Clearing HPD violations?

i'm pretty sure that the ridiculously out of scale cantilevered balconies you see in the hasidic areas of williamsburg are made specifically so religious families can set up their sukkahs for sukkot.

Posted by: benno at October 12, 2009 10:01 AM in response to Last Day of the Sukkahs

depending on how many times a floor has been refinished, they can definitely get too thin. in a 3/4" t&g board there is only about 1/4" of refinishable surface before you get to the tongue. 3+ sandings can get you there pretty quick.

Posted by: benno at July 30, 2009 12:24 PM in response to Floors too worn to be sanded?

we've had a viking 30" for the past 5 years. never had a repair issue. a nice stove.

i have my eyes on the bluestar rnb 30" now. much higher btu's, and the oven fits professional baking trays. also, the viking burner shape puts all the flames at the edges of your pans. the bluestar is more like a professional stove with a blast right up the center.

i think the bluestar is about a grand cheaper then the equivalent viking or wolf (new, that is).

Posted by: benno at July 13, 2009 4:43 PM in response to Range Suggestions

looks like the exact dollar store they kicked out several years ago. same name, same merch. at least during the hiatus they were able to cover up the original dreary exterior of that building with a brand new dreary exterior.

Posted by: benno at May 29, 2009 12:29 PM in response to Ft. Greene Dollar Store Marking Its Turf

i know people don't really care for the 4x a week parking regulations in my area, but i never quite understood why. at least this way, people have to move their cars and spots open up. the flip side is what goes on in park slope where people park their car and don't move it for a week. personally, i'm not looking forward to 20 minutes of circling while looking for a space.

Posted by: benno at May 6, 2009 11:01 AM in response to Reduced Parking Regulations Coming to CB2 Nabes

honey locusts are a very popular urban tree because they prove fairly hearty in the face of street salt, dog urine, etc... i bet these ones will come around. the honey locusts in clinton hill are only just starting to show signs of springtime...

i like locusts in general because the leaves aren't hard to rake in the fall, they're so small a small breeze does the work for you.

Posted by: benno at April 29, 2009 5:45 PM in response to Closing Bell: Evidence of Damaged Trees by the Waterfalls

um, you can argue about this school vs. that school all you want. the most telling stat about the public school system in this city is that the on-time graduation rate is less than 50%. pathetic and scary.

http://tinyurl.com/c6dnh2

Posted by: benno at April 7, 2009 12:00 PM in response to The Shifting School Equation

the graduation rate for the nyc public school system is less than 50%. 'nuff said.

depressing stuff.

Posted by: benno at April 7, 2009 11:02 AM in response to The Shifting School Equation

thanks for the advice folks...

Posted by: benno at March 25, 2009 2:26 PM in response to Clearing HPD violations?

i saw this house when it was on the market 5-6 years ago. simply a stunning old house. the house has 4 floors and basically two 12x20' rooms per floor with a central staircase dividing the space. all of the original woodwork is in gorgeous condition. working dumbwaiter, original fireplace tile etc...

it didn't make sense for us mostly because we would have had to ruin the space by carving out a rental apartment to make it affordable.

for a single family it could be great home.

btw, biggie lived up the block on the other side of fulton...

Posted by: benno at January 27, 2009 1:54 PM in response to House of the Day: 177 St. James Place

i bought gas this weekend in jersey for $1.63/gal. thought i drove through a time warp for a quick sec...

Posted by: benno at December 2, 2008 4:07 PM in response to Closing Bell: Gassing it Up in Brooklyn

dripirrigation.com hooked me up with a really easy patio watering kit. all on a timer and no waste via spray into the air. we have the same issues with our rooftop garden, it is just really exposed up there. in the height of summer, before our drip system, i was watering 2-3 times a day. now i just adjust the timer to increase the frequency in july and august.

btw, looking nice up there...

Posted by: benno at November 21, 2008 1:55 PM in response to Garden of the Day: Contained in the Slope

i like the sign-in for the reasons kedalb listed, as well as accountability. but i wonder how badly it will impact the "discourse" on your site. it seems that anonymous posters account for about 90% of the postings these days.

it wasn't that long ago that there were a bevy of regular posters who signed in and had civil discussions, one rarely sees any of those folks posting with any regularity anymore. i sometimes wonder if it has to do with the aggressive "guests" who can be pretty nasty at times...

Posted by: benno at May 30, 2008 10:38 AM in response to Taking the Pulse on Anonymous Commenting

try logging in. that helps with the type.

Posted by: benno at March 26, 2008 4:35 PM in response to House of the Day: 106 Park Place

um, 70 lefferts place is the perfect example of the value of the LPC.

that yellow mansion is beautiful inside and out (my best friend used to rent there). and the neighborhood is much better off having it remain as is, much to the chagrin of the developer and most likely the seller as well. LPC listened to the community and saved a great piece of old brooklyn.

i'm still not sure why the developer didn't just buy the totally vacant lot next door and build there....

Posted by: benno at February 26, 2008 12:40 PM in response to 213 Cumberland Slinks Back to LPC

11:36 has it right.

it has taken these guys well over 18 months to put up that fence. it was sitting half finished (the "before" photo) for almost a year before they painted it and added the top half. i always wondered why it took them so long to put that thing in. it seemed like it took them 6+ months just to get to the state you see in the "before" photo.

if i remember correctly, the original fence from many years ago was a seriously eroded cast iron fence that looked like a 50s or 60s cheap replacement for the original.

while the fence is an odd design, i think the owners did a pretty good job sprucing that corner lot up overall. i never even noticed the non-approved windows.

Posted by: benno at February 26, 2008 12:21 PM in response to 213 Cumberland Slinks Back to LPC

i'm not 100% sure, but if your radiators are steam radiators, then you should check if the radiators are angled properly to let them drain. i believe the banging can be caused by hot steam hitting cold condensation that hasn't drained properly.

Posted by: benno at November 26, 2007 11:22 AM in response to Incessant radiator banging

we once rented our apt out for 3 days to the family of a friend. happened to be the exact 3 days we'd be out of town for thanksgiving. they offered $175 per night.

$2500 for 3 weeks is less than $120 a day, pretty cheap for nyc. what other options are there if you're looking for an extended stay in the city?

Posted by: benno at November 7, 2007 2:50 PM in response to Rental of the Day: Turkey Time in Cobble Hill

aetienne - does commerce actually let me cash the coins there or just count them? counting isn't the problem with HSBC, it is the fact i have to write my acct # on each and every roll...

original poster, my tenants appreciate having laundry in the building regardless of the fact that it is coin operated. our per-load charges are a lot cheaper than going to the laundromat, plus you don't have to sit there waiting for your clothes to finish. in our building each tenant pays for their own utilities and the common area utilities are attached to our account. the quarters are, for us, valuable in offsetting the increased utility charges. i like giving my tenants what i feel is a reasonable rent and don't feel badly about charging extra for the laundry. we also trust our tenants and have left out an exchange bowl so tenants can take quarters and leave us bills.

Posted by: benno at October 19, 2007 3:49 PM in response to ISO Coin Operated Washer/Dryer

i have a 3 family townhouse and bought my coin-op washer and dryer at home depot. prices were reasonable (it was a while ago, but i'm pretty sure i didn't spend more than $500-600 each). however, GE, the manufacturer, doesn't provide an extended warranty on commercial appliances. luckily we haven't had any problems with ours in almost 4 years and the $$$ we collect really helps offset the additional utility costs (although depositing the coins at HSBC is a royal pain).

considering how much use they'll get, i'm not sure if a used machine is in your best interest.

good luck.

Posted by: benno at October 19, 2007 12:37 PM in response to ISO Coin Operated Washer/Dryer

i was on that block this weekend watching football with my buddies.

the block looks nothing like the exterior rendering. it is most definitely treeless with broken sidewalks and grafitti sprayed buildings and fences.

the area is still a fairly active industrial area (neighbors include and architectural metal workshop, noodle makers and a yamulka factory). what is interesting to me is that a lot of the developments over there aren't just rennovations of existing industrial buildings, but also new construction of loft buildings that actually look like the existing industrial architecture.

i'm sure the lofts look great on the inside, but your views are of auto-body shops and vacant lots.

it can also be a sketchy walk to the morgan ave L train. my buddy still goes to pick up his wife when she comes home on the train after dark.

Posted by: benno at September 11, 2007 1:33 PM in response to Condo of the Day: 249 Varet Street

sweet renderings.

in actuality, that block is pretty dingy and is most certainly treeless.

when my friends moved there in the mid-90s it was a purely industrial neighborhood with a bunch of illegal AIRs, the most activity you ever saw was from the boar's head meat packing plant at the end of the block. a bunch of years ago, the city cracked down on the illegal artist lofts and forced landlords to bring buildings up to code. around the same time the RE market took off and now that area is filled with new overpriced lofts.

while that neigborhood has come up in recent years (there are now stores and a bar), those renderings are pretty off base as to what the area actually looks like.

Posted by: benno at September 11, 2007 1:05 PM in response to Condo of the Day: 249 Varet Street

it is a $25 ticket (at least it should be). sadly this is just one of the costs of homeownership these days. i wouldn't chance ruining a good tenant relationship over such a small fee. just mention to them that you got a ticket and ask that they be super diligent about separating out recyclables.

Posted by: benno at August 13, 2007 1:10 PM in response to How to be fair to good tenants

i really like the economy of the design here. even though all of the other designs were really nice as well, this is the first one in which i could imagine doing some real cooking. everything is within easy reach and there seems to be plenty of accessible storage.

aesthetically, i like this relatively modest modern look that blends pretty nicely with the old character of the original room. i also like how the white "country-ish" cabinetry softens the more antiseptic feel of the stainless steel. i even like the little pendant lamp hanging next to the fume hood. very nice job.

homeowner: did you do the design yourself or was there a kitchen designer or architect involved? i'm curious to know how much owner input/design goes into these projects.

brownstoner: nice feature. i hope you plan on doing similar features on say, bathrooms, patios, gardens, etc....

Posted by: benno at August 13, 2007 1:04 PM in response to Parlor Floor Kitchen #9: White-and-Black in Bed Stuy

a very easy job for a do-it-yourselfer. even a relatively inexperienced one. any DIY home repair book worth its weight should have easy to follow instructions. i doubt it would take more than an afternoon to complete. you're basically making a cardboard/paper template, transfering it to the linoleum and gluing it down.

good luck!

Posted by: benno at August 13, 2007 12:21 PM in response to Laying Linoleum?

we love our wolf range and the red knobs. it's been a dream.

Posted by: witchdoctor at July 13, 2009 8:22 PM in response to Range Suggestions

I hate our GE Profile slide in. The burners are placed too close together to fit several pans at the same time. The broiler drives me crazy, and not in a good way!!

Posted by: dt at July 13, 2009 9:25 PM in response to Range Suggestions

I just moved here 3 weeks ago and took with me my 1 year old 30" dual fuel viking. It is the best range I have ever owned, and I cook professionally.

Posted by: newcomer at July 13, 2009 10:21 PM in response to Range Suggestions

We have a Bluestar that we live (36", though they make a nice 30"). I totally recommend them. That said, you may be better off doing research on the Gardenweb site -- those guys specialize in these types of discussions. http://ths.gardenweb.com/

Posted by: josh59x at July 13, 2009 10:37 PM in response to Range Suggestions

I love my Viking 36 inch dual fuel stove (and hood), as well as my 36 inch Viking built in fridge. People who see my kitchen also love how they look (i.e., very good for resale). I bought mine from a store in NJ that sells display models and got more than 50% off! Good luck...

Posted by: TigerNJ at July 14, 2009 6:36 AM in response to Range Suggestions

One more vote for the Bluestar RNB series. Can't beat a 22,000 BTU burner with even heat distribution. Add in a convection oven, a great broiler, and good looks and you've got a winner.

Posted by: elvis at July 14, 2009 10:40 AM in response to Range Suggestions

I'm getting a mid-range Bosch hob and oven fitted in the next week or so - will let you know how it goes. Very good value and excellent reputation so I've got my fingers crossed.

Beyond that, the Bosch dryer that I have is a real trooper.

Posted by: the chicken at July 14, 2009 10:47 AM in response to Range Suggestions

I love our Electrolux dual fuel.....take a look at Sears on Bedford Ave, they have a great selection

Posted by: PHfamily at July 14, 2009 11:31 AM in response to Range Suggestions

we have a bosch convection. i'm pretty disappointed with it.

the knobs are pretty crummy, 2 of them dont stay on the front anymore
and kind of pop off although i can't figure out why...theyre not broken or cracked.
We've only had this range for 2 or 3 years....the knob porblem happened in the the 2nd year.
As far as convection...i know people say it cooks fast but i've found that not to be the case. ours cooks evenly but not any faster. my 2 cents.

Posted by: CGmodern at July 15, 2009 9:03 AM in response to Range Suggestions

If you're considering a Viking, I'd look at the Wolf dual fuel instead. I think it's a much more reliable range. I do not recommend the Wolf all gas, which is less expensive than the dual fuel. Our house came with one and I don't think it is worth the money and lacks a lot of features I would want in a range that expensive. The Wolf All Gas has no sealed burners, no self cleaning oven, no ultra low simmer, all burners have the same BTUs AND no timer - a silly quibble but it annoys me on a daily basis. Even your basic GE apartment grade range has a timer!! I had a DCS in my last house - not a fan of that either. I really liked my Mongram range and I think it's great value for the money. If you decide against a pro-style range, I like the Electrolux my friends just installed in their kitchen.

Posted by: brooklyny at July 15, 2009 9:04 PM in response to Range Suggestions