Closet/desk estimate?


We have a small 2nd bedroom in which we’d like to install a closet/desk combo. The wall is approximately 8 feet wide with a window in the center. Our plan is that closets would go on either side of the window (to the ceiling– about 9 feet), and a desk top would be installed beneath the window.

We’d like the closets to be solid wood with some decorative trim (molding) to match the feel of the apartment. Has anyone done something similar and is willing to share the cost?

Also, any other ideas for closet/desk combos welcome!

Categories: Carpentry
By 12345 | 04/28/2011 5:19 PM | Comment

12″ Deep Closet?


We have a small 2nd bedroom in which we’d like to build a closet. We have plenty of space width-wise (approx. 7 feet), plenty of height (about 9 feet), but if we put the closet where it will be the least obtrusive, we only have an available depth of 12 inches.

Has anyone installed a closet this shallow? It’s for a guest bedroom, which minimizes the need to use it on a daily basis, but I want to have a fully functioning “real” closet in place for resale value.

Any creative ideas encouraged!

Categories: Storage
By 12345 | 04/19/2010 5:32 PM | Comment

Glass cabinet pulls for sale- $5


13 ribbed glass cabinet pulls, 1 3/4″ in diameter, for sale. Still in original packaging from House of Antique Hardware, and each has a polished chrome base and comes with the hardware needed to install. Here’s the description from the website, which wouldn’t let me steal a photo:

Glittering ribbed glass and gleaming brass make this Victorian-era knob a stylish addition to your home décor. Manufactured in crystal clear pressed glass, this large knob is handsomely scaled for your antique furniture, kitchen cabinets, or built-ins throughout your home. Choose an unlacquered brass or nickel base.

Knob measures approximately 1 3/4″ across and projects 1 3/8″. Rear mounted with a 1/2″ machine screw.

To see a photo, go to:

http://houseofantiquehardware.com/Large-Ribbed-Glass-Cabinet-Knob

$5 each, pickup only, Park Slope or Prospect Heights. Please respond in the comments section if you’re interested!

Categories: Kitchen & Bath
By 12345 | 01/26/2010 9:39 AM | Comment

Cutting Tile for Finished Edge?


We have the pictured 2 inch x 2 inch glass tile as our kitchen backsplash. Our g.c. has tiled most of the backsplash, but needs to have some of the tiles cut in half to finish the edging where walls meet, at corners, etc. The catch is that the tile has a nice, finished edge, and she can’t replicate the look with a diamond glass-cutting blade. Is there a person or glass company that we can take the extra tile to, who will be able to cut them in half and give them a finished edge? Anyone had to do this before?

Categories: Tile
By 12345 | 01/08/2010 6:07 PM | Comment

Gallons of Paint?


Can anyone estimate how many gallons of paint I’ll need for a 740 sq. foot apt? Walls are 9.5 feet high. Am doing primer, 2 coats of color, and glossy white on mouldings.

Categories: Painting
By 12345 | 12/04/2009 9:39 AM | Comment

140 Degrees Hot Enough?


Have learned that our boiler is set at 140 degrees– is that hot enough for a family who likes very hot (and sometimes long-ish) showers?

Categories: Plumbing
By 12345 | 12/01/2009 4:37 PM | Comment

Cleaning Service for Allergies


I have strong allergies to cats, and I’m moving into an apartment where the former resident owned a cat. Has anyone used (or can recommend) a cleaning service that specializes in removing allergens?

Categories: Quality of Life
By 12345 | 11/30/2009 2:28 PM | Comment

Changing Light Fixture


How difficult/dangerous is it change a ceiling lighting fixture? I don’t have much experience and hence have no idea if I’m particularly handy, but I can follow a set of directions pretty well. Is this just a simple change or a more dangerous, electrical project that I should hire someone to do? FWIW, we’re going from a dome fixture to a hanging, chandelier-esque piece.

Categories: Lighting
By 12345 | 11/13/2009 5:41 PM | Comment

Window Alarm?


Has anyone used one of those wireless alarms you stick on a window, and that goes off if the window is opened? I’m moving into an apartment, with a large, ugly, light-blocking grate over the window that leads to the fire escape. I’m going to remove it, but I’d like to have some sort of security feature still there.

Oddly, most Google searches have lead to “pool house door alarms,” which isn’t appropriate, since the pool house in my 740 sq. ft Brooklyn apartment is completely secure.

Categories: Alarm
By 12345 | 11/11/2009 9:44 AM | Comment

Butcher Block Treatment


Due to budget limitations we’re doing oak butcher block counters in our kitchen. Is there anything we can do to make the finish look richer– a certain type of oiling, treatment, etc. that we can do ourselves?

Categories: Kitchen & Bath
By 12345 | 11/09/2009 3:01 PM | Comment