deancollins's Profile
Author's Posts
April 26, 2009
retractable insect screens
wow, slept with the windows open for the firs time last night....welcome to brooklyn mosquitos - feel like i visited the blood bank.
I've been googling this morning for insect screens and looking for any and all advice.
We are on the 4th floor so have a rear deck with walk through casement 'windows' 38w X 53h.
On the front we have metal casements 40w X 36h
Am thinking about going for retractable screens (the ones that roll up like a blind).
Any thoughts or experiences?
If we did go for the fixed style how the heck do you get them to mount to the front metal casement windows?
Any vendors people want to recommend or hardware solutions to stay away from.
tia,
Dean
March 10, 2009
Glass tile 50% discount
We purchased some blueish green glass tiles from Cancos (original receipt available) they are 2" X 1" Ice Brick pattern and cost $200 a box.
Turns out we only needed 2 of the 3 boxes and the third box is still sealed.
It would only make sense if you were going to install the same tile as there wouldn't be enough left over for all but the very smallest jobs (eg comes 6ft to a box) but if you were installing the same tiles then you can buy the sealed box from us at $100 which is a 50% discount what is costs at Cancos.
email me;
dean (at) collins (dot) net (dot) pr
we are in brooklyn heights if you want to pick them up or swing past to check out what they look like (looks fab at night with under bench lighting)
February 26, 2009
newbie owner question
just bought for the first time in NY so excuse the newbie question.
i accidentally received the NY property tax envelope in my mail box and opened it.
the rough details are our building of 7 units is valued at $1.5m
with a tax rate of 12% this means we pay property tax of 22,000 per year.
(i'm assuming this is correct as ive never seen one of these forms before).
but my question is this, on the document it mentions that we ow $5200 this quarter but if we have a mortgage we owe nothing.
can this be correct?
therefor cant our building take out a minimal mortgage of $40k or so and not have to pay property tax?
or am i way off on this assumption.
sorry for the super newbie question.
TIA,
Dean
Author's Comments
the more expensive ones can use batteries on the $450 version or a 'recharge pack' on the $600 version(check them out on amazon.com here),
The problem is running costs, propane and lures etc.
Cheers,
Dean
Posted by: deancollins at May 1, 2009 10:39 AM in response to Mosquito Magnet Poll
meme, why do you 'think' you dont use it?
Posted by: deancollins at May 1, 2009 10:20 AM in response to How to get a hottub to a backyrd
$20 an hour cash is about right.
It's pretty decent money per hour as i'm sure they aren't declaring the income.
I'd pay more if i got official receipts and tax etc was being paid.
Dont forget you are also wearing the liability risk if they aren't incorporated with sufficient insurance coverage etc so $20 is plenty.
Posted by: deancollins at May 1, 2009 9:50 AM in response to what does a house keeper cost?
ok i'm sorry including delivery.....
$350 toilet
+$58 for soft close seat http://www.decorplanet.com/product_p/ss154.htm
dude if you are trying to unload something then you are going to have to make it cheaper than retail
Posted by: deancollins at April 9, 2009 6:49 PM in response to Toto Eco Nexus Toilet with Seat
i like it - but hey what do i know.
only problem is they retail here with delivery for $340
http://www.decorplanet.com/product_p/cst794ef.htm
Posted by: deancollins at April 9, 2009 12:54 AM in response to Toto Eco Nexus Toilet with Seat
sounds like normal wear and tear (and yes i am a landlord).
btw. is it legal to rent a non smoking only apartment in NYC?
Dean
Posted by: deancollins at March 29, 2009 10:58 AM in response to Assessing Tenant Damages
i live across the road from this apartment (and down the Henry St a bit).
your comment about parking is correct.
if you have $4 to spend you might also have a weekend place and there is no parking in the building - and no where near by to park either.
I dont think the maintenance fees are that high, we pay $1,000 a month for a little under 900sqft but thats because it's a small 8 apt building and we own 2 of the apts (now combined) - and nope no doorman here.... or maintenance people either.
the views would be great, BUT not entirely unobstructed (eg i dont think you can see liberty from there as there is a taller building about 300 meters east between you and the harbour but yes you would have a great view of manhattan and pretty much zero chance of being built out because of the density in henry st etc.
this being said, those bedrooms really are very small for a $4m apartment, and although i'd probably be one of those people who come in and rip the guts out of it in an update (and i did spend 15 minutes last week thinking of a design that would work) i think by the time you finish updating it you would be $1.2-1.5 into renovation costs - at $5.5m there are far better apartments.
There was also a $3m sale of a carriage house in college lane about 150 meters away (I have no idea how they got that much for it though looking from the outside).
Will they get the money probably (or close to it) only because there is a real lack of alternatives in brooklyn heights so for the right person (and it only takes one) it wouldn't be a problem to spend that money.
Would i stay living in brooklyn heights if i was spending $4m maybe probably i love being able to chose from 3 subways all within 800 meters and the area is nice - however there is a lack of good restaurants which i find a continual problem since i moved here.
Cheers,
Dean
Posted by: deancollins at March 27, 2009 8:15 AM in response to Co-op of the Day: 160 Henry Street
the silve baseboard looks like a baseboard heater NOT baseboards that someone covered up with alfoil.
Posted by: deancollins at March 25, 2009 2:11 PM in response to House of the Day: 442 State Street
Hey Mr Brownstoner editor....why wont you approve my post?
Posted by: deancollins at March 24, 2009 11:44 AM in response to Marble Countertop Source
yep only in NY would you pay that price when you would need to drop $100k and 4-5 months work (including dob approval times) on the apartment before you moved in.
nice space though but i don like the idea of living in a bedroom without any natural light.
Posted by: deancollins at March 23, 2009 2:43 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 28 Old Fulton Street, #5E
the only other countries that have not officially adopted the metric system are Liberia (in western Africa) and Burma (also known as Myanmar, in Southeast Asia).
......oh and of course the USA :)
http://deancollinsblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/metric-system.html
Cheers,
Dean
Posted by: deancollins at March 22, 2009 4:55 PM in response to Fed up with 1/8 inches
electrolux
Posted by: deancollins at March 19, 2009 12:01 AM in response to Glass tile 50% discount
I have a friend of mine who builds these....in Australia :(
But seriously i cant imagine why most people dont do this more often.
Sure there is a big upfront but once that is covered pretty much zero heating/cooling bills every year after that.
Makes sense to me.
Posted by: deancollins at March 14, 2009 11:31 AM in response to going green with geothermal
Nope it’s just regular tile – Rob Mara did the installation for us (he was recommended on the Brownstoner).
It comes in 12” x 12” sheets with a mesh background so is super easy to affix. Let me know if you want a photo of the back etc.
Posted by: deancollins at March 10, 2009 8:19 PM in response to Glass tile 50% discount
nope and nope.
apparently Cancos are solid on this no returns policy which is a shame but better to have too many than screwing around a tiler who then has to charge you another full days labour to come back 14-21 days later when the extra tiles arrive.
btw i didn't mention but it's actually 7 sq feet we have as there is still one full sheet left over in the second box as well.
first to email gets them - i'll post back here when they are taken.
Posted by: deancollins at March 10, 2009 3:05 PM in response to Glass tile 50% discount
no probs thanks for that.
i was trying to work out why a lot of co-ops have mortgages instead of organising one off capital raisings and i thought there may have been a tax advantage.
thanks for the explanation.
Dean
Posted by: deancollins at March 1, 2009 10:46 AM in response to newbie owner question
and a followon question - has anysone heard of a non brownstone building in a landmark area getting approval to do this?
eg, if i have a brick building can i get it made to look like a brownstone?
cheers,
Dean
Posted by: deancollins at February 26, 2009 6:25 PM in response to Facade Work
i've got about $300 of green glass tile left over if you want to make any offer.
would only make sense if you were interested in the same tile etc, they are 1 in high by 2inch wide and come attached to a backing mesh in sheets of 12" x 12"
nothing wrong with them just way overestimated the amount we required.
Posted by: deancollins at February 26, 2009 6:19 PM in response to Granite Countertops
cdw - any photos online or details of what you did?
Cheers,
Dean
Posted by: deancollins at February 23, 2009 12:06 AM in response to Extension on Top of House - recs
Sure, walkable glass happens all the time.
check out the central courtyard floor over the top of a gym here in this listing.
http://www.corcoran.com/property/listing.aspx?Region=NYC&listingid=1265368
unfortunately most NY architecture is so boring that it's probably not used as often as it could be.
Cheers,
Dean
Posted by: deancollins at February 20, 2009 9:39 AM in response to Deck specialist
yeh i'm really surprised brownstoner hasn't implemented a better forum system.
lets face it something liek this was ok in the 90's but now it's crap.
having an email verification system that actually works and advanced search and rss feeds for tags is considered a minimum these days.
if you cant do it then feel free to get one of us readers to manage the site.
Cheers,
Dean
Posted by: deancollins at February 19, 2009 6:19 PM in response to Brownstoner Search..............
Responses to Author's Forum Comments
i'm going to say that whether you're getting a fair deal or not depends on whether your house is clean when the job is done. i've paid more using services (because that includes tax, etc.) and paid less for one-time help here and there. i wouldn't pay less than $20, for the reasons others suggest. but for $30 an hour you definitely can get someone who cleans very well, is easy to communicate with, etc. if your current cleaner doesn't fit that profile, look for someone else.
Posted by: i disagree at May 1, 2009 1:01 PM in response to what does a house keeper cost?
I think $30/hour is quite high. If that person were to work a 40 hour week they'd make over $60K per year.
I wouldn't mind having someone come in once per month to help me clean. Someone who could oil the woodwork and help with the high places. Any recommendations out there?
Posted by: bessie2 at May 1, 2009 2:59 PM in response to what does a house keeper cost?
If you're worried about fairness to cleaners (which I would say is definitely a major issue), then I might recommend this company: http://www.zenhomecleaning.com/index.htm
A friend of mine used to work in their office, and from what I've seen the workers are paid very fairly and get pretty good benefits. A bit more expensive than most ($25-35/hr), and I've never used them, but they're ethical and I'd say it's worth looking into.
Posted by: collin85 at May 1, 2009 3:36 PM in response to what does a house keeper cost?
You can try one of these: http://www.softub.com/modelsfeatures/softub-300
Doesn't look bad with the decking around it. May be easier for city living than a standard hot tub.
Posted by: Haiku25 at May 1, 2009 4:01 PM in response to How to get a hottub to a backyrd
I pay $130 to have two floors cleaned every two weeks--she spends around 6 hours here and is extremely thorough. I think this is a fair price.
Bessie, I guess you've never attempted a consulting gig. See if you can fill your dance card for 40 hours a week, every week. And house cleaning is hard work.
Posted by: tinarina at May 1, 2009 6:13 PM in response to what does a house keeper cost?
bessie2- why should it bother you if a hard-working cleaning woman (or man) earns 60k a year? If they do good work, and they're honest and reliable, that's all you need to worry about.
Posted by: bxgrl at May 1, 2009 8:31 PM in response to what does a house keeper cost?
It looks great
I love it
Posted by: antte at May 2, 2009 11:13 PM in response to How beautiful the stoop is NOw!!
What was the total cost?
Posted by: parkslopemom at May 3, 2009 11:24 AM in response to How beautiful the stoop is NOw!!
Wow, Jewel does stoops and bathrooms (see post above re: bathroom contractor referral, by Roniki_007). Roksandi, how about contact information for you, so we can see work in person?
Posted by: vinca at May 3, 2009 11:39 AM in response to How beautiful the stoop is NOw!!
Looks like a great job. Time will tell though.
Posted by: Chosen at May 3, 2009 12:46 PM in response to How beautiful the stoop is NOw!!
Did he provide the railing? if so looks really good - would be better if you uploaded a before shot though so we can actually see the difference.
Posted by: deancollins at May 2, 2009 9:20 PM in response to How beautiful the stoop is NOw!!