Iron Planter Legs

I love the idea of showing these interiors, and have enjoyed seeing how people handle the quirks of modern living in a century-old home. Maybe, it's a bit long - some other blogs seem to continue a thread forever, and it gets boring or hard to follow.

It would be great to see another section, like the forum, where you could show series of rooms. Like others suggested above, different areas would be nice - garden floor kitchens, floor-through apartments, master bedrooms. Maybe two new "rooms" every week - changing the type of room every month. . .

Posted by: Heatherie at August 14, 2007 10:03 AM in response to Parlor Floor Kitchen #9: White-and-Black in Bed Stuy

That would be pretty funny if it were a big joke!

Posted by: Heatherie at August 20, 2007 3:15 PM in response to StreetLevel: CAM Sleep Institute Arrives on 1st Street

We used this system for a 4-family, and really like it. The installation was pretty easy (luckily I had a relative visiting who knew audio-visual equipment, so he when through the wiring with me). http://www.lammensco-usa.com/videodoorphone/index.html?lang=en-us&target=p21.html?lmd=38788.399306

And the monitors are pretty sleek on the wall, and have a mirrored surface when the video is off - So you can check your hair before you open the door, I guess.

Posted by: Heatherie at September 4, 2007 3:58 PM in response to Buzzzzzz

A good heating contractor should do an assessment based on the square footage of your building, layout of radiators and size of radiators to calculate your boiler needs. You can spend the $300 dollars to have it done now, or maybe a reputable place would do it as part of replacing the boiler.

We had it done to see if our system could be balanced better and found out our existing boiler was sized over 50% larger than it needed to be . . . Good to know when we replace it in the next few years.

Posted by: Heatherie at September 26, 2007 3:37 PM in response to how many btu's do i need?

You need a licensed electrician to deal with ConEd and pull the permit with them. And will probably need new control panels and meters. We got an estimate of $5000, but that included some rewiring and cleanup of previous wiring in the basement. My understanding is that ConEd comes out for the meter installation.

Posted by: Heatherie at September 26, 2007 3:40 PM in response to Adding Power to Townhouse

Our first fall we used the company the previous owner had used to service the boiler. For about $150 the emptied a little water out and turned it on. Yipee.

Later in the season, we were having some problems with some radiators not heating appropriately and had Gateway come out and assess the system. We also decided to have them service the boiler. They seemed much more thorough - took out the heating elements and cleaned them, etc. Although they've made some suggestions, they've never pressured or said something has to be changed.

Posted by: Heatherie at October 18, 2007 1:07 PM in response to Fire up the boiler?

Cell phone tower radio waves are intermittant, and the blackberry in someones pocket or cell phone at their ear is almost definitely a much higher dose. Or maybe the wi-fi at starbucks. Of course, it's your decision, but if you love everything else about the apartment, you should really do some research about the potential tower effects. Some people can be alarmists, but probably don't have evidence to back it up.

From the American Cancer Society: "Cellular phones operate at the radiofrequency (RF) part of the electromagnetic spectrum. This is non-ionizing radiation. Other examples of the non-ionizing part of the electromagnetic spectrum include AM and FM radio waves, microwaves, and infrared waves from heat lamps. Unlike x-rays and gamma rays (which are examples of ionizing radiation), radio waves have too little energy to break the bonds that hold molecules (such as DNA) in cells together. Similarly, since RF of this frequency contains relatively low energy, it does not enter tissues. At very high levels of exposure, RF can cause warming of tissues, much as a heat lamp does. The wavelength of cell phone waves is about one foot and the frequency is approximately 800 to 900 MHz, although newer models may use higher frequencies up to 2,200 MHz."

"The energy from a cellular phone antenna, like that of other telecommunication antennas, is directed toward the horizon (parallel to the ground), with some downward scatter."

So, if anyone's still reading, your phone sends the signal to the tower, which then sends it off over our heads. Disclaimer: I'm not a cell phone provider, just an environmental scientist . . .

Posted by: Heatherie at October 24, 2007 9:03 AM in response to Wireless towers on top of co-ops?

I got the GreenGrid pricelist recently, and thought that it was closer to $6 to $7/sq foot for materials. I'm thinking about doing it in the spring. Has anyone had a structural engineer evaluate their roof before putting a lot of weight up there? (i.e. green roof, deck or AC unit)

Posted by: Heatherie at October 24, 2007 9:54 AM in response to Green Roof

From the Planning website "This proposed designation (R6B) would protect the three- and four- story brownstone and rowhouse scale and character of Bedford-Stuyvesant’s residential core."

Sounds pretty good. However, "New development in the proposed R6B district would be required to line up with adjacent structures to maintain the existing street wall characteristics. New multifamily residences in R6B districts must provide one off-street parking space for 50 percent of the dwelling units."

I just don't understand how requiring a parking space or two in front of a building on a side street "preserves the character" of the neighborhood. Plus it also ends up removing one public parking spot. Maybe I'm just a sucker for trees and flowers in front yards. . .

Posted by: Heatherie at October 30, 2007 10:07 AM in response to Council OKs Bed-Stuy Rezoning

I think that's how it will be implemented, because only R6A specifies that parking cannot be in front of the building.

Posted by: Heatherie at October 30, 2007 10:14 AM in response to Council OKs Bed-Stuy Rezoning

I used this great non-profit service today called Rebuilders Source Coop -- a non profit that will pick up usable items from renovations and provide a receipt for tax deduction purposes. They took almost all of our post renovation stuff and saved them from the landfill. 718-742-1111

Posted by: guest at May 29, 2008 11:01 PM in response to radiator covers

Dimension Lumber & Milling
517 Stagg Street
Brooklyn, NY
718-497-7585

Posted by: Steve at May 31, 2008 10:20 PM in response to Molding suggestions

Thanks all for the many helpful suggestions. Our roof is already silver and insulated. I'll definitely explore the timed window fans and solar shade ideas. Does anyone have a model of window fan that they like? Do they come with louvers on the outside to make them weather-proof? And has anyone actually tried the wind-powered roof fans to vent the space between roof and top floor ceiling? Many thanks!

Posted by: leescott at June 3, 2008 6:13 AM in response to Hot Top Floor Options

Parkslopemom,
I have doubled the size of the roof this year, so I am watering the newly planted sedums about weekly until they get established. The ones I planted last year, could do fine without water, except if it is really hot and sunny and does not rain for a week, I go and water them. But generally, that's been the case on only one occasion this year. It's a lot of fun, since I get to see them blooming as well and they have colorful flowers.
In the winter, the plants die down and reappear in the spring. They're perennials.

Heatherie, check out the below link where they have a diagram comparing black tar roofs, cool / reflective roofs and green roofs. We had the reflective coating on ours. But, even then in the summer, the roof would heat and the asphalt / tar would get soft from the heat. Now with the sedum trays on the roof, the asphalt underneath is cool and stays solid. http://www.ssbx.org/greenroofs.html

My green roof was really quite reasonable, since I did it myself. I added about 150 sq ft this year and it cost me $280/-. I already had the sedums, which last year I bought for $150, so I did not have to spend on those, since I just used cuttings.

I will post pics soon.
In the meantime, if anyone wants more info, contact me at: yash7 at aol dot com.

Posted by: ohiise at June 3, 2008 4:23 PM in response to Hot Top Floor Options

UPDATE:
Just had Roto Rooter come in for a free estimate. They said $375 to snake it, I told them that I had another quote of $185 + tax to do it...so the guy said that he would do it for $190 on the spot. I had him do it.
Thanks for all the information!

Posted by: Ann123 at June 5, 2008 12:38 PM in response to Bklyn Plumber to Snake a Drain?

I believe everyone that said your boyfriend is, by default, on a month-to-month rental upon expiry of the previous lease is correct. The thing is, though, this gives the landlord the right to terminate the rental with 30 days notice if he and his tenant can't come to an agreement with regard to the amount of the monthly rent. If the landlord is hell bent on getting the extra rent he could quite easily circumvent the dubious legality of retroactively charging the increase by revising the requested rent increase upwards by $30/month to recoup the $300 over the next 10 months. Of course, the entire matter is subject to negotiation and in that process both your boyfriend and the landlord will be balancing the financial aspects against the hassle aspects of moving / finding a new tenant. And, yes, absent rent control or stabilization the rent increase can be whatever the landlord thinks the market can bear.

Posted by: johnife at July 2, 2008 9:16 AM in response to Raising the Rent - backdating..?

hmmm...if your boyfriend is willing to bear the increase, why doesn't he just tell the landlord that he accepts the increase and will begin paying next month (and he can modify the lease accordingly). i doubt the landlord ever expected to collect the backrent, and they'll be happy he didn't try to negotiate the increase.

Posted by: guest at July 2, 2008 9:41 AM in response to Raising the Rent - backdating..?

if i was your boyfriend, I'd just change the effective date of the lease by hand, sign and return.

No conflict necessary.

Posted by: slick at July 2, 2008 2:03 PM in response to Raising the Rent - backdating..?

maybe the landlord wants him to leave? communication is always the key to a good relationship.

Posted by: guest at July 2, 2008 9:27 PM in response to Raising the Rent - backdating..?

Did the landlord let your boyfriend know of his intentions to raise the rent by $150 once the lease expired? It sounds as though your boyfriend already knew of the increase and just didn't bother to communicate with the landlord about the new lease, just as the landlord was lax about writing up a new one. I still believe, however, that in all decency the landlord should not try to recover the other two months increase and just reflect the new amount in this new lease, and start the new lease term this month ending one year from now with the new rent amount reflected. Hope all works out well for you.

Posted by: fedefedel at July 5, 2008 5:24 PM in response to Raising the Rent - backdating..?