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Trees in Bed-Stuy’s Saratoga Park Marked?
Passing through the park on the way to the elevated this morning, saw about seven trees that had “caution” tape wrapped around them and a yellow dot spray-painted on each.
Did not see any Parks Dept. staff to ask, but thought maybe someone on Brownstoner might know what this all means for these trees?
04/22/2011 5:05 PM
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Anyone Have Sash(es) Like This One?
I was trying to repair the locking clips on the lower sash of one of my 1985-era aluminum frame double pane storm windows, when I stepped away for a few tools, and it fell into the room and the glass crashed into a million tiny pieces. So, I am trying to find a temporary (read: 2 years) replacement.
I think these old drafty type windows are removed by people replacing them all the time and are put to the curb. So, strangely, they seem difficult to find because I guess no one thinks that anyone wants them.
My lower sash is 2 1/2′ X 3 1/2′ (30″ W X 42″ H). I can find no brand name on them anywhere.
Does anyone have one of these or am I searching for a needle in a haystack?
(I am planning a brick-to-brick replacement in a few years and so, in the meantime, I have to make these anachronisms work.)
Thanks, everybody.
04/21/2011 10:45 AM
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Refinishing Parquet Floors
About to start looking for someone to do this (sanding and finishing) for my parquet floors.
I’ve read re-doing parquet is different from re-doing regular wood floors (where the grains all flow in one direction), and am assuming that this makes it a more expensive job.
Can anyone give me an idea if this is the case?
Also, can anyone give me an avg. per-sq.-ft. cost for re-doing parquet floors?
Thanks.
03/03/2011 11:45 AM
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Architecture as Presidency
A friend and I were down at the DOB today researching his house. We submitted his block and lot numbers and waited the 20 minutes for the folder to come up from the basement. When it did, we walked to the waiting room to review the drawings, documents, actions, &c. When he pulled out the architectural drawings for the 1909 extension on his house the name of the architect stood out in a bold way. It was GEORGE W. BUSH! Anyone have any info on this guy? My friend figured that he was right in believing that our last president was a vampire! 
02/11/2011 8:52 PM
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Main Line Vent Problem
The radiators at the back of my house refuse to warm as quickly as those at the front. I was going to buy all new vents for them, but I thought that the problem might be the main line vent in the cellar. So I went down and checked this.
I noticed that this main vent is installed at a 45 degree angle from the main at the very end of the main at the angle where the pipe then drops to become the wet return. This main vent is a Hoffman No. 40 and it shows the signs of rusty water having dripped from its air vent and from around its base. When the system was on the other day, I saw water oozing out from these locations.
With my limited knowledge of steam systems and plumbing in general, I thought that the problem may be one (or a combination) of the following: 1) a partially clogged wet return, 2) a bad main vent, or 3) a main vent that needs to be repositioned vertically and raised a bit so that it is not directly attached to the main. (I’ve read that these main vents should be higher to keep them away from the condensate returning to the boiler?)
Can anyone advise me with any degree of confidence what it seems that I may be dealing with and how I can address it?
01/24/2011 1:45 PM
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Seller Wants to Sell Me His Oil
About to close on a house. The seller wants me to buy his oil. My attorney says that this is a normal expectation when buying/selling a house. My question is – what rate should be used – the current going rate or the rate from the date of the sale? The reason I ask is that the tank was filled as an “emergency repair” through HPD and the total paid is viewable online. Seems like a simple answer, but I want to be forearmed. Tanks.
10/04/2010 3:09 PM
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Original Built-in Dressing Areas
I am writing about those built-in dressing rooms/areas that exist usually in the centers of the floors with bedrooms in unrenovated brownstones. I’ve noticed that some folks doing renovations keep them and just spruce them up. Others tear them out and make usable space where they used to be. First of all, are these architectural details original to the buildings? If not, about what period were they added? Is there a generally accepted practice with regard to these during renovations? Has anyone here felt pangs of guilt removing them? Thanks!
07/17/2010 4:43 PM
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466 dad
May 21, 2012 | 02:16 PM