Forte integrated

thanks for the info ccforte but we may stick with time warner due to lack of certain channels on verizon-- has anyone had time warner installed at forte and if so, are there any special or additional installation charges that are not typical?
because the wall boxes only have terminated cabling and no jacks, does the cable company typically charge a large amount to install these jacks? any rough estimate of how much?
did anyone get any special promotional deals from time warner?

There is no extra charge to install the jacks when installing Fios. They will terminate the cables for you and even provide faceplates.

they just quoted me $240 to install the jacks

cc, KJLR and joahjoah - my closets will be installed next week so will send pics then!

ftgreener - i was told the caulking had already been done.....
?
and also someone said the real problem is the gutters which have to be re-done and that it is not really the caulking. what to believe?

ccforte// that is awesome deal. but I have to stick to time warner. Thank you for the info.
theark1z// I would like to get time warner as well as same reason. I am going to ask them to what they have to offer compared to Fios in few days.
jj1918// thank you :) Looking forward to see it.

JJ, who provided that information to you about the caulking and gutters?

JJ - the $240 charge was something that FIOS also cited when I told them that there were no jacks in the apartment. Hence, this is the reason why they are providing an extra $240 installation credit to me when I agreed to go forward with the installation as this was designed to offset the installation charge. This is also a reason why the FIOS folks told me to ensure that anyone signing up with FIOS uses the referral method I outlined. In addition to the extra $50 credit you'll get by signing up using my referral code, the FIOS Elite Team will be able to take a look at the specific deal they gave me (since my account will be linked via my referral code) so they can hopefully extend the same deal to you. Hope this helps!

So Atlantic Yards is a go.
Great news for the area.

They certainly didn't charge me $240 (or anything) to terminate the jacks. It takes about 20 minutes to do, tops.

Does anyone know if the studs behind the closet walls are wood or metal? Also, any insights into where the studs are located would be most appreciated. Just trying to get an idea as I contemplate mounting shelves in the closets. Ideally, feedback from anyone in the A line would be great, but any insights would be helpful. Thanks!

I just got Time Warner installed last week. I had Time Warner at my previous place so I brought the old cable box and router and they gave me a new remote control. They charged a $40 installation fee. They installed the jacks, he didn't have a face plate for the cable, but gave me the connections. A face plate costs about $1 at Home Depot.

likely to be metal studs, max. 16" on centers. for mounting shelves, a sheetrock wall anchor would also work if you're unsure where the studs are.

thanks august39 for the tw info.

ccforte-- if you use sheetrock wall anchors as studio34 suggests (do a search for 'drywall anchor' at home depot website or something), note that different anchors have different load ratings for how much weight each screw can hold. if you can find the metal stud (you can use a stud finder or try tapping the wall), that's the best bet as a screw into a stud will hold considerably more weight than a drywall anchor will.

regarding the leaks and water damage in the A line, the master BR area near the window seems to be caulking issue. It's the internal water marks on the ceiling near the hallway outside the 2nd bathroom and the mildew smell in the hall that are causing us more concern. no word yet on what could be causing this issue. if anyone has any insight, pls let us know.
btw, we are finding california closets to be MUCH cheaper than transform if anyone is interested in getting a quote from them as well.

Thanks to all for the info on the wall studs and closet mounting!

For those of you who are interested in the FIOS deal and are e-mailing me for the referral code, please also include in your e-mail the phone number that you will be using to set up the FIOS account as I need to include this in the referral form (although Verizon said the number is to be used for verification and not for contact).

In addition, I was notified about this additional promotion for FIOS which appears to give another $200 in additional bonuses after installation is complete for no apparent reason :) that I wanted to pass along: www.fiosfriends.com

Anyone here want to share who they are using for insurance? The Condo bylaws seem to have some insane requirements (2 million umbrella?) and Wells Fargo wants the full amount of the mortgage insured by me (they are not including the building policy). Again, that just seems like a ton of insurance.

BAM To House New Hamm Archive Center at Forté Condo

http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=5&id=33846

Fortetobe// I am getting Chubb through:

Jeffrey L. Schneider
Gotham Brokerage Co., Inc.
156 William Street
New York, NY 10038
PH: 212.406.7300
www.gothambrokerage.com

Fortetobe// wow, that is a lot. Can anyone who already closed share this info?

2 million is coverage on top of the building's master policy coverage? That cant be right. All you should need is an HO-6 that covers "walls-in."
sunny.hong@bankofamerica.com

That's right, we had the same doubt but all you need is HO-6 (we closed Monday and used State Farm). The 2 million coverage is the building's policy.

you need HO6 for the closing.

for the condo board you need 1M liability AND 2M umbralla, that's 3M total.

once the owners are in charge of the board we should talk about lowering those figures.

We have a commitement letter from Wells and they only required H0-6 coverage.

Anyone know what the remaining violations are that are holding up the permanent certificate of occupancy? I think there are 8 of them, but when you use the building information on the temporary C of O to search for a description of the violations, I am coming up with nothing.

FYI - for those who have already closed - the annual meeting is scheduled for tonight at 6:30 in apartment 7A. I didn't know about this until today - I'm guessing that since I recently closed, the notice for the meeting went out prior to my close, so I'm posting this for those who also recently closed and who may have also been unaware of the meeting. I was told that the meeting is strictly for owners who have already closed (i.e. attendance is not permitted for anyone who hasn't closed yet - just passing along the message).

There is a difference between the closing with the bank and what the condo board requires. The amount they request is insane, but unless you want to flout the requirements they have, I think you have to get the policy. Thanks for the tip Universalrooster. It seems to be the cheapest quote I have gotten so far.

What insurance are you talking about that's required by the condo board? Is this for contractors?

For anyone working with Wells - please make sure you are working with Scott Sullivan.

Yes I had to get HO6 wall to wall - thats it. It was super easy.
When I did my final walk through and they didn't really address or fix a lot of the stuff on my punch list. They told me to "take it or leave it"

Andra - it was Craig who told me about the caulking.

actually i think the worst part about the walk-thru was how futile it was. at the very least they should leave you with a clean apartment - meaning one not covered in paint drips and scuffs from poor workmanship. I was really disappointed at the way i was treated and their "take it or leave it" cavalier attitude.

jj918// I am sorry to hear that. It makes me uncomfortable since my walk-through is scheduled next week. Are they from managing company? and isn't that their job to do? I remember that someone posted their pleasant experience with them. I am very curious now since I already know few problem must be addressed.

I know i also read about the others persons good experience and had high hopes!
It is strange you don't even get a copy of the punch list or anything. Though you are told right there on the spot what they will and won't fix which was good. I had some things I am disappointed they won't address. But what really upset me was going in and seeing all the things they said they would address but have not. For some reason not cleaning up paint drips and marks on the floor annoyed me more then anything else though because that is so easy to fix and just a basic thing!
What they did fix was the joints on the window sills and 2 missing cabinet doors. For my dented appliance they told me to go to GE directly.

In one of the recent amendments to the Offering Plan, it states that the Sponsor is not responsible for the appearance of the floors or appliances.

Has anyone gotten light fixtures installed via cutting into the concrete? I wanted to put in a pendant light over the dining area and I was told by contractors that there may be building code against cutting into the ceiling...Another option they offered was having a wire run behind the wall and then running out along the exterior of the ceiling covered by wiremold. This is definitely a less attractive (but cheaper) option...Does anyone have experience w/ this?

I'm scheduled to close on the 16th and have yet to receive information on what is and isn't allowed in the building.

Thanks!

Our experience with the walk-thru was also horrible, the apartment was extremely dirty and many items from the punch list were left out. The "take it or leave it" attitude was also what annoyed us the most.

droop81m-- look back further in this message thread and you'll see comments about channeling into concrete to run conduit. i haven't seen the condo rules yet but it is most likely not allowed. just as good practice, it is never a good idea to channel into structural concrete slab unless you have a licensed structural engineer sign off on it.

insurance: bldg management confirmed that the $2 million is covered by the building and residents only need to get the standard HO-6 policy with $1 million in personal liability coverage.

On the Verizon FIOS v. Time Warner issue, one thing people may want to keep in mind is that when internet was part of the common charges the internet was Verizon FIOS. As a result most people already in the building have FIOS. In the event that a new board controlled by residents (rather than a sponsor) votes to reincorporate internet into the common charges, I would think that internet is likely to be FIOS. Obviously this is all theoretical, but if that happens it's probably going to be better to already have FIOS equipment installed. Not sure if this is the type of factor people are considering, but thought I'd mention just in case.

Re: Craig, he is nice enough, but the quality of the work being done by his people is terrible. They fixed a couple of punchlist items (refused to fix many others) and got paint on the floor and scratched the kitchen cabinet in the process. Thanks for nothing.

KJLR, felisil, what recourse to we have against them for incomplete punch-lists?

You have to check with your attorney on the recourse issue. I didn't bother checking with ours, since I am fairly certain that it will be quicker and cheaper to just clean the paint off the floor ourselves, and accept that our daughter will not be the first person to damage the kitchen cabinets (though she will surely be responsible for numerous other scratches).

Also, in case this has escaped anyone's notice -- you must seal the granite countertops prior to use or they will stain (everything will stain them, e.g. milk). The fact that they are shiny does not mean that that they have been sealed.

KJLR - thanks for the tip on the countertops. Would you mind sharing details regarding the specific product that you used to seal them, assuming the product worked well (specifically, the name of the product, where you bought it, and how much it cost)? Thanks in advance for the help!

I wish we had that info to share, but we are still waiting another 48 hours for the third cleaner we've tried to see if that will get the stains out before we give up and seal them in permanently. Assuming we eventually have more success with a sealer, we will post details at that time. If anyone else has used a sealer successfully, please provide details.

KJLR _ re: stains. Two possibilities. Make a paste of baking soda and water, cover with plastic wrap. When dry, wash off. Also can try this method with OxyClean and water.

For a sealer, I use a product call 511 Impreganator (I got the giant size somewhere). I do this periodically, and do more than one coat. (first time after renovation, did about 4 coats). First few coats I don't bother to polish. Last coat I follow the instructions let dry to a haze, then polish.

Thanks ph41, for the recommendations. This giant size Impreganator sounds very impressive -- we'll see if we can track it down.

KJLR - sorry - should be spelled 511 IMPREGNATOR

Cline,

It depends on your contract. Likely 0.

Not much unfotunatelly, since we signed an "AS IS" contract, they can say things like "take it or leave it", but you would expect a minimum clean up...

Thanks Thearklz. I actually did see those earlier comments, and I was just curious to know if more people had success with this. I spoke with my architect and he said it was not a problem. I'm going to get a second opinion and also ask the management company during inspection. From what I understand it sounds very invasive and labor intensive, not to mention more expensive than the wiremold route...

We are missing pieces of our range. I hope they fix that...

Can anyone tell me the protocol on tipping?
DO you tip the movers?
Do you tip painters?
I presume not since they are already charging so much.....

By the way Marcel from Master Painters is excellent!

also just confirming that Verizon DOES charge a $240 installation fee that is hell to try to negotiate. I may go with Time Warner after all

Morning JJ & all, :)
Picked up condo rules yesterday. The 1 mm coverage seems to be for owners who rent out their apt only. The insurance required for closing should be HO6 only.

Ah, ok. on the coverage. It is really ambiguous in the welcome letter. The Rules and regs would be very helpful to get, but no one seems to want to give them to us. Could you send them to me? I will provide an E-mail address or other contact if need be.

Fortetobe// it was same situation as me. You need to go day time on week day. Look for Candece. She will give it to you. If you want to go weekend or after 7pm, you got to fight and doorman 'Norman', and ask you 'Why Candece give others rulebook and you don't'. He will keep ask you if you have notice of sale or have you closed. Finally, I got it from Norman, but it was very unpleasant. Ask him to call Candece if you have to, but that doorman must know he can handout or what is rule book by now.

I had weird experience yesterday. I had blind guy to measure window size. I heard Doorman and another Forte employee complained that I didn't close and my agent letting me in before closing. Are they from managing company? Their attitude wasn't that I expected.Or they change their attitude when I am closing.

joah - how did you get into the apartment?

ph41// My real estate agent from Corcoran letting me in. Nothing unusual. Made an appointment with the real estate agent and met her at the lobby and she opened the unit.

ccforte, can you forward me the details of the FIOS offer at summerhuller-at-gmail.com please.

joah - then I can't imagine why all the bitching and moaning from the doorman/forte person

I have found all the doormen to be polite and friendly. All of the information you are looking for including insurance requirements is available from the management company at the phone/email address provided by the sponsor's attorney. On the other hand, it is the concierge's job to look after the security of the building and to not let non-owners enter without authorization. They may give you a hard time if your business in the building is not clear.

universalriister// i hope that would be the case.

has anyone been told that your broker is not allowed to join you on your walk through? we are getting this and would really like our broker there.

Hi ftgreener. I wasn't told that but mine didn't come anyways. We went in together a week before and created a list though so that felt reassuring. The broker isn't really necessary during the walk-throughs they are doing it seems anyways.

universal i too have been extremely impressed by how kind all the staff and the doormen have been.

lastly i have never done this before so can someone tell me if you are supposed to tip painters or movers?
george and momoya - did you tip the flat rate people?

Hi jj,
We did tip the movers and the packers 15% (it actually mentions it in the contract). We were extremely pleased with them (nothing broken, no scratches on walls,etc..) Some may argue that we're suckers; maybe we are...but it felt like the right thing to do. Good luck with your move!

p.s. we too have nothing but great things to say about the doormen, maintenance guys and super. If anyone has issue with what any of them may be telling you, it's simply because they are following the rules that their boss, the management company of our building (Phyliss @ Caran Properties) has told them that they have to.

Fortetobe, we don't have the rules electronically; if noone will give you a copy prior to your closing, simply ask Phyliss to get you a copy (just explain that you need to understand the policies of contractors, etc.. in order for you to plan before you move in).

thanks MoMoYa - and what about the painters? Did you tip them?
As for flatrate so I will just give one of the guys the full 15% or divide it amongst them?

Thanks for your help! SO far your painting recommendation has been the BEST. Marcel has done an amazing job at a really good price. I will also be using your movers and transform! thanks so much for the recommendations!

jj - we resolved the issue about having our broker at the walk through. the witkoff group guys didn't have a problem with it after all. thanks

We planned to tip the painters, but never ended up seeing them on the last day they were there. We wanted to give them the $$ directly, instead of through Marcial...so in the end, never ended up doing it.
Gave the packers their own share (they came on their own, the day before the actual move)and gave the Head Mover (not sure of proper title, but the guy in charge) the full amount to split amongst his team (apparently this is customary).
Glad to hear you're happy with the outcome; I'm that will also be the case with the other companies.
Cheers.

Sorry about coming up with the issurance topic again. But when I tried to get the basic HO6 coverage for walls, floors & renovations as required by the bank, the insurance broker who already had a deal in the building confirmed that I do need a 3mm limit liability(Chubb). He admitted this is very high and the cost would almost double.
I thought the higher limit is for owners who rent out their apts only. Can anyone give a definite answer to this? I remain totally confused...

Leom: Insurance requirements posted in the files section of http://groups.google.com/group/230Ashland?lnk=

Thx Rooster! But many on this board claimed they closed with "walls-in" HO6. So what could happen to them if they didn't get 1mm personal liability + 2mm umbrella? How will the board's requirement apply in this regard?

i think we will be changing the boards requirements as this kind of cost is ludicrous.

thank you MoMoYa! I googled tipping and apparently it is expected that one tips movers but one is not supposed to tip painters and construction people....

Is anyone actually checking for this amount of insurance coverage at closing (or afterwards)? Or is this just a theoretical requirement?

zinka - From what I've gathered so far (still in the process), banks require only H06 that covers walls & floors. According to my attorney, the condo by-laws' much higher limit is not mandatory.
Anyone has thorough knowledge on the matter plz correct me.

Leom/Universal, I see that is the requirement, but I have no idea what Article 6 of the rules refers to. And I cannot get it to review it. Ah, the frustrating pre-close circle.

Fortetobe, here you go:
Article 6.2 Insurance
Section 6.2.7 The Condominium Board is not required to obtain or maintain any insurance with respect to the Unit or any personal property contained in a Unit. A Unit Owner shall, at the Unit Owner’s own cost and expense, obtain and keep in full force and effect (a) comprehensive personal liability insurance against any and all claims for personal injury, death or property damage (including, but not limited to, loss due to water damage) occurring in, upon, or from the Unit or any part thereof, with minimum combined single limits of liability of $1,000,000 for bodily injury or death arising out of any one occurrence including $1,000,000 for damage to property plus at least $2,000,000 umbrella liability coverage and (b) tenant’s “all-risk” property insurance in respect of property damage occurring in, upon, or from the Unit or any part thereof (including, but not limited to appropriate coverage for additions, alterations improvements and betterments and loss due to water damage and personal property). The limits of liability set forth in (a) and (b) above may be increased by the Condominium Board from time to time. The insurance required above shall be written in form reasonably satisfactory to the Condominium Board by good and solvent insurance companies of recognized standing, admitted to do business in the State of New York. Upon ten (10) days written notice from the Condominium Board or the Managing Agent, the Unit Owner shall deliver to the Condominium Board a duplicate original of the aforesaid policies, certificates evidencing such insurance or such other confirmation satisfactory to the Condominium Board. To the extent a party is insured for loss or damage to property, such party will look to its own insurance policies for recovery. Policies maintained by Unit Owners pursuant to this Subsection must provide that they cannot be canceled without at least thirty (30) days prior notice to the Condominium Board.

My question is: what implications would occur if buyers just close with a "walls-in" insurance (as more than one said they did on this board)?
If banks don't require it as underwrting condition for closing and the condo board can't make it mandatory, what is this article about a 3mm limit good for?

The Condo board has made it mandatory. And they can ask you to provide proof that you have it within 10 days of their request for it. How they choose to enforce it is another issue.

Shawn

Hey everyone, What are you all doing for lighting if we can't cut into the ceiling? Can we mount monorail/track lighting to the ceiling? Is anyone dropping the ceiling and putting in recessed lighting? Or is everyone just using floor/table lamps?

we are closing soon-- did anyone who already closed avoid the wire transfer requirement?
it is my understanding that bank or certified checks are the norm and would make things much easier. anyone know why the sponsor is requiring wire transfer?

We just did the wire transfer and it was pretty painless. Closing on Monday!

Also, Brownstoner talking today about BAM in the retails space. http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2010/03/details_on_bams.php

We also did the wire transfer with no problems whatsoever. We had it done at the same time we got the cashier's checks cut and it took basically the same amount of time for each. You can do the transfer several days before the closing and they can confirm receipt of the money so you know there won't be any issue on closing day.

KJLR, why did you need both wire transfer AND cashier's checks? Wouldn't it be one or the other?

What are people's experience regarding painters and insurance? I have a painter all lined up who has a $1 million general liability coverage, but not the $5 million umbrella which the property manager claims is required. He's says that almost no painters have that amount of coverage. We also need to provide a copy of our home owner's policy for painting, which currently only has $300k of coverage and not the $1 million that is required.

same here KJLR and all! No problem at all with the wire transfer and cashier's checks. In fact my lawyer held the wire transfer in escrow at the firm's bank and then they transferred it live right there at closing. The banker's checks were a cinch too.

stucazzo - I worked with Marcel from master Painters and I HIGHLY recommend him!!! He did a fantastic job for a good price. (also I didnt even have to deal with or look at all that stuff that stuff you are referencing - just give whoever is working on your space the form from the management company)

No zinka it would not be. we need 2 seperate bank or cashier's checks for the Working Capital Fund and the Common Charges. Then you need to wire transfer the balance of your purchase price.

I see. Thanks.

thanks all for the responses regaring wire transfer; the reason i asked is that i've never done one before and did not know how long it typically takes for the funds to go through and show up in the recipient's account.
perhaps my bank was being too safe and said it could take up to two business days which could potentially affect our closing schedule. i have since been told that it usually happens pretty quickly, usually only an hour or two. is this consistent with others' experience?

I deal with wires all the time with work. Wires can come in minutes. I have had one's take days because they get lost between banks. If you are wiring to a lawyer's escrow account, you have some protection. It is stupid they want wires, but it is what it is.

Has anyone done pest inspections?
Here's a good article in the NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/garden/11bedbug.html?src=me&ref=general

yes i too was worried about the amount of time it takes as was my lawyer which is why she insisted all the funds be ready in their account for wiring because then we had more control over it. if i had done it directly from my bank there would have been no telling when it would go through.

does anyone else think these heaters make some really disconcerting noises?

Noises from heaters can be fixed. Ask the super.

Hi does anyone have the phone number for the doormen?

Here you go: 718.643.9100.
Cheers.

We had an electrician in today and liked him a lot--Carlos Romero, 347-682-8192. The architect we consulted with recommended him, and they've worked together a lot.

He added 2 more lights to each bathroom (in the D line), with dimmer, one in the main area and one in the tub/shower; he moved an outlet on the living room wall; and he added a new outlet to the living room wall. Total cost for that was $1,680 including the light fixtures, which were recessed, waterproof, and very pretty (not fancy, just simple and good looking) so on the pricey side.

On Thursday he is coming back to add lights to the bedrooms. He will add a light in each of the 3 closets, add 2 recessed lights into the soffit (lowered ceiling part) in the second bedroom, and add a wall light to the master bedroom. For this he is charging $1,550 including fixtures.

We are really happy with the new bathroom lights--they look great and provide a nice alternative to the over-the-mirror light. He was also on time, easy to plan with, and cleaned up the space well. So I wanted to pass along the recommendation.

Thanks for the info Chelsea, we might give him a call. What are you doing about lights in the living room? I was thinking about recessed lighting until i realized that the windows go all the way to the top of the wall, so it would be weird to drop the ceiling for the recessed lighting...

In the living room we are just going with lamps & then small lighting at the top of a wall unit that we are building (on the main wall).

We will also probably switch out the kitchen overhead light for a pendant that is a few feet further into the room, but we don't know yet what we're doing about kitchen seating / island / table, so that's TBD. I think we could move that without drilling into the ceiling (swagging the cord?).

I'm having the walls and trim painted, but not the ceiling or window sills; however, I want to have some touch-up paint on hand in case the paint gets onto the ceiling or sills. Does any one know what shade of white was used for the ceiling and sills? Thanks.

The ceiling and sills are not painted, just primed. You will definitely want to paint at least the sills, or else anything you ever put on them will smudge/stain them.

Thanks, Zinka. We had three painters in that had excellent reviews on Angie's List, and they all stated that the sills (which have a high-gloss finish) did not need painting, and two of them saw no need to paint the ceiling, but wanted the paint color in case tough up was needed.

Your sills are glossy?!

Mine definitely didn't come that way. Has someone lived in your apartment before? Maybe you bought the sales office?

all ceilings and sills (and walls) should have come painted. like stucazzo mentioned, our sills are also semi-gloss white and the walls and ceilings are all painted a flat white (and no, it was not the sales office). we are just going to do some touch-up and accent paint work.
you should be able to ask the super what the stock white color is (most likely a stock benjamin moore white).

Thanks Zinka. I will call the super about that. I really do hope i can be fixed.

Nothing in my apartment came painted. Only primed.
I had to paint my own place which I am happy about actually as I got to chose my own colors. But yea we had to gloss the sills and all