Thursday, September 04, 2008
Contractors
Posted by
Jenny
This is an evolving list of contractors to hire and to avoid at all costs ... Every time someone new is added it will come back to the top of the list of stories.
The Good
Tim O’Leary
(412) 491-5488
www.homeinspectionbyoleary.com
This review came in from someone moving into Braddock, and I wanted to share the good news: He was great. He met us late on a friday night. Said since we were going to be doing so much work on the house he didn’t charge us for the regular home inspection even though that is what I asked him to do. Saved us a couple hundred dollars, and had the report by the next afternoon!
The Closing Specialists
www.tcsclosing.com/tcs/
Diane Cipa at The Closing Specialists doesn’t live in the Braddock area now, but her family is from here. She is one of the few locals who had a positive response to what we are doing here (most people ask why, she was excited). The Closing Specialists processed two title searches for us, and we feel confident in recommending them to everyone else in town as reliable, efficient, and helpful.
Nicholas Electric Co., Inc.
412.271.8001
Nick Glova, the president of Nicholas Electric and mayor of Rankin, has been extremely helpful and on the ball throughout the process. We have grand ideas for a media room, wanted a surge protector at the service entrance, and changed our minds numerous times about whether we needed temporary outlets, all in addition to needing a house completely rewired. He’s met our challenges with excellent input and prices. My parents were surprised that there is a waiting list for electrical in Braddock, but it’s because we are all in line to work with Nick. Even through delays because one of his employees had a family death, we have been willing to wait because of the superb service we have received so far.
Joe Bonifate Masonry
Joe is picky about who he will work with. He gave Joel a thorough interview before he would take him on as a client. It seems some people will hire him, fail to pay him, and then recommend him to others. (Hey, I know this great free mason… ) We were lucky enough to have Joel as our resource in finding Joe, and we received speedy and flexible service. He’s also a stickler for a perfect job, so when he examined the final product he sent back one of his workers to fix something before he would let me pay him.
Brian Whitney, general contractor
412.823.3880
Roofing was a sore point for us. Our roof is 12x12, which means scary in lay terms and expensive in pricing. (12x12 is the roof rise ratio ... it’s trig: the tangent of the roof-pitch angle, and 12/12 is steep.) Brian took a long time getting us an estimate, but once it was in they started working on our roof immediately thanks to Mayor John. It was finished within a week, they were able to add on ridge vents at the last minute when I realized I had discussed this with every other roofer but him, and they came back to repair a hole cut in the roof for the plumbing a week after they had finished. We are very happy with the service, the price, and the speed.
The Bad
Panfil Plumbing
The job is complete, which we are thankful for. Other than that our experience was very poor with Panfil Plumbing, and we cannot recommend them. Unfortunately, we will be looking for another plumber to finish off small details that we missed in the initial estimate. The most troubling parts included asking us for the final payment up front to cover personal problems and stating that without this he would not even be able to start in the foreseeable future, yelling at both me and my husband (this is how I viewed it, it could have been simply a raised voice in anger...is there a difference?) on numerous occasions, taking over a month instead of the estimated week, and changing the entire job on the first day by adding an unexpected house trap that increased the total cost by 50%.
Northstar
We did not actually work with Northstar. They showed up to look at our roof and came back with an outrageous estimate. The kicker was that the salesman who walked us around the house to tell us what they would do for our roof only talked about shingle and gutter colors rather than anything practical. He also told us that his $25,000 estimate was lower than any other we would get—the next highest was $17,000. We didn’t even receive an official estimate from Northstar, they were supposed to mail it to us, or I would scan it for general amusement. They were under the impression we were receiving federal funds to replace the roof, I’m not sure what that means much less where they got that idea.
We’ve Got The Power!
Posted by
Jenny
It’s amazing what a difference framed in walls and some light bulbs make!
The electricians started last week, and we have switches with working overhead lights for the first time in the house. I need to stop over there to take some photos soon and post them. It’s starting to look like this old, abandoned house might actually become a home again some day soon.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Food in Braddock
Posted by
Jenny
Food may be one of the most difficult transitions in moving to Braddock, depending on the city of comparison. There are very few options for purchasing food, prepared or not, in Braddock. A far cry from our short time spent in Portland, but not too different from Juneau.
In general, Pittsburgh food is like a northern version of southern food - lots of really tasty stuff that’s bad for you. Heaping reubens, chicken wings of all varieties, hamburgers, pizza, pierogies. All great stuff, but we’ve found little that is so impressive we want to go out for it. We’re cooking in very often, just like in Juneau, because the variety seems limited when eating out. Sure there’s an excellent sushi place and a German restaurant, but those are things we do every once in a while. We haven’t found a place that has such good dishes that we want to go back again and again to try everything on the menu. But we’re still looking ...
Yet even when cooking at home, Braddock is definitely a town that requires transportation for sustenance. The stores in the proximity to Braddock (two Giant Eagles) offer lackluster produce and limited selections in the deli. The larger store in the Waterfront has more selection, but the store in Braddock Hills is easier to access. There is the option of driving to Whole Foods, which is a complete circus because of its unique offerings. I drove out to that area, hitting either Whole Foods or Trader Joes, maybe once every two weeks for the first month or so. Until the CSA boxes started coming in this summer, then the Pennsylvania farms began to shine. I am a huge fan of community supported agriculture, and the boxes from the Dillner Family Farm have given us an excellent sampling of local produce.
But what to do if you are in Braddock and you don’t have a CSA box? Or a car?
Every Wednesday, in season, the Braddock Farm Stand is open. Excellent locally grown produce, including enormous ocra, is supplemented with other veggies they bring in so that there is a wider variety available.
Family Dollar on Braddock Avenue has a prime selection of junk food, boxes/canned items, and a small selection of refrigerated goods.
Stambolis’ poultry shop and Bells Market are also on Braddock Avenue. You can stop into the poultry place for a cold soft drink, fish, or poultry. Bells seems to sell a lot of their combination box deals (buy x, x, x, and x and you get a free bag of potatoes!) and it always looks busy. When I was in there the produce was not impressive, but again that was before the local produce came into season and the produce at Giant Eagle wasn’t impressive either. At least there is a small selection of produce in Braddock along side the larger selection of meats.
Al’s at the start of town has general convenience store fare. And there are two bar/diners within walking distance. Heidy’s under the Rankin Bridge has great burgers a la carte for under $4. I hear their veggie burger is excellent as well. We keep meaning to try out the Green Castle Cafe on Talbot, but haven’t been there yet.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Mural Removal
Posted by
Jenny
When I started writing about my experiences in Braddock I was encouraged to write about the bad as well as the good. The stereotype of Braddock as a violent place has not proven to be true. People on the streets are friendly, we’ve felt safe exploring this city. What has surprised me is the ongoing attention of a church in Braddock to a mural that was removed. I didn’t expect that I would need to write about aggressive acts by a church.
The Mural
On Sunday, August 17, I was part of a foursome that set up a 48-hour art-installation café. We cleaned and set up two rooms in the former convent as a café in hopes that someone might be able to take it on as a working café later. For now, it’s just two pretty rooms sometimes used for private events. Our long-term goal is for it to become something similar to a co-op café that is available to everyone in Braddock, not just those who drive through. In addition to providing local access, a co-op café would provide training for volunteers who could then use their barista skills in other places.
The name was The Bad Habit because it was a coffee shop in a former convent. When she heard the name, an artist who was in town from Canada made a parody sketch of Clint Eastwood in a habit. It made everyone laugh so we used it. She painted it on the wall in the parking lot right before she headed back to Canada.
The Reaction
Then people from Good Shepherd catholic church started showing up. They were not laughing.
A group of women tried to push their way into the front door as someone who had just arrived that morning was walking out the door. At least two vans with people peering through the back windows pulled into the parking lot and idled there while reviewing the mural. Another group came back after the mural was removed to scour the grounds, looking for hidden art that might be offensive. The mural was painted over immediately, and the name of the café was removed. No one ever argued that the mural should stay, we didn’t intend to offend. As soon as there was a complaint it was down in the time it took to brush black paint over it. It seems like the church would be happy with this.
Still, I can think of no word more accurate than censorship to describe the suppression of a mural due to the material being found objectionable only by certain standards. I believe it was an over-reaction on the part of the church, but I want to reinforce that the mural was not an attack on religion as a whole or any specific church.
The Follow Up
After all of this, the pastor found my personal email address. We had what seemed to be a decent conversation. I felt I understood his point more and that they had not been as intentionally aggressive in their attack on the mural or those around it as it appeared that day. He claimed to not know of most of the things I considered aggressive that happened at the former convent.
But then he forwarded a portion of our email discussion to a catholic publication in Pittsburgh that is going to “quote” me based on the email (that I did not send them) in an article about the mural. The mural that was already removed. Although this is always a possibility with email, forwarding a private discussion to a publication breaches an ethical boundary for both a pastor and a journalist. I am glad that the editor of the publication contacted me to check information because the forward said that I run the artist’s web site. It was referring to this site, which is not about Emily or in any way hers. There are posts on the café because I was involved in the installation. This post is about the mural because the church has continued to keep the issue alive, and draw me into it, even though it was removed last week.
I will continue to update this post if things continue. The name and artwork were changed, the cafe is not a business—I see no reason for further progression.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The Bad Habit
Posted by
Jenny
Friday at noon I stopped working and started cleaning. 48 hours later we had completed the set up of a two-room cafe and opened the doors for a surprise brunch: Espresso, fresh oj, hot cocoa, bloody marys, iced toddy, tea, vegan waffles, peach crepes, quiche, muffins and more in Braddock’s own The Bad Habit cafe!
For months this cafe bar hardware has been collecting dust (and lots of it with our proximity to the steel mill) in a back room at the convent. A little less than two weeks ago Jodi, Emily and I decided that we should set it up and put it to use. It would clear out that room and create a space for socializing, working, and caffeinating in Braddock. We decided to surprise everyone with a completed cafe on August 17, but to do that we needed to wait and set it up right before the event.
Jodi went back to Brooklyn and started collecting donations for the bar. My friend Liz was in town from Massachusetts, and we brainstormed cafe names over dinner. Then we came back and ran them by Emily, who came up with art for the name with the most votes: The Bad Habit. We also called on Ryan to send a series of his photographs of Braddock to hang in the cafe with Emily’s drawings and Mary Beth’s photos of Braddock. Then we waited.
Finally this week rolled around and Jodi showed up with a car brimming with cafe supplies and decor. Jodi, Mary Beth, Emily and I cleaned and shopped and set up and cleaned and moved things and disassembled and rebuilt things and learned to use an espresso maker and baked and shooed people out and hid the progress with closed doors ... until it was complete. Then we stood in the room, 15 minutes to brunch, and took a collective deep breath. Inhaling the waffles and espresso and enjoying the moment.
If chaos, excitement, and swearing in surprise are good signs, then the cafe opening* was a success. There was a good turn out for the brunch, and everyone seemed to enjoy the cafe experience.
Over at the Matchwood Festival blog there are more photos and an interview with us on the day of the opening.
*unfortunately, the cafe is only open now for private events. We have some amazing volunteer baristas, and hopefully soon it will be able to open as a full cafe.
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Changing Landscape
Posted by
Jenny
The compound is looking different these days. From small things left by passers-through to the greenhouse and brick oven, this place is shaping up.
The greenhouse atop Kristin & Joel’s building brightens up the sky, bestowing an almost beachy feel on sunny days.
Joe Bonifate’s crew is finishing up the brick oven in the courtyard beside the convent. Over the next year I’ll be volunteering on Braddock projects, and one of my goals is to get a series of healthy eating/living events set up using the brick oven and Braddock Farms produce.
And down Braddock Ave at the Verona bus stop, there is construction underway to create what I’ve heard will be a sculpture garden.
Braddock Word Clouds
Posted by
Jenny
I fed this site into Wordle to create a visual representation of what I discuss here ...
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Forward Movement
Posted by
Jenny
Our house is finally progressing again!
Kevin met with the heating installation neighbor and they measured the whole place and made a list of what to buy.
We also got an estimate today on repairing and replacing all the windows in the house. Windows make it insurable, and having screens against the wretched Pittsburgh mosquitoes would be wonderful bliss. The only window that’s an issue is the rounded one broken out on the side that the window guy doesn’t know how to replace ... weird.
Also took a serious look at our floors and some are so badly damaged from the leaks that they can’t be sanded, they just crumble when you touch them. We’ve determined that about half needs to have a new subfloor laid and the other half is salvageable. Kevin’s all into covering it with OSB and using vinyl tiles everywhere ... we’ve made a compromise to cover the kitchen, bathrooms and hallways and try to restore the front two rooms on each level where the leaks weren’t as bad. The bedroom is still a problem, that has serious floor damage and will need to have the support installed but I don’t want vinyl tiles, no matter how cool the colors are, in my bedroom. And I hate the idea of installing wood over a subfloor that is over real wood ... argh. Any brilliant insight on that one?
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Never-ending Planning
Posted by
Jenny
New things we need to do just keep popping up. We knew the electrical, roof, and plumbing needed to be overhauled. We thought we could salvage the heating system, the floors, and most of the windows.
The projects are even more complicated because getting contractors to do a job is a hassle all on its own. They all want the other contractors to do their jobs first, which is impossible. We cannot have the electrical and gas and plumbing hooked up to test the boiler and radiators when the electrician wants the heating system completed before starting to install the electric.
Heating is becoming a learning experience that seems to be changing all of our other plans. We discovered that the boiler never worked well for the previous owner and most of the radiators have visible cracks in them. Our initial options were replacing the boiler and trying to salvage some of the radiators, or running radiant heat. We’ve been interested in radiant heat for a while, but it’s not very practical with the set up we have now. Plans were to leave exposed brick on the exterior walls and refinish the hardwood floors. Installing radiant heat from below the floor requires more work, insulation, and potential to lose the heat. And having un-insulated walls and 10-foot ceilings reduces the efficiency of any heating system.
Today, though, Kevin came back saying that the floors are too thin and too badly damaged from the old, leaking roof to be refinished. And he wants to frame in and insulate the exterior walls. I’m all for insulation, but it’s a complete change of course. We had settled on forced air for heat with a/c vents installed so we have the option later of installing an air conditioner. Covering over the old wood floors brings up the option of radiant heat again since we would need to add a subfloor beneath whatever flooring we decide upon. Insulating makes radiant heat more practical too. But it was the forced air installation that brought all of this up in the first place.
The fun part is going to be putting a black and white checked floor in the kitchen if we do need to redo everything. It will be much more durable to potential kitchen crashes and traffic than the wood would have been. We had one in Juneau, but I think when we set it up ourselves we may try angling the tiles or altering the pattern a bit. I’m excited to test out different options.
Friday, August 01, 2008
Good Press
Posted by
Jenny
Things are changing quickly. Just a few weeks ago I pointed out that Braddock news coverage was consistently negative. I’m happy to report that this past week my news feed has been flooded with positive coverage of Braddock.
First there was the coverage of the Mon Valley Initiative headed revitalization of a building in Braddock providing local homes:
Then yesterday the Post-Gazette featured the farm:
I consider this a vast improvement over the articles I’ve been seeing. Even positive coverage incorporated negative terminology, as seen in the Post-Gazette article about raising honey bees. Unfortunately, only in Braddock were the bees referred to as a “gang.”
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| © 2008 Jenny Whittemore Fremlin
