Yes, as Mare noted, there are many composting programs in community gardens that actually need your leaves as part of a balanced diet for composting activities! Please drop them off at one near you.

The paper bags others have seen are just leftovers from prior years.

Posted by: arches at November 4, 2009 3:57 PM in response to Leafing

We had units scouted in our building...I believe the payment offered was $1500/day for the apartment owner and $500/day payable to the co-op directly. Fell through in the end (production company changed their mind about the shoot locations).

Posted by: arches at October 29, 2009 11:14 AM in response to Renting Your Place for Movie

Onedollarslice - I'd be happy to fill you in on the building, as I did for the original poster. Fortunately (or unfortunately), her characterizations are grossly inaccurate.

Pls send me an email at arches (at) yahoo dot com with any questions.

Posted by: arches at October 22, 2009 5:10 PM in response to 328 Sterling Place

The Crown Heights board at www.brooklynian.com should have the answers you seek. Lots of opinions on local shops/bars/restaurants.

Posted by: arches at September 24, 2009 5:19 PM in response to New Crown Heights Resident

The building has neither shady finances nor security issues. Pls send me an email at arches (at) yahoo dot com, and I'd be happy to fill you in.

Posted by: arches at September 15, 2009 1:36 PM in response to 328 Sterling Place

Greenroof workshop sounds interesting, but its far from free at $600. http://greenroof.weebly.com/buy.html

Posted by: arches at June 26, 2009 10:19 AM in response to Weekend Events

Isn't the conventional logic that housing costs shouldn't exceed 28% of gross income? By that measure, he could spend $4667/mo on housing. Assume a 2 br maint of around $800/mo, leaves $3866/mo for mortgage payments. That supports a mortgage around $680-720k, based on recent rates.

Assuming he's going to put down 20%, that backs into a potential purchase price of $850-$900k.

Unless my job was rock solid, I'd probably scale back a bit from there - maybe shoot for something around $800k. 20% down still leaves him with $340k in cash/liquid assets to ride out any storms. His ongoing income should be sufficient to pay for private schooling costs (assuming he doesn't have wild discretionary spending habits).

Posted by: arches at June 2, 2009 1:57 PM in response to Price Limit Question

A building on the corner of Vanderbilt and Sterling is hardly "beyond Vanderbilt". Not that it even seems like a relevant fact, considering that plenty of nicest areas of PH are "beyond Vanderbilt".

Posted by: arches at June 1, 2009 1:21 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 279 Sterling Place Studio

I'm no fan of broker's misuse of Prospect Heights designation...but this is far from the worst offense. 467 St John is less than 200 feet from the "official" Eastern border (Washington Ave).

Posted by: arches at May 29, 2009 2:01 PM in response to Open House Picks

pretty good primer on the issue it sounds like you are facing.

http://www.randpc.com/ask/ate_Repiping.html

Posted by: arches at May 15, 2009 4:27 PM in response to Dirty Bath Water

If you have a lot of soil to sift, I highly recommend building one of these.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Trommel-Compost-Sifter/

We build one to sift compost in our community garden, and it's incredibly efficient. Works great on removing rocks and debris from soil too.

Posted by: arches at April 15, 2009 12:18 PM in response to Backyard Soil Clean-up

The pellets are also known as mosquito dunks. Pretty harmless to humans - they contain some sort of bacteria that gets inside the mosquito's gut (or the mosquito larva gut?) and kills them.

Posted by: arches at March 27, 2009 6:24 PM in response to Mosquitoes

What size storage tanks would they need for a building that size?

We've been thinking about adding a storage tank to our oil-fired tankless setup. 25 unit building, abt 4200 gallons per day of water consumption (all water, not just hot). We burn roughly 17 gallons of oil a day during non-heating season to supply hot water.

Posted by: arches at March 9, 2009 6:38 PM in response to Oil vs Gas as 2nd stage

Also - do the various rebates and tax credits have any application in a co-op situation? Or only for individual owners of single/multi-family homes?

Posted by: arches at March 4, 2009 11:52 AM in response to Energy Saving Seminar Follow up

Is there a difference btwn the primary and secondary pressuretrols? Or is one just a back up for a failure in the other?

Posted by: arches at February 23, 2009 5:55 PM in response to Mrs. Plvmber is watching Oscars.

Are you planning on switching from steam to hot-water heat in the process? "High-efficiency" steam boilers don't really exist, as I'm sure Master Plumber will tell you in greater detail.

Also, your current oil fired boiler vents into a courtyard? Isn't that kind of unpleasant for anyone with windows on the courtyard, fumes-wise?

I've always found co-gen intriguing...keep us posted on your findings.

Posted by: arches at February 10, 2009 2:07 PM in response to Cogeneration Feasibility

What's "bow insulating", Dan? Just curious...never heard the term.

Posted by: arches at February 3, 2009 10:51 AM in response to Great Insulation Cheap

What color will the new building be? My windows with Northern exposure actually benefit from reflected light from the building across the street, which has a lot of white/cream colored stonework and facades.

Posted by: arches at January 29, 2009 3:45 PM in response to Buying Across from Empty Lot

Good catch on axes, northslope renter. But I think you also need to consider that the sales figure is quarterly...so 4Q08 annualized is 7,200, or less than a year's supply of inventory. Of course that assumes sales pace doesn't fall further.

Posted by: arches at January 15, 2009 11:43 AM in response to Supply and Demand Falling in Lockstep

"Pressuretrols have two different functions when working with Heat Timers. One is they signal to the control that the system is full of steam and cycle timing begins.
The other is they temporarily cut off power to the burner circuit in the presence of rising pressure in a redundant high-limit configuration.
Either function is kind of sucky. There are better ways to signal a Heat Timer."

I should have mentioned that our Heat Timer has a sensor on the return, which triggers the cycle start (at 164 degrees). So I guess in our case, the pressuretrol is just serving as a high-limit? For whatever reason, it is set to 6 psi (with a -2 differential) so I don't imagine its doing a lot of limiting.

Does lowering the pressure limits usually require a round of adjustments to the heat timer? Changes to radiator steam vents?

Posted by: arches at January 12, 2009 10:59 PM in response to Steam Pressure & Leaks

Does the <1.5psi guideline for boiler pressure apply to larger boilers as well (eg, for a 25 unit apartment building)?

Also, how does the pressuretrol work in conjuntion with a Heat Timer? If the pressuretrol is working properly, will the boiler be cycling on/off during the heating phase of the heat timer cycle?

Last, where would a flush port generally be found? In the return piping near the boiler? Or some location above the boiler water line?

Thanks as always for info.

Posted by: arches at January 12, 2009 7:10 PM in response to Steam Pressure & Leaks

Don't think of it as increasing the rent on a pregnant couple - instead think of it as lowering the subsidy you have been providing. Do you have your kid's college funds fully paid up? If not, are you really willing to put their educational future at risk? Would any of these tenants step up and give you money if you fell on hard times, had another kid, etc? If the answer is anything other than "certainly", it seems you are making unwise financial decisions in this regard.

Posted by: arches at January 8, 2009 1:05 PM in response to Raising Rent, Followup

BH76 - time of day pricing is available in Brooklyn as well. It doesn't require a change to the infrastructure, just an upgraded meter in your home.

Posted by: arches at January 8, 2009 12:44 PM in response to Higher Charges for Charges

take a look here for a DIY soundproofing solution for walls

http://www.instructables.com/id/Soundproof-Your-Garage-Walls-Using-My-Cleat-Meth/

Posted by: arches at December 17, 2008 2:21 PM in response to Soundproofing finished basement

On the contrary...you'll have to _pay_ a company to take away the oil (assuming they're legit and don't just dump it in the gowanus).

If it's above ground, empty, and easily accessible, you might be able to get a scrapper to haul it away for free. More often the tanks are in a basement and have to be sliced up and hauled out. Not sure what the exact cost of that is, it's usually lumped into the cost when homeowners do an oil-to-gas conversion.

Posted by: arches at December 3, 2008 6:09 PM in response to Remove an old oil tank

Good stuff, as always.

A quick question on steam system noise. We don't have a lot of loud clanging/banging noise, but our system seems to have a fairly persistant percolating noise. Really somewhere between percolating and rattling. Is that a tell-tale sign of any particular problem?

I'm on the third floor of a five floor building, if that makes a difference. HB Smith oil-fired boiler.

Posted by: arches at November 19, 2008 12:49 PM in response to It's heating season for real. Is your boiler ready?

Still getting the popups on IE.

Posted by: arches at October 23, 2008 10:55 AM in response to Adobe/Google Pop-Problem Fixed?

Take a look at your showerheads...if they were installed before the early 90's they may be using a lot of water (as much as 5-6 gallons per minute).

Post-1992 heads restrict flow to 2.5 GPM. That makes a big difference.

8 people x 10 min shower x 90 days x 2.5 GPM = 18,000 gallons/quarter.

If you're using double that with old heads, you're wasting $144/quarter (combined water/sewer is now approx eight tenths of a cent per gallon).

The water usage is usually stamped somewhere on the showerhead. Same for sink faucets.

Posted by: arches at October 22, 2008 10:58 AM in response to Water bills

Does the tekmar have any provisions for wireless room temperature sensors? Seems like it would make installation a lot simpler. Or are the sensors typically hardwired in a mid-to-large building retrofit?

What does it cost to install a tekmar type setup (i'm thinking in the context of a 25 unit co-op)? Obviously there are unique circumstances to every installation - just talking very rough numbers here. Any guidance would be appreciated, Master P.

Posted by: arches at September 23, 2008 12:53 PM in response to Heating Temperature Control

Well, I was speaking dimensionally (and also assuming that the stated dimensions weren't outright lies - which might be a leap of faith).

I could see that having a swinging door to the kitchen might lead to a lot of "tea-kettle alarm clock" moments - but since the room has two entrances, the kitchen/bed door could be sealed off. The 3rd bedroom is buffered from the living room by the entrance hallway (plus, plenty of bedrooms share a wall with a living room).

Posted by: arches at September 17, 2008 2:08 PM in response to NOT A THREE BEDROOM

I'm always looking to call out brokers for outrageous lies...but...that's a bedroom - a small one, but a bedroom nonetheless. Not everyone needs a king size bed in Brooklyn.

Posted by: arches at September 17, 2008 1:44 PM in response to NOT A THREE BEDROOM

Where on Sterling is this project?

Posted by: arches at September 16, 2008 11:34 AM in response to Project Profile: Sterling Green

Another vote for the prospect heights/crown heights border area. If closer to atlantic, they could do well on stadium business (if that ever come to fruition), and the PH/CH neighborhood has been very receptive to beer gardens such as Franklin Park.

Posted by: arches at August 6, 2008 1:29 PM in response to Where Should the Brooklyn Brewery Set Up Shop?

Hey redbone,

Thanks for the post. What shady money and security issues? Would be curious to hear.

Thanks.

Posted by: onedollarslice at September 30, 2009 2:28 PM in response to 328 Sterling Place

Onedollarslice - I'd be happy to fill you in on the building, as I did for the original poster. Fortunately (or unfortunately), her characterizations are grossly inaccurate.

Pls send me an email at arches (at) yahoo dot com with any questions.

Posted by: arches at October 22, 2009 5:10 PM in response to 328 Sterling Place

Here's something very telling - people who work in film never let film crews use their home as a location. Because they know what happens.

Posted by: traditionalmod at October 29, 2009 11:15 AM in response to Renting Your Place for Movie

We've had our interior and exterior used twice by "Law & Order" (admittedly not a full-blown movie shoot, but you'd never guess it by the massive incursion of rigs and equipment), and they were WONDERFUL--so careful to replace your stuff that they used a Polaroid to re-situate the knickknacks. They were also just real nice folks, considerate and engaging; they have to be, given how much location shooting they do and how much "L&O exhaustion" some oft-used areas develop. Can't speak to movies or commercials, since we haven't had one of those (yet).
We did turn down two offers, btw: one for a Metallica video (that wanted to shoot on a Thanksgiving day and pitched us desperately the day before--now that would've been an amusing Turkey Day!), and one for a cheap ambush-style reality show called "I Hate Your House" (we don't,thank you very much!)
And of course, we aren't co-op'ers, so we don't have to worry about a Board...

Posted by: Brenda from Flatbush at October 29, 2009 11:54 AM in response to Renting Your Place for Movie

jeez brenda. you turned down metallica? ;-)

Posted by: CGmodern at October 29, 2009 12:02 PM in response to Renting Your Place for Movie

Interesting CH5! What are the details? I also liked reading the selection of horror stories and good reports. Do you think you'll pursue it? I guess I think that in a coop, the coop itself does deserve a fee, since most buildings are for residences (only, or pretty close to it), and film shoots can be pretty disruptive.

Posted by: Minmin at October 29, 2009 12:28 PM in response to Renting Your Place for Movie

A film crew used the interior of our parlor floor to shoot street views for that recent Al Pacino/Carla Gugino movie. There is usually a standard contract. It went later than expected, but then we asked for more money and got it. At my BIL's advice, we made the bathroom off-limits for crew usage.

Posted by: tiptoe at October 29, 2009 1:16 PM in response to Renting Your Place for Movie

I work in the industry and I wouldn't do it. The damage that kind of equipment can cause is huge. It may be little things but they are bound to scratch floors, ding up walls, etc.
If you do decide to go for it put hours restriction as part of the deal, make them pay you overtime. Any studio would do the same thing. If they aren't paying hourly they are bound to take longer.

Posted by: jo84 at October 29, 2009 1:51 PM in response to Renting Your Place for Movie

In my professional capacity I've hosted ~15 shoots in various properties (all historic, all with busy schedules) and in my personal life, we've had a 7 day indie release shot in our house. From my perspective, here's a short list of good/bad:

BAD: HUGE numbers of people on your site. A small/mid size motion picture unit is 5-10 trucks plus 50-75 crew. A large is 15 trucks and double the crew. Not all of the crew will be in your space at the same time but all of them will need access to your surroundings. Streets, sidewalks, stairwells, whatever. They'll need it and take it.

BAD: Many film people tend to ask for forgiveness instead of permission while they are doing their job. This comment isn't meant to be slanderous to the profession, it's just the nature of their job. They're under a serious time crunch and chances are that when they're on location, they're working 16 hours out of 24. Anything that slows things down is a problem that they want to solve in the shortest/quickest way possible.

GOOD: For the most part, the first offer of cash is the low ball. Even indie shoots budget much higher than the $1500/$500 offers. For the indie shoot (with major stars) in our house, we got $3k/shoot day plus $1500/prep day. Majors, depending on how invasive they are (I'm thinking special FX here. Pyro, blood, stunts) commonly settle for a LOT more than that.

GOOD: It's fun. Crazy but fun. And you'll have a momento for your grandkids to laugh at later.

The biggest piece of advice I can give is that you should never assume that their understanding of terms is equal to your understanding of terms. If you're not in the business, you won't have the same context for terms as they do. See my note about unit sizes. You might hear them say small unit and think a couple of trucks and they might actually be saying much more. Don't be afraid to ask many, many questions. The location folks that approached you will be more than happy to answer them and unless they're bad, they'll be inclined to give you a clear and honest (ish) answer. After all, there's nothing worse than having to talk a panic ridden location owner down from the ledge as their units are pulling up to the door.

Hope this helps.

Posted by: fauxvic at October 29, 2009 1:51 PM in response to Renting Your Place for Movie

Dont do it. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/923415.stm

Posted by: sjcg at October 29, 2009 1:52 PM in response to Renting Your Place for Movie