Why not install a recirculating fountain? Maybe a statue that doesn't look like a melted soda can or a tank trap? Or perhaps a public notice kiosk, such that all the poster and sticker people have a legit place to stick all their stuff without mucking up block after block.

Posted by: FenFen at October 8, 2009 4:02 PM in response to Corn Porn in BoCoCa

You should have sufficient service to allow each unit to have a minimum of 60 amp service. Anything more than 100 amp service per unit would be overkill.

Posted by: FenFen at September 22, 2009 2:44 PM in response to 200 Amps enough for 8 unit Coop?

You need to keep calling the police. Either they'll take care of it, or if the situation requires legal escalation into court proceedings the COOP is going to need the police reports.

Posted by: FenFen at September 19, 2009 11:13 PM in response to Ignoring Coop rules

When hiring an architect avoid Robert Scarano like the plague.

Posted by: FenFen at September 9, 2009 9:27 AM in response to Extension Process

Spend the money to have someone like MasterPlumber come in and do the work properly, probably coming up with a new boiler installation, then never worry about it for the rest of your life.

Posted by: FenFen at August 29, 2009 2:48 PM in response to Furnace tune-up or @#*&-up?

Try looking through Signature Hardware first. Waterworks is an overpriced distributor and manufacturer of many products which can be bought for far less elsewhere.

http://www.signaturehardware.com/index1

Posted by: FenFen at August 11, 2009 3:53 PM in response to Re-Enameling Tub?

If you meant chemical stripper the products I mentioned are the way to go. If you want a contractor, the two mentioned above have been used by many people in forums with great satisfaction.

Posted by: FenFen at August 5, 2009 10:49 AM in response to Stripping Entryway Doors

Try Peel Away 7 or Peel Away Smart Strip. Both keep the paint dissolved in a paste which makes it safe to remove lead or other toxic paints without concern for toxic dust. Those strippers are also environmentally friendly and nontoxic themselves.

Posted by: FenFen at August 4, 2009 5:03 PM in response to Stripping Entryway Doors

You might want to look into greyhounds. They handle small indoor spaces for very long periods of time very well and are generally well behaved.

Posted by: FenFen at August 2, 2009 9:50 PM in response to Labrador in brownstone

An architect is not going to risk their license to do something in violation of code for you.

If the seller is encouraging you to break the law and is fudging their net to gross square footage, imagine what else they are hiding or lying about.

I'd walk away.

Posted by: FenFen at August 2, 2009 9:45 PM in response to Illegal Bathroom in Duplex

An architect is not going to risk their license to do something in violation of code for you.

If the seller is encouraging you to break the law and is fudging their net to gross square footage, image what else they are hiding or lying about.

I'd walk away.

Posted by: FenFen at August 2, 2009 9:45 PM in response to Illegal Bathroom in Duplex

The white gunk is efflorescence.

http://www.dumondchemicals.com/html/saveframe.html

Try one of the SAFE N EASY products, I wouldn't recommend using a grinder on brick, unless wants to compromise the integrity.

Posted by: FenFen at August 1, 2009 11:35 AM in response to Cleaning brick?

A person CAN NOT LEGALLY CALL THEMSELVES AN ARCHITECT IF THEY ARE UNLICENSED. If a person refers to themselves as a designer or anything else other than an ARCHITECT, it's because they do not have state certification. If someone uses the term ARCHITECT without a license, notify the state licensing board and the American Institute of Architects, they will be heavily penalized.

An architect, should be carrying insurance for errors and omissions. It shouldn't be too hard to file a claim against their insurance. If they do not have errors and omissions insurance, then quite frankly THEY HAVE NO BUSINESS OPERATING AN OFFICE, and you shouldn't feel bad suing them into oblivion.

Carefully reread the contract you have with the person. Is it a standard AIA contract?

Posted by: FenFen at July 19, 2009 12:12 PM in response to Claims Against an Architect

Sure, when the roof fails and someone fails through, it will be perfectly fine.

Posted by: FenFen at July 3, 2009 6:30 PM in response to Roof Party

With the new number, it looks like the switched over into an internet/phone order business.

Posted by: FenFen at June 21, 2009 9:09 PM in response to tin ceilings

Wait, x-ray machine... doesn't that have radioactive components? I was under the impression it was illegal to sell those without a permit to non medically licensed individuals.

Posted by: FenFen at June 1, 2009 2:02 PM in response to Ritter Dentist Chair

As previously stated it is dependent on the association's bylaws, however it seems like a terrible idea for someone whom isn't a stakeholder in the building to be granted the power to make decisions which effect stakeholders.

Posted by: FenFen at May 5, 2009 7:45 PM in response to Non-Owner Run for Condo Board?

Paint color can dramatically change the quality of light in a room. I'd also check to make sure your ceilings are painted in the purest white. Sometimes they get dingy and it knocks down reflectivity significantly. Strategically placed mirrors to reflect window light can help.

What's outside the window?

Posted by: FenFen at May 1, 2009 10:01 PM in response to Dark dining room, help

UV blocking film, simple and pretty much every hardware store should have some.

Posted by: FenFen at April 28, 2009 4:08 PM in response to Skylight Heat Mitigation?

Peanuts soaked in really cheap bourbon spread work fairly well on a seasonal basis.

Posted by: FenFen at April 21, 2009 7:12 PM in response to Pigeons!

I always found it funny that residents complain about problems caused by other residents and blame the city.

Oh there's trash is the hallways. Who put it there?

Oh the elevator is always vandalized. well who did it?

Oh it smells like urine everywhere. Who can't find a toilet or let the morons into their building with the problem?

Why not take some responsibility as neighbors and not tolerate that behavior?

If these people lived in a privately owned building not subsidized by everyone else, somehow I think they wouldn't be turning a blind eye to their neighbors, or their own, lack of responsibility.

Posted by: FenFen at April 21, 2009 9:58 AM in response to Tuesday Links

Those are interior mortise locks not entry ones. Entry mortise locks have a heavy duty deadbolt with an opening to accept a lock cylinder.

Posted by: FenFen at April 20, 2009 2:05 PM in response to 2-1/4"Backset entry mortise lock

You might want to consider that there might be more than just trash and glass in that soil. People used to think nothing off disposing of household chemicals in their yards and that's without even taking into account lead particles.

If you are planning on gardening anything edible or having your children playing in the soil, I'd recommend having new soil brought in.

Posted by: FenFen at April 14, 2009 9:04 PM in response to Backyard Soil Clean-up

Bags full of minced cedar, the spheres, or disks sold to deodorize closets and keep moths at bay usually help with antique smells.

DON'T USE LYSOL ON ANTIQUE FURNITURE it can cause nasty white spots which will then require you to apply petrol jelly to neutralize.

Posted by: FenFen at March 23, 2009 2:44 PM in response to Discard Smell From Old Furniture

Try contacting the AIA for advice. www.aia.org

Unless you provide more details it's hard to understand exactly what the architect's reasoning is.

Posted by: FenFen at March 14, 2009 5:09 PM in response to Architect Won't Sign Off

"Now that those of us who have been making steady, on-time payments on our mortgages for years will be paying off others’ mortgages through our taxes, can we claim a tax-deduction for our neighbors’ mortgage interest too?"

— Edward G. Stafford

Reader who responded to a Wall Street Journal article.

Posted by: FenFen at February 20, 2009 8:38 PM in response to Angry Renters!

Marine paint is the best stuff for painting fiberglass. It is much more resilient than regular latex or oil based paints for this particular application.

That said, you need to take extra care in painting the windows to not stick up the windows. Carefully applied teflon lubricant (it'll keep the paint and dirt from bonding to the moving surfaces and make the windows glide very easily for a few months) and some high quality painter's tape (the green tape which is even better than the blue at not bleeding) will serve you well.

Posted by: FenFen at February 15, 2009 9:05 AM in response to painting windows

Photovoltaic is out because the people on the top floor have roof rights to area directly over their units.

Right now a few people have added ladder access from locking closets to permit use of small roof decks over their units. Or they've added skylights in kitchens/foyers/etc.

Those whom haven't done so would probably be unhappy to lose their rights to develop parts of the roof over their units.

Posted by: FenFen at February 12, 2009 2:48 PM in response to Cogeneration Feasibility

I see, the cogen system would replace our central water heaters and vent excess heat out the shared stack with the new gas boiler.

Posted by: FenFen at February 11, 2009 10:23 AM in response to Cogeneration Feasibility

The courtyard is completely enclosed and the size of a basketball court. The soot can be terrible when it doesn't rain for several days.

It would probably be prohibitively expensive to change our one pipe system to two pipes for hot water. Additionally everyone's kitchens and bathrooms have heat pipes, so heating with water would require all those spaces to be converted.

Posted by: FenFen at February 10, 2009 3:19 PM in response to Cogeneration Feasibility

The courtyard is completely enclosed and the size of a basketball court. The soot can be terrible when it doesn't rain for several days.

Posted by: FenFen at February 10, 2009 3:17 PM in response to Cogeneration Feasibility

Dual fuel is a problem, because the oil tank is underground and probably won't maintain its integrity much longer. The gas conversion is to lower fuel costs and prevent a costly environmental cleanup in the future.

I'm asking about cogeneration because the buildings currently go through 20k of electricity in the common areas, elevators, exterior lighting, etc. a year. Since the boiler is on for a good part of the year, generating our own electricity could be worthwhile. Well, that is if the cost to install and maintain the system, is recouped by the savings on the common electric bill.

That's part of why I'm asking.

Posted by: FenFen at February 10, 2009 12:59 PM in response to Cogeneration Feasibility

try googling imageshack, host the image there and post the link here.

Posted by: FenFen at February 7, 2009 7:39 PM in response to Bathroom Radiator Grill

Mixing chemicals in a storage tank is a recipe for a disaster. An explosion, poison gas, or toxic waste disposal fine the size of Manhattan will be in the near future if on is reckless enough to do something that stupid.

Take your chemicals to a proper sanitation department hazardous drop off site.

Posted by: FenFen at January 31, 2009 2:31 PM in response to dumping stuff into oil tank

If the quality and coursing of the brick is so dramatically different than that found in the rest of your house, I agree it might have belonged to something else on the site before your house was built.

Otherwise given the location, I'd be highly suspect it might have been used for the underground railroad or some other sort of smuggling.

Try looking into previous owners through city and census records if you can.

Posted by: FenFen at January 30, 2009 4:05 PM in response to Mysterious tunnel

A soft Shhhh is normal, the gurgle and any dripping isn't, meaning the vent needs to be either cleaned or replaced.

A leaky radiator section can be repaired or replaced depending on the type of radiator. Although I'd recommend having the entire radiator sent out for this. A thorough cleaning of the interior works wonders for a century of gunk buildup.

Posted by: FenFen at January 30, 2009 9:58 AM in response to Radiator Disharmony

Having the tub deleaded and perhaps reglazed would cost you around $600.

Otherwise you are looking around $1,100 for a new tub.

http://www.signaturehardware.com
Has one of the largest selections of various types of tubs at fairly reasonable prices. They also have all the typical fittings and accessories you'd want.

I'd STRONGLY recommend having the original tub rehabbed unless it is in terrible shape.

Posted by: FenFen at January 29, 2009 1:07 PM in response to Lead in the Bathtub

Peel Away 7 for porous stones like Marble or you can use their latest Eco Strip stuff. Both are mild enough not to damage the stone, but will remove the paint if you let it dwell for 8-24 hours. They are also environmentally friendly, especially the later, although you will want gloves to prevent skin irritation.

Posted by: FenFen at January 28, 2009 10:07 AM in response to Stone Floorboard Discovery?

I'd advise not wiring smoke detectors in or directly next to kitchens to central monitoring for that reason.

Posted by: FenFen at January 27, 2009 8:03 PM in response to Burglar / Fire Alarm?

Well a few things:

A dog works well for both.

Are you looking for a monitoring company, or merely an electronic alarm as a deterrent?

Is your fire alarm going to be connected directly to central monitoring?

I would also suggest, if financially viable, infrared hi-resolution digital cameras connected to a hard drive which will store up to a month's worth of video. They are a deterrent to some degree, and if anything happens there will be a good chance of catching the burglars. The month's worth of footage to check to see if someone had been professionally casing your place. Such things also work wonders for stolen mail or packages. It also provides a means of checking whom is at the door or in the alley from any TV or alarm panel in your home. Did I mention most insurance companies will also love you?

Posted by: FenFen at January 27, 2009 5:06 PM in response to Burglar / Fire Alarm?

It is a crime when graffiti is sprayed on your property by someone else, without permission, and you then have to pay to clean it off. It's no different than some jerk breaking your windows because they think the broken glass looks cool.

Posted by: FenFen at January 27, 2009 10:45 AM in response to Brooklyn Got 'Tagged' More in '08

Contact the AIA (www.aia.org) or the state licensing board.

Posted by: FenFen at January 26, 2009 3:34 PM in response to Robert Proffitt

http://www.quietsolution.com/html/quietrock.html

Quietrock is one of the better sound proof wall boards, most of it is fire rated as well.

Posted by: FenFen at January 25, 2009 11:40 AM in response to Soundproofing

www.charlestonhardwareco.com

Posted by: FenFen at January 25, 2009 11:38 AM in response to Looking for interior door hinges

www.charlestonhardwareco.com

They do high quality reproductions and custom fabrications at prices which far more reasonable than most other companies. They have a series of mortise locks and probably could fabricate one to your dimensions if it wasn't a fairly standard size in Victorian times.

Posted by: FenFen at January 13, 2009 12:48 PM in response to Antique Door Entry Set Reinstall

Water heaters are heavy and can be a real pain to move. You really aren't paying your plumber to dispose of the heater as much as you are paying to avoid the physical exertion and annoyance of removal. If you are fit and have an easy path to the curb, from your water heater's current location, do it yourself. Otherwise, save yourself the trouble and let someone else do it.

Posted by: FenFen at January 9, 2009 3:22 PM in response to water heater disposal

DO NOT SAND OR USE ANY ABRASIVES ON THE FIREPLACE!

If there is lead, the dust will make you very unhappy a few years down the road and rather immediately you'll be upset about the damage to the surface of the marble.

I'd recommend using Peel Away 7 or Dumond Chemical's latest Smart/Eco strip to safely remove the layers of paint, while safely containing any possible lead and not inducing any harm to the marble. 12-24hrs of the paste sitting on the mantle, gently scrape it off with plastic tools, use dental picks gently for any detailed areas, rise down with water, and enjoy.

Posted by: FenFen at January 8, 2009 2:06 PM in response to Remove paint from marble mantel

IMO = In My Opinion

Posted by: FenFen at January 7, 2009 3:04 PM in response to Advice: which laser level 2 buy?

Thank you for all those links.

http://www.mailboxixchange.com/Whitehall-Products-Monogram-Letter-A-p-6604.html

Has the similar style plate to the tile I remembered seeing. The tiles themselves where glazed green ceramic and I think were linked from a fireplace supply website.

Posted by: FenFen at December 27, 2008 12:08 PM in response to Art Nouveau Letter Tile

If it was sealed fairly flush, I assume the qualities and cleaning agents to be used, would be similar to cork.

Posted by: FenFen at December 26, 2008 11:28 PM in response to Bathrooms and coconuts..

Co-ops, unlike condos, are subject to residential tenancy laws because of the proprietary lease. The five co-op members who are not in violation need to swallow their scruples and contact a co-op lawyer and begin proceedings. As board members you are required to act in the best interests of the corporation, allowing a shareholder-tenant to ignore the provisions of the proprietary lease is not in the best interests of the corporation. Difficult as it will be, in the interest of the corporation, you need to act now. Call the New York Bar Association and ask for the names of lawyers in your area specializing in co-op matters.

Posted by: bohuma at September 21, 2009 7:27 AM in response to Ignoring Coop rules

I would add to the "call the cops" mantra, that you reach out to the community officer at the precinct. Its their job to deal with quality of life stuff and if they catch a wiff of drug related activity will make the responding officers when you do call 911 more engaged.

Sounds like a sucky situation, sorry to hear about it.

Posted by: Brooklyn11218 at September 21, 2009 8:22 AM in response to Ignoring Coop rules

It is not clear what coop by laws she may be violating. But they must be well documented. Then sit down and tell her that the coop WILL go to legal about it. I woudl go that route first. Let her know the coop means business.

Posted by: BH76 at September 21, 2009 9:10 AM in response to Ignoring Coop rules

What coop rules is she violating by her son having friends gathered outside and making noise? If it is inside of her apartment that is 1 thing, but what if was the next door neighbor doing the same thing? What recourse would you have against him?

Best thing is to just call the cops and let them know there is a large group of people disturbing the peace and selling/using drugs. They will come, dispurse the group and keep an eye on them for a while. Eventually they will get the message and find a new location to loiter. You are NEVER going to be able to evict someone because her son gathers his friends outside of the building.

Posted by: newsouthsloper at September 21, 2009 9:44 AM in response to Ignoring Coop rules

Agree that you should warn the shareholder that you plan to take legal action before starting proceedings. Hopefully that will be enough incentive for her to do something about the situation. It can be very expensive and time-consuming to try to evict a co-op shareholder. Here's an article specifically about criminal activity inside of apartments and it does mention that courts are generally more sensitive to the shareholder if it is the child/relative accused of criminal activity and not the shareholder.

http://www.habitatmag.com/publication_content/2009_julyaugust/featured_articles_from_our_print_magazine/criminal_activity_in_apartments

Lastly, since you seem sympathetic to her situation, you may want to consider that calling the police on her son may be much better for her family than evicting her from the co-op would be. If you evict, you will be foreclosing on her apartment (and since we are in a recession this is potentially at a significant financial loss to her). She would have to rent while waiting some type of equity payout from the sale of the unit which could take months/years (if she isn't upside-down on the mortgage). It may financially devastate her for years and years to come, whereas her son getting arrested a few times (if he is engaging in criminal activity) might give a little bit of a wake-up call.

Posted by: setancre at September 21, 2009 10:19 AM in response to Ignoring Coop rules

Reading through again, I would like you (all) to consider that talking to this woman in the context of violating rules and potential eviction may be the worst thing you can do. Outside of expressing your concerns and indicating you will call the police, I think it is a very dangerous game to try to move to evict someone based on "Allegations" of illegal activity. You will open the board up to all kinds of potential exposure incuding, harassment, libel, slander, etc.

You indicate the main problem is the woman's son and friends hanging out IN FRONT of the building making noise and potentially engaging in illegal activity. This is not grounds to evict someone since it is outside of the building in a public area. That is a matter for law enforcement not a coop board.

If you want to confront her based on the noise - fine, she should do something to curb it. But if she does not and you want to move forward with more aggeressive measures, you had better be prepared to provide hard evidence of illegal activity going on IN HER APARTMENT, otherwise you are opening yourselves up to serious legal problems. Frankly I dont see any way you are going to be able to do that without a police raid anyhow.

Simplest safest option is to tell her to curb the noise, and then start calling the police and let them figure out if anything illegal is happening. Trying to evict a coop owner and board member because her son has friends hanging out outside in a public space and accusing her of harboring and facilitating drug deals in the building sounds like an awful mess for a coop to get into.

Posted by: newsouthsloper at September 21, 2009 11:55 AM in response to Ignoring Coop rules

As a longtime co-op board member, I think you need to nip this in the bud right now. Yes, it's great that you're all friends, but this is obviously keeping you all up at night. If she really is in violation of some sort of rule, then your next step is clear. If not, then you need to call the police. I wouldn't threaten to call the police; just do it. If you get any blowback, say it must have been a neighbor.

Posted by: Bolder at September 21, 2009 10:08 PM in response to Ignoring Coop rules

OP, do you have 200 amp 3 PHASE service??? Open the box and see if there are 3 200 amp fuses inside. If this is what you have then you have a lot more than 200amps. Electricians are loath to say 200 amp per phase but that is the layman's rule of thumb.

Posted by: modsquad at September 22, 2009 2:49 PM in response to 200 Amps enough for 8 unit Coop?

Ok, while each unit may have say 60A 220v service, the main for all eight can indeed be not 8x60=480 but, say 300 or 400. Just like each unit may have 10 20A 110v breakers (which tot up to 10x20/2 = 100A 220v) but the main for the unit may be 60A. The individual breakers protect that circuit, but the assumption is (rightly) that ALL breakers will not simultaneously be at maximum load.

Just fyi, most people have no idea what appliances etc draw. A toaster, a microwave, and an iron may draw 1500w (14A); computers are way below that unless you have a HP MEGAMUX printer. Even gas dryers are low. Heating elements in d/w and washers (which should never exist, imo) are very high.

Posted by: cmu at September 22, 2009 9:10 PM in response to 200 Amps enough for 8 unit Coop?

Thank you all for your comments, it's been really helpful I'll pass it on to the Coop members.

Posted by: earthandfire at September 26, 2009 9:10 PM in response to Ignoring Coop rules