I think Bergenbabe may have recommended Thad Simley to me. He was great! I had a piece of ornamental molding which fell off during some electrical work. The electricians couldn't fix it and it was very globby and messy looking anyway. Thad came over, looked at the molding on the ceiling, just happened to be working on the exact same molding in another house, had two extra pieces and replaced the broken piece and replaced a piece that was missing from when I bought the house. He is a nice guy, worked quickly, was reasonably priced and really knew what he is doing. It was one of those eye-blinking experiences. In 1 hour he had gone back to his site, picked up the pieces he had made, repaired my ceiling and was doine. Good luck with him; he was terrific.

Posted by: donatella at November 6, 2009 6:50 PM in response to Old World Plasterer Needed

Agree with more 4 less. No matter what this turns out to be, it is way better than the shell/wreck it was before. I am a cheerleader for this block.

Posted by: donatella at November 6, 2009 3:48 PM in response to Fulton Sports Bar Signage Revealed

Ftgreenepark, thanks for the distinction. I agree, using your defination, we could use a dive bar. But what I was thinking of was guns -- I guess I am afraid of a scary bar. I could even deal with a "douche bar" as long as the "corporate douche bags" don't bother me. And bucketseats, thanks. I guess I have become extremely lazy, just walking from my house to this block to the subway and haven't ventured further "east" to Washington on Fulton. That's good to know. I'll check it out.

Posted by: donatella at November 6, 2009 2:19 PM in response to Fulton Sports Bar Signage Revealed

I like Diego's comment. I didn't notice the new "sign". I live near there and that block in particular means a lot to me. I watched the renovation on this building from the most incredible wreck to a building that looks intact anyway, but I am a little disappointed to read this here. Already it feels like a dive bar. There was one dive bar on this block (now a t-shirt / clothing store) which lasted a couple of months. Well, at least they cleaned up the building. That's a first step to something. That block now has Imperial Cleaner (Rolando, the new owner) which is great, a new take out place for fish and other food (opened last month), Olivino's wine bar (very nice! owner of Olivino's Wine store Katrina has created a cute little nabe place, very comfortable for neighborhood people on the way home from work,) Yafa the Yemeni bodega makes good sandwiches and very good cheap coffee, (I hate the Thai place, and the Chinese place on that block). Country Diner is owned by a couple of Palestinian brothers who are nice guys but can't get much of a crowd, except for Sunday after church. There are 2 clothing stores which don't seem to get much biz along with 2 Real Estate offices. That's the block. Now we have a Sports Bar. OK.

Posted by: donatella at November 6, 2009 1:59 PM in response to Fulton Sports Bar Signage Revealed

That's a really nice house. Re: exposed brick, covering that up is easy. It is a nice size, maybe not the best street in FG, but it's nice and close to the best retail stuff, easy walk to Atlantic Ave sub or G or C and it looks in good shape and as though you wouldn't have to do anything serious to it. I am just thinking of the other houses in the area -- I think it the price they are asking is off, maybe 1.6/ 1.65 is more like it.

Posted by: donatella at November 5, 2009 2:36 PM in response to House of the Day: 119 Fort Greene Place

God, I am so easy to please. Yes, Rob, you're surprised that there were no bakeries and drycleaners? Over on Fulton Street, there was NOTHING. It was Mad Max. Just nail places and beauty parlors and barbershops and bodegas with sour milk. That was half of the buildings. The other half were empty. A lovely drug rehab place on Fulton and Washington. Like Tinarina says, crack vials and condoms and even now, your spent bullet. There used to be a drycleaner on Fulton - a guy who stuffed your clothes with the equivalent of half a tree of tissue paper and used fumes that took 2 weeks to air off. And I got stuff back with cigarette burns. So it was back to Brooklyn Heights to the nice lady who cleaned my clothes in my other life. Now the man of the year is Rolando, the new drycleaner on Fulton near Clinton, who hails from Washington Heights, and is good, nice and cheap!

Posted by: donatella at November 3, 2009 9:24 PM in response to Closing Bell: Gentrification Indicators

The people posting here are really describing super-gentrified. I was thinking of things like, I now have a dry cleaner, there is a bakery 4 blocks away, the bodega's milk isn't sour anymore. Stuff like that.

Posted by: donatella at November 3, 2009 4:33 PM in response to Closing Bell: Gentrification Indicators

I can say from experience that the litigious route is the worst. The best you can hope from an experience like this is to get them out of there as quickly as possible with as much cooperation as possible. For heavens sake, do NOT rely on them or expect them to find you a tenant. Their fabulous judgement is what caused this mess. You should explain that this is a breaking of the lease, that it is a big problem for you, that this is a bad time of year, etc. and see if you can get them to be cooperative in keeping their apartment both very tidy and neat and available for showing. Immediately. And then while we can't control everything, to the extent you can, analyze how you can try to avoid a similiar situation in the future, i.e. do a lot of screening up front. I am sympathetic because s**t happens but see what you can learn from this. And stay out of court. I had to go there as a last resort with an inherited tenant from hell and let me tell you about a way to age yourself.

Posted by: donatella at November 3, 2009 3:07 PM in response to Tenants Breaking Lease

Call Eddie Hibbert, 917-327-2661. He owns the architectural salvage place on Greene and Grand. He does this and would do a good job for you.

Posted by: donatella at November 2, 2009 3:28 PM in response to Help Me Clean Out Estate

I am guessing that you are looking for an electrician. Call Ceriello Electric.

Posted by: donatella at November 1, 2009 11:39 AM in response to Where Are the Electricians?

I don't like dark spaces. The gloomy Victorian vibe is not for me; brownstones are naturally dark, since most have light from front and back and no natural light from the sides, to state the obvious. It was extremely important to me to have lots of light in my place. In the double parlor I have two nice chandeliers which work well with another hanging fixture in an alcove. Downstairs where I have the kitchen, dining room, hallway and bedroom, I have a lot of wattage in the kitchen and that is recessed lighting. The rest of the downstairs I have Center ceiling fixtures. I think you need a lot of light in a kitchen - you need to see what you are doing and recessed lighting is very good for that. But in other spaces I prefer center ceiling fixtures. I also hate ceiling fans. I think they look so awful; I don't know if the increased air circulation offsets the spinning propeller look.

Posted by: donatella at October 30, 2009 10:31 PM in response to Thoughts on Recessed Lighting

We were asked by a film company to use our Brooklyn Heights Brownstone -- hallway, front, steps, etc. for a couple of days prior to the Christmas holidays one year. The money was a pittance compared to what looked like to be 18 hour days leading right up to the holidays. We said no. Film crews also think they own their locations and that includes city streets, like we should be privledged to have them around. There is a little beach community in Staten Island that regularly uses its area for Law and Order episodes and for some reason that is usually not disruptive, but fun for the people there. But it is an open area near the beach and it is a regular thing so the neighbors welcome them.

Posted by: donatella at October 30, 2009 4:26 PM in response to Renting Your Place for Movie

After reading all the comments, I agree with the suggestion to test the color because the colors will look very different depending on the exposure (for northern exposures cooler colors are better and warmer colors better with sun.) The amount and quality of light, your furnishings, the size of the room will all make a difference. Paint some boards and put them in different areas to get a sense of the color. I have Linen white by the way in my hallways and that is different than both the Marble white (which is cooler) and the antique yellow which is a light creamy buttery kind of color (but subtle). The Linen white in my hallway is more beigey. It works fine in the hallway but I wouldn't like it in the apartment -- it is a little dusty as one poster said, not what I wanted in the apartment.

Posted by: donatella at October 29, 2009 8:42 PM in response to Yellow With Wood

My house is pretty much different shades of yellow and cream. I have a cool cream slightly yellow color, Marble White in my living room and a more butter/cream color is Antique Yellow, in other parts of the place. Both Benjamin Moore. I don't know if either would work, but I think that the warm antique color might be nice.

Posted by: donatella at October 29, 2009 8:35 PM in response to Yellow With Wood

Hmmm.... it sounds like 200 Fifth will be a nuthouse, which is good (or it might just be a short ride to Mullane's on Lafayette.) We'll check out 200 Fifth. Thanks a lot! Now it just has to stop raining.

Posted by: donatella at October 28, 2009 2:26 PM in response to Best sports bar in Brooklyn?

Thanks very much for all of the suggestions and information. I think that the plexiglass idea is an excellent one and I will check out the suggestions. Also, sealing the glass makes sense too from the outside. I think the first step is both getting on the roof to seal from the outside and then measure for a piece of plexiglass on the inside to further insulate the apartment from the elements. We have been struggling with the top floor apartment's heat in transitional October for a while and after fixing the valves on the ground floor and upper floors, I hope that this will resolve the heat loss.

Thank you.

Posted by: donatella at October 28, 2009 2:22 PM in response to Skylight Question

I agree; get a plumber. It is really not such a big deal; once I had Hlad plumbing down to check a few things out and they checked the pipes, found a tiny area near the meter and applied some kind of plastic goop which hardens to cover up the leak. Don't freak out, just call a plumber right away.

Posted by: donatella at October 27, 2009 1:49 PM in response to Gas Leak

Two years ago I had a little time off and decided to take care of the same problem. I live on a landmarked block and followed the lead of a neighbor who went to the DOT for a permit to work on the sidewalk. He did his work at a leisurely pace with his nice little DOT permit in his window. I went and spent a whole day in the DOT office waiting among expeditors who yelled at the top of their lungs, stuffing fist fulls of permits into the little slots in the glass. 5 minutes before closing time, with certification of ownership in hand, I finally got my turn and was told that I had to go to Landmarks. Apparantly, it is hit or miss, depending on who takes care of you how you will be taken care of. I didn't have another day to go to Landmarks, nor did I want to this, since I am told they are just as arbitrary and who wants to get on their radar screen. So I abandoned the project -- for now. When I finally do do this, I will forget the permit and get a crew in on a weekend and have them do all the work then with an arborist to take care of the roots at the same time with no permit. I think it is a laugh, because I was/am planning on doing a nice job with bluestone, unlike the rest of the block which is a patchwork of cracked and buckling blue stone and cement sidewalk patches of every color.

Posted by: donatella at October 24, 2009 11:17 PM in response to Trees & Sidewalks

Rob, I was going to defend you before, but I see people have fun busting your chops. I very much like the motion sensor faucet. A motion sensored shower would be even better. Keep him moving...

Posted by: donatella at October 23, 2009 6:58 PM in response to Tenant Leaving Water On

Oh, yeah, RS/RC, not fun. Only for masochists. But hey, Jimmy, since you have accepted the mission, what you have to do is get some help from the DEP on water usage. Then you need a lawyer. Consult with Marc Aronson on Smith Street. He is pretty annoying himself, but he has decades of experience with tenant/landlord law in NYS. You will get the definative story on what you can do and can't do within the law. Don't torture yourself. Get very cool and very organized.

Posted by: donatella at October 23, 2009 5:01 PM in response to Tenant Leaving Water On

This is a little different, but has some similiarities. I used to come home every day to dunning phone calls from the Municipal Credit Union for a person who used to have my telephone number. It went on forever, despite my attempts to contact them and get my number off their list. It was driving me nuts and when the people started getting nasty to me, I decided to really give them a hard time. I contacted the NYC Department of Consumer affairs who registered the complaint and then told me to write to the NY State Banking Department. I finally wrote a letter to the NY State Banking Department. I got a letter back from them and then a letter from the president of the freaking MDC saying sorry, blah blah blah. And it finally stopped. But for you, it is definately possible that you could be incorrectly tagged with this problem. You should complain to NYC Consumer Affairs, the NYS Banking Department, check your credit reports (three agencies) and if it persists, write letters to the three credit unions telling them of the possible confusion. Good luck.

Posted by: donatella at October 23, 2009 11:54 AM in response to Someone's Using My Address

I like this house (agree that the decorating doesn't help its sale) but I think the area doesn't support such a price. In this marketplace, there is plenty to buy and at reduced prices. I think that this is not the greatest area to plunk down major cash, no matter how nice the house.

Posted by: donatella at October 22, 2009 2:11 PM in response to House of the Day: 177 Rugby Road

Give Hlad a call. He helped me. My issue now relates to drafty skylights I think... It's always something...

Posted by: donatella at October 20, 2009 9:26 PM in response to Steam Heat on Top Floor

We have one. It was formed in the 60s and is a pale version of what it used to be apparantly. One spring when I got laid off from my job, I had 3 months when I did lots of things I probably wouldn't have thought of otherwise (not proud of it...). But I helped organize one of those block parties and one of the residents arranges a Jazzmobile for another event and once in the late spring there is a block clean up. New people get to meet the old timers and each other which is nice. I guess certain kinds of fights can look amusing to people on the outside, but there was a real conflict (complete with nasty words and tears) among a couple of old ladies who have been on the block for 40 years, so the wounded one withdrew herself from participating and it was clear that she was the energy behind organizing the block. Nonetheless, there are many old timers on this block and they are on the lookout for weirdness and there is a real sense of community here. Including the gaggle of teenagers, who are good kids. While there is stray crime in the area, I feel safe around here. I don't know to what extent the block assn matters, but it the sense of cohesion and connection that fosters a safe environment I think.

Posted by: donatella at October 20, 2009 3:13 PM in response to Thoughts on Block Associations

I had the same problem. To tell the truth, it is still a little bit of an issue but it is better. I had Hlad Plumbing come in and they told me that I should have a valve on the 1st and parlor floor (where the thermostat is) which releases less steam than those on the higher floors. This is to slow the heating of the room where the thermostat is and to allow heat to rise to the upper apartments. I was told also that at this time of year (always an issue in fall), that the boiler doesn't not stay on very long since it is not so cold outside (i.e. stays on pretty continuously when it is cold) and the heat sometimes simply doesn't get through the entire system. It is better since we changed the valves. The tenant also had a poorly sealed A/C in there, and it is always an issue of finding a guy to take it out and down the stairs (it is HEAVY). But I think part of the problem is that there are skylights up there and they are leaky. I have a plug-in radiator for her which warms up oil inside of it and it is a good and safe source of heat until we get over the transition. If you learn something else in the process, I'd love to hear it. It is something I would also like to rectify without turning my ground floor into a sweat box.

Posted by: donatella at October 20, 2009 2:51 PM in response to Steam Heat on Top Floor

I had a place in Brooklyn Heights for 17 years--a coop. I know all the buildings mentioned -- I like 2 Grace Court, 111 Hicks St. has a screwed up mortgage that is why the maintenance is so high, 135 Willow is very ugly. I understand the pros and cons of Brooklyn Heights. I felt that it had a claustophopic feel to it after a while. It is pretty white bread, heavily inhabited by financial industry people, like me, who like the easy commute to downtown. I agree that there are not many restaurants, and it is definately more expensive than a lot of other areas, although good deals can be found. I really got sick of coop life; I lived in a gorgeous 25 foot wide brownstone with 5 stories and 9 apartments and when I had the opportunity to move out of NY for a good job, I just sold the damn place rather than deal with the board to sublet it. And when I returned to NY, after having owned a house, I decided I just couldn't take the commune environment again and no way could I afford to buy a building there.

I have to say that at times my new neighborhood, Ft. Greene, is annoying because of the lack of retail over where I am, but it is getting better and I just LOVE my street, my neighbors, the architecture. I love the fact that there are kids running up and down the street (you do not see this in BH) and after a while, everyone on my block and I gradually got to know one another and become neighborly in a light touch kind of way. I sometimes think that never would I hear gunshots in BH (which I have heard here at night) but I was actually held up at gunpoint on the Promenade with a friend at twilight one September evening in the mid 80s. You don't have that now, but there is still crime there. Anyway, I guess like any place, each person has their own criteria but BH definately has its charms.

Posted by: donatella at October 19, 2009 9:59 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 2 Grace Court, #4T

Thanks, Pickles, for this post. It is generous of you to take the time to give this information to us. This is why I love Brownstoner.

Posted by: donatella at October 19, 2009 9:37 PM in response to Recs from Renovation

Well I didn't read your post too closely - sorry - you actually probably should be looking for a new place to live. I guess I am a little defensive about this rent reduction craze. I am a great landlord and take really good care of my tenants.

Posted by: donatella at October 15, 2009 2:59 PM in response to Negotiating Rent Reduction

I had this problem and did the same thing - took off the floors, leveled the subflooring and reinstalled flooring.
Also, with the new flooring, I reproduced the patterning of the original parquets (missing, broken, stained and overall hopeless....) and it looks great. The cause was settling due to bad renovations, i.e. cutting joists for plumbing and tinkering with weightbearing walls by "renovators" of days past. I had an engineered beam installed to support the floor which was compromised and which was the original cause of the uneven flooring.

Posted by: donatella at October 15, 2009 2:03 PM in response to Sloped Floors?

Ask for a reduction, but why should the landlord give it? Your changing circumstances shouldn't entitle you to a bailout by somebody who is probably in the same boat as you. What about his/her circumstances, like providing a safe, clean, warm, nice apartment to you with hot water and services. These cost money. Go see if you can find something better and if you can, ask him/her for a reduction but don't think this is due to you.

Posted by: donatella at October 13, 2009 9:51 PM in response to Negotiating Rent Reduction

I think Hexagonal tiles -- combo, white and black -- would be best. It would like nice, I think...

Posted by: donatella at October 11, 2009 9:44 PM in response to Best floor for 1890s bath?

I remember your post. Everyone said get National Grid to come in and check it out. Obviously you haven't done that and you haven't blown up so give it a rest.

Posted by: donatella at October 6, 2009 7:05 PM in response to Another Ceiling Gasline Question

You need a car.

Posted by: donatella at October 5, 2009 1:35 PM in response to Living in Red Hook.... Should I?

I assume you paid the 5,000 dollars. Sue them. Forget a lawyer. Go to petty claims court and get a form and ask for advice on how to file a claim from the people there. I am not sure now what the limit is - I am pretty sure it is 5,000 dollars. You will get a date and then you go to court and you then present details. Have everthing documented and prove that the apartment was illegal and whatever other evidence of your experience. You will get your money back.

Posted by: donatella at October 4, 2009 8:49 PM in response to Broker Rented Us an Illegal Unit

You have to go in there. Tell them anything. You are checking something, anything. Find out what it is. Then have a conversation about it. You owe it to yourself, your other tenants and maybe something bad is happening with the tenant, i.e. they are sick, in trouble, the apartment is unhealthy, etc. It's not that hard; just go in there and have a talk after you find out what is happening.

Posted by: donatella at October 4, 2009 7:49 PM in response to Bad Smell from Tenant

Too bad, he did everything for me on time. He built a front door, a frame for an internal stained glass window, replaced my stairs in the main hallway, created a railing in my duplex for an internal staircase and made specialty millwork (moulding) for a kitchen. He did excellent work for me and many on this site have used him. Search brownstoner.

Posted by: donatella at October 4, 2009 7:43 PM in response to Good Stair Guys?

Bill Barnett is your person. He did extensive stair work and mill work for me - excellent, professional, fast, 1/2 the price of Anton of Soxco Stairs. His telephone number is 917-327-2661.

Posted by: donatella at October 4, 2009 10:43 AM in response to Good Stair Guys?

So who are the Brazilians?

Posted by: donatella at October 2, 2009 7:25 PM in response to Verrazano Flooring NOT WORTH IT

I agree with all the things that Petebklyn says, but I do all that chatting about me, them, lifestyle, what works for me, how I take care of the building, quirks associated with living in a 120+ year old building, things I like, how I don't like being cold and so they don't need to worry about that etc etc., how the mail works, how to pay me, how we do everything from spraying for bugs to handling pets, garbage stuff (like NO STUFF) in the hallway...etc etc. We have a nice heart to heart AFTER I know that they are OK from a salary, job, credit, criminal etc. point of view that the broker checks. Then I ask the person to think it over and that I am reviewing some other folks but would very much like to hear from them (if I do). I like this because we get to talk in a relaxed way after I know they "check out". From this, we know if we like one another and if they have a problem with anything I mention....well, that should work for them too. They get to look elsewhere rather than get locked into a deal where they don't feel happy.

Posted by: donatella at October 1, 2009 4:10 PM in response to Advice on Finding Tenant

During the 70's and 80's, exposed brick was the cool thing to do with a restoration. I bought a coop and lived with an exposed brick wall in my Brooklyn Heights coop for 15 years and I kept thinking about plastering it over. I was really aggravated by it after a while. I used to talk about it all the time. This one liked it, that one agreed with me. In the end, I did nothing but no way did I want to have any of that in my brownstone. I didn't "restore" my place either -- just kept the pretty Victorian stuff like plastered floral designed molding on the ceiling, big molded doors, put back fireplaces, and other stuff which fits with the brownstone but works for modern life. There is light everywhere. I made a big deal about adding nice light fixtures, which give lots of light. I HATE dark and dreary and for that reason, I don't like true "restorations".

Posted by: donatella at October 1, 2009 3:19 PM in response to Exposed Brick Blues

A lot of people don't agree with me, but I like to use a broker. I like the idea that I can have limited contact with the potential tenant until they are screened regarding job, credit, previous rental history, criminal and legal records. The broker gets a sense of how the building "works" and my life and gets a sense of whether the tenant would be happy there and if all checks out, we all meet together some place other than the house and have a heart to heart about what's what, the "rules", how things work and whether they can live with them. I don't want to be "rejecting" anyone personally and/or in my house. This has worked out great for me -- others say that the fee discourages renters. I would be willing to kick in part of the fee, but hopefully, the tenant will also benefit by the seriousness of how we approach things from the start and then we lay the solid groundwork for a mutually happy relationship. I have great releationships with my tenants and it is because we have agreed on the lay of the land. And I treat them very well.

Posted by: donatella at October 1, 2009 3:04 PM in response to Advice on Finding Tenant

I had one pretty terrible tenant who overstayed her lease and I had to start eviction proceedings. JRI made some good points particularly about whether you will receive money even if you win. I could write a book here but call Marc Aronson with offices on Smith Street, who can guide you through this. Then, when and if you get rid of these people, the important part starts. You can avoid all this nonsense in the future by doing a thorough check on tenants up front before you rent to them -- i.e. get the full scoop on thier work, rental, credit, and litigation history and have a nice talk about how rule number #1 is getting rent on the 1st. Good luck.

Posted by: donatella at October 1, 2009 7:03 AM in response to Non-Payment of Rent

I understand the tenant, but he rented knowing this, didn't he? It seems like something that should be explained. I put in mailboxes because I hate the idea of the USPS throwning mail on the ground beyond the gate, nice and dirty and soggy when it rains. I don't want to be responsible for distributing mail, I travel for work, I don't want anybody "touching" my mail. But then he didn't rent from me. He should do like dirty hipster and get a box at the post office.

Posted by: donatella at September 30, 2009 9:01 PM in response to Mailbox Issue

The door would be OK if your guys didn't take it off and put it back wrong. You are responsible. Go to the landlady, say you are sorry about it, ask her advice on who she would use and use that person and pay them. You will start off your new lease on the right foot. How hard is that?

Posted by: donatella at September 29, 2009 10:28 PM in response to Who is Responsible?

The door would be OK if your guys didn't take it off and put it back wrong. You are responsible. Go to the landlady, say you are sorry about it, ask her advice on who she would use and use that person and pay them. You will start off your new lease on the right foot. How hard is that?

Posted by: donatella at September 29, 2009 10:27 PM in response to Who is Responsible?

Pay the 70 bucks.

Posted by: donatella at September 29, 2009 8:50 PM in response to Does the landlord have to clean?

If your landlord sues you for the entire month, you will lose. You should go and talk to him/her and negotiate something. I went to court with a tenant and the judge awarded me an entire month in a similar situation, but one where I did not accept any money from the tenant. She overstayed her lease by 6 weeks and I did not accept payment, took her to court and was awarded 2 months.

Posted by: donatella at September 28, 2009 9:55 PM in response to 30-Day Notice Req'd?

I wouldn't fool around with this. It is probably OK, but you should call National Grid. Call the emergency gas line. They will come right out. You don't know what you have there exactly, but they will check it out and you can be relieved. They can determine for you -- for free -- what needs to be done. They come in 20 minutes and that is their job. You really shouldn't be taking care of these things - your landlord should be doing it. As the other posters point out, little amounts of gas can be trapped in the pipes from the old gas lines -- maybe other posters are more knowledgeable about the required plumbing caps, but if it were me, I would get the utility to take a look at it.

Posted by: donatella at September 27, 2009 11:58 AM in response to Old Gas Lines Safe?

Thanks, it is definately granite. Black. The fact that it is honed might have made it more vulnerable to staining. I'll go to the Stonecare site and Garden web site. Thanks.

Posted by: donatella at September 25, 2009 4:17 PM in response to Trying Again - Countertop

wow. somebody in Ft Greene smacked in my window sometime back to steal an ashtry sprinked with toll booth change. There's desperados out there.

Posted by: donatella at September 25, 2009 11:10 AM in response to Look, Ma, No Wheels