"Gee, Amy, if you got it a little more often, maybe you wouldn't be such a little 'see you next Tuesday'."

[slow golf clap]

Posted by: cicek at April 14, 2007 11:49 AM in response to 'Queer' Guy Snags Washington Avenue B-stone

Actually, the Clinton Hill border in that corner is Vanderbilt and Atlantic. Since the C train stops at Fulton and Washington/Clinton, the C train is most definitely in Clinton Hill. On the edge of Clinton Hill, but in Clinton Hill nonetheless and convenient for many. A small difference, but you brought it up, and you're wrong. And since you sound like a dick, I felt an intense need to correct you.

Posted by: cicek at April 13, 2007 11:09 PM in response to 'Queer' Guy Snags Washington Avenue B-stone

Ugh. To even mention that monstrosity in the same post as those beautiful buildings on Monroe is just...blech.

Posted by: cicek at April 13, 2007 7:16 PM in response to Mott B. Schmidt's First Design on Monroe Place

Your numbers don't look high. Worth the money to not deal with Brownstone Agency in case of a claim, from what I've heard.

I was in the same situation as you a year ago, and chose to go with Liberty Mutual because the construction premium from Chubb was ridiculous. I may look at Chubb again once our renovations are done, but so far Liberty Mutual has been fine. I also changed out car insurance over to them. It didn’t save me any money on my car insurance - it actually went up - but my homeowners insurance went down enough to make it worthwhile.

Posted by: cicek at March 14, 2007 10:35 AM in response to CHUBB or TRAVELLERS?

I can't believe you're asking for advice on this - I'll chalk it up to sleep deprivation - but here goes: there is nothing you can't type with one hand. I'm typing with one hand right now! Unless your hands are unusually small (I'm talkin' toddler-sized) there are no keys that you can't reach while also keeping a finger on the shift key. This will slow you down at first but you will get quicker. I used to work on the computer all the time while nursing and can now type pretty fast one-handed. Maybe it will come in handy someday.

You did not ask for advice on anything other than how to type with one hand, but since you seem to be screaming for attention I'm going to give it to you anyway: get your finger out of your baby's mouth right now or be prepared to have it there for the next two years. The best piece of advice I read before having my first child was "Start as you mean to go on." If you do something now because it is the quickest and easiest way to deal with a problem, you will be doing that same thing for a very long time, long after the problem should have taken care of itself. Nip these things in the bud now while the baby isn't so stubborn. It only gets worse (and by that I mean the older the baby gets the more headstrong it will get and it will be harder to break it of bad habits, like sucking on your finger).

Take back your finger. Baby steps.

Posted by: cicek at March 8, 2007 6:58 PM in response to one handed typing

When I bought in my old building the J-51 had not come through yet. The sponsors promised it would come through before the first tax bill was due but of course it did not and we all had to pay a very hefty tax bill. The building's board hired an expediter to speed things through and got it done (just barely) before the next tax bill was due, and yes, the next bill was about 1/10 the last one.

Don't take the sponsor's word for anything. Ours abandoned pursuing the abatement as soon as the last sale went through, and since they never guaranteed that there would be abatement, there was nothing that we could do.

Posted by: cicek at March 8, 2007 6:43 PM in response to J-51 vs 421-a tax abatment

We went through that exact thing. Since we were new to everything (first real estate purchase, first time living in NYC), when the sponsor told us that the abatement was a "sure thing" and would go through before our first tax bill was due, we believed him. It of course did not, and we had to pay a very unexpected bill for over $4k. We followed up with the sponsor (who was saying all along that it was "almost done") and found out that he had stopped pursuing the application as soon as all of the units were sold.

We hired a company to see it through for us the rest of the way, which cost the building several thousand dollars but was much cheaper than having to pay the next round of tax bills. We tried to get that money out of the sponsor, but the abatement had never been guaranteed in the prospectus so we were out of luck.

It will probably go through, but don't count on it. If you can't afford the full tax bill just in case, you may want to look elsewhere.

Posted by: cicek at March 6, 2007 12:52 PM in response to Tax Abatement

I doubt if anyone is reading this anymore, but to update: I happened upon the new Quiznos today on Myrtle, across from the Post Office (didn't even know it was there). Being a Quiznos fan, I went in. I'm happy to say it was crowded but clean and seemed well stocked and well organized. I spoke to one of the two owners, who was working the cash register, who I'm happy to say lives in Clinton Hill. So perhaps that will draw some people in who would otherwise have stayed away from a chain: the knowledge that it is very locally owned.

Posted by: cicek at February 22, 2007 7:08 PM in response to Blimpies in Ft. Greene?? Wha' Happened?

Getting past the language of your petulant, pedestrian rant, I think we agree. And I did not celebrate at all when Blimpie closed. But why should I give my money to a business that is just not trying?

In most places, buying a franchise may have less risk than opening a business from scratch, because the name recognition and assumed consistency with other branches should draw customers in. But we seem to be a little different here. We like homegrown businesses that are unique. For a national chain to be popular here it is going to have to be the best example of that chain out there. Only then will it have a chance of overcoming the locals' dislike of anything cookie-cutter.

So, Blimpie had two huge strikes against it: it was a chain restaurant, and it was one of the worst examples of a Blimpie that I've ever seen. If the owner had spent the time and energy necessary to back up his investment he may have been successful. Instead he put the restaurant on auto pilot and sat back waiting for customers. I can only hope for his sake that he was neglecting his Fort Greene location because his other restaurants are wildly successful and demand all of his time. Because if they are run the same way that that one was, he shouldn't be in business anywhere.

Posted by: cicek at February 22, 2007 9:53 AM in response to Blimpies in Ft. Greene?? Wha' Happened?

My experience was a little different, but perhaps you could pare it down to be relevant to your situation. Hopefully someone else will write in with better info!

I lived in a 25-unit building with two elevators and a parking lot. We paid our management company about $1K/month to take care of our paperwork and all that other stuff that they do. We paid them extra to oversee any large projects going on in the building. We paid our part-time super about $1,100/month for about two full days of work per week on average (but usually spread out over six days, a few hours a day). That did not include snow removal or lawn/garden care, or any extra repairs.

So, when there were no big projects going on, and everything was running smoothly, the cost was about $100 per unit.

Posted by: cicek at February 21, 2007 2:51 PM in response to Maintenance question - super

A bunch of people in Clinton Hill got together when their kids were one or two and started doing what they could to improve PS11 (no disrespect meant to anyone who was involved with PS11 before that and liked it; part of the problem I had with the old principal was her refusal to admit that anything needed improvement). You've got three or four years to work on your local school, and work on your neighbors to send their kids to their local school. Don't abandon it because you don't think it's good enough; do what you can to up enrollment. I think that when "everyone" is sending their kids elsewhere, it's difficult to buck the trend, but you'll find that others who were on the fence will join you.

And please, no criticism for my "everyone" comment, it's in quotes because yes, obviously someone is sending their kids there, but if it was the OP's social circle/group of friends sending their kids there then we wouldn't be talking about this.

Posted by: cicek at February 21, 2007 10:43 AM in response to just outside ps 321

I don't think the demise was caused by the boycotts. The place just wasn't run well. In their quest to keep operating costs low they skimped to the point where eating there was a long ordeal in what was supposed to be a fast food restaurant.

I like Blimpie and was one of the few people I know who was happy to have one nearby. I ate there enthusiastically at least once a week for the first few months, but gradually went less and less until I finally stopped going altogether.

If there was more than one person ahead of you, you were assured of a long wait for your food. The same poor guy worked there alone for about a year, all day, all week. He was miserable and lonely and it showed. I would go in wanting a sandwich and some quiet time with my newspaper, but would end up listening to stories of his wife's miscarriage and his long hours.

After he left/was fired (no idea which) there were sometimes two people behind the counter, but they were often out of many items, all three of the tables would be covered in crumbs and garbage, and there was just a general feeling in the air that nobody gave a crap. I think the final nail in the coffin was the opening of La Bagel Delight across the street. Why would anyone want to wait 15 minutes to get a sandwich and eat it in a depressing, dirty room when just across the street there was a restaurant filled with enthusiastic employees literally jumping around to move the line quicker?

I think that Blimpie was a self-fulfilling prophecy: the neighborhood said "We don't want you" and the owners said "Why should we put in any effort when they obviously don't want us?" It was labeled by Fort Greeners as a soulless chain before it opened and the owners proved them right.

I think city-dwellers expect more from businesses. They're not running through a drive-through on their way home; they want a place where they are respected, a place that feels at home in the neighborhood. If a chain is going to make a go of it they need to put their best foot forward. It needs to have its own character and put a Brooklyn spin on its corporate template.

Posted by: cicek at February 21, 2007 10:33 AM in response to Blimpies in Ft. Greene?? Wha' Happened?

If you are not doing any of the work yourself, are looking at all new systems (plumbing, electrical), are not looking to restore details, just touch them up (painting the wood again instead of stripping and finishing it), are talking about one big kitchen and two or three bathrooms, using good-to-very-good but not top-of-the-line fixtures and materials, and are looking to file all paperwork, get the appropriate permits and use licensed professionals, then in my completely inexpert opinion $160-$175/sf is about as low as you'll be able to go.

There are always exceptions, but they are rare - that's why they're called exceptions.

Posted by: cicek at February 12, 2007 4:51 PM in response to How much to renovate a brownstone

You're in a tough position, but look at it this way: you saved money somewhere along the line by not giving each apartment its own water heater and meter (either by not doing the necessary work or by buying at a lower price from whoever didn't do the work). Now you're kind-of stuck with what the tenant is doing.

If I were in your position I would definitely put low-flow showerheads on all of the showers, but if that doesn't solve the problem I think you should look into a bigger water heater. I get 20 minute showers, so that just doesn't seem outrageous to me, and if a landlord ever spoke to me about it I would tell them to mind their own business.

You may also want to put it into the next round of leases that the low-flow showerheads are mandatory. I know that if my landlord put one in, I would have my wrench out to remove it as soon as s/he left.

Posted by: cicek at February 9, 2007 1:15 PM in response to long showers

I'm a fantastic example of someone who thought that she could save money by buying certain materials herself, instead of paying the marked-up price - and giving the responsibility - to either the architects or the contractor.

I have a huge, extra bathtub with a hole in it (no, not where you want the hole to be - another one) sitting in my living room that we paid for, and can't get the store to take back. We had to pay for another one and get it delivered overnight because the damaged bathtub was holding up the bathroom and since it was our only one, we really needed it to get finished ASAP!

We had to pay almost $1000 to have doors patched and painted because we took responsibility for buying the doorknobs, and didn't realize until it was too late that the company had sent the wrong ones.

So the trades people probably do get a discount. Then they mark it back up, and if there is a mistake or something arrives broken, it's their responsibility. Totally worth it, in my opinion.

The other thing to consider is the coordination. My contractor has several different crews working on different projects. If something gets held up, or goes faster than he planned for, he can shift his crews around to work on something else. If you yourself are trying to coordinate when the plumber and electrician and floor guys, etc. should all be there, and you get off schedule even a little bit, you're going to be in hell, with many people mad at you. Let it be someone else's responsibility.

I sincerely believe that what you save ends up costing you somewhere else. If this were a smaller project I could see it, but for a total gut...I think you'll regret it in the end.

And lastly, if you paid peanuts I would think you would attract elephants. If you want to attract monkeys, try bananas. :-)

Posted by: cicek at February 9, 2007 12:52 PM in response to Acting as your own GC to save $$?

Sorry about the bitterness being spewed above. I only wish I had my life together as perfectly as they say they do. Not everything is well known to a first time brownstone buyer.

We jumped in without knowing every single cost upfront too. Things that we could afford on better streets a year before quickly became out of reach while we were educating ourselves about brownstones. The 5 story on Adelphi with the 131-foot, L-shaped lot...that one still brings tears to my eyes. Live and learn.

Anyway, we knew that insurance would be high, but didn't know about the construction premium. Didn't have to deal with a vacancy premium. You might want to try Liberty Mutual. Not quite as gold-plated as Chubb, but still well regarded. We used a guy named Brad Bennette, 212-391-7500 Ext 252. He walked us through all of the confusing parts and was very patient with us while we asked a zillion questions.

Good luck!

Posted by: cicek at February 9, 2007 12:35 PM in response to Insurance for buying a building w/renovation in progress?

Sorry, without the other side of the conversation it looks like I wasn't taking my meds.

Posted by: cicek at February 8, 2007 4:51 PM in response to "Raging" Fire at 110 Livingston?

I'm impressed. My husband is jealous. It will now be twice as hard for him to get out of bed in the morning, knowing that someone else is living the dream.

Congrats!

Posted by: cicek at February 7, 2007 10:24 AM in response to Bustin' Out: Blogging Full Time

This article is a little older (November) but explains the loophole a little more.

http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/29/45/29_45nets2.html

Amy

Posted by: cicek at February 1, 2007 11:14 AM in response to PACC Keeps Busy, Breaks Ground on Quincy

This is an article from about a month ago: http://tinyurl.com/ynq5vq

Here are the parts most relevant to this discussion:

***

Unlike at 180 Myrtle Avenue, however, the rest of the inclusionary housing planned for the Flatbush tower is, as Lawrence Whiteside presented, "the normal type of project where the low-income development goes up [somewhere else] and the air rights are transferred downtown."

In this case, half of the affordable housing that will provide governmental kickbacks to the developer is off-site - about two miles off-site, at 15-21 Quincy Street between Classon Avenue and Downing Street, which is at the far eastern boundary of the CB2 area.

Nonetheless, 15-21 Quincy Street, will offer 48 total units, nine of which are for tenants at or below 30 percent AMI (about $22,500), with preference given to people transitioning out of homelessness, and 38 for tenants at or below 50 percent AMI (with one unit for the super).

The Quincy Street building will be managed and marketed by the Pratt Area Community Council (PACC), and is slated to be constructed within the next two years, according to Drew Kiriazides, PACC's director of housing development.

To many observers, the Quincy Street project represents the unpleasant side of affordable housing incentives: the market-rate condo shoppers get to live in increased luxury in their glass tower without having to run into any unfortunate low-income tenants on the elevator - or in this case, within a one-mile radius.

Kiriazides, however, is a good deal more optimistic about the plan. "It's not like we're dumping people in Clinton Hill," he told the Star, referring to the Quincy location which some pre-gentrification old-timers still think of as being firmly in the neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant.

"The original plan was to develop a larger site that included going into Myrtle Avenue with all of the affordable housing built at the site of the Flatbush tower," Kiriazides explained. Quincy Street is by no means a poor plan B, in his estimation.

"PACC is very excited about having this kind of project," Kiriazides continued. 15-21 Quincy Street "is a stand-alone building that we're allowed to manage and provide all services for," as opposed to on-site affordable housing where it might fall to the developer to provide for the needs of lower-income and special-needs tenants.

With the off-site set-up of Quincy, however, Kiriazides said, PACC, a non-profit management agency that serves the underprivileged, "can provide services to the formerly homeless tenants [at 15-21 Quincy], job-readiness programs, food stamp assistance," and a number of other services all under the same roof.

(PACC does also manage affordable housing units in on-site properties. Lawrence Whiteside mentioned that 180 Myrtle Avenue had applied to PACC to request that they manage their 20 on-site units.)

So what did CB2 think of 180 Myrtle Avenue and 15-21 Quincy Street and its Flatbush tower?

The end of the year board meeting was attended by Councilwoman Letitia James, as well as representatives from the offices of many borough luminaries. Nevertheless, the night was marked by little discussion aside from repeated holiday greetings to one and all.

The vote on 180 Myrtle Avenue met with no discussion whatsoever, and CB2 approved it unanimously.

***

If what this article says is still true, the majority of apartments would have an income cap of about $37,500, and there will be a live-in super.

I have a much bigger problem with the politicians and laws involved in this than in anything that PACC is trying to do. I think that PACC is at worse misguided but well meaning. The law, however, is ridiculous and once again lets private developers take advantage of loopholes large enough to drive a backhoe through.

Posted by: cicek at February 1, 2007 11:00 AM in response to PACC Keeps Busy, Breaks Ground on Quincy

I totally understand about the doorknob! I fell in love with the doors of my house before ever seeing the inside, and they're still my favorite thing about the house.

Love your blog!

Posted by: cicek at January 29, 2007 8:11 PM in response to The good with the bad....

We can't use hemp as insulation. My husband would burn the house down on purpose.

Posted by: cicek at August 22, 2006 11:03 PM in response to Grenier Goes Green

I like the login very much, but I do wish it applied to the forum and other parts of the site as well. IMHO, anyone who can't take a few minutes one time to make an identity probably won't be missed by me.

Posted by: cicek at August 3, 2006 12:09 PM in response to What Do You Think of Restricted Commenting?

One of my pet peeves on message boards is when I ask for advice on how to do A and am instead told that nobody in their right mind would do A and that doing B is the way to go. But before I respond I try (not always successfully) to take a deep breath and remember that the great thing about message boards is that many people can learn from questions asked by one. It can feel so satisfying to snap back at the irrelevant/condescending/combative posts, but I try to tell myself that even though I'm not learning anything from them, someone else probably is, and the world goes 'round.

That having been said, I've never in my life found a handyman who could caulk well, so if anyone comes up with someone please let me know.

Posted by: cicek at August 3, 2006 10:25 AM in response to Bathroom Caulking Job

I would think that having a 17-years-dead racehorse in your back parlor would be bring price down a tad.

Posted by: cicek at July 14, 2006 11:35 AM in response to Stepping Out On FG Park (For Almost $4 Mil!)

Cool. I get confused as to which "anonymous" posters are brothel-loving-NYC-is-only-authentic-if-it's-dirty-and-dangerous people and which are I-love-my-neighborhood-dearly-except-for-the-poor-people-who-obstuct-my-views people. This should make it easier to keep track.

Posted by: cicek at July 11, 2006 2:59 PM in response to Site Registration for Commenting

I am not sure how you gathered that information
from greatschools.net., a site that I have visited and posted on as well. P.S. 282 doesn't have poor grades,diminishing staff or few programs "beyond the three R's". The rating that you quote is from user ratings and represents a handful of users comments and opinions. My stepdaughter attended P.S.282 for the 4th and 5th grades in the gifted program and my son is just about to finish the Pre-K program. My stepdaughter was accepted to M.S. 51 and now is ready to go to H.S. at NEST+M.To be blunt as you have been in your response P.S. 282 while having excellent reading scores just below P.S.321 (not very much below I might add) and an extensive program that includes art, music, culinary program etc. has received a bad reputation because it is predominantly black. I think what is working against the school has nothing to do with actual facts but a bias based on it's mostly black population. I think this is a travesty and shameful because the potential of this school to be a cultural and academic force is being squandered by these negative attitudes fueled by covert racist notions.

Posted by: Genene West at May 29, 2007 10:01 PM in response to just outside ps 321

the landlord was not hostile. in fact, some of the hostile responses fail to take into account that the landlord may have an interest in finding a way not to renew the tenan'ts lease. after all, even in nyc, the landlord still owns the property, and tenants who take property rights in usa lightly are occasionally in for a bad surprise. talk to some people in the rest of the country or the planet and you may gain some perspective helpful to all involved.

Posted by: brownstone89 at March 20, 2008 7:38 AM in response to long showers