2009 February | HOME IMPR0VEMENT CONTRACTORS

February 2009
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A+++ Aladdin Plumbing

The plumbing and heating rough-in work at our house looked similar to the illustrations in Richard Scarry's What Do People Do All Day―one of our kids' favorites―except that ours was done to perfection by Aladdin Plumbing. We ripped out all of the old pipes during demolition and started from scratch―put in all new Charlotte cast iron and copper pipes. Once we began working with TOH, we also decided to upgrade our heating system from steam to hydronic with radiant in selected areas.

Aladdin was the ideal company to handle this huge job as they specialize in high-efficiency heating systems and the Gitli brothers are 2nd generation plumbers.

With Munchin and Manny, who also have tons of experience, working tirelessly on our new pipes, and excellent Kevin and TJ handling the heating, we felt secure that everything was being done right. Older brother, Randy Gitli, even dedicated himself to configuring our amazing, new boiler room.

In addition, the Gitli brothers were so amazing when I asked them for info for this post, so in their own words (as I couldn't explain it more clearly or in such technical terms) the following explains the hot water return and the high-tech super efficient heating system, which will help us save water/energy and keep everyone in the house happy/comfortable.

Younger brother Erik explains:

The hot water return is a loop which tees off from the domestic hot water riser just below the top floor. It travels back down to the mechanical room and connects back to the domestic hot water storage tank. The line has an aquastat connected to it in the mechanical room, to sense the temperature of the return water, and a circulator. When the temperature drops in the return line (which means nobody is using hot water for a while―usually over night), the circulator kicks on for a short while to move the water in the domestic hot water riser to the top floor. This process allows for almost instantaneous hot water at the fixtures. It also increases efficiency because you don't have to run the water from the hot water tap for 5 minutes in the morning to evacuate the cool water from the line before the hot water comes up.

On the heating side, Randy explains:

We've installed two gas fired "Lochinvar Knight" condensing boilers: floor mounted model for the owner, wall hung for the tenant. With it's "Smart System" technology, The Knight boiler is considered one of the most advanced in the industry and can reach efficiencies up to 96 percent. These boilers are "mod/con", which is an industry term for modulating and condensing. The burner will modulate its gas flow based on the precise heat demand. The smart system(s) of the boiler(s) will also control multiple water temperatures to produce domestic hot water (via an indirect-fired, stainless steel storage tank), heat free-standing cast iron radiators, and supply lower temperature water for radiant floor heating.

The parlor floor level has radiant heat throughout the entire wood floor area. PEX tubing has been attached to the underside of the sub-flooring, between the joist bays. Aluminum heat transfer plates secure the tubing to the wood and help distribute the heat over a greater area. The joists bays are lined with a reflective radiant foil and filled with foam insulation to help drive the heat upward. Radiant heat has also been installed in a concrete slab extension, and tile floor mortar beds in 3 of the bathrooms. All the radiant floors are controlled with individual room thermostats.

It is a secure feeling to know that behind our perfectly redone walls and under our gorgeously laid wood/tiled floors are equally beautiful and exceptionally installed pipes and tubes. Aladdin's contribution to our project will provide long-term benefits to us, as new homeowners and landlords, and to our planet. We feel fortunate that our hundred year old house now has these state-of-the art, energy efficient plumbing and HVAC systems. I think even a purist would agree that they definitely represent a monumental improvement over shoveling coal into the historic "octopus" boiler, which originally heated our house!

REWIND: Supreme Super-Charged Electric!

Since we began blogging when we were already over two months into our renovation, we are sorry we neglected to mention some of the key infrastructural overhauls that the house had began to undergo prior to December―completely new and upgraded plumbing, heating and electrical systems. It was truly awesome (and terrifying) to see our house opened up and exposed, and then to watch the process as Mike Streaman and his subs rebuilt her into a better, stronger, juiced-up building.

As nervous, first-time landlords, we are hugely thankful to Super-Charged Electric's Vincent Verderosa and his dedicated crew, brothers PJ and Anthony, and to Aladdin Plumbing's Randy and Eric Gitli and their tireless crew, including Munchin and Manny (see upcoming post) for making our old house brand-new. We feel very fortunate that within the walls/floors of our house are perfectly installed state-of-the art systems that will be smoothly humming along for many years to come.

From shortly after demolition was complete, PJ and Anthony were constant fixtures at the house.

They worked quietly and steadily rewiring electrical and cable/Internet lines on all the five floors with minimal disruption to the original plaster walls/ceilings. In the meantime, since often the details of electrical plans must be figured out on-site and after framing, we were meeting with Vinnie, then had to have second, third and fourth rounds of meetings with our designer, Carole Freehauf, which brought about further changes.

Through the whirlwind of ideas, Vinnie remained patient and focused, somehow managing to keep every switch, fixture and outlet straight. The cellar is the hub of the house's utilities. Mike calls it the wall of technology, where PJ and Anthony have set up four separate meters--one for each unit in the house and one for the common areas, which is required by building code.

One story that pretty much sums it up, involved our parlor floor foyer light, historically the main, formal entrance to the house. The original position of this probably low-hanging fixture was centered on the hallway mirror, the pocket doors and the large pier mirror in the front parlor or living room and finally, the living room ceiling light fixture. It must have been a beautifully balanced composition of lights, mirrors, doors and wood in 1904. The new reproduction ceiling light we chose from Rejuvenation is gorgeous and fitting to the period of the house, but hangs closer to the ceiling and will not be reflected in the mirror.

Well, there was much indecision over the exact position of this light―should it to be centered in the room or should the original harmony with the adjoining living room be maintained by keeping its existing position. Through all of the confusion, PJ and Anthony ended up having to move that electrical box in the ceiling back and forth between the two locations a total of four times!! Many, many thanks to Vinnie, PJ and Anthony for keeping your sanity and helping us to see the light. I think that we finally got it right! We are looking forward to seeing all of the light fixtures installed over the next few weeks!

A Valentine’s Day quickie

Kevin and I haven't had the extra time, energy or resources to devote to major gift-giving for ourselves these past 10 months. Of course, there are no complaints as the house will be the whole family's gift in a few weeks.

For Valentine's Day this year, however, Kevin is giving me a spectacular present…

…a personally laid mosaic of Dal-Tile hexagonal tile for our powder room floor. He labored on this mosaic, which is based on a vintage design from the original period of our house, for several days and nights, working until 1:30 am last Wednesday. It was a tedious and multi-step process, which is still not complete. Then, the final steps of setting the mosaic in the floor and grouting will be done by our tile master, Mauro Zanutto.

As you can see in the photo, (a floor tile pattern of) diamonds are a girl's best friend!

[Ed. note: For the rest of you handy spouses, how about trying our Honey-Do e-Cards?]

Spring is in the air

Here in Brooklyn, as the Farmer's Almanac predicted, we have had a particularly cold and snowy winter, especially compared to the last few snow-free ones. The past couple of days, though, have presented a lovely sneak peek of what's around the corner: sunshine, temps in the 50's―SPRING! We even had a early-rising beetle flying around our apartment yesterday! Of course, a blizzard will probably hit next week, but I thought that in honor of these mild days, I would further elaborate on our outdoor space.

Back in mid-December, we were also blessed with a small window of record-high temp days, which fortunately coincided with the scheduled time for our backyard to be overhauled―regrading, hardscaping (brick patio, retaining wall, and steps to back area), new fence posts on both sides installed, and, of course, landscaping.

Enter Bob Reitmeyer of Chelsea Garden Center, with his wonderful, incredibly efficient crew. We applaud Bob―who lead his team and personally and perfectly cut and laid down the beautiful herringbone pattern of bricks on our patio―for making the whole yard so pretty and functional. If you had a chance to watch the "Back" web cam, you would have been amazed by the speed and scope of the transformation that began on December 15th and was completed on December 19th right before snow began to blanket the newly paved patio and wall. Check out the archived time lapse shots).

The row houses in our wonderful neighborhood typically have extra-deep lots compared to many other brownstone neighborhoods―130 ft. vs. 100 ft. This may seem puny to many of you, but here in the heart of NYC, a 20 ft x 90 ft backyard is absolute heaven! For us, a sizable yard was a requirement to give our three sons easy access to the great outdoors. Our plan includes a brick patio for dining/grilling/entertaining, then two steps up to the back third of the yard, which we are praying will have enough sunlight to sustain a nice lawn for the boys to romp around on. The downside of our extra-deep lots in the late summer is the abundance of hungry mosquitoes. We hope that citronella candles will minimize their buzzing.

Bob's crew also planted some beautiful bushes and trees, which we should be watching bloom after we move into the house (!). There are two white birches by the wall, and in front of the mud/guest room window, we chose a dogwood, a favorite of my father's, so he can enjoy it when he visits. We can't wait to see its first flowers in our little back yard!!

Will the stair fit? Drumroll, please…

For any naysayers out there, our prized, 1930s cast-iron spiral staircase was successfully installed by Stephen Dijanic of DVS Iron & Aluminum Works last week. The actual, dramatic installation will be featured in one of the TV episodes.

Kevin and I never doubted the perfect "fit" of the vintage, "one-of-a-kind" staircase for our unique layout and beautiful woodwork on the parlor floor―or Mike's ability to install it. As you can see, it is an wonderful focal point for our "library" (center parlor) and will look even more spectacular once it is cleaned up and repainted. One of our favorite features of the stair is the brass handrail with its graceful curvature and lamb's tongue detail at the bottom.

Here's the story behind this piece:

Last year, while still house hunting, I noticed this gorgeous, cast iron staircase for sale on Brownstoner's Forum. Several months later, after we had signed a contract to buy our house and devised a plan to have a 1st/2nd floor duplex sandwiched by two rental apartments (one long-term and one short-term), we found ourselves in need of just such a staircase. Our architect, Susanne Lyn, recommended a few places to find new, nondescript metal or wood ones. We kept remembering the vintage one and thought about trying to contact the seller. One day we saw another post that the staircase was still available! So, we confirmed with Susanne that it was the correct height (11 ft, the height of our parlor ceiling), negotiated a great price, and that weekend, Kevin went to Park Slope to pick up the disassembled staircase and transport it, step by step, to our house. It is a heavy staircase, even in pieces.

Then, the 14 steps and handrail sat on the ground floor of our house for four months patiently awaiting their grand debut (we did not expect it to be nationally televised!). Here's a before shot of the support pole.

In October, shortly after work began, Mike broke the bad news to us. The staircase was actually three inches too short for our house. Luckily, Mike and Stephen were able to devise a solution―shorten the whole staircase to enable the top landing to end one full step below the 2nd floor. This may sound simple, but it required DVS to shorten each of the solid, cast iron steps by 1/8 inch.

Well, we are thrilled with the staircase that we almost lost and almost did not fit! Thank you Stephen of DVS for your superb work and Mike Streaman, always, for your amazing problem-solving ability!