apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

nysming@yahoo.com is a wonderful contractor, I found him thru AT. Please mention I suggested him. He is so honest and trustworthy. As was mentioned by previous clients his workers do not speak English very well. If you have questions they call him on the cell and you can convey your message.

They go the extra mile and don't charge for little extras.

He put down a wood floor for me and his workers were great.

Good luck

I'm not sure if budget is an issue but I find that many "Chinese" contractors provide quality work at an even cheaper prices than most "American" contractors. In fact, you see many buildings in the city outsourcing the contracting work to Asian outfits quite simply because they're cheaper labor and they're just as efficient.

The only potential problem is the language barrier!

Does anyone knows a good and reliable handyperson person in Brooklyn who would do small jobs like replacing closet doors . . .

Start with the Franklin Report. They list a variety of worthwile contractors for every type of job, with reviews, ratings, and cost scale.

I've worked closely with a certain contractor on several residential jobs (I am an architect) and he's done work on my employer's own house as well.
Shoot me an email and I would be happy to give you the name. They are smart and responsive.

well my email address didn't show up
i'll try again

hi--I just left a job at Columbia University and my offices there were being renovated--a full floor gut job with new layout etc. The guys that worked there were very nice and professional and they said several times that they do work on the side as well. At least one of them lived in Brooklyn. If you like I'll try to get their contact information.

rebecca J.
rj136@columbia.edu

I used

Isogon
204 28th St
Brooklyn, NY 11232View Map
7187887032

for a pretty big renovation of my Park Slope apt. They are amazing--responsible, nice, smart, and gifted craftsmen. They are also SLOW. A cool thing about them is that they pay their consruction crews well, which is rare. Ask for Steven.

Finbarr O'Brian saved our renovation from a contractor that ruined our kitchen cabinets and then quit on us.

email me for contact information.

Jessica,

What specifically are you looking to do?
(especially in regards to the Architect)

Architects tend to have certain styles they work in. Are you looking to do something traditional, something modern, something conservative but contemporary, something very Avant-garde? You really need to think about these things before you commit yourself to an architect.

I know several architects, some that are with large commercial firms, that take on smaller residential projects on the side, a few that teach, a couple others that have their own small practices.

Possibly you already know just what you're looking for?
If so, express this more explicitly and I (and others) will be able to do more to assist you.

Best of luck in your venture.

cheers,
Chris

For Finbarr O'Brian's info, my email address is juliestark@nyc.rr.com - I can't figure out how to do the link thing. I don't have his email address on me at the moment.

You want Joyce Builders and Contractors. They only like to do larger jobs (yours would qualify). They are NOT cheap, but they are amazing. They finished my renovation in half the time quoted by other contractors. Their attention to detail is amazing.

This is not some "oh, we'll send two guys out who will work a half day" type of place. If they say they are showing up at 8am they are outside your door with their gear at 7:58. At some points we had 4 or more men working simultaneously on our condo.

Everything Joyce did for me was amazingly high quality, from drywall to cabinetry to electrical work. I really can't speak highly enough of them. Click my name to get to their site.

Oh, and you'll need to bring Joyce detailed plans, so figure out your architect first. Another nice thing about Joyce is you are not going to get a bunch of illegal immigrants that the contractor picked up at Home Depot. You get real craftsmen who take a lot of pride in their work.

You might try checking Angie's List (angieslist.com) for reports and recommendations.

My partner and I also live near the Brooklyn museum and just started demolition for an extensive modern renovation of our apartment. We have been working with the energetic, creative and absolutely delightful, Brooklyn-based PorterFanna Architects. You should definitely contact them.

Phone: 917-302-8155
e-mail: elenafanna@porterfanna.com

Hi Jessica,
My partner & I would be very interested in talking to you about your project. We're a small fully licensed architectural firm in NY, currently doing a full gut renovation to a 4 story single family row house, and also designing a new 'green construction' house, both in Brooklyn. We also take on smaller projects as well, remodeling bathrooms, kitchens etc. We're flexible in scope and always happy to talk to someone about their project. We can also recommend contractors that we work with as well. If you're interested, please feel free to contact us at jim@urban-pioneering.com, or call 917-593-3038.

RJB Construction 917-804-1886
speak to Richard. I love this guy!
He can open up a roof and add a floor, which is how I met him, as he performed this feat across the street from me.

my job was less dramatic, but I found him reliable, honest, and good on the details

Hi Jessica,

I undertook a massive gut renovation of my loft in the West Village last year. Based on several recommendations, my husband (who is an architect) and I hired James Lee of 9J Builders. His attention to detail was amazing. As well he is solutions-driven and incredibly reliable. Not only that, he was able to get us back into our renovated apartment ahead of schedule, without compromising his very high quality work! He made our renovation truly a pleasure!! I definitely recommend him. You can reach him at: 212.966.7952 or jbuilderinc@aol.com.

Nancy

We just finished our kitchen renovation and don't have enough nice things to say about our contractor. I highly recommend:

Dmitriy Daraselia
Knopka Design Inc.
dmitriyd - at - knopkadesign - dot - com
www.knopkadesign.com
t 917.322.9333
t 718.372.5303

After hearing so many horror stories from friends and neighbors and online posters about how horrible their reno experience was and what a disappointment their contractor turned out to be, we were so relieved to have found Dmitriy. He has made this process relatively painless. He and his crew were a joy to work with and they got the job done on time and on budget. Dmitriy returns calls, shows up, answers questions without attitude and gives great design advice. While our project was a smaller scale than the one you are planning, I suspect it's still up his ally. Don't hesitate to tell him I sent you! Good luck!

Hi. Nestor Kalogrias did a gut renovation of my two-bedroom apartment in Seward Park. I recommended him a while back on AT. He did an outstanding job, is incredibly honest, fairly priced and completed the work on time and on budget. He also returned after the job was done and things settled to fix such items as stuck doors, etc. He's a terrific cabinet maker, and built my kitchen cabinets as well as desks for me and my daughter. I can't recommend him more highly! He can be reached at nestor@renovatemykitchen.com or creative concepts first@gmail.com. Nadine

I have just told someone how to access this page and hopefully he will post his information here. He was the site boss of the company who gutted and rebuilt the top three floors of the apartment building I live in which are to be turned into condos. (They chose a type of condo conversion, offered in Hoboken, where they can't evict existing tenants as I was the only one left. It's cheaper and faster for them to get to approvals that way.)
This guy actually did or supervised all the work that was done here. The contractor rarely stopped by. I lived in the building while all the work was going on and saw that he was the guy who really had the skills and knowledge on this site.
His boss does huge buildings but took on our four unit building for some reason (for the real estate company or my new landlord). I won't post this guy's name unless he posts as I don't know if his boss knows he is looking for work on his own.
He did great work and I found that he was someone that could really be relied on. As I was living here while the work went on it could be uncomfortable for me at times. I think my new landlord thought I would just move out of my rent controlled apartment if he just gutted the building over me. This guy did everything he could to make things bearable for me during all the construction.
If he posts, I'll comment again. He's great.

I know of LOTS of good contractors.

But I'm just a fly-by-night flaky architect, so why would you listen to me?

Susan, Can you please send me Ming's info? I've tried the email you listed and it failed.

Jessica,
I'm on Lincoln Place, on block in from Eastern Pkwy and the museum. We just had our kitchen totally gutted and renovated. Our contractor was very reliable and has an office with a staff, so you aren't just relying on him answering a cell phone. And the price he gave us at the start was what we paid at the end. No hidden charges.

Howie Selig
Father & Son Construction
1207 Nostrand Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11225
718-467-1200
718-778-6275

Good luck!

i highly recommend the contractor i used for my gut renovation. nestor kalogrias and his guys are professional, efficient, reliable and amazing at what they do. i had my entire aparted gutted, new floors, new wallboard, new ceiling, custom kitchen and bathroom...all completed under schedule and with praise from my coop board for how professional and neat my contractor was. he can be reached at creativeconceptsfirst@gmail.com or by phone at 646.241.6095. you are also more than welcome to see the work he has done in my place (i am on sullivan st in soho).

STP,

I guess Ming changed emails, look him up on AT's site for good contacters. I will try to find his card, maybe he can not be reached.

Susan

STP,
Ming e-mail is nycsming@yahoo.com

I just hired him to do renovation in one bedroom co-op loft in Murray Hill. His prices are by far the cheapest from any other estimates I got.

Archi

I highly recommend him for all sorts of construction work. He is a fantastic worker. Felix is very detailed, good and honest. We bought a very old house and he is responsible for replacing all the walls, beams, insulation, tiling, wood work (doors and windows). One of the challenging projects he completed was he installed a Jacuzzi, which installed putting in extra support beams in the> bathroom for the extra weight and did an excellent job. He worked very well with the plumber, electrician and flooring person. In fact he even helped coordinate things when I couldn't. He took initiative without swaying our decision. For example: There is always an easier way to do things but he was very gracious and would offer his thoughts without trying to influence us into something because it was easier on him. He also didn't get upset when we changed our minds. We appreciated his patience with us. We couldn't believe some of the obstacles he overcame in this house that is about 100 years old. His low keyed manner makes it a pleasure to deal with. (Comment dated December 2006)he can be reached at agneonecontractors.com or by phone at 3472198146. thank you

I am looking for a contractor to finish a renovation job (kitchen 8 foot by 3 foot...very small and typical bathroom) in my small apartment. I hired a contractor, but he was doing a shoddy job so I took him off the job. Now I need a new contractor to fix the previous contractor's mistakes and complete the job. I have had difficulty finding a contractor that is licensed, insured, available and not priced out of this world. Please help! Thanks, Cynthia

DON'T USE DON PERRONE based in Brooklyn. His company did a bathroom renovation mid-January which he said would take 6-8 days to finish. He even listed on his website that it's done, which it clearly is not. 2 months later and I'm still waiting for his plumber Doug to come replace the shower body that he broke. I call and text and email and they either don't return my calls or they don't show up when they say they're coming or they keep saying tomorrow, tomorrow. Not to mention, Doug put in my new tub not knowing how to install the trip lever (which stops the drainage), and I wound up with a really cheap push drainer because the trip lever will not function unless he removes the tub. STAY AWAY from these guys.

Thanks to Nadine's post above, I found my contractor, Nestor Kalogrias, with whom I couldn't be more pleased. He recently finished a gut renovation of my bathroom as well as creation of a walk-in closet (which involved wall demolition). After interviewing about six contractors (all of whom left me feeling really nervous -- asking myself what I was getting into), I found the posting about Nestor on AT. Fortunately, he was available, and was able to begin work pretty much immediately at a very reasonable price. He and his crew are great and actually did more than the original scope of work. Most importantly, Nestor is a really nice guy. He patiently answered my numerous questions and provided many extremely helpful design tips. I would not hesitate to recommend Nestor again. He can be reached at creativeconceptsfirst@gmail.com.