I'm going to The Shade Store in Soho. I checked prices compared to Smith and Noble and a couple of others and they were competetive. I like that I can actually go look at the samples - I find Smith and Noble website really cumbersome. http://www.theshadestore.com/

Posted by: brooklyny at November 24, 2008 9:52 AM in response to Window Shade

Better Carpet sold us the wrong type of carpet for our stairs a few years ago. their installers couldn't install it properly and they refused to do anything about it. beware. We've had great luck subsequently with ABC carpet - their prices actually aren't bad and they know what they're doing.

Posted by: brooklyny at November 7, 2008 12:02 PM in response to Carpet and Install for Stairs

I am one half of the couple profiled in the Times piece, and it's really just a rudimentary outline of some of the issues that caused us to reconsider our move to the burbs. Ever increasing property taxes (20% increase in the 2 years that we lived there) were really what tipped the scales in favor of a move back to Brooklyn where I had first planted roots in 1990. I have never considered Brooklyn a homogenous neighborhood - I have always loved the many and varied neigbhorhoods that make up this borough, and even when living in downtown Brooklyn, my husband and I spent weekends going all over. I'm actually really loving where we are right now in PPS. True it has more of a suburban vibe, but as noted above, in 10 minutes I can be on Atlantic Avenue in one direction, at Difara's 10 minutes in another direction, and 15 minutes from Floyd Bennett Field if I want to take my kid for a great bike ride. I can get a Jamaican patty two blocks away. We're close to really good friends. What wasn't clear in the article, and what has half of Maplewood apoplectic at the moment, is that several of the children who were adopted from the orphanage when we adopted our daughter live close by. So nothing against the adoptive community out there- it's great, but some of the girls our daughter shares an important part of her history with, are a mere 10 minutes away which makes for great spontaneous playdates. The gist of the story is that we tried the burbs,but for a variety of reasons it just didn't feel like the right fit for us, and thanks to Brownstoner's Open House pick back in July, we feel incredibly lucky to be back.

Posted by: brooklyny at November 3, 2008 10:50 AM in response to Back to Brooklyn (Thanks, in Part, to Brownstoner)

As a precaution, I would follow some of the nutritional guidelines recommended for treating children with elevated lead levels. Avoid saturated fats/fried foods as lead molecules bind to the fats and are more difficult to eliminate. Eat lots of protein and leafy green vegetables. And I agree with denton. Your wife should ask her obstetrician to run lead level tests. (blood draw, not finger pricks which aren't as accurate). I learned when I was researching lead poisoning (don't ask, long story) that in the early 1970s, the average American child had a lead level of 20+ mcg, which actually made me feel better about the situation we had to deal with. And finally, ask your contractor if he will have the demolition areas damp mopped and wiped down with water which will also help to contain contaminents. It's a virtual certainty that your construction will disturb old lead paint so arm yourself with information and stay away from french fries for the forseeable future. And good luck!

Posted by: brooklyny at November 2, 2008 5:52 PM in response to Pregnant and Renovating

My husband was ticketed several years ago for drinking a beer on our stoop. He was just home from work, wearing a suit and tie, sitting at the top of our stoop, drinking a Guiness. He showed his license to the police to prove that he lived there and offered to show them the title to the hosue to prove we owned it. They didn't care. He fought it and the ticket was thrown out. But what about me? I'm a non-drinker who's been known to throw back the occasional Klaustheler non-alcoholic beer. Are they going to try to ticket me as well now, for consuming a beer emulating substance on my own steps? This is absurd. What if you are drinking apple juice from a wine glass? We thought my husband's run in was an isolated incident with a power tripping beat cop. Which is what the judge thought when he dismissed the ticket (fwiw, he had to go to court in Manhattan though the ticket was issued in Brooklyn).

Posted by: brooklyny at September 16, 2008 12:49 PM in response to More Tickets for Stoop Drinkers

My New Guinea Impatiens usually stay hardy through the first frost. That being said, it's probably not a great idea to start out with them at this point, if you can even find them right now. You should wait til Spring and they'll give you love for a good 5-6 months. For now, the coleus suggestion is good, and hostas, though they wither up in the winter and seemingly shrivel up to nothing. There are many varieties beyond the standard Home Depot garden center offerings. I see the hostas the previous owners planted in our (shady) front yard are flowering nicely at the moment.

Posted by: brooklyny at September 16, 2008 12:28 PM in response to Colorful shade plants for a container?

I love New Guinea Impatiens for a splash of color in shady areas. They're incredibly hardy and they're my personal preference for a shade garden. They like a lot of water but even if you neglect them during a hot spell they revive nicely.

Posted by: brooklyny at September 15, 2008 6:05 PM in response to Colorful shade plants for a container?

You and the Boeurm Hill Cafe were ahead of your time. I remember you. Come back!

Posted by: brooklyny at September 8, 2008 10:55 PM in response to Hot Bird Founder

An enthusiastic recommendation for Ricky Santos - 646-279-9325. We moved into our house on Friday. We were on an extremely tight schedule and he had 6 guys here the day before, who did plaster repair and painted four bedrooms in a single day. They were fast, clean and did a great job. And didn't break the bank.

Posted by: brooklyny at September 8, 2008 7:04 AM in response to Painter

I just heard that one of my old neighbors wrote a book called Green, Greener, Greenest. I believe it encompasses everything from food to green renovations and while not Brooklyn specific, you may find it helpful.

Posted by: brooklyny at September 3, 2008 8:43 AM in response to looking for info on all things green

Oh - I should mention that the guys at Better Carpet ripped us off big time several years ago. They sold us the wrong type of carpet for our stairs, couldn't get the installer to complete the job, fabricated a supposed letter they sent to us stating we would be billed the full amount anyway because it wasn't their fault we had ordered the wrong type of carpet, and helped themselves to $1500 as we had STUPIDLY paid for the carpet with our debit card...when we disupted the transaction with our bank, they produced letters they had allegedly sent to us but which we had never received (certified mail anyone?). So thanks for the recommendation - but that's a definite no. Will try Lowes. And would rather have dirty basement carpet than deal with Better Carpet ever again...

Posted by: brooklyny at August 28, 2008 11:29 AM in response to Where can we get carpet in a week?

That sounds high to me as well. Having been through a huge move just this week, here's my two cents. I got a quote from Flatrate to move us out of a 3200sf 4 story house just outside NYC, put the stuff in storage for 2 weeks and move us into our new house. Their quote was $8,000 if we did all the packing ourselves. While the number didn't seem excessive to me, I found another local mover based in our town, who came highly recommended, and their estimate came in at $5,500 total - $3,500k to move us out and $2k to move our stuff from storage into the new house. The actual charge for the move out was $2400. I don't doubt that Flatrate would do a good job but there are a lot of good ones out there who won't be as expensive. Tipping 15-20% on the cost of the move is pretty standard, apparently though I think on a huge move, closer to 15% is fair (any thoughts?). We had a crew of six and they worked like dogs. We tipped $400 - just over 15%.

Get a couple more estimates. We used Big Apple a few years ago when we moved out of the city. they were also very good but couldn't accommodate our time frame this time around. And do your homework....go to the Better Business Bureau site and read the complaints!!!

Posted by: brooklyny at August 28, 2008 11:15 AM in response to Ballpark cost for move & tipping movers?

A friend who is peripherally involved in the project told me last week that it's supposed to start moving forward again in December.

Posted by: brooklyny at August 27, 2008 10:46 AM in response to Don't hate me b/c I want to buy near AY

Will take a look at Liberty Mututal. I had never heard of Amica until I started this thread but I'm also going to check them out. Thanks!!

Posted by: brooklyny at August 17, 2008 9:12 AM in response to Homeowners Insurance for Ditmas Park House?

Gemini10 - we had Allstate on our previous house but the fact that they are not renewing so many policies in Brooklyn leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. I'd just rather not give them the business. And, while I'd love to save some money on insurance, I've heard nightmares about getting State Farm to pay up, so that rules them out. We can save 10% on Travelers if we also insure our car(s) with them - we're in the process of figuring out if it's worth switching from Geico. I know Chubb has an excellent reputation and they may still be a contender but right now Travelers seems to be our best bet.

Posted by: brooklyny at August 15, 2008 11:24 PM in response to Homeowners Insurance for Ditmas Park House?

We hated Airflo as well. They did a horrible installation job. The sashes were fine but the work they did was so horrific that not 8 years later the windows need to be replaced. We had much better luck with Pella replacement windows that our contractor installed in the rear of the house and they were far less expensive. We ordered the Pellan windows from Lowes.

Posted by: brooklyny at August 15, 2008 3:56 PM in response to window replacement

I thought I just read that NYC building code no longer allows floating stairs?

Posted by: brooklyny at August 1, 2008 2:43 PM in response to Open Stairs/ Floating Stairs?

I know one of the brokers at Aguayo and Huebner does this - I want to say Abigail Golde? She does an amazing job. Don't know if she does it on the side as well.

Posted by: brooklyny at July 28, 2008 3:19 PM in response to ISO Stager

Miss Muffett - we were in the same boat. In all the years I've been following Brookyln real estate (let's say the last 12) this is the longest dry spell I have seen. (By dry spell I mean shortage of interesting listings) And anything that seemed remotely interesting was always snapped up pronto. Sort of like the good old days. I think many, many people are sitting and waiting. There's a lot of stuff sitting on the market that's of little interest to us - properties that we feel are way overpriced, and evidently others do too, because the same listings have been sitting since January. We think we've found something but it took more leg work than I would have believed neccessary for someone who's pretty well in tune with the Brooklyn market. My advice - keep doing what you're doing. Maybe place a House Wanted on Craig's List. Check out Zillow and see if there are any "Make Me Move" tags in areas you are interested in. For what it's worth, I know a couple of people who have listed their houses under "Make Me Move" - they're overextended. Their "Make me Move" prices are somewhat unrealistic for this market, but perhaps you can approach with a price you think is fair. Good luck!

Posted by: brooklyny at July 23, 2008 6:11 PM in response to Why such low inventory?

doh. ok. I outed myself. we've made an offer. damn. ugh. ok. I'm going to look for pictures. sorry. this is all nervewracking.

Posted by: brooklyny at July 18, 2008 10:10 AM in response to Painting the woodwork - is it a crime?

Dave - let me see if I can find something similar. we want to make an offer on the place, regardless, but I'm wary of posting a picture of somoene else's home on the off (!) chance that they read Brownstoner and decided they don't want to sell to the philistines who are considering painting their treasured woodwork. :-)

Posted by: brooklyny at July 18, 2008 10:08 AM in response to Painting the woodwork - is it a crime?

If you get your sod at HD or Lowes the day it's delivered, you'll be fine. Call and ask them when they're expecting the next shipment.

Posted by: brooklyny at June 7, 2008 4:14 PM in response to Sod

I think Cabinet Fair is gone.We went by their Sunset Park showroom a couple of months ago - it's now an appliance showroom. We were told that CF is no more. Would love to know if anyone knows otherwise - we used them a couple of times and got beautiful maple cabinets. Great installation.

Posted by: brooklyny at June 5, 2008 10:49 AM in response to HELP! KITCHEN RENO

I had my knives destroyed by one of those knife truck guys. And then heard similar tales from friends. Lesson learned.

Posted by: brooklyny at June 4, 2008 5:52 PM in response to Knife Sharpening

Sounds an awful lot like Japanese Knotweed. I battled it for a couple of years before getting it under control. Do a search and see if that's what it is. Small shoots came up every spring and in a matter of days were enormous plants with huge leaves. The key to tackling it is to keep cutting it back, pulling up as many roots as you can and keeping after it. It will eventually go away.

Posted by: brooklyny at June 4, 2008 5:06 PM in response to Someone to clear overgrown yard?

thanks all. this is helfpul as we start to stragegize. the 75% rule is good to know.

Posted by: brooklyny at May 20, 2008 10:54 AM in response to Financing strategy?

$1M is the amount of money we have to put down on a house. Whether that is all down payment or some of it goes to renovation is tbd.

Posted by: brooklyny at May 19, 2008 9:41 PM in response to Financing strategy?

Mrs Limestone - I know all the mortgage calculators but they don't take rental income into account. General rule of thumb is 3x annual income for a mortgage but frankly, $1.4m doesn't really buy us anything in the area we'd like to move to. I put this out there to see what other's experiences have been with a big down payment and a not so hot (VERY relatively speaking of course...) income.

Posted by: brooklyny at May 19, 2008 5:12 PM in response to Financing strategy?

Hi,
First congratulations on the future arrival. We recently moved into a circa 1908 single family full of fun things like lead pipe and paint.

I'm not preg but we have been trying and my husband was very nervous. As mentioned above, get the blood test, it will relieve you and your wife's mind.

In terms of Iron consumption, also mentioned above, check her pre-natal, I am nearly certain that will contain Iron and between that and regular good eating habits, she should be covered. It was also strongly recommended to me to take Chlorella a green algea (sp) with detox properties. As your wife is pregnant, you would probably want to vet that with a doctor.

We have lead pipe that leads to the city line, and elevated lead in the water, I've only been showering in it and brushing teeth, no drinking (no cooking, either, but that's another story). I got my blood drawn and it was fine.

The peace of mind is worth it tho, I would recommend the blood test.

GL,
now in 11210

Posted by: Brooklyn11218 at November 3, 2008 1:40 PM in response to Pregnant and Renovating

Honestly, if you can move into a hotel for week or two during demo and stain/varnish/paint, I'd do so. It may cost a couple thousand dollars but you'll sleep better. we gut-reno'd a kitchen this year, just after our 2nd child was born, and my wife moved in with my folks for 4 weeks until most of the rough work was done. IMO, having renovated 2 apts., there's a lot of funky stuff that gets exposed, not just lead dust but mold, rat and bat droppings and plaster dust. They may not all be harmful to a fetus but they can increase the chance of you contracting a respiratory problem.

Also, no need to be defensive. Anyone with kids or wanting kids knows what you're feeling...

Posted by: Bolder at November 3, 2008 2:13 PM in response to Pregnant and Renovating

Been there done that. Did you have all the walls and ceilings tested with that "xray" gun? It is the only way to confirm and quantify where the lead paint is. When we did our place, the plaster ceilings had no lead, so did a lot of the walls that we had assumed been lead. You may not have as much as you think. Of course if you are breaking a wall with lead in it, the lead dust will go everywhere. Wet mopping with cascade is great and effective but getting your contractor to do that everyday is unlikely to happen. Best of luck.

Posted by: bqe1970 at November 3, 2008 5:09 PM in response to Pregnant and Renovating

This is the Original Poster and I just wanted to thank everyone for their thoughts and insights. We decided to move away during the first few weeks of demolition, just coming back during the weekends and after I wipe down the steps up to our apartment. The upstairs apartment itself has stayed remarkably dust free and I also bought a Hepa air filter that i'll keep running in there. It wasn't too much and can't hurt. I think that we will also have the lead test done during one of my wife's upcoming OB visits. I am pretty sure that almost all of the paint in the parlor is leaded and will work off that assumption. On the flip side, much of it is going to just be painted over and not scraped.

Anyway, thanks again to all.

Posted by: Colonel at November 3, 2008 7:57 PM in response to Pregnant and Renovating

Call Patrick Holohan at 917-586-9800. He is a highly skilled Carpenter who can build floating stairs. He can also be reached by email, at gilholohan@hotmail.com. Thanks. If you have any questions, please email me at kpantin00@hotmail.com

Posted by: KPantin at November 6, 2008 10:15 AM in response to Open Stairs/ Floating Stairs?

What is the process to get an estimate? Do they come to you, or do you go to them? How do you measure approx square footage - or yardage? - needs for stairs?

Posted by: Peter at November 7, 2008 12:56 PM in response to Carpet and Install for Stairs

call them and they will come to your house. dont do it yourself. some places have a free estimate, like empire carpet

Posted by: karo25 at November 7, 2008 2:54 PM in response to Carpet and Install for Stairs

Used Allied Van Lines (http://www.allied.com) - Overall, the move was really good.

Posted by: sashment at November 7, 2008 3:52 PM in response to Ballpark cost for move & tipping movers?

Yes, i know a company that has beautiful carpets and they also install.

Just visit their site @ http://www.wholesalecarpets.co.uk

Posted by: wholesalecarpets at November 17, 2008 3:14 AM in response to Carpet and Install for Stairs

Heartily recommend Pinchik; have done great work on custom shades and they stand behind the product.

Posted by: BH76 at November 24, 2008 9:56 AM in response to Window Shade