once roof leak is fixed, what?

Sharon - I sent a long reply last week, as we have a big building going up right next door to us. My reply seems to still be in moderation, or maybe Brownstoner decided there was something wrong with it. Post your email address and I'll send you what I wrote.

Posted by: Violet at August 12, 2009 11:16 AM in response to help

You can send the front door key to the meter reading company (through ConEd) so they can let themselves in, so long as the meters are in a public or common area that they can get to. That is what we did. Unfortunately, every six months or so they stop using it for some reason and start sending estimated bills. Then we have to call them - sometimes for a couple of months in a row - to remind them that they have the key and insist that they take an actual reading. It can be a battle, but we work during the day and can't be there to let them in (I was told a half-day appointment window would be $19 and change). But for long periods of time it has worked, in the past. If you trust them with your key...

Posted by: Violet at May 11, 2009 12:16 PM in response to ConEd meter access

I love bats! I put a bat house on our home, southern exposure, but no bats have ever shown up. Maybe it's not dark enough. Not near enough to a body of water. There is a dog next door who barks sometimes. I want bats!

I was in NJ one evening and saw a bat swooping around near a street light, catching the insects attracted to the light.

Walking by City Hall in Manhattan a few years ago I saw a little, furry bat face down on the sidewalk. I thought it was dead, but when I went to put a leaf under it to move it off of the sidewalk it grabbed onto the leaf and hauled itself up! I put it in City Hall Park, and it was fine. It was adorable.

Winged kittens - perfect! (Why do you want to buy bat urine?)

Posted by: Violet at May 5, 2009 12:49 PM in response to How to attract bats

Thank you so much for the replies! If you guys have ideas about what we should do about possible interior damage from a leak, please let me know. Even if the advice is, “Don’t worry about it!”. We’ve never had a roof leak before, so I don’t know if just repairing the damage (to the roof and to the bubbling paint inside) is enough.

Modsquad – I don’t know why we wouldn’t insist on using the original roofer! Premier did a good job, but I guess I didn't think there would be a benefit. We did recommend them, and the construction coordinator for the developer says that their bid was the most reasonable.
You are right – the warranty on the roof we had is null and void. They are talking about replacing the roof rather than patching it, or patching it now and replacing it once their overhead work is done. We will get a new warranty with the new roof. Is that okay, rather than extending the warranty on the old roof?

Vinca – the garden was razed because they had to do work right next door to their project, and since their project abuts our home “right next door” is “in our garden”. Before we let them in we asked for $ per square foot (probably too little, in retrospect) for the damage and for their use of our garden for a year. I cried when the 6-year old lilacs were ripped up. But we will rebuild. And despite being run over with heavy equipment last fall, this spring we have daffodils and peony and roses and lots of raspberries!
The finished basement was gutted because when the foundation of the building that was next door was removed water seeped into the soil and through our basement foundation walls and we had serious water infiltration. The tile and carpet had to be pulled up, the bottom portion of the walls, which had been soaked, were removed, the furniture was soaked, etc. We are still talking to them about compensation for this loss (we’ve got a contractor’s estimate on rebuilding).
A sticking point is that for some reason they want to issue a 1099-MISC to us for compensation and payments – even for the money they sent to pay for the extra electricity they are using! We are insisting on compensation for the taxes we’ll owe due to the 1099, and for taxes on that (since they’ll issue a 1099 this year too, on the tax money), etc. This brings their cost up. It’s a mess… Do any of you know how payments for damage are usually handled by a developer? I mean, tax-wise?
The roof had to be protected because the developers will be doing work above us. I think that is the law? So the damage to the roof is from the roof protection – I assumed that laying a little plywood would be no problem for a roof, but I see your point. It can get heavy.
The developer says that our property is covered by their insurance. But they also say that they don’t want to make a claim because their deductable is high. So far they have paid us (for the garden and electricity and for the ruined furniture in the basement, etc.) without making a claim.
Okay – we will try to go with our original roofer, and talk to them directly.

Naratamaa – Thank you. The agreement we made for the garden compensation wasn’t looked at by a lawyer, but your advice is good. The contractor is licensed and insured. I don’t know what is wrong with me that I don’t understand that I’m in the driver’s seat. People have told me that. I need to get tougher. Thank you.

Posted by: Violet at May 5, 2009 11:00 AM in response to once roof leak is fixed, what?

I'm trying to figure out which of the many, many "best" aspects of my own life, which of my charitable and unselfish and beautiful acts, would make it onto a reality show... There are just so, so many to pick from!

I think the reno is a little dark (that could be the lighting in the pictures) and busy. It's hard for me to imagine what things like the light fixtures look like in real life. Sometimes I wonder if I could pull of chandeliers in my apartment, and I tend to think not. I need more (lighter) photos to really judge.

Anyway, it's pretty obviously what they wanted, and it does show a lot of personality. I hope their kids like it too. I don't think it's my taste, but that's okay with me. (And it's much closer to my taste than Jill's reno is.)

Posted by: Violet at April 29, 2009 2:10 PM in response to Real Housewives: Simon and Alex's Renovation Revealed!

I thought a landlord was not allowed to use security as last months rent? Security is supposed to be kept in a special account, and used only for damage? Or am I mis-remembering?

Posted by: Violet at April 20, 2009 4:16 PM in response to Deposit on M-t-M Tenancy

An update on the artcle the chicken posted:

Reuters - 20 April 2009 12:31 pm ET - The U.S. Treasury said Monday there was "no basis" for a report that said its "stress tests" on the health of the nation's 19 top banks showed several were "technically insolvent."

A Treasury spokesman said the department has not yet received the results.

The Turner Radio Network, which describes itself as a "free speech" blog, said 16 of the 19 are "technically insolvent," citing what it said was a U.S. government report. Shares of several banks fell sharply on the report.

"There is no basis for that report; we do not even have results yet," Treasury Spokesman Andrew Williams said.

The Obama administration has said the results would be released on May 4.

Bank stocks, already lower after Bank of America reported disappointing quarterly results and outlook, fell further. The Select Sector SPDR Financial ETF was down 5.4 percent after the blog post was widely disseminated by at least two third-party news services.

After the market open the KBW Bank Index fell 9.3 percent.
The site, http://tinyurl.com/dabtbj, is not related to Turner Broadcasting.

"It certainly did (move the market) for a while. It raised people's eyebrows. People had associated it with (Ted) Turner's broadcast network," said Lou Brien, market strategist with DRW Trading in Chicago.

The blog said "Of the 16 banks that are already technically insolvent, not even one can withstand any disruption of cash flow at all or any further deterioration in nonpaying loans."

"If any two of the 16 insolvent banks go under, they will totally wipe out all remaining FDIC insurance funding," the post added.

The blog was picked up by some third-party news services and cited by another trader for the drop in bank shares.

The Turner Radio Network is described by some monitoring groups as a white supremacist organization.

Posted by: Violet at April 20, 2009 3:26 PM in response to Real Estate: The New Obscenity?

I had my soil analyzed by Cornell ( http://cnal.cals.cornell.edu/ ) and I think that of the forms (on this page http://cnal.cals.cornell.edu/forms/SubmissionForms.aspx ) the "Environmental" one is the one you'd want to submit for metals.

Posted by: Violet at April 13, 2009 1:41 PM in response to soil testing & phytoremediation?

Starlite is open!

A tipster may have seen a sign last week saying that they were closed for unforseen circumstances, but that doesn't mean it was "curtains" for them. It must've meant that they were closed temporarily, for a few days. They are open now.

I don't work for them or have any connection to them. I'm writing because Starlite is a wonderful neighborhood institutions. They are nondiscriminating. It's a gay bar but they accept everyone, every race, every gender and sexuality. They are really friendly and sweet and open, and they could use support. If we are told they're closed then we won't go, even if we are curious or looking for a new place to try. Starlite is NOT CLOSED.

A friend of mine who goes to Starlite as a customer but who has no other connection to the lounge tried to register on this site to let everyone know that Starlite is open, but has not gotten a confirmation email. They wrote to Brownstoner asking that they correct this post and they got the response, "Interesting, thanks" but no follow-up post / correction on the site. They asked me to let everyone know. Starlite is open! They are open most evenings. They make a mean Long Island Iced Tea! On Thursdays they have karaoke!

According to the mailing list, which my friend who asked me to post is on, tonight they have a dance party with DJ Broadway (R&B, House, Salsa, Merengue, Reggae, Calypson, Soca) and Chocolate Lady of the Universe Lady Jasmine (it's free to get in before 10pm, $6 after).

On Friday April 10 DJ Bert will be spinning for James (Baby Boy of Starlite Lounge)'s 41st Birthday (over 21 only - free before 10pm). I don't know what that means, but it is an event that the lounge has coming up... Since they are not closed.

On Saturdays it's free before 11pm and there is a lineup of DJs:
April 4 & April 18 Carlos Sanchez
April 11 & April 25 Cameron Da DJ

Starlite is open - if you like bars and you're looking for a comfortable, accepting place to visit, give them a try!

Posted by: Violet at April 3, 2009 10:47 AM in response to Curtains for the Starlight Lounge

I sent you an email, denton. I'm glad that it's not water coming in still.
Once our water infiltration issues are resolved we were thinking about sandblasting our newly-exposed walls, sealing them, and leaving them rocky. We did wonder if that might look too basment-y for a finished basement (especially since we're not going to cover the cement on the floor). We might end up drywalling over a few of the walls, and leaving the rest rocky, sealed.

Posted by: Violet at February 11, 2009 5:29 PM in response to What to do about basement walls

I agree with Smokychimp; it could be water coming through the walls. Our basement was very dry for over seven years until the warehouse next door was torn down to make way for a new building. Then, water was able to seep into the soil right next to our home, through our walls, and all of the sudden we had pretty serious water infiltration (at least an inch deep after that December 11th rainstorm - now we get just a few puddles after regular rain storms). Our walls (behind the paneling which the developer’s remediation folks tore out) look a lot like yours.
I can post a picture of our wall - with water coming through - if someone tells me what code to use?

Posted by: Violet at February 11, 2009 3:45 PM in response to What to do about basement walls

They opened Tuesday the 2nd?
I went by Sunday (the 7th) hoping for a cup of coffee and a snack, and they were closed. At 11:30am.

Posted by: Violet at September 9, 2008 10:57 AM in response to Streetlevel: T-Cup Opens on Throop

I'm sorry - I think I put my comment in the wrong section (on the front page).

I'm curious: how do you know that the developer will be compensating you for the necessary damage to your aging patio? And especially, how do you know that they'll be compensating you for the headache of a spring and summer lost to dust and noise?

I ask because I have a large development going up next door to me and my beloved garden. (They are not using any part of my garden, except that they’ve built their blue plywood construction fence encroaching on my property without discussion, permission, or compensation. I’ve asked them to move the fence back.) So far my developer has promised on the phone and in email to "make it right" if anything is damaged (including my plants). But after jackhammering off bits of our facade during asbestos removal before demolition of the building next door they said that they'd bring me options for repair, then instead slapped cement on the facade and said that the repair was done. I don't know if I can trust them.

Have you had discussions with the developer where they've explicitly laid out what sort of compensation you'll be receiving?

Posted by: Violet at August 12, 2008 5:09 PM in response to The "Positive Side" of a Construction Fence.

I'm curious: how do you know that the developer will be compensating you for the necessary damage to your aging patio? And especially, how do you know that they'll be compensating you for the headache of a spring and summer lost to dust and noise?

I ask because I have a large development going up next door to me and my beloved garden. (They are not using any part of my garden, except that they’ve built their blue plywood construction fence encroaching on my property without discussion, permission, or compensation. I’ve asked them to move the fence back.) So far my developer has promised on the phone and in email to "make it right" if anything is damaged (including my plants). But after jackhammering off bits of our facade during asbestos removal before demolition of the building next door they said that they'd bring me options for repair, then instead slapped cement on the facade and said that the repair was done. I don't know if I can trust them.

Have you had discussions with the developer where they've explicitly laid out what sort of compensation you'll be receiving?

Posted by: Violet at August 12, 2008 4:59 PM in response to Today on the Brownstoner Backpages

I love bats! I put a bat house on our home, southern exposure, but no bats have ever shown up. Maybe it's not dark enough. Not near enough to a body of water. There is a dog next door who barks sometimes. I want bats!

I was in NJ one evening and saw a bat swooping around near a street light, catching the insects attracted to the light.

Walking by City Hall in Manhattan a few years ago I saw a little, furry bat face down on the sidewalk. I thought it was dead, but when I went to put a leaf under it to move it off of the sidewalk it grabbed onto the leaf and hauled itself up! I put it in City Hall Park, and it was fine. It was adorable.

Winged kittens - perfect! (Why do you want to buy bat urine?)

Posted by: Violet at May 5, 2009 12:49 PM in response to How to attract bats

One of the links first posted to my question sends us to a post that says to attract bats you should soak the bat house in bat urine. I am willing to do that in well covered flesh.

I walk past City Hall everyday and night and there is definltiy a lot of activity there - perhaps you found a lazy bat.

I will continue the urine search.

Posted by: Ljubitca at May 5, 2009 1:01 PM in response to How to attract bats

If you find a bag of bats, can you get me one, too? ;)

Posted by: meerkatz at May 5, 2009 3:38 PM in response to How to attract bats

I am not sure I would want bats in my garden. Bats harbor any number of diseases that can easily be contracted by humans or family pets including rabies. Talk to a vet before deciding whether you want to encourage bats to move into your garden. There might be other ways to deter mosquitoes, including getting rid of standing water, mosquito coils and bug zappers.

Posted by: bohuma at May 5, 2009 3:52 PM in response to How to attract bats

Almost every backyard I've been in in Bklyn has had bats flying overhead at around twilight. You may mistake them for birds.

Posted by: Arkady at May 5, 2009 4:30 PM in response to How to attract bats

Violet: I wouldn't say that you're in the driver's seat until you've got a very strong, very well written, SIGNED document--and those documents and the attorneys who can write them are easier to imagine/desire, than to actually come by. There may be others on this site who can comment knowledgeably on the tax and insurance aspects, but I'd recommend that you also consult your own insurance company. Your question about handling the interior/leak damage is hard to address without seeing it. I definitely recommend speaking to the various professionals you already know and trust. You'll have to sort out which of the following (or more) is appropriate to your situation: attorney, accountant, insurance agent, building inspector, structural engineer, contractor.

Posted by: vinca at May 5, 2009 5:56 PM in response to once roof leak is fixed, what?

A word to the wise re: handling bats—they are nocturnal animals. If you encounter one during the daytime, there's a good chance the bat is rabid, or otherwise ill.

Posted by: vinca at May 5, 2009 8:59 PM in response to How to attract bats

Too funny, Ljubitca! Keep us posted on the bat urine search. I know bat guano is a good fertilizer and can be bought. What's the difference?

Posted by: tinarina at May 5, 2009 9:33 PM in response to How to attract bats

Don't they carry the henta virus or something? The same one mice and rats have?

Posted by: Heather at May 6, 2009 5:10 PM in response to How to attract bats

The bats in NY are brown bats. They are insectivores and wouldn't bite a person, so the rabies threat is almost nil. Unless, I suppose, a person bit a rabid brown bat.

I hung a bat house up 4 years ago and I've never seen one even attempt to investigate it. I do occasionally see bats swooping under the streetlights on our block, but very rarely.

I've been saying for years to anyone who'll listen that BK needs more bats. If you find the 'bag o' bats' source, I'm in for two bags!

Posted by: houseowax at May 7, 2009 10:13 AM in response to How to attract bats