Renovation

Photo by PoPville flickr user oconnicole

“Dear PoP,

I’m wondering if you’d be willing to ask your readers if there are any general contractors that they would recommend for a basement re-model. We have a rowhouse with a partially finished basement that needs more finishing (i.e. sheetrock instead of paneling) to make a really functional family room/play room. There is also a bathroom down there that we’d like to finish, too. Currently it’s our “emergency commode” (toilet only). Any recommendations for who does quality work (at reasonable prices)? Has anyone had their basement finished recently (and is happy with the results)?”

So we’re not talking a basement dig out here rather general contractors for remodeling. If you could share basic pricing that your project cost that would be helpful as well.

“Dear PoP,

Loved the post on the basement dig out. I think a lot of your readers would love to see a post on the costs associated with building a rooftop deck. There are a lot of great rooftop decks in the city. Are there architecture firms and/or contractors that specialize in rooftop decks? What are their fees? What unexpected costs do folks run into when building a rooftop deck? On the eve of winter weather, it is nice to consider enjoying nicer seasons on a new rooftop deck!”

Does anyone have any roofdeck photos they can share? If so please email me at princeofpetworth (at) gmail (dot) com. But in general does anyone know how cumbersome/expensive the process is to install one?

“Dear PoP,

I wonder if anyone out there in PoPville has any recommendations… I am in the midst of deconstructing drywall on a 28ft wall in order to expose the brick underneath. I will do the drywall work myself, but I’m reluctant to try clearing the brick because it involves acids and all kinds of things that I don’t care to learn about or attempt on my own.

Anyone out there have recommendations for a mason or handyperson who I could hire for just the brick-clearing part of this project?”

Last week a reader asked about how to do a basement dig out. A reader was kind enough to share his experience:

“After reading the comments it was clear that no one had enjoyed actual experience and that most of the comments were far from my recent journey from a 7,1 clearance to 9,4. Our house is a three story above grade row house that was built in 1911.

Our entire dig out went from Nov 9, breaking up the concrete, until Dec 30 for pouring the new slab. Underpinning the foundation was involved. New ground works were involved. The basement space is approximately 990 square feet on which sits a three story above grade house. The basement was vacant except for the boiler and hot water heater. Our intent is to turn the space into a 2 bedroom apartment.

All of the work was permitted through DCRA. The hardest part was getting one adjoining neighbor to sign off on the project. One did, the other did not. Because one adjoining neighbor would not sign, it took us an additional 2 months to get our permit. The process of working with DCRA, once you have plans, is straightforward.

The cost from our licensed contractor for all digging out, ground works, concrete, plans, new front stairs leading to the basement and new stairs in the back, was under 25K. We had considered other companies that offered bids of more than twice that amount. With the saving we hired a structural engineer who oversaw our contractor’s work. The SE cost was $1,500. Continues after the jump. (more…)

“Dear PoP,

I recently purchased an older rowhouse in which the basement is in rough shape. I have come across a number of rowhouses in which the basements have been renovated through expansion, i.e. dig down a few more feet and make it more inhabitable. I was curious if you might have any recommendations on companies that might perform such work. Or if you if know of anyone that has dug up their basement and might be able to pass along their experience/recommendations. Any thoughts, ideas, stories would be appreciated.”

Has anyone had this work done before? Any suggestions?

“Dear PoP,

We recently purchased a home in the neighborhood that will require major renovation. Two big items on our list are installing central air and installing a roll down door in the yard for secure parking. Can you or any of your readers recommend a company that installs central air in old row homes and a company where we can purchase and have the roll down door installed? We are looking for a company who does good work at fair prices.”

I’d also be curious to know some central air installation recommendations. Though I did once wonder if it killed community cohesion?

Ed. Note: A reader suggested a put together an easy to find list for posts like this. I think it’s a great idea and I’ll work on a new section for home improvement recommendations or something like that.

“Dear PoP,

Here’s a question for you and your readers. We own a house in Columbia Heights, that we lived in for several years before moving abroad. Now we rent it out, with the help of a rental management company. Well… recently, we found out that the property next door to us was razed and in its place a 4 story (including basement) 2 condo unit will be built. Right now it is a hole in the ground.

When the neighbor’s house was torn down, it ended up exposing the inside of our porch roof, eliminating the railing we shared with the neighbor (which was on their side), etc. The photos actually illustrate better than I can explain it. Shortly after the house was torn down, our tenants reported leaks in the roof, which we had repaired right away. The roof was old, so it wasn’t a shock to us, but the leaks were related to a separation of the flashing from the roof. Ultimately, I think it was probably related to the activities next door.

All of this long-winded description leads to my questions:

1) Do the owners of the property next door have any responsibility re: the exposed side of our porch roof, railing, our exposed wall, etc.

2) Do PoP readers have any suggestions for us to keep any eye out for?

3) Any other thoughts?”

It certainly seems like the property next door should have some responsibility for this. Have you tried contacted them? What do you guys think?