BrooklynCouch's Profile
- BrooklynCouch@aol.com
- 1998
- 2007
- Brooklyn
- Park Slope
- Co-op
- Attorney
- Male
- 44
Author's Posts
September 18, 2009
The Upstairs Thumping Floor
Is it possible that a new wood floor can be installed in a way, an improper way, such that the new floor transmits sound, or rather the THUMPS of foot steps much more than it should? My new upstairs neighbor in my PSlope "brownstone" has begun driving me crazy with the thumps of his floor/my ceiling; I am trying to figure out why this would have not occurred with the prior upstairs tenant who was, actually, a larger person. Additional fact: I live on the third floor; Thumper is upstairs on the 4th floor, which was added decades after this 1980's building was built.
The followup question is how likely are carpet/rugs to reduce the thumping?
Thanks!
May 16, 2009
Help chose a white for my bath
Call me obsessed, but I am looking for nominations for a white paint color for the beadboard, ceiling and door frame of my bath.
Variables: the walls are schduled to be a pale green, BMoore's soft fern. The floor is white, ceramic hexagonal tile with a middle-gray grout. The bath tile is a shimmer-y white, and the tub is also white. Looking for a soothing white, probably to be rendered in BMoore's Aura. For bonus points, what level of gloss for the beadboard and door frame?
March 17, 2009
Savvy Paint Store?
I want to customize some paint, i.e., make a color I almost like the color I like. Does anyone know of a paint store with a chromatically literate staff person? OK, specific issue: making BMoore color Soft Fern 2144-40 a little more pale....Thanks.
March 8, 2009
Someone to drill/hinge new door
What should it cost to finish a "raw" pine bathroom door, and can someone recommend someone who can do it for a reasonable price.
March 3, 2009
Looking For Used "Bistro Table"
Is anyone aware of a supply business, probably in Manhattan, but who knows, who might have bought up the tables of a French-ish restaurant; one of those round metal/iron based, stone-topped tables one assiciates with French cafes and restaurants? Thanks.
February 22, 2009
Woodworker to Copy Table Legs?
I am looking for someone who can create copies of two table legs. The table is from the Door Store (modern, square in shape; a machined proposition).
Now why do I want copies? Actually, I want copies that at about 2ft. shorter that will rest on a piece of marble on (an almost never used) radiator that's flush with my livingroom "V" windows; this will allow the table to get much close to the windows and free up over a foot of, essentially, wasted space.
February 15, 2009
Historic-ish lighting Not $$$$$?
I love this store's light fixutures, http://olampia.com/ but I can't spend hundreds of dollars on lighting for my bathroom renovation. Other than Pottery Barn, can someone recommend a source; a local store or web site?
February 3, 2009
granite countertop scraps: where
Could anyone suggest a place in Brooklyn that might have some small pieces of granite, say 10-12 sq. ft. that could be cut into several smaller pieces to cover my existing countertop (pending saving enough for my future little kitchen reno)? Also, what might cutting 10-12 sq. ft. into three or four smaller pieces cost? Thanks.
January 27, 2009
Stone Floorboard Discovery?
At the suggestion of a contractor, I scraped a bit of the paint off the floorboards at the base of the walls in my Park Slope bathroom. To my surprise, the bit of exposed surface is smooth, and would seem to be stone--marble? These "boards" are roughly 6" wide, and about an inch thick. Is it plausible in one of the buildings between 8th and 7th Aves with the "V" shaped (not bay) windows? Is there a sane way to remove the pain from such stone?
January 14, 2009
New Arrow Const.: Thumbs Up?
These people seem very nice, and their estimate reasonable. Has anyone used them for a job? I am about to have someone demolish at least one of the walls in my coop, retile the bath area, put in a new tile floor and sink...
Author's Comments
Because Brooklyn was a City, whereas Queens was carved out of Nassau County; as to why Bronx, NY exists, I'm guessing that's because the Bronx was pretty empty and undeveloped when it was invented?
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at October 23, 2009 11:41 AM in response to Mailing Addresses: BK vs QNS
My guess is that the floor was negligently installed, and that the owner (tenant is renting from coop owner) is responsible for fixing the floor, or paying for it to be covered so that the noise is bearable; it is currently not.
I am currently asking about the mechanics of why the floor/ceiling has suddenly become "thumpy; not interested in the degree to which I have legal recourse (I do) at this point.
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at September 18, 2009 2:02 PM in response to The Upstairs Thumping Floor
Oh, boo hoo. Lets hope NO projects get "stimulus" money. The morons in DC need to be stopped.
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at August 14, 2009 1:40 PM in response to The BK Projects That Didn't Get Stimulus Help
I forgot I had a can of Decorator White in matte (going to paint stores often results in memory issues...I guess I bought it a few weeks ago); if it's too white, I deal with it later. I am going to go with Dove White for the beadboard, molding, and door.
Gee, I hope latex paint removes relatively easily from ceramic tile and grout.
By the way I've gotten several batches of lousy paint advice from Pintchik--be careful about what they tell you.
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at May 18, 2009 4:01 PM in response to Help chose a white for my bath
By the way, do people often opt for Ceiling white primarily because it drips less, or because a very white white (which I assume it is) works best on a ceiling, or for some other reason?
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at May 17, 2009 11:20 AM in response to Help chose a white for my bath
Thanks for the suggestion. More for the general priniciple than as to this specific color, this color looks pink on the company's web site; does it stay pink when seen on a wall?
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at May 16, 2009 7:06 PM in response to Help chose a white for my bath
Mopar, thanks. The problem/issue is that while I like the color on the paint card, and it even seems to match the color in the photo I used to originally discover the color, it looks/feels too bright when I painted a 1' x 1' square on one of my walls. At times I feel I am going mad.
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at March 18, 2009 8:57 AM in response to Savvy Paint Store?
I'm not even sure if "lighten" or "darken" is what I want; "more pale" is one way to describe my aim. Another is to make the color I mentioned more gray. Another is to make the color more like another color: 1501 Paris Rain. Any feedback welcome...
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at March 17, 2009 6:29 PM in response to Savvy Paint Store?
Doing paint "mail order" sounds insane to me"; it's so subjective. BMoore dealers aren't necessarily savvy; maybe what I really need is an artist or are student...
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at March 17, 2009 6:24 PM in response to Savvy Paint Store?
Yes, and, unfortunately, lots of restaurants must have closed recently: supply must exceed demand ;-( ;-)
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at March 3, 2009 12:07 PM in response to Looking For Used "Bistro Table"
vinca, well, for one thing, the brackets would have to be approx 15" long, and bear a decent amount of weight; also, I'm assuming the that decent legs for what was, probably, a $200 table ten years ago can't cost that much; just seems like the best solution.
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at February 24, 2009 7:16 AM in response to Woodworker to Copy Table Legs?
(cost, including the stone itself, although maybe they'll give away the materials?)
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at February 3, 2009 10:25 AM in response to granite countertop scraps: where
Carpet? Ick. Area rugs, maybe...
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at February 3, 2009 10:22 AM in response to I want to Cover My Parquet Floor
Thanks for the advice. The preliminary question is, however, is this likely marble, or something else; and the greedy question: would this have been original to this 1880's building?
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at January 28, 2009 7:32 PM in response to Stone Floorboard Discovery?
maybe they intend to rent it for films? Or to morons.
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at January 14, 2009 10:51 AM in response to No Takers, 43 Love Lane Now For Rent As Well
Low Talker, I am talking about removing all the tiles and putting up new ones. One of the contractors reviewed positively here was over last night and said it could be done..stay tuned.
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at January 13, 2009 12:33 PM in response to Can Tile Be Removed From a Wall?
I never said the coop didn't have a rule about "this"; I was exploring getting the insurance myself and wondering if the absence of insurance calls into question the guy's "excellent reputation." In any case, I called a Utica Insurance agent who said I could not buy such insurance, so I called the contractor and told him that unless he could get a policy, no go.
Two insured guys, both mentioned on this site, are coming over today and tomorrow.
By the way Ysabelle, I never called you a hypocrite.
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at January 12, 2009 2:35 PM in response to SOS: Contractor sans Insurance
HI. We're talking about what appears to be sheet rock-ish wall on two sides of a bathtub. If it's more labor than demolition, or even close, that ends the discussion, since one must assume some, even minimal water damage may have affected the seemingly sound walls....
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at January 12, 2009 2:31 PM in response to Can Tile Be Removed From a Wall?
HI. We're talking about what appears to be sheet rock-ish wall on two sides of a bathtub. If it's more labor than demolition, or even close, that ends the discussion, since one must assume some, even minimal water damage may have affected the seemingly sound walls....
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at January 12, 2009 2:31 PM in response to Can Tile Be Removed From a Wall?
Ysabelle, you strongly suggest to stay away from uninsured contractors; then suggest I call Utica? Isn't that contradictory? The guy in question, who I will NOT name, has been recommended by people both on Brownstoner and by Park Slope Parents, so I am quite disillusioned that he doesn't have insurance;I'm torn between the recommendations and the lack of insurance. Taking down bathroom walls and putting up new ones isn't brain surgery, but it isn't screwing in a light bulb....not happy me...
In any case, I called three other licensed people this evening; names menitioned here on brownstoner...
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at January 12, 2009 12:45 AM in response to SOS: Contractor sans Insurance
IronBalls, my guess is that he is not interested in getting insured (otherwise he already would be).
Do you know if it's possible for me, as coop owner, to get the needed insurance? What it might cost?
Other contractor recommendations welcome...
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at January 11, 2009 6:26 PM in response to SOS: Contractor sans Insurance
Now all we need is a flip-flop truck...
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at July 17, 2008 8:49 AM in response to Thursday Links
For some reason, the PH blocks, at least those just off of Flatbush, remind me of Boston; much more so that Park Slope. Can anyone figure out why that is?
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at July 14, 2008 3:03 PM in response to Landmarks to Consider Prospect Heights Historic District
I'd like to know the economics of the water taxi; a loss leader? A government shakedown? It wsa pretty empty last Sunday...
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at July 3, 2008 12:50 PM in response to Ikea is Everyday People
I still can't decide if, from here in the North Slope, TJs on Court is any more convenient than TJs near Union Square...
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at June 30, 2008 7:56 PM in response to StreetLevel: Progress at Trader Joe's
Believe me, anyone who is doing 40mph on the bridge, in addition to being an idiot, has a computer on their handle bars to know that they are only going 29mph, which is already a suicidal velocity.
I think they should install a plastic, slightly raised yellow median separating the two sides (triangle/trapazoid profile). This would alert the uninitiated to the existence of a bike and pedestrian sides. Also, more signage. Also, a ticketing system to control the cyclist a-holes amongst us.
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at April 18, 2008 12:26 PM in response to Closing Bell: The Brooklyn Bridge on Two Wheels
Brooklynnative, I call BS on your claim of 40MPH on the bridge, or probably anywhere in NYC.
There definitely needs to be better line signage!
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at April 17, 2008 5:44 PM in response to Closing Bell: The Brooklyn Bridge on Two Wheels
Please kill the anonymous comments. They are killing the forum. Please.
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at April 15, 2008 12:07 PM in response to Commenting Problems, New Server
Is this an April Fools joke? Yikes!
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at March 31, 2008 3:06 PM in response to SOM-designed Toren About to Hit the Market
You reset your browser's preferences to make the gray type black.
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at March 31, 2008 1:33 PM in response to Plan for 3rd Ave Hotel Brings Gowanus Total to 7
Here's a free brilliant idea (since I do not have the millions [or even thousands] to pull it off):
Build a hotel in Staten Island just across from the St. George ferry terminal. The SI Ferry provides free transportation to Manhattan, and the tourists will love it. The land must be cheap.
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at March 31, 2008 1:31 PM in response to Plan for 3rd Ave Hotel Brings Gowanus Total to 7
The cars gotta go underground. Problem is: the subway already is...
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at March 7, 2008 1:05 AM in response to Closing Bell: Competition to Reinvent GAP
March 3, 2008 3:51 PM, I know, but the previous posters left room for the implication that "someone" was just buying normal broadband, and sharing it.
Any idea as to the cost savings of this proposition?
I think a T1 line is a bit overkill here...
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at March 4, 2008 9:31 AM in response to Coop-wide Broadband?
Uh, something tells me that Verizon isn't going to agree to lose seven or eight-tenths of its billing, and just agree to have one account provide broadband for all ten units. Are you sure you are describing a legal arrangement?
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at March 3, 2008 2:39 PM in response to Coop-wide Broadband?
I don't love banks, but I also don't love idiots who think the economy isn't (still)good. Well, I guess somewhat cast all those primary votes for Obama and Hillary....yawn.
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at February 12, 2008 3:00 PM in response to StreetLevel: Bank Signs on for Old Supermarket Space
From the research I've done on the subject, this is bs. If you run your tap water until cold, i.e., flush out standing water, you are not going to typically have any lead problem; a brita-type filter, which I use primarily for chlorine, will eliminate almost everything that's left.
And guess what? The pictured filter doesn't eliminate every lead atom either.
The most compelling reason, at least in Brooklyn, to have a water filter of the kind depicted is that it doesn't need the frequent replacement of a brita filter, and will filter for an entire residence, perhaps.
Plumbers like the filters--gue$$ why?!
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at January 29, 2008 2:27 PM in response to A very good water filter.
Geez. The water here is great, at least in Park Slope. Some minimal Brita-level filtering is sufficient. Just WHAT are you trying to get out of the water?
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at January 28, 2008 1:36 PM in response to A very good water filter.
ignore 1:50 PM. He/she (like they might be a woman!) is a TROLL.
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at January 23, 2008 3:13 PM in response to Who You Gonna Call?
12:28 PM, its obvious why you are anon.
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at January 23, 2008 12:30 PM in response to Who You Gonna Call?
What are you talking about? Tire irons have been plastic for, at least the last 20 years. You don't want metal around a $300 wheel.
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at January 23, 2008 12:19 PM in response to Who You Gonna Call?
I feel obliged to put a dig/thumbs down in for Dixon's on Union in PSlope. Anyone who sells me a tire iron (plastic) that snaps in half can't be trusted with a biycle.
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at January 23, 2008 11:41 AM in response to Who You Gonna Call?
Tear it down, and build the prison someplace else, perhaps near the federal prison on the harbor in Brooklyn. Maybe a new Civil Court could be built there. (I will hold a part when the current horror in Livingston St. is razed!)
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at January 18, 2008 12:05 PM in response to Brooklyn House of Detention Plans Falter
tear it down, and build the prison someplace else, perhaps near the federal prison on the harbor in Brooklyn.
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at January 18, 2008 12:03 PM in response to Brooklyn House of Detention Plans Falter
hint: when someone starts injecting racism into the AY polemic, this subject has jumped the shark.
By the way, not only do I not watch fox news; I don't even own a television.
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at January 14, 2008 9:27 PM in response to Anti-AY Lawsuits: And Then There Was One
But admit it: the experience of working in a Metrotech building is incredibly depressing; Stalin would be proud; going there for depositions feels a lot like suffocation. One has to hope that AY will be nothing like it...
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at January 14, 2008 2:17 PM in response to Anti-AY Lawsuits: And Then There Was One
January 14, 2008 2:00 PM, when Romney, or Rudy or McCain (who I really dislike because he is, for all intents and purposes, a Democrat) wins in November, please frequent Ozzy's on 7th so I can see how depressed and miserable you are. Or send a photo, please: BrooklynCouch@aol.com
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at January 14, 2008 2:09 PM in response to Anti-AY Lawsuits: And Then There Was One
Yes, th United States is run into the ground...lol.
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at January 14, 2008 2:07 PM in response to Anti-AY Lawsuits: And Then There Was One
I don't really want AY, but I am also skeptical of the horror claims; I've already seen how "experts" can create fake disaster scams (examples include human-induced global warming; heterosexual aids fears; bird flu fears; fears that NYC could never get better; fears of economic meltdowns that never happen, etc, etc etc.
As for Newark traffic problems, there's a big difference: Newark is between between NYC and much of the NJ suburbs; most Manhattan commuters don't go through downtown Brooklyn to get to Long Island during rush hour.
In any case, our lovely Democrat-laden political machine has given us/allowed us to have AY, so suck it up, and focus on mobilizing when/if the nighmare traffic you fear actually shows up.
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at January 14, 2008 2:06 PM in response to Anti-AY Lawsuits: And Then There Was One
Interesting, Democrats have largely controlled this city, and most cities for the last fifty years, and obviously you are so happy with the result that you aren't complaining. So obviously, Republicans could only do a worse job. And Rudy didn't improve NYC at all...open your eyes, please.
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at January 14, 2008 1:45 PM in response to Anti-AY Lawsuits: And Then There Was One
Responses to Author's Forum Comments
Thanks a lot for sharing your views and experience on Aquadept, A Very Good Water Filter.I am trying to cut down on water bottles which are not reusable.Thanks for the review.
Posted by: Abner at June 6, 2009 4:12 AM in response to A very good water filter.
Thanks a lot for sharing your views and experience on Aquadept, A Very Good Water Filter.I am trying to cut down on water bottles which are not reusable.Thanks for the review.
Posted by: Abner at June 6, 2009 4:14 AM in response to A very good water filter.
I have noticed that people who did not grow up in NYC have a louder walk. When I was in college my LI and upstate roomates who were mostly on the smaller side sounded like Velociraptors the way they stomped around upstairs. Definitely agree with the heel comment. When you grow up in a row house or apartment you tend to walk with a "lighter" foot.
Posted by: Joe from Brooklyn at September 18, 2009 5:05 PM in response to The Upstairs Thumping Floor
Those Park Slope brownstone coop buildings are so non-sound-absorbing it's ridiculous. They're like hollow wooden boxes between floors that amplify everything. Somebody doesn't even have to have that heavy a step and it thunders down below. Now that we're in a house we hear creaking floors upstairs in our own house but not that loud thundering thumping of footsteps. What if some kind of insulation was sprayed between the floors in the coop buildings, would that work? Seems like there's supposed to be something in there.
Posted by: traditionalmod at September 18, 2009 11:48 PM in response to The Upstairs Thumping Floor
insulation would have to cover completely side to side with no gaps, then it will help, also leaving a gap of air above the insulation is good so the sound has to keep going from medium to medium.
Although adding insulation will mean taking out the floor which in most cases is not an option
I noticed my upstairs neighbor subletted and the new tenant wore dress shoes with a solid heel. this was much louder than the regular tenant who wears sneakers. thick rugs with something under the rug help a lot if placed in the right spots, stopping the noise where it starts which is the best place to stop it.
Posted by: 11211 at September 20, 2009 11:39 PM in response to The Upstairs Thumping Floor
I have some sample of bistro tables. Do send me an email (kee_1031@yahoo.com.sg) if you are interested with the pictures and price.
Posted by: kee1031 at September 29, 2009 3:19 AM in response to Looking For Used "Bistro Table"
You know I always wondered the same thing. Interesting!
Posted by: A CrownHeightsLady at October 23, 2009 12:00 PM in response to Mailing Addresses: BK vs QNS
Let me just say it is totally inconsistent. And note that New York, NY is Manhattan. Even though the other boroughs are also New York.
Posted by: mopar at October 23, 2009 12:09 PM in response to Mailing Addresses: BK vs QNS
Manhattan is New York County. That's why it's New York, NY. (Of course, we're not Kings, NY, because the system is inconsistent.)
I'm sure the reasons are all just the path-dependent nature of big cities. Nobody much cares to take on the political fights involved in rationalizing the nomenclature, so it stays funky.
Posted by: bkrules at October 23, 2009 12:14 PM in response to Mailing Addresses: BK vs QNS
Because Brooklyn was a city when NYC absorbed it and Queens was a combination of many smaller towns and villages.
Posted by: Adam Dahill at October 23, 2009 12:59 PM in response to Mailing Addresses: BK vs QNS
OMG Bob Marvin I had it backwards! Thank you! That explains why the numbered street grid extends into Nassau; I just assumed there was a plan, aborted, to extent Queens County!
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at October 23, 2009 8:29 PM in response to Mailing Addresses: BK vs QNS