I used Mr. Shower Door, they did a good job and the price was reasonable.

Posted by: geekspice at November 20, 2009 3:19 PM in response to Custom Shower Glass and Hardware

A cat is the way to go if possible. The cat will drive the mice right out of the house (and over to your neighbors houses, but that's not your problem, now is it?). The cat doesn't even have to catch any mice - when they smell it, they will most likely flee. Most other methods of mouse eradication involve disposing of dead mice, or starving the mice out inside your walls. The cat method is much more elegant. Plus, cats are awesome, unless you're allergic.

Posted by: geekspice at November 5, 2009 9:55 AM in response to Mouse Infestation - Help!

There is a dropoff in Brooklyn on Saturdays for hazardous waste. The location is on the Sanitation Dept website.

Posted by: geekspice at October 14, 2009 3:19 PM in response to Seeking Safe Home for Toxic Goop

When I covered my radiators, my rooms got noticeably warmer, as the heat seemed to be directed out into the rooms more instead of rising straight to the ceiling. Plus, it looks way better and you can put stuff on the covers. Win-win-win.

Posted by: geekspice at October 14, 2009 3:18 PM in response to Radiator Covers' Impact?

classic brownstoner thread - hitting so many hot buttons. annoying kids! indulgent (or maybe incompetent?) parents! selfish childless neighbors! crappy (new? old?) construction! now if someone could only work in sublets, slumlords and street crime we will have hit all the high notes.

it really makes little difference whether the kid should be running, or why the kid is running, 'cause the kid *is* running, and all the self-righteous indignation everyone can muster isn't going to change it. you can bet those parents aren't reading brownstoner for our advice on how to raise their kids to respect (or drive batty) their downstairs neighbors.

when i lived in a condo, there was an 80% floor covering rule that existed expressly for situations like this.my formerly quiet upstairs neighbors became extremely noisy first-time parents and had to carpet their unit as a result. a similar rule exists in the bylaws of many coops and condos in NYC, so check your bylaws. if the rule is there, these people need to get rugs, carpets, foam mats, whatever. be nice and maybe they will handle it on their own initiative. if not, you have to get the board involved. if the rule isn't there, you can take the issue to the board and try and have the rule added. just don't suffer in silence cause that kid is getting heavier every day. :-)

Posted by: geekspice at September 8, 2009 5:17 PM in response to Running Child Upstairs

I have lived in PLG for a little over two years and I love it as well... but don't be oversold on the services. I leave the neighborhood for pretty much all my shopping and services, and there's only a couple of good restaurants (although there's a lot of great West Indian food shops). I know some people live here without a car, but I admit I don't know how they do it. I couldn't. But the housing stock is fantastic, the housing market isn't spastically bid, and all the people are really nice. I don't have kids but most of my neighbors send their children to private school, so I expect the public schools are probably pretty bad.

Posted by: geekspice at September 3, 2009 3:36 PM in response to PLG Schools and Amenities

What they've done with the floorplan in this house (which you can mostly gauge from the photos if you're familiar with the originals) is a little strange. I live in one of these and while I appreciate some of the restoration they did, I don't like the changes they made. They might be running up against that. But eventually someone will come along who agrees with the choices, and then the house will go for over $1MM. It's in fantastic shape and despite what the haters say, this is a great neighborhood that will continue to improve steadily in terms of services.

Posted by: geekspice at September 3, 2009 11:06 AM in response to House of the Day: 168 Midwood Street Revisited

Short term - the only thing that will really help you if the infestation is bad is a fogger. And no, they are not green, and you shouldn't spray anything you are planning to eat. Keep your child out of the yard for at least an hour after you use it. I used one once out of desperation and the results were great, but they're also highly toxic, so I consider them a last resort.

Long term - I have a mosquito magnet. It really works. But it take at least a few weeks to noticeably reduce the population. And you do have to be vigilant about replacing the propane and the attractant every 3 weeks, as well as getting rid of any standing water.

Posted by: geekspice at August 17, 2009 2:44 PM in response to Mosquitos

I used "Mr. Shower Door" to do this. They did a very good job. They have a website under that name.

Posted by: geekspice at July 24, 2009 10:39 AM in response to Replacing Shower Doors, etc.

I own my brownstone as TIC with my partner. That part is easy.

I don't think it possible for you to get separate mortgages on a single family home. It doesn't even really make much sense. What would happen if one of you stopped paying - that person's bank forecloses on 1/3 of the house?

owner12 - There are a great many people on this site who find rob amusing. I suggest you refrain from unprovoked ad hominem attacks. If you don't think he's funny - just ignore him.

Posted by: geekspice at July 21, 2009 3:28 PM in response to Tenancy in Common and Mortgage

I've removed paint mist with very fine steel wool. Be gentle.

Posted by: geekspice at July 20, 2009 2:53 PM in response to Removing Paint Mist from Window?

I use Safeguard on Empire. It's new, clean, and the price is good.

Posted by: geekspice at July 13, 2009 10:02 AM in response to Storage Facility Recommendations

I'm not that impressed with the renovation. It looks like a lot of the original detail has been lost. There have been other LM houses this size that have sold for more, but they had considerably more detail. I'm happy to see they still have the tiny 4th bedroom and the pass through closet on the top floor, though!

Posted by: geekspice at July 6, 2009 10:09 AM in response to House of the Day: 212 Midwood Street

I use the beer traps, they definitely work for slugs. You can use a regular shallow bowl or saucer, but you can also buy traps with covers on them; that way they don't fill up with rainwater. The only downside is, it's a little gross to clean up the bloated drowned slugs.

Posted by: geekspice at July 6, 2009 9:12 AM in response to critters getting to herbs/fruits

I live near Empire and I am very pleased about these changes. Empire is a fairly wide road which sees little traffic, which encourages drivers to speed. That makes it more dangerous for everyone. I am hoping they will do something similar on Rogers Avenue - the speeding is completely out of control, and there have been many dramatic (and in some cases fatal) accidents as a result.

Posted by: geekspice at July 2, 2009 1:43 PM in response to Empire Blvd now has just 1 lane

Cute house, but - 1 bath.

Posted by: geekspice at July 2, 2009 1:28 PM in response to House of the Day: 664 Westminster Road

some perennial plant recommendations from a shady brooklyn backyard:

hydrangeas
autumn sedum
zebra grass
asiatic lilies (these work best if their "faces" get some sun)

Posted by: geekspice at June 30, 2009 9:06 AM in response to Source for Plants in Bulk?

Sounds like very convenient timing doesn't it? Don't know how long she's been your tenant, but does she seem like the kind of person who might "exaggerate" the situation to try and get out of the lease a month early? I'd hold her deposit as last month's rent unless she can substatiate some of her claims, which it sounds like she hasn't.

Posted by: geekspice at June 29, 2009 10:58 AM in response to Landlord, tenants & bedbugs

An apartment without a bathroom isn't really an apartment, is it? How are you supposed to live in a place with no toilet? It sounds to me like the ll made a slightly lowball offer and you should counter with what you think is reasonable (with the logic to back it up). I agree that involving 311/notarized letters/etc etc should only happen if negotiations fail.

Posted by: geekspice at June 29, 2009 10:49 AM in response to Withholding Rent?

If you didn't already get rid of it, you can take it to the "special recycling" collection point in Brooklyn - it's open the last Friday of every month (plus Saturdays). Look it up on the dept of sanitation website. It can be a little hard to find, but just follow the sanitation trucks!

Posted by: geekspice at June 26, 2009 2:40 PM in response to Electronic Recycling?

I've put this stuff out myself and they will take it. I believe the maximum number of items at a time is six.

Posted by: geekspice at June 22, 2009 8:03 AM in response to Bringing stuff to a dump

I agree you can do this yourself, if you know exactly what you want and can source all the materials on your own. It will require a fair amount of time and close attention to detail, but I did it myself with no major issues. The key is definitely a highly competent and trustworthy contractor.

Posted by: geekspice at June 16, 2009 2:29 PM in response to Architect/Contractor Overlap

Cute, if it looks like the renderings in the end. But the public space seems very small. Can't beat the garage tho.

Posted by: geekspice at June 16, 2009 2:24 PM in response to House of the Day: 244 Hall Street

Primerica isn't a pyramid scheme. I'm not a fan of the company and wouldn't recommend their products or advice. I've been cold called twice by their reps and in both cases I knew more about what they were selling than the reps did, so they are certainly unimpressive, which is probably due to their creative (read: sketchy) recruitment strategy. But they are a legitimate, regulated organization, for whatever that's worth.

OP, you might want to keep that Atlanta BBB review to yourself. It's not likely to impress anyone here. BBB does not rate or accredit Primerica in NY.

Posted by: geekspice at June 14, 2009 11:30 AM in response to I Want to Help, But Need Help!

That's not accurate, actually. I had this done in my house, same size space, and no foundation work was required. It depends on by how much you want to raise the ceiling. But it's true that it was expensive. You'll probably also need electrical work done. My ballpark estimate is $40K based solely on my own experience.

Posted by: geekspice at June 11, 2009 9:13 AM in response to Ballpark on basement work

I got a whole lot of responses! Sorry everyone, the tile is now spoken for!

Posted by: geekspice at June 8, 2009 8:51 PM in response to White subway tile available

Wow, I got an amazing number of responses. Tile's gone, sorry everyone!

Posted by: geekspice at June 8, 2009 8:50 PM in response to Slate tile - free to a good home

If you have firewall software on your PC, it might be preventing the upload. If that's it, there should be a log you can look through that would show the connection being refused. Or you could temporarily disable the firewall and try the upload again.

Posted by: geekspice at June 8, 2009 3:49 PM in response to upload help

The house looks great. Kitchen needs redoing but seems to be a nice size. How's the mass transit over there? On the mpa it looks not so good.

Posted by: geekspice at June 8, 2009 1:24 PM in response to House of the Day: 540 16th Street

I had an opposite and extremely strange experience today. I came out of my house this morning and someone had planted a ton of begonias in my tree pit. I was in and out all day yesterday and they weren't there. Kind of nice, but also a little creepy. And I really don't like begonias AT ALL. I was planning to plant other stuff in the tree pit and now I don't know what to do.

Posted by: geekspice at June 8, 2009 1:12 PM in response to Stolen Plants

I've used East End Woodstrippers. For stained oak doors they were ~$200/door and they did a good job.

Posted by: geekspice at June 8, 2009 11:07 AM in response to Stripping Old Wood Doors

I think the PLG house's appeal will turn on whether the kitchen and baths are to the buyer's taste. They're not to mine, but they look quality, so they'll be worth a premium to someone. Clever use of the old mini-bedroom on the top floor as another bath. What I want to know is - does the pool table come with the house? And how'd they get it in there? Because I own an identical house on Lincoln, and I know I wouldn't be able get one in or out of my basement without taking down walls. I agree with everyone that the price is too high - probably by ~200K.

Posted by: geekspice at June 5, 2009 3:05 PM in response to Open House Picks

My panel and door are both 1/2". I don't find them to be heavy although they do feel quite sturdy. I think mixing thicknesses would look weird.

Posted by: geekspice at May 28, 2009 3:04 PM in response to Frameless Shower Door Thickness

I have carpenters in my back yard (they have burrowed into the wood of the porch), they're mostly harmless, and a garden needs bees to thrive. Unless there are a lot of them, they don't do much incremental damage every year. The males can't sting and the females generally don't. I can't see why you would want to get rid of them. But assuming you just don't want bees around...

http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/carpenter-bees

Posted by: geekspice at May 27, 2009 2:03 PM in response to Carpenter Bee in my back yard

Expeditors get paid to get things done with DOB quickly and efficiently. You don't have to use them, but many people do, because dealing with the DOB yourself is so very painful and time consuming if you don't know what you're doing going in and get everything exactly right. You should have gotten a quote from the expeditor before you signed up for their services which explained exactly what you would be getting. If you got the results you asked for, then you really have no reason to be micromanaging their DOB interactions or badgering them for additional details. if you didn't get a quote first and just got socked with a bill, how did that happen?

Posted by: geekspice at May 19, 2009 3:32 PM in response to "Expeditor" = "Pay to Play"?

If your house isn't landmarked, you can probably do whatever you want as long as it's not obscene or is some way illegal. I think it would be cool to live near a house with a mural, as long as it looked good. Can't be any owrse than a lot of what passes for signage or advertising in this city.

Posted by: geekspice at May 19, 2009 2:33 PM in response to House Front Mural?

too bad there's no windows along the side of the house - that's what redeems the increased street noise for a lot of these corner houses.

Posted by: geekspice at May 19, 2009 1:27 PM in response to House of the Day: 161 Prospect Park Southwest

You're presumably going to be living with the shower door for a while. The 3/8" glass feels pretty flimsy, and doesn't age as well. If you have the $$ I would take the better option. If the $$ is an issue, both of them will keep in water. It's just a matter of whether it will bother you or not if the installation flexes or wobbles every time you open the door or bump against the panels...

Posted by: geekspice at May 19, 2009 12:35 PM in response to Frameless Shower Door

Def use 1/2" glass. it's a huge difference esp when you go frameless.

Posted by: geekspice at May 19, 2009 8:57 AM in response to Frameless Shower Door

PLG subway stops are Prospect Park and Parkside on the Q/B - but most of LM is an even easier walk to the 2/5 on Nostrand, which is actually faster to Midtown.

Posted by: geekspice at May 18, 2009 5:33 PM in response to House of the Day: 207 Fenimore Street

I live in LM, a few blocks north of this house. I would say yes to all of the above questions, except for the grocery store. The grocery stores in the area are still borderline - they're fine for staples, but lousy for produce and anything else. In the summer the GAP farmer's market compensates somewhat, but I still make the trek to Fairway every weekend. However, this house is just steps from the best meat patties in Brooklyn - Jamaican Pride.

Posted by: geekspice at May 18, 2009 1:55 PM in response to House of the Day: 207 Fenimore Street

There are a lot of stories flying around about this. From what I understand, having legalized an existing old wooden deck on my house, it goes as follows:

1. If you build a new wooden deck that is not up to code, DOB can fine you. This usually happens because a neighbor complains, but not always.

2. If you have an old wooden deck that you can prove was built before the code changed, it is grandfathered in. This was the case with my deck. I don't remember the date of the change, though.

3. If you have an old wooden deck that you can't prove was built before the code changed, the DOB can fine you, but that's rare. The DOB can also refuse to approve other plans or a C of O change unless the deck is brought up to code.

My understanding is based on conversations with my architect and the DOB inspector. I don't know how much personal interpretation by the inspectors goes into this, but given the wide range of experiences people report, it seems like a lot.

Posted by: geekspice at May 15, 2009 4:16 PM in response to wooden deck?

Here's the Albemarle listing:

http://www.corcoran.com/property/listing.aspx?Region=NYC&ListingID=1515986

No photos on kitchen or most of the baths - so they probably need a lot of work. But otherwise it looks pretty gorgeous.

Posted by: geekspice at May 15, 2009 1:25 PM in response to Open House Picks

Sorry, but I think a current pre-approval should be enough for the seller. dibs makes a good point though. There's obviously not going to be any verification of any of the numbers the buyer puts down. Sounds like a basically worthless exercise to allow the seller/broker to feel better.

Posted by: geekspice at May 15, 2009 12:58 PM in response to Giving financial info to broker

In my three purchases of NYC real estate I have never had to provide that kind of information as part of submitting an offer, and I wouldn't agree to do so. Your financial info is private and should only be disclosed with appropriate safeguards.

Posted by: geekspice at May 15, 2009 11:49 AM in response to Giving financial info to broker

I have the opposite impression from sam. My house was grandfathered but I recently had it legalized. It wasn't a hassle at all (other than annoying scheduling for the inspection).

Posted by: geekspice at May 14, 2009 4:53 PM in response to C of O Issue

Don't count on cats. We've had several who were excellent mousers but several who were apathetic or downright cowardly in the face of a mouse (and the mouse will march right past a cat, that's how the food chain apparently works--no "fear of cat smell" evident there). We also had a legendary cat, Hodge, who "caught" mice, tenderly groomed them and then released them; we took to carrying Hodge out to the street, his new "friend" still carefully restrained in his teeth, and performing the Heimlich maneuver to make him spit his little buddy into the gutter. The mouse often died of fright shortly afterward; once, a passing jogger nearly did the same when she witnessed the ritual.

Hodge, for the record, steadfastly refused to wear underwear on his head, even in the name of interspecies friendship.

Posted by: Brenda from Flatbush at November 5, 2009 12:50 PM in response to Mouse Infestation - Help!

ROFL Brenda you are a hoot and a half!

Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at November 5, 2009 1:15 PM in response to Mouse Infestation - Help!

My first cat also was good at catching mice but apparently never got mouse killing and eating lessons from her mother. She'd run around excitedly with the live mouse in her mouth and we'd do the same thing as Brenda.

Our next cat, and Max, our present guy, were more attentive to their lessons in kittenhood and know that mice are scrumptious.

Hunting prey is instinctive for cats, but killing and eating it has to be tought.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at November 5, 2009 1:24 PM in response to Mouse Infestation - Help!

In lieu of IMBY's suggestion, which, I'm sure, works for IMBY, the best way to get the little buggers is to use empty paper towel tubes.

Balance a paper towel tube perpendicular to the edge of a counter or wherever they are with a bit of peanut butter at the end that dangles over the edge. Tie a string around the other end and fasten it to something heavy enough to hold the tube when it tips over the edge. on the floor beneath the tube, put a garbage pail. Now, if you're a buddhist, don't put a glue trap on the bottom of the garbage pail and dispose of the mice however you wish. If you aren't a buddhist, put a glue trap on the bottom of the garbage pail.

Mice can't resist the peanut buttery smelling tunnel of excitement and fun. When they get to the end of the tube, the tube tips over and boom they fall into the pail. Then, you just have to reset the tube and wait for victim number two. (I caught three in one night like this.) Brace yourself for the screaming though. I live in a floor through so the kitchen is within earshot and in my semi-sleep, with the screaming mice, I dreamt I was choking puppies. On the bright side, the scream seemed to have scared the bejeezus out of the rest of the mice and I really didn't have a problem after that.

Oh and if you use the glue traps, the most humane thing to do, i think, is to just drown them in the toilet. I know, I know, but what else can you do? I heard of one guy taking them outside, and just leaving them bound up in a plastic grocery bag. They can last for days like that. Oh, and ONE GUY (dare I say sadist?) said he wrapped it up in a grocery bag, took it outside and dropped a cinder block on it. I mean, wow.

Good luck. I know what you're going through.

Posted by: The Vidiot at November 5, 2009 1:25 PM in response to Mouse Infestation - Help!

The Vidiot -- your post is the best argument I have ever seen in favor of Buddhism.

This has to be bad for the soul:

"I live in a floor through so the kitchen is within earshot and in my semi-sleep, with the screaming mice, I dreamt I was choking puppies."

Oh, and why don't you just whack the mice with a hammer?

Posted by: northsloperenter at November 5, 2009 1:39 PM in response to Mouse Infestation - Help!

You have NO idea what I'd been through up until that point. The infestation was due to the construction in the apartment above me and the entire brownstone renovation next to me and no landlord taking care of the basement for 5 months.

I keep my home pretty damn clean so when I started seeing the massive amounts of turds, I was frantic. I had mouse droppings everywhere even AFTER I had plugged up everything, washed EVERYTHING in EVERY cupboard, rented a steam cleaner to clean the couch and the carpets, and ripped apart the whole apartment basically. I was exhausted. I tried everything, the rat zapper, humane traps, predator pee, nothing worked.

Frankly, it just got down to "it's me or them"

Thanks for being so judgmental!

Posted by: The Vidiot at November 5, 2009 2:01 PM in response to Mouse Infestation - Help!

"Thanks for being so judgmental!"

Oh, I'm not being judgmental. I don't care about the mice, but I do worry about the mouse screams poisoning people's souls, but only in a philosophical way.

I would have whacked them with the hammer rather than drowning them in the toilet, but that's just me.

I had some mouse issues last winter and found snap traps with peanut butter did the trick. Actually, I sprinkled some sugar on top of the peanut butter, which I think helps (although if you are using "sugar added" peanut butter this is probably not necessary).

I had a little trouble at first, but I found if I left a garbage bag with dinner leftovers under the sink and put traps around it, it was fairly effective.

A trap in the broiler was also useful -- just remember to take it out before cooking!

I kept a hammer around in case any rodents got wounded instead of killed by the traps, but I didn't end up needing it.

So, yeah, I'm no buddhist either.

Posted by: northsloperenter at November 5, 2009 3:04 PM in response to Mouse Infestation - Help!

"Wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim'rous beastie,
O, what a panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty
Wi bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,
Wi' murdering pattle."

Havelc, I do not leave my home under any conditions.

The following mice have restraining orders against me:

Minnie, Miss Bianca, Gus, Jaq, Jerry, Stuart Little, and Pearl Pureheart. Also entire cast of Ratatouille. Currently on parole after conviction for class B misdemeanor of "Stalking in the Fourth Degree". Clarabelle Cow, please forgive me.

Posted by: IMBY at November 5, 2009 3:16 PM in response to Mouse Infestation - Help!

My neighbor has a cat, who watches as the mice parade around their house. Lol. In addition to steel wool, there is a foam spray that you can spray on top of the wool or in holes to help.Also put some poison in all the corners of your basement. The exterminator has packets of pellets which you can probably get at home depot. Mice find all kinds of ways to get into brownstones and then make holes the size of a penny to get into the apts. Gotta stay on top of things but it could be worse. Could be Rats, like my girl friend who is in a tizzy ever since Ratner started demolishing buildings and the railways by Atlantic Yards. I cant even visit her cause the rats are always around to welcome you...even in the daytime Yikes. They are as big as cats ...some of them.

Posted by: iluvclintonhill at November 5, 2009 3:23 PM in response to Mouse Infestation - Help!

I had this problem for the last 3 years. (Thanks to construction around me, shocker!) Finally I had a contractor come with the exterminator and they went and found every little hole in my apartment. They pulled out all my appliances and plugged up the gaps around my gas line in my stove. I also had about 12 traps set in a 700 sf apartment, and since my holes have been filled, not one of those traps have had a mouse in them! Good luck!

Posted by: Cobblehillbaby at November 5, 2009 4:13 PM in response to Mouse Infestation - Help!