here is the view looking down from the second floor.

View attachment 71809

Wow! Somehow even more beautiful than the previous picture. A work of art.
Thank you for sharing.

 

[Fading Fast]

Yep. We had that conversation with a plumber. He pointed out the so many errors of the plumber's work done before him. We dismissed that plumber. His work was no better than the plumber he was dissing.

It's aggravating. I'm getting further up the learning curve now that I own an apartment, but I am far, far, far from any kinda expert on any of these things - and a 1928 apartment has its own quirks owing to its age that adds to the issues.

I never try to find the "bargain" guy, the "cheap" contractors, plumber, etc., and always try to get a good recommendation (and seem to have finally found a decent plumber / still looking for the allusive decent electrician), but my God, everyone says my field - Wall Street - is corrupt (and it has its share of that), but I'll take my chances with a random money manager being honest versus an electrician any day.

I sincerely don't believe I'm being prejudice to my field, I just have seen how horribly low the bar is in the contractor field. I'm sure, 100% sure, there are honest, decent, fair, talented contractors in all these fields, but they seem to be in the minority and there definitely are a lot of shady guys out there. The lies I've been told about the electric in our apartment - and by licensed electricians who I paid from the time they left their shop so that they could get here to lie to me - have been stunning.

 

[Stearmen]

Many thanks!... here is the view looking down from the second floor.

View attachment 71809

I am really jealous! How I would love to have a Grand Staircase. I think the first owners of my Queen Anne, spent all their money on the outside, then stuffed the little winding staircase in as a last resort!

 

[Touchofevil]

It's aggravating. I'm getting further up the learning curve now that I own an apartment, but I am far, far, far from any kinda expert on any of these things - and a 1928 apartment has its own quirks owing to its age that adds to the issues.

I never try to find the "bargain" guy, the "cheap" contractors, plumber, etc., and always try to get a good recommendation (and seem to have finally found a decent plumber / still looking for the allusive decent electrician), but my God, everyone says my field - Wall Street - is corrupt (and it has its share of that), but I'll take my chances with a random money manager being honest versus an electrician any day.

I sincerely don't believe I'm being prejudice to my field, I just have seen how horribly low the bar is in the contractor field. I'm sure, 100% sure, there are honest, decent, fair, talented contractors in all these fields, but they seem to be in the minority and there definitely are a lot of shady guys out there. The lies I've been told about the electric in our apartment - and by licensed electricians who I paid from the time they left their shop so that they could get here to lie to me - have been stunning.

It is so difficult around here to find a honest and competent contractor. We have a great plumber, but he is always booked and is in his mid-seventies. He works all hours, is honest, very polite, reasonable in price (but not cheap) and exceptional in his field. He is a rare find. Now, if only we could find his equal in the world of electrical and handy work.

 

[Fading Fast]

It is so difficult around here to find a honest and competent contractor. We have a great plumber, but he is always booked and is in his mid-seventies. He works all hours, is honest, very polite, reasonable in price (but not cheap) and exceptional in his field. He is a rare find. Now, if only we could find his equal in the world of electrical and handy work.

We have the exact same situation. The only good one we've found is our plumber - all the rest are spinach.

 

[So33]

I tell my wife one of the few good paying jobs a honest felon can do is be a construction contractor.

 

[Stearmen]

The original two contractors, for the sub development were my land is located went to prison! They were not the exception either.

 

[alanfgag]

We've owned our old home for more than thirty years. Working on it (whether we do it or a contractor does it) is a labor of love. We likely won't get back the money spent, but it's been a great ride.

I've found that it helps to know what you want to achieve with the work, communicate that clearly and be willing to pay the contractor fairly. It almost always winds up being a bigger job than anticipated. This is a photo of our third floor ceiling. We had a plaster company restore this surface more than 20 years ago. It took quite a lot of time (can't remember how long) and carrying 50 one hundred pound bags of lime plaster up three flights of stairs. It looks as good today as the day they cleaned up.

We've had very few bad experiences with contractors hired over the years. Most have gone out of their way and delivered more than we expected when we first met.

 

[alanfgag]

Then again, there are those jobs that are best solved by leaving well enough alone.

 

[vitanola]

We have the exact same situation. The only good one we've found is our plumber - all the rest are spinach.

I am a serial renovator, but find that I have not the stamina I once possessed. I am in the process of installing am elevator in the big house. It will replace a steep and dangerous servant's stairway. I am haviung great difficulty finding a carpenter and drywall finisher to even assay the work.

 

[Studebaker Driver]

Back on about page 185 I posted some photos of the house as it is coming back from its burial as a cache house. I’m reluctant to use “hoard” because it was more a victim of over-zealous collecting than anything else.

The kitchen had been a great space to store acquisitions, including purchase after purchase of cast iron cookware. I have a crazy, stupid number of cast iron frying pans, crepe pans, waffle irons, kettles, Dutch ovens, cornbread and muffin pans, pot lids, griddles...

As I said earlier, the house was the model home for the first planned subdivision in my town and, to be ultramodern, the kitchen had TWO stoves in it; a wood burning range and an electric range for hot weather use. I was excited to find a great BUCK’S wood burning kitchen stove from around 1920 in near perfect shape and piped it in and lit it. I was delighted. It WORKED. It just WORKED. It lit easily, the iron lids got hot quickly, it didn’t smoke, it didn’t stink, the oven worked. It just WORKED. It is still the only range in the house. It has warming ovens above, flat top with six lids, oven below on the right, firebox on the left and ash pan and door below the fire. I love this stove.

Well, after many years, I was sweating my way through some summertime kitchen ordeal, when I had the brainstorm to find a true “combination” range. Not a 1920s gas or electric stove with the proverbial trash burner, but a real combination. I found a 1914-’15 Glenwood Gold Medal, in black with white porcelain backsplash. Gas broiler and gas oven above, wood burning oven below, four lids and four gas burners.

As things sometimes go, life got in the way and the kitchen, along with the whole house, got put on hold and it was during this time it started filling uncontrollably with collectibles.


Now, getting back to it, it is time to get the Glenwood in its place in the kitchen, displacing the wonderful BUCK’S wood burner. I will have to find a suitable home for the BUCK’S.


I need to pull up the flaking ca. 1936 linoleum and find a happy replacement. I’m not ready to discard all of the ca. 1961 wall hung cabinets, so will doll them up to “pass” for old timey ones. The 1936 counter and two-compartment sink will stay and all of the surviving architecture will stay (windows, door casings, etc.). So, as the actual kitchen renovation continues and makes progress, I’ll post pics of it.

 

[Stearmen]

I am a serial renovator, but find that I have not the stamina I once possessed. I am in the process of installing am elevator in the big house. It will replace a steep and dangerous servant's stairway. I am haviung great difficulty finding a carpenter and drywall finisher to even assay the work.

Join the club! I finally got two roofers to look at my low pitch addition that was leaking, it's been almost a month! Glad my cheap tarp weighted by 2x2s and bricks patch job is still holding!

 

[vitanola]

Join the club! I finally got two roofers to look at my low pitch addition that was leaking, it's been almost a month! Glad my cheap tarp weighted by 2x2s and bricks patch job is still holding!

Just finished meeting with the carpenter.

All that he said was: "This is going to be expensive."

I just wish I had a bit more stamina for one last big job. All I'd need would be a couple of kids to do the lifting.

 

[Studebaker Driver]

New Shades from The Handwerk Shop arrived.
They keep so much sun out of the rooms they were worth it on that count alone, but they actually add to the look I want the house to have - as near-authentic as I can get it without losing my marbles.

 

[Studebaker Driver]

Hmm... not much difference between those, sorry for the duplication.

 

[Fading Fast]

At the request of a FL member, I just private messaged some "overall" shots of our home office. You've all seen must of this stuff individually, but thought I'd post the overall shots of our still work-in-progress room.

 

[russa11]

At the request of a FL member, I just private messaged some "overall" shots of our home office. You've all seen must of this stuff individually, but thought I'd post the overall shots of our still work-in-progress room.

Nice looking office.

 

[EmergencyIan]

At the request of a FL member, I just private messaged some "overall" shots of our home office. You've all seen must of this stuff individually, but thought I'd post the overall shots of our still work-in-progress room.

Wow, that's really nice!

- Ian