We have done three backyards (one brick, the other pavers) using concrete as a base with concrete between the bricks. No sand involved. It is a waterproof solution and doesn't move or shift. One of them is now over 10 years old and has zero problems. There are many ways to go.

Posted by: LM at September 8, 2009 3:40 PM in response to How to Brick a Patio?

Keep in mind that it may have been a heat pipe if the house has hot-water heating.

Posted by: LM at August 27, 2009 12:02 PM in response to Repairing Frozen/Burst Pipes

This is the BEST block of Sunset Park. The nicest houses. I lived three blocks away for a few years - very nice area to live in.

Posted by: LM at August 26, 2009 4:12 PM in response to House of the Day: 552 47th Street

Beautiful block, great opportunity for someone. I would if I could. Go check it out.

Posted by: LM at August 26, 2009 4:06 PM in response to Foreclosure of the Week: 130 Lincoln Road

Congrats to Lincoln 2 as the block is known to us fellow residents of Prospect Lefferts Gardens.

This has always been my nomination for most beautiful block in the neighborhood.

Posted by: LM at August 5, 2009 6:40 PM in response to Closing Bell: Greenest Block in Brooklyn

My family and so many of our friends rented bungalows on Beach 24th - Beach 26th streets for many consecutive summers. I spent my summers there as a boy in the late 50's and early 60's. Many fond memories of great times living simple lives on the beach. There were men who would walk the beach carrying two brown paper shopping bags - one for potato knishes, and the other for kasha knishes.

There is no going back to those times, of course. But, the bungalows could still be heaven for middle class families if they had been preserved.

My grandfather had a similar bungalow on Midland Beach in Staten Island in the 20's and 30's and my father spent his boyhood there.

What a stupid waste of unique places to build priceless memories.

Posted by: LM at June 19, 2009 1:32 PM in response to The Last of the Bungalows

Mother-inlaw suites that have kitchens and full baths may well be seen as apartments by the DOB. You need to check.

Posted by: LM at May 22, 2009 8:30 PM in response to 2 Family Conundrum

Sounds like you'd like to make a 1 family house into a two unit condo. I would suggest looking outside the Manor, there are a lot of fine houses in PLG that would be better prospects.

Posted by: LM at May 22, 2009 3:11 PM in response to 2 Family Conundrum

Eddie is honest, friendly and reasonable in a field of profit sharks. We bought doors and fireplace plates and anything else we could find that we needed. Strong recommendation.

Posted by: LM at May 20, 2009 10:53 AM in response to Eddie's, Up Close and Personal

The Associated super market is on Flatbush and Fenimore. It is as good if not better than the Key Food on Seventh Ave in Park Slope (we shopped both in the last couple of days) and the owner is very appreciative of customer feedback on missing items, etc. There is Kdog as well as a Duncan Donuts and another coffee shop within a couple of blocks. This isn't Park Slope, but it is friendly and convenient and many blocks are quite lovely. We like it and many friends who do as well.

Posted by: LM at May 18, 2009 2:58 PM in response to House of the Day: 207 Fenimore Street

I love modern architecture, don't you? It's all urban renewal all the time for me. Maybe we'll be lucky and they will make this the model for model housing. Park Avenue is put to shame.

Posted by: LM at May 1, 2009 11:28 AM in response to It Came From 4th Ave!

The parking meters should be replaced by muni meters as this will allow tighter parking on a street that needs it.

Posted by: LM at April 24, 2009 11:25 AM in response to Good News for Montague Trees

Welcome to PLG. It sounds like you worked hard to get here and I hope you will be as happy as we are. It is a great neighborhood and getting better all the time. We too put 10% down with our offer because we were so thrilled to get our house and wanted to lock the deal in tight. It worked out fine and hopefully it will for you as well. We are on the house tour this year so maybe we will see you here.

Posted by: LM at April 9, 2009 2:34 PM in response to Can a Seller Change His Mind?

I would like to be wrong about that but Williamsburg and Greenpoint and the Heights even aren't all that close and many people head towards Manhattan rather than into Brooklyn.

Posted by: LM at February 13, 2009 11:33 AM in response to Prospect Park Alliance Details $60 Million Project

Always great to see significant investment in Prospect Park. I would guess that many Brownstoner readers haven't spent much (if any) time there. Any sunny day is a good day to do it. And while you are in the neighborhood - check out PLG, the corner of the park being discussed in this article is the one bordering PLG. Just take the Q train to the Prospect Park or Parkside station and there you are. Of course you shouldn't forget the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens while you're here.

Posted by: LM at February 13, 2009 10:44 AM in response to Prospect Park Alliance Details $60 Million Project

At this price it starts to look interesting and Nostrand is a lively shopping street with good subway access. Plus if you work at Downstate Medical Center you could walk to work. Of course it isn't prime Lefferts Gardens... but it is pretty cheap.

Posted by: LM at February 12, 2009 1:32 PM in response to House of the Day: 316 Maple Street Revisited

Religious terrorism, plain and simple. Noise like that is used as a means of torture by the US military. The city should re-visit it's policies on this as I don't see how any person or group has the right to inflict its "message and mission" on the neighborhood at any time of day.

LM

Posted by: LM at February 10, 2009 11:47 AM in response to Turn It Down! Church Blasts Bed Stuy Neighbors

Losing another antique store is just too predictable. They are the first to go when times get tough.

Posted by: LM at October 24, 2008 3:55 PM in response to Streetlevel: Cell Phones in Place of Antiques

Over a Million more than yesterday's larger house of the day in PLG. Yeah I know all about location, but are the locations all that different?

Posted by: LM at September 9, 2008 1:36 PM in response to House of the Day: 293 Prospect Place

OK, property isn't flying off the streets, but I know of 4 houses in Lefferts Gardens that sold in the last year. Three of them are on the same block as 30 Midwood. Probably there were a few more that I don't know about.

Also, if you look at BHS and Corcoran websites there are only 4 houses in total that are in prime PLG, this indicates a shortage of properties for sale - owners are holding off in this tough market.

Posted by: LM at September 4, 2008 11:50 AM in response to Open House Picks: Six Months Later

NYC87

Sorry, I have no idea what block this is on, but thanks for pointing it out - perhaps the most droolworthy property I've seen this year.

Posted by: LM at August 29, 2008 6:51 PM in response to Open House Picks Open Thread

Whatever it will look like, it is too damned big. Three hundred sixty units in one building is beehive living, not Brooklyn living.

Posted by: LM at July 23, 2008 2:44 PM in response to Development Watch: 388 Bridge Street

Clearly, there are many people still buying real estate in Brooklyn. The market is appears to be in pretty good shape comparatively. Unless all these buyers are stupid or ridiculously rich and uncaring they see long-term value in these properties. I would credit the buyers (and sellers) with at least average intelligence and with being very aware of the market forces they are facing.

If the banks and related financial institutions do not die of terminal greed, this will bubble will deflate at a livable rate and the country will work its way through this as it has done with other asset bubbles in the past.

As has been said many times on this board - these are homes, not merely investments and you gotta live somewhere.

Posted by: LM at July 22, 2008 6:11 PM in response to How long before the implosion of the Mutant Real Estate Asset Bubble?

Just a ditto on safety here. We have never felt threatened or experienced any problems, I would compare it favorably to our last home on the upper west side of Manhattan.

Posted by: LM at July 22, 2008 5:56 PM in response to what's the real deal on crime in Lefferts Manor?

For that price I'd want a 25 footer. Also, with a large deck behind the very large extension, there isn't much room for much of a garden, unless the deck allows light and air a plenty at the ground level. Price chop is in order.

Posted by: LM at July 14, 2008 2:15 PM in response to House of the Day: 615 2nd Street

From bleh to cool to greedy to chain store bleh. All in a heartbeat A bad tale retold by dozens of streets in NYC. Where have all the flowers gone?

Posted by: LM at July 1, 2008 11:03 AM in response to Closing Time on Smith Street; Redevelopment Comin'

We installed shower doors on two claw foot tubs. This is difficult because the tubs are rounded and not attached to the walls at any point.

We used corian to build a waterproof bridge from wall to tub and Bear Glass installed the glass doors. The cost was about $2400 for
the installed doors on the two tubs.

The results are very pleasing.

Posted by: LM at June 25, 2008 10:42 AM in response to Frameless glass shower door? (Or just glass)

Nice house, subway on the corner, cheap eats, fun walking on Fifth ave.

This house would have been in the high 200's 8 years ago, get in when you can.

Posted by: LM at June 24, 2008 1:47 PM in response to House of the Day: 467 45th Street

This is lovely. Easy living in the air. A brownstone really can't compare - just look at the layout and the room sizes. If you got the means this place has the goods.

Posted by: LM at June 18, 2008 2:40 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 35 Prospect Park West

This is a very well understood hazard to anyone who does any form of trench digging. This guy should be prosecuted to the full extent possible.

Posted by: LM at June 12, 2008 1:11 PM in response to Blood on the Hacks: Developer Charged With Manslaughter

Wow, can I just buy the furniture and draperies? I think a big beach fire would be lovely, don't you?

Posted by: LM at June 11, 2008 11:07 AM in response to Luxury, Brighton Beach Style

One of the great things about classic large buildings is the soaring first floor. This idea seems to have been lost, much to the degradation of current architecture. High ceilings on the first floor allows for inspirational commercial spaces and beautiful lobbies. Oh well.

Posted by: LM at June 4, 2008 12:07 PM in response to New Entry in the 4th Avenue Development Game

Probably inevitable that 189 the neighboring property to 185 be developed as well. There hasn't been any construction on the 185 site yet as far as I have seen, so the question is will the two plots be combined and a large building put up or will this be two thin towers?

Posted by: LM at May 2, 2008 11:32 AM in response to PLG 8-Story Apartment Could Get A Sibling

Curb cuts are selfish, ugly, and remove areas for plants and trees.

Cars are a hassle, those of us who own them know that and many feel it is a shared burden not to be relieved by removing a shared space to create a private one.

Posted by: LM at April 28, 2008 11:15 AM in response to Clamping Down on Curb Cutting

Welcome to PLG.

Posted by: LM at April 24, 2008 9:51 AM in response to 'Lakeside Center' Plans Revealed

Wow! World class vitriol from a bunch of blog suckers who have never seen that block, and chances are have never spent more time in Sunset Park than the subway takes to get through it.

I have lived there for many years, and it is absolutely true that there are many fine brownstones being defaced by commercial additions on the front, or garages dug into the ground floor or just demolished.

It is also true that so many buildings suffered from false stone and aluminum siding "improvements" in previous decades.

That all said, it is a beautiful neighborhood, quite diverse and easy living. There is room in it for new buildings and plenty of them going up, there is also a need to preserve the fine blocks that make it a pleasure to take a walk.

Posted by: LM at April 23, 2008 12:28 PM in response to Unprotected Sunset Park Being Destroyed Bit by Bit

Beauty is costly. Clearly priced to the limit, it would be very hard to duplicate at any cost. I hope they get it.

Posted by: LM at April 15, 2008 2:14 PM in response to House of the Day: 614 2nd Street

Really, it looks worse in person. This is a gray box that fades from site and memory as quickly as possible. Architecture should be inspirational, not deathly dull. I hope that it is boycotted by the buyers.

Posted by: LM at April 12, 2008 12:11 PM in response to Development Watch: 200 Livingston Facade Almost Done

Tear down the walls to the bedroom and combine it with the lr as a large lr/dr, make the dr the br. Reverse the fixtures in the bath somehow to move the door to face the lr. After $100k rennovation, you have a nice $300k apt.

Posted by: LM at April 10, 2008 1:10 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 469 Eastern Parkway

What is the origin of this entry? Is this original reporting including the interview of Gabriel Willow? Impressive. But I can't help but get the feeling that on a slow news day in a slow news week it is always good to put in an article on PLG in the hopes of sparking some bilious entries.

Posted by: LM at April 4, 2008 11:15 AM in response to Glassy PLG Tower Bad News for Birds, Says Expert

I understand that 66 Midwood sold for about 1.3MM it needs quite a bit of work but is a beauty.

Posted by: LM at March 31, 2008 9:56 AM in response to Open House Picks

This site is gaining editorial strength, impressive. I second the idea that an economic perspective would be valuable, perhaps picking up some postings from Calculated Risk or something like it.

Congratulations to Sarah from a fellow PLG'er

Posted by: LM at March 26, 2008 5:21 PM in response to Sarah Ryley Joins Brownstoner Squad

Nice modern look using classic materials. To my eyes this is a good middle class building and I would welcome it to my neighborhood.

Posted by: LM at March 18, 2008 11:39 AM in response to Checking in on 364 St. Mark's Avenue

I welcome Housing Works to the flea. I like shopping there and this gives me another way to do that. Of course, they are a very worthwhile organization and hopefully they will also be taking donations there.

Posted by: LM at February 26, 2008 3:27 PM in response to Read Alert

Flatbush Avenue is the Broadway of Brooklyn (apologies to the actual street of that name in Brooklyn). It should be a shopping bonanza from one end to the other, and it shoud evolve quickly to reflect the changing neighborhoods it passes through and the changes in retail.

Welcome to the new mall.

Posted by: LM at February 21, 2008 11:13 AM in response to Flatbush Junction Target Coming Soon

My wife thinks it's horrible, but I like it. There is symmetry, flow, interesting windows going up. There is a bit of the cathedral to it, don't you think. Scratch the balconies so the front is smoother and this building would sing. I think that in five years people will really appreciate it.

I don't get it, people hate simple fedders shit-boxes but then reject a building that obviously cost real money to build and has personality, you just can't win for losing.

Posted by: LM at January 25, 2008 6:50 PM in response to Verdi's Sales Like Its Architecture: Ugly

Hi I have recently have a pipe problem and I contact Favian B. He was good efficient, resonable and clean.
Good lock
favian Plumber 347 234-3818

Posted by: Inti at August 29, 2009 9:13 PM in response to Repairing Frozen/Burst Pipes

I second what tyburg says. The point of digging down the 10 inches as Juno suggests is to create a stable base for the bricks with the aggregate (stones) and sand. If your existing concrete is fairly even, it already creates that base but you will need the sand to sweep in the joints of the brick or pavers. The layer of sand between depends on your concrete's condition. If it's in great shape, you may not need it. You can see a job of pavers being laid over concrete on the Greenwood Heights reno on the Brownstoner site in the entry titled:

Stone and gravel galore: days five and six.

Laying pavers is really easy- it's just heavy work. Wear gloves- it really roughs up the hands. My husband and I have done it a few times. Having the concrete base will make the job go way faster than dealing with the stone base. The one drawback is that it's not permeable and the stone base is much more so. It does help with runoff. As far as getting rid of some of the concrete for planting areas, you can rent a concrete saw to cut the shape for the beds and a jackhammer to break up the concrete you don't want. Just know that cutting curves with a concrete saw is difficult.

Diana
Fun City Design

Posted by: kensington gal at September 8, 2009 3:51 PM in response to How to Brick a Patio?

I hope you have some non-paved area in the yard for rainwater. The advantage of the method used by Juno106's contractor is that the brick patio over rock and sand will absorb some rainwater as opposed to sending it straight to the sewer. More hard surface = more runoff.

Posted by: jmcg at September 8, 2009 4:42 PM in response to How to Brick a Patio?

We had J&L Landscaping on Caton Ave do a bluestone patio in out backyard. They had to hammer out a lot of concrete and remove it then they did it right pitching away from house with sand below. We loved the quality of their work.
Larry Barberi is the owner 718.438.3199 cell 917.217.2497

Posted by: remyching at September 9, 2009 4:23 PM in response to How to Brick a Patio?

i can help if you if you like, im looking for small projects to keep busy.
http://gardentypestudio.blogspot.com/

Posted by: the jibb at October 9, 2009 1:39 AM in response to How to Brick a Patio?