I think the key is to choose a subway tile that has an off-white hue, or antique finish. We used subway tile in a new bathroom we built in what used to be a large closet and airshaft. The doorway has beautiful molding, which we stripped and stained to match the original, and we had the vanity base made of wood and stained it to match. The subway tile we found, at Stone Source in the city (highly recommend them) had a rustic warm feel to it. We loved the result. I'm afraid I don't have a photo handy, but it really goes well with the wood accents.

Posted by: Vanderman at November 15, 2007 11:36 AM in response to Warming Up Subway Tile with Wood?

How about a tutorial on how to wire and install a rooftop antenna, to pull in free broadcast HDTV? (Full disclosure: I Posted this question on the Forum today, but so far no one has commented...does everyone but me in this town have cable?)

Posted by: Vanderman at November 15, 2007 2:33 PM in response to Video: Reigniting The Boiler Pilot Light

According to this website:

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

the signals in my area of Brooklyn are viable, though we live fairly high up, near the highest point in Fort Greene, without major obstructions between us and where the signals are coming from. (plug in your own address on the site and try for yourself, it will give you a map with vectors for each channel, digital or otherwise) You can't get HDTV from an indoor antenna, however, it's got to be a directional antenna on the roof. Most of the major channels come from within a 15 degree spectrum, and apparently that's enough for a directional antenna to handle. I'm just wondering whether anyone has experience with different brands of antennas. My electrician says he doesn't do work "on the roof," so I may be tackling this project on my own.

Posted by: Vanderman at November 15, 2007 4:32 PM in response to Installing a rooftop antenna for HDTV?

What's the digital changeover, in 2009?

In any event, I also get analog reception now, with an indoor antenna, but my understanding is that for HDTV you really have to go to the roof. Unlike analog, with a digital signal, it's an all or nothing proposition -- either you're getting reception, or your not -- and with an indoor antenna, I'm told, you can't get a strong enough signal.

Posted by: Vanderman at November 15, 2007 4:58 PM in response to Installing a rooftop antenna for HDTV?

Thank you, everyone, for the helpful feedback. I also heard from a friend that the Antenna King, in Bay Ridge, does a fine job with rooftop installs, and he's reasonably priced. I just spoke to him and he seems to know what he's talking about. Here's the link for anyone who is interested:

http://www.antennaking.com/

Posted by: Vanderman at November 16, 2007 10:20 AM in response to Installing a rooftop antenna for HDTV?

After I saw that our information was available online, I contacted Propertyshark directly about this very question. They were extremely unhelpful. Once the price has been made public there's no turning back. I don't know if there's a foolproof way to prevent it from going public in the first place, though given the number of properties that have n/a listed there must be a way. I would guess it involves paperwork filed at the time of the close requesting that the information be kept private. Perhaps your real estate lawyer will know?

Posted by: Vanderman at November 20, 2007 2:19 PM in response to I don't want friends and family knowing how much I paid for my condo

First, it all depends on where in FG you're moving to. Obviously, it will have more of an impact on properties nearest to the footprint. I haven't seen the shadow study you mention but I'd be curious to have a look.

In general terms, if it's property values you're worried about, I don't think you have much to worry about. If anything the density of people will likely bring a more robust economy and higher property values (and the downside: higher taxes)

If it's quality of life issues, you may want to read up more about the impact the development will have on Atlantic Yards Report and the DDDB site. I moved into Fort Greene three years ago, and I have vigorously opposed the AY project on many grounds -- it's insanely out of scale with the surrounding neighborhood, it will increase traffic in already highly congested intersections along Flatbush and Atlantic, and the city has yielded way too much in terms of tax breaks and project oversight. the abuse of eminent domain is a disgusting violation of basic property rights by a greedy developer.

while the ultimate environmental impact of the development is unknown, it's going to be worse than Ratner's study indicates. Whether the worst of the doomsday scenarios comes true, there's no doubt that it will be much harder to navigate the area once streets are demapped -- just getting from FG through the AY footprint to the Park and the rest of the Slope will be more of a challenge than it is now. Parking congestion and traffic in our area will be worse, and the arena itself will be a very mixed bag -- whatever it does for Brooklyn pride, it will also create bottlenecks, and the portfolio of businesses that spring up in its footprint may not be to everyone's liking.

That said, I still believe Fort Greene will continue to be not just a viable, but a great neighborhood to live in, for the simple reason that no development can strip away everything that made us want to live there. FG park will always be there. The beautiful Pratt campus will always be there. whatever gentrification ensues, the mix of people will always be diverse and interesting. there are families and businesses that have deep roots here and they're not going to leave just because of AY. I plan to stay at least until my kids are grown and move on ...

Posted by: Vanderman at November 20, 2007 2:43 PM in response to Fort Greene- AY impact

Guest 2:11: "Lets say you're getting 6% after tax on your 400k in some pretty average hedge fund"

your numbers must come from some alternate universe in which the subprime mess hasn't been sending your "average hedge fund" into a death spiral. Not so easy to get 6% after taxes these days.

Posted by: Vanderman at December 4, 2007 5:21 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 62 Montague Street

Is it Mr. B who needs to get out of his so called blog bubble, or all you "guests" who snipe anonymously?

Let's all just take a deep breath and let the market sort out whether this place is overpriced or not. And it doesn't seem like a terrible investment, if you plan to stay for a while.

Posted by: Vanderman at January 17, 2008 6:14 PM in response to House of the Day: 242 Washington Avenue

Interesting to compare this to 135 Joralemon, another prime historic Heights home, which has dropped its price yet again (to $4,950,000), bringing it a full $1 million lower than the original asking. The Columbia Heights location is stunning, and that's a lot of square feet, and even with the work you'd have to put into it, I still think its a better deal, given what they're asking over on Joralemon. I wonder if either of these will find a buyer given the state of the economy.

Posted by: Vanderman at February 11, 2008 2:10 PM in response to House of the Day: 113 Columbia Heights

i saw METRO doing a lot of work in downtown Brooklyn. 1-877-34 METRO is the number.

Posted by: guest at June 16, 2008 9:09 PM in response to Re-pointing & New Roof