Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving From New York's #1 Remodeling Directory
Today we wish New York, New Jersey, Westchester, Long Island, Connecticut and Rockland a Happy Thanksgiving from cityhammer.com, New York's #1 Remodeling Directory.
To all of our members, visitors, advertisers and friends, we hope that the holiday is a joyous and restful one as we pull into the final stretch of 2008.
In December, look for "The Best of the cityhammer blog" as we highlight some of the best moments of this, our first year of posting about New York, remodeling, contractors, designers, trends and breaking news in the renovation industry.
Now, for you Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade fans, here's some advice: If you are looking for the full-blown parade experience, get to the west side of Central Park (between 77th and 81st Streets at Columbus) the night before to watch the inflating of the balloons.
For the more casual (sane) fan, you can try to get near the beginning at 77th Street and Central Park West, but get there early, way before the 9 am start time, if you expect to be anywhere near the front.
The parade will turn onto Broadway at Columbus circle, finally making a turn onto 34th Street past Macy's Herald Square and ending on 7th Avenue. Anywhere along this route would work, but try to avoid the area between 34th and 38th Streets as this is where the camera crews typically set up to capture the performances.
This is the 82nd year that Macy's has run the parade and we've not been disappointed yet. If you're going, dress warm and send us lots of pic's.
Happy Holidays and thanks for reading the cityhammer blog this year!
Labels: Complaints Against NY Contractors, Macy's Parade, New York Remodeling, NY Blog, Thanksgiving in New York
Monday, November 24, 2008
New York Remodeling Organizations You Should Know
If you're a homeowner or renter in the New York Tri-State area, making sense of all the trade organizations, government regulators and professional designations can be very burdensome, particulary when you're trying to get a home improvement project off the ground.
Who's licensed by whom to perform what tasks and at what skill level? Find out here: ABC's of New York Remodeling
Over on the mothership, cityhammer.com, New York's #1 Remodeling Directory, we've posted a master list to help New Yorkers wade through the alphabet soup of acronyms.
The list is a work in progress and we will be adding to it over time. If you've got any that we're missing, let us know at info@cityhammer.com and we'll add them.
To see the list of home improvement organizations, agencies and designations...click here:
Labels: Long Island Contractors, New York Remodelers, NYC Contractors, Remodeling in New York
Friday, November 21, 2008
Securing Your Home With a New York Locksmith
We're coming in to the holiday season, a time when people travel to visit family or in the hopes of getting some sun. This is a great time to make sure that your home is prepared and secured for an extended trip out of town. In many cases, the New York homeowner will want to consult with a locksmith or a security company to have that peace of mind before taking a trip.
We were reminded of the importance of securing the home by Jay Romano's excellent The Fix column in the New York Times. In his article "Secure at Home When You're Not", we are told not to leave outgoing voicemails indicating that we're away and to never put the family's name on the mailbox, along with several other tips.
For the Full Story, Click Here: Secure Homes on the NYT
Labels: Locksmiths in New York, NY Locksmiths, NYC Home Security
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
NY Home Improvement Blog Patrol
Washington Square Park Photo by J BaryHaving a traditional wall-mounted faucet may require you to hire a New York area plumber for the pipe work that's necessary behind the wall itself, but when you see this gallery on Remodelista, you may decide that its worth it. In the latest installment of their excellent 10 Easy Pieces series, you get to see a great variety of the wall-mounted faucet options out there for your kitchen or bath. We're partial to the American Standard version with the built-in soap dish...very cool.
Wall-Mounted Faucets at Remodelista
Big trouble in Little China last week as a building on the Bowery was evacuated by the Buildings Department last week. How bad would the conditions have to be for New York City officials to have to declare it unfit to live? Check out the New York Times' City Room blog for the sad details.
What's Going Down in Chinatown?
Is America facing a looming throw pillow crisis? According to Con Chapman of the Gerbil News Network, its very possible. He asks such existential questions as "why can't mom stop loading up every bed and couch with decorative pillows?" Feel like a good laugh, check it out for yourself.
Throw Pillow Crisis
Labels: 10013, New York Plumbers, NY Buildings, Throw Pillows, Wall-Mounted Faucets
Monday, November 17, 2008
Congratulations to Design Expressions and Contractor Express of Long Island, NY
The Design Expressions showroom in Oceanside, Long Island just won an Excellence Award from ProSales Magazine and its easy to see why. With 4000 square feet of real products, not plastic, on display, both consumers and professional builders can use the scene to gain inspiration and make real decisions. Showcased in the store, you'll find:
"fully kitted-out kitchen exhibits, examine built-out exteriors showing siding, door, window and roofing options, and consider countless choices for millwork and architectural hardware. the showroom also features a new Marvin Design Gallery. With the exception of kitchen and bath cabinetry, all sales are installed sales done by Contractor Express. Professional design consultations also are part of the Design Expressions experience."
If you're contemplating a home improvement in Nassau County, or you're in the midst of a renovation and want to make sure you've chosen the right materials, Design Expressions is the right store to visit.
Visit Design Expressions on the web for more information: Design Expressions
Visit Design Expressions on the web for more information: Design Expressions
Design Expressions is an advertiser on cityhammer.com, New York's #1 Remodeling Directory
Labels: 11572, Kitchen Long Island, Nassau Home Improvement, Renovation Showroom, Roofing Long Island
Friday, November 14, 2008
Member Spotlight: Charm & Whimsy
The Garden of Delight, by Charm & Whimsy of New YorkInterior design for children's spaces...think about that for a moment. Many interior designers are talented and well-versed enough to design a playroom, child's bedroom or nursery, but how many of them specialize in it? Well, here's the good news, New York...we found one such interior design company and they have just listed on cityhammer.com, New York's #1 Remodeling Directory.
Charm & Whimsy was founded in 1983 by Esther Sadowsky, an FIT graduate with a background in home furnishings and textile design. Based on Madison Avenue in Manhattan, the company designs spaces that are colorful, imaginative and one-of-a-kind for children and adults. They've done everything from full-floor playspaces to infant nurseries and have been featured on HGTV and CBS, as well as written about in Parents magazine and the Wall Street Journal.
On the Charm & Whimsy website, you can view a portfolio of some of the themed rooms they've created, including Bus Stop, A Cowboy's World, Sail Away, Ali Baba Meets Alice, Calling All Chefs and Clowning Around.
If you're in the market for a home decorator or interior designer who truly gets kids and has an eye for fun, visit the Charm & Whimsy profile page on cityhammer.com for contact information and more: Charm & Whimsy on cityhammer
You can also visit the company online: CharmAndWhimsy.com
Labels: 10016, Designing for Children, Interior Design New York, Kid Friendly Design, Nursery Decoration
Monday, November 10, 2008
Tips for Remodeling a Bathroom in New York
You can probably leave the Korean novelty sign out of your remodel plansYour house or apartment has two types of bathrooms, the ones that are just for you and your own relaxation, like a master bath, and the ones for guests and visitors, like powder rooms. In either case, renovating one of these bathrooms is not only a great way to get more enjoyment and serenity out of your time at home, it can also make a big difference in the value of your real estate if and when you choose to sell.
With that in mind, Staff Writer Mitch Mayer has written a great article with 8 ideas that can serve as your New York bathroom Renovation Checklist and its currently featured over on cityhammer.com, New York's #1 Remodeling Directory. There are ideas that involve some construction for those who own their house or apartment, and there there are some simpler ideas for renters to make improvements.
Read the article here: Better Bathrooms in New York
Below are some helpful links for finding a professional bathroom remodeling pro in your area:
Manhattan Bathroom Renovation
Brooklyn Bathroom Renovation
Nassau County Bathroom Renovation
Suffolk County Bathroom Renovation
Westchester County Bathroom Renovation
New Jersey Bathroom Renovation
Brooklyn Bathroom Renovation
Nassau County Bathroom Renovation
Suffolk County Bathroom Renovation
Westchester County Bathroom Renovation
New Jersey Bathroom Renovation
Labels: Bathroom Renovation New York, Design Bathroom New York, NYC Bathroom, Remodel Bathroom
Friday, November 7, 2008
New Yorkers Can Find Detailed Furniture Store Info on Yipit.com
New York's #1 Remodeling Directory, cityhammer.com, started with the idea that there really wasn't a simple way for New Yorkers to find helpful information about contractors and remodelers. Sure, there were generic Yellow Pages-ish websites, but we felt we could offer ratings, reviews and local information that would be more helpful than just a name, number and address (does anyone really need a painter's office address?).
We wanted to share with our readers a very special website that has launched with the same purpose but for a different market: Yipit.com, which has cataloged every furniture showroom and store in New York and offers users the ability to search for stores by style, room and price.
Having spent almost a year visiting, categorizing and organizing, The founders of Yipit are now ready for their close-up.
Below is a brief discussion I had with one of them, James Moran, including his reason for developing the site, what went into it and some advice for New Yorkers who are looking for furniture in New York.
What made you start Yipit.com?
We were inspired from our frustration with local search results.
Searching for most any product online was painful, and rarely returned a nearby
store. Sometimes we resorted to a handful of big-box retailers, other times we
would just buy online. No category was this more true for than furniture.
It has a wide diversity of products that are not searchable online.So
we thought a lot about the problem, and what would be required to enable
product-level furniture search. The solution was difficult, but surmountable -
visit every store and catalog the types of products they sell.
After a year spent in development, we were able to index every showroom
in Manhattan.
How much time have you spent cataloging all the stores and showrooms and how many do you have on the site?
We visited 2,050 potential locations, and found all 368 consumer facing
furniture showrooms in Manhattan - all of which are on Yipit. The catalogging
process took a month, though we spent nearly ten times that amount developing
the logistical processes necessary to manage the feat.
What do you think is the best advice for someone shopping for furniture
in the New York area?
If you have a general idea of what you're looking for, then I recommend
first searching online.
For used furniture, use craigslist. For new furniture, search in your
neighborhood on Yipit for the product, price and style you want. For
example: furniture new york, discount furniture new york, etc. Outside of
Manhattan, you should visit the IKEA in Brooklyn or New Jersey. We wrote a
New Yorker's guide to shopping at IKEA.
If you're looking for ideas for furniture items, I would leverage the
fabulous local shopping media, including Apartment
Therapy, Racked,New York Magazine, and Furnication (our blog).
These and a host of other niche publications provide showroom reviews,
sales announcements and even ideas for city living interior design that will get
you started.
If you're looking for ideas for furniture items, I would leverage the
fabulous local shopping media, including Apartment
Therapy, Racked,New York Magazine, and Furnication (our blog).
To check out Yipit.com, click here: Local Furniture Search Site
To read Furnication, Yipit's Blog, click here: Furnication Blog
Labels: Furniture Stores New York, New York Interior Design, NYC Furniture, Remodeling NY
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
NY Home Improvement Blog Patrol: Election Coverage Edition
Here's the Youtube video of the speech itself, live from Grant Park in Chicago with Oprah Winfrey and Jesse Jackson in attendance.
The Miami Herald details the litany of issues the Obama administration faces starting from Day One. As idealistic as many of his supporters are, they will soon have to face up to the fact that fixing old problems like housing, energy prices, Wall Street and unemployment will probably occupy the better part of of his first two years.
Labels: Housing Problem, NY Election, Obama Victory, Victory Speech Chicago
