When it comes to replacing appliances in your home, your water heater is one of the more significant investments. If you experience problems with your unit, you will be faced with the decision of having the current unit repaired or replacing it with a new model. Here are some things to consider before calling plumbing […]
Every year, children around the country rack their brain to come up with something different to show Mom how much they love her. Flowers, candy, and breakfast in bed are all appreciated, but sometimes it is fun to keep Mom on her toes with a unique surprise. To give mom the ultimate Mother’s Day gift, […]
You may not spend a lot of time thinking about the quality of the solder joints that form the connections of the copper pipe fittings in your home until something happens. However, we know that quality connections are what keep you from coming home to find standing water on the floor due to a plumbing […]
It is not unusual, especially in older homes, to experience the occasional plumbing leak here and there. Older fixtures and pipes that were installed long ago tend to wear down and drip. You may hear your toilet running on and off, even long after it was flushed. If this sounds familiar, you will need a […]
Oh, the joys of spring. After a long, cold winter, the first warmth of spring is a refreshing escape. It also signals the annual onset of spring cleaning. It is time to clean out the closets and put the screens on your windows. It is also an excellent time to complete an annual check on […]
While homeowners have many options available for how they can heat their home, radiant floor heating can provide many benefits over other heating methods. One of the most popular benefits of radiant floor heating is how drastically this heating method can cut down on one’s heating costs. In fact, radiant heating is so energy-efficient that […]
Homeowners always have something they want to improve in their home, but often plumbing gets last priority. As long as there is water coming out of the pipes, it is hard to justify putting money into the system. Unfortunately, older pipes are often a problem waiting to happen. If you have older plumbing in Queens […]
You might not think twice when you turn the faucet on your sink to wash your hands, and there is a spit and a sputter of air coming out of just before the water. It is just air in the line, right? However, did you know the air in your water line is likely a […]
This is the time of year when having a reliable 24 hour plumber NYC available is of the utmost importance. As winter rages on outside, the cold begins to push its way deeper and deeper into the ground, often finding its way to water and sewer lines and even pipes situated close to exterior walls. Those […]
When your plumbing gets clogged up, overflows or flat-out bursts, you are going to need the services of a licensed plumber to get things working again. A quality, licensed plumber can fix your plumbing problem quickly and efficiently. When that plumber’s truck pulls up outside, you know that the Calvary has arrived. However, there are […]
Wendy has over 10 years of experience in customer service and has been with Kew-Forest Plumbing since early 2020. She holds the position of Administrative Assistant and takes care of the accounts receivable collections. Her other duties include customer service: answering calls, scheduling jobs, filing, and assisting where needed. She’s also responsible for organizing service calls and the associated paperwork for Local Law 152 gas pipe inspections. Wendy is bi-lingual and is a great asset in communicating with our Spanish-speaking clients. Wendy is kind and courteous ensuring a happy customer, is a repeat customer.
Sharon DeCoursey
Office Manager / Bookkeeper
Sharon is proud to be an integral part of Kew-Forest Plumbing’s team since 2001. She has over 30 years of experience in customer service and prides herself on her career with Kew-Forest starting as an administrative assistant and working her way up to Office Manager and Bookkeeper. Her daily responsibilities include: overseeing the administrative office staff, AP and AR, benefits, banking, human resources and payroll. Sharon also handles some of the larger accounts, and takes care of invoicing for the certified payroll accounts. She provides support to both Darren and Paul in making sure the business runs smoothly and is the back-up support for customer service and setting up service calls. Sharon brings to Kew-Forest her strong work ethic, kindness and desire to help others making it a pleasant and positive work environment.
Michelle Gutierrez
Administrative Asst. / DOB Liaison
Michelle has over 21 years of customer service experience. She has worked in the plumbing field for more than 18 years, and has been with Kew-Forest Plumbing for almost 10 years now. Michelle has experience with various office duties, ranging from dealing with customers to scheduling appointments for service work and organizing annual RPZ testing and boiler inspections. Michelle is also our DOB liaison. She handles job filings, sets up inspections, and manages paperwork & knowledge of the DOB electronic filing system in order to obtain permits for various jobs, such as new construction, renovations, & conversions. Michelle also deals with the NYC DEP for cross connection-related work & water meter permits. Through her diligence, professionalism, & overall caring attitude, Michelle ensures that a Kew client is always treated respectfully and courteously in every aspect of her job.
The area known today as Maspeth was chartered by Dutch and English settlers in the mid-17th century. The Dutch had purchased land in the area known today as Queens in 1635, and within a few years began chartering towns. In 1642 they settled Maspat, under a charter granted to Rev. Francis Doughty. The name “Maspeth” is derived from the name of Mespeatches Indians, one of the 13 main Indian tribes that inhabited Long Island. It is translated to mean “at the bad waterplace” relating to the many stagnant swamps that existed in the area.
A September 11 Memorial has been erected at 69th Street and Grand Avenue to commemorate the local firehouse’s casualties from the World Trade Center, which were the largest of any FDNY unit. The monument, adjacent to the sunken Queens-Midtown Expressway is oriented towards the WTC site, where the Freedom Tower is now visible from Maspeth. An annual memorial ceremony is held at the monument on September 11th. [courtesy wikipedia.com]
By the mid-nineteenth century, Fresh Ponds was a thriving German farming community. In 1860, George C. Schott, a developer, was given a large amount of land in Fresh Ponds as repayment for a debt. He renamed the land Glendale after his hometown in Ohio. Nine years later, one John C. Schooley, a real estate agent, bought a substantial amount of property and also called it Glendale.
Glendale was renowned for its many authentic German restaurants, namely Zum Stammtisch (The Family Table), Von Westernhagen’s, and Hans Gasthaus. However, in the last decade all but Zum Stammtisch have closed doors for good. Stammtisch can be found highly regarded in most New York City tour guides even though it is located in an outer borough. [courtesy wikipedia.com]
The area was settled around 1816 by people of English descent and was named in the early nineteenth-century for its location as the midpoint between the then towns of Williamsburg, Brooklyn and Jamaica, Queens on the Williamsburgh and Jamaica Turnpike (now Metropolitan Avenue), which opened in 1816.
Four national historic districts were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983: Forest-Norman Historic District; Grove-Linden-St. John’s Historic District; Seneca-Onderdonk-Woodward Historic District; and Woodbine-Palmetto-Gates Historic District. [courtesy wikipedia.com]
Originally, Ridgewood was part of the Dutch settlement Boswijk (Bushwick) and was later incorporated into the village of Breuckelen (Brooklyn).
A legacy of this past stands today; Onderdonk House, which was erected in 1709. The house is the oldest Dutch Colonial stone house in New York City. Also located at the Onderdonk House site is Arbitration Rock, which was a marker for the disputed boundary between Bushwick and Newtown and essentially Brooklyn and Queens.
Ridgewood has also served as location shoots for numerous major motion pictures, including The French Connection, The Wanderers, Brighton Beach Memoirs, The Jerky Boys: The Movie, Beat Street and Cop Out. In addition to these movies, scenes for The Sopranos were filmed on Fresh Pond Road in Ridgewood on March 9, 2006, when a hookah bar next to the neighborhood bar, Glenlo’s Tavern was detonated. [courtesy wikipedia.com]
Darren Lundin
President
Darren is a fourth-generation New York City master plumber and has over 38 years of plumbing, heating, and sprinkler experience. He is a graduate of New York institute of Technology with a BA degree in Industrial Engineering. Darren is an active member of the New York City Master Plumbers Association and is currently on the board of directors. Darren was raised with a strong work ethic, and he now applies those values to his company. He has carried on his family’s legacy and has continued to build his business based on honesty, reliability, and excellent customer service.
Paul Lundin
Vice President
As a fourth-generation New York City master plumber, Paul has been working in the plumbing and heating industry himself for over 34 years. New York City Licensed Master Plumber #1806. New York City Licensed Master Fire Suppression Contractor #935B. New York State Certified Backflow Prevention Device Installer/Tester #3428. Paul, also being raised with a strong work ethic, continues to apply these values to his company. He has also carried on his family’s legacy and has continued to build his business based on honesty, reliability, and excellent customer service. From the smallest repairs to the largest plumbing/heating/sprinkler projects, he is ready to serve with pride.
William Wagner
Assistant Vice President
Bill, a New York City Licensed Master Plumber (#1498), has been working with Kew Forest Plumbing and Heating for over 42 years now. Bill is a job estimator for large commercial and residential jobs in New York City. He has a detail-oriented, specialized knowledge of the residential and commercial plumbing industry.