Home Improvement Recommendations in Merrick/Bellmore/Wantagh

DH and I should be closing on our home August 1st at the latest. The house needs some work prior to moving in. We want to replace the hard wood floors and stair rail, perhaps add some millwork, remove wallpaper and paint. More needs to be done but those are the biggies prior to moving in.

I am almost 36 weeks pregnant so I am definitely feeling the time crunch and pressure. Baby is due right around closing. So some questions for all of you.

We are in the Bellmore/Merrick/Wantagh area so I would love some recommendations for someone to install the hard wood floors and a painter. Some of the local companies I've seen are YNot, Turnkey, George Parsons, Oz Contracting. I don't have any experience so I would love any and all feedback, including others you used and would recommend.

Also, did you get your materials separately or through the people you hired to do the work? I'm leaning more towards us purchasing them. Where should we look for hardwood flooring? Do you think a month is enough time for the things we want to do? I'm not sure if that's realistic, too short or too long.

I'd appreciate any feedback. Thank you!!

Home Improvement Recommendations in Merrick/Bellmore/Wantagh

Hi, welcome to the neighborhood, I'm in Wantagh

I can recommend a floor guy. Walter's Floors 516-826-6470

They did the flooring in my current house, we did a whole house reno and they replaced all the flooring with 3 1/4 clear white oak that they stained and site finished. All the flooring was ripped up and we had a new subfloor, so they came in and just put down the flooring and finished it. They supplied the flooring too. the whole process took less than a week. They had all the wood down in less than 2 days, 1400 sqft.

my father in law did the painting, he's a handyman and does all sorts of small jobs

Re: Home Improvement Recommendations in Merrick/Bellmore/Wantagh

Thanks for the recommendation and welcome!

Was the pricing reasonable? I'm concerned with the cost since we are redoing the whole house as well, first and second floors. Also, did you choose the stain? Just trying to figure out how all this works.

ETA: Did you redo your stairs as well? If so, by the same person? Thanks and sorry for all the questions!

Message edited 6/27/2013 6:58:06 PM.

Home Improvement Recommendations in Merrick/Bellmore/Wantagh

They gave me a chart to pick the stain from and finish. I forget the name of the stain, but we went with a satin finish which turned out great.

we actually installed new stairs. they sanded and finished them.

Cost.... they were in line with what I think the going rate is. I priced out the wood at a place on 110, packard flooring supply, and he came in uder it for material. However, all told, if you're doing a whole house with all new wood, its not cheap, stain costs a bit more, the wider flooring cost a bit more and basically the amount of hardwood we did was a lot.

for handrail and the new stairs we used "A Step Above Stairbuilder" in Bellmore they were great too. We did square newelposts an upsized handrail profile and iron spindles. we stained them with the same stain the floors were stained with, we got the name from the floor guy. They were more reasonable than the other place in bellmore and great to deal with.

I'll try and post pics when I get home

Message edited 6/28/2013 10:15:52 AM.

Re: Home Improvement Recommendations in Merrick/Bellmore/Wantagh

Thanks!! Would love to see photos if you can post. Sounds like it was quite the job and along the lines of what we are thinking.

Re: Home Improvement Recommendations in Merrick/Bellmore/Wantagh

see pics attached.

we did a full second story and remodel of the existing house turning a cape into a colonial. it was an adventure to say the least...

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Message edited 6/30/2013 10:58:35 PM.

Re: Home Improvement Recommendations in Merrick/Bellmore/Wantagh

I'm not seeing pics. Of course, it could totally be me

I'm starting to get very nervous with everything that needs to be done bet the home improvement and being so far along pregnancy-wise. Overwhelmed would be an understatement. I guess one thing at a time but I really just want to be settled and enjoy my time off with my newborn.

Home Improvement Recommendations in Merrick/Bellmore/Wantagh

Sorry fixed it. Apparently the images were too large

Re: Home Improvement Recommendations in Merrick/Bellmore/Wantagh

Your place looks great!! So funny that we have a brick fireplace too and one of the options is to strip it because it's been painted over with many coats of tan paint. I wonder if underneath all the paint, it will look like yours!

Home Improvement Recommendations in Merrick/Bellmore/Wantagh

Hi, thanks for the complements.

The fireplace is actually new. we added it to the house, as there wasn't one in the house.

Its a gas fireplace covered in cement board, then with veneered stone applied to it. Its kind of hard to see from the pic, but its actually an uneven service from all the different stones.

I'm sure you could do something like that over the brick too if that was the look you're going for.

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Message edited 7/1/2013 10:32:21 AM.

Home Improvement Recommendations in Merrick/Bellmore/Wantagh

A cape to a colonial? How long did that take and how much - If you don't mind me asking. I love the second level landing

Eta: sorry I crashed!!

Op try kenco. Oz is expensive so is all american

Message edited 7/1/2013 12:59:57 PM.

Re: Home Improvement Recommendations in Merrick/Bellmore/Wantagh

The fireplace is awesome. You are going to get so much use out of it in the colder months. I don't know how functional ours is right now. I know the current homeowner hasn't used it in years and it's just decorative right now with candles in it. I think some work needs to be done to the chimney before we can use it. Of course, I'm thinking of aesthetics and would like to redo it.

Re: Home Improvement Recommendations in Merrick/Bellmore/Wantagh

Message edited 7/2/2013 9:31:03 AM.

Re: Home Improvement Recommendations in Merrick/Bellmore/Wantagh

Re: Home Improvement Recommendations in Merrick/Bellmore/Wantagh