What your contractor may be saying is that painters sometimes use the same "white" paint for the plaster crown mouldings at the ceiling as is used to paint the rest of the room's wood casework,(baseboards, doors, wainscoting, ect. This rule applies to the plaster medallions as well. Ceiling paint has special properties like high coverage low splatter, that make it a dependable choice but by all means not the only choice. Some people are turned off by the slightly cool nature of most ceiling whites, but if used in every room it helps pull the house together visually.

I like low lustre enamels for trim and doors. I think BM makes a water based version of its satin impervo that does a pretty good job of duplicating what the more toxic enamel version did. You might have your painter add flotrol to it for better results.

Decorators White in flat latex and the same color for the trim in semi gloss is a pretty standard choice, hence the name.

I think if you check the BS archives you will find that there have been many helpful posts about paint in the past.

Posted by: IMBY at July 21, 2008 4:07 PM in response to Color-b(l)ind

Wow, unless they already backfilled the site, there sure doesn't look like there is any shoring along the rear lot line. You can see the limestone colored building in the rear is not that far from the excavation. Dangerous for both adjoining properties and persons working in the hole. I think a surprise visit by the DOB's tactical excavation squad is in order. Does Timothy Lynch, PE read Brownstoner?

I think the development history goes as follows:

Neglected wood frame wreck on nice 25' wide lot bought by upper manhattan couple who have architect file plans and get approval for demo and new construction of 5 story building. Put property back on the market. NJ developer buys property with approved plans in place, "saving time", hence the 1.3 million price tag.
check out this link, it has a drawing of the new building.
http://nyrej.com/20130

Posted by: IMBY at July 22, 2008 4:46 PM in response to Development Watch: 314 12th Street

Try these screens. They allow one to move inside and out without the hassle of a door. Won't get in the way, visually, with your beautiful French

doors.http://www.improvementscatalog.com/product/id/100232.do

Posted by: IMBY at August 7, 2008 1:54 AM in response to screen doors to garden??

Maybe this is your first time at owning rental property but paying for a monthly exterminator service is just part of being a landlord. I have never heard of people bringing their own mice with them into a building when they moved in but "bargain basement furniture" most likely is the source of the bed bug (have they been officially identified yet?) infestation. I thought everyone knew NYC is currently plagued by bed bugs.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/html/residents/bedbugs.shtml

Posted by: IMBY at August 10, 2008 7:22 PM in response to Extermination Advise

West Elm

Posted by: IMBY at August 12, 2008 10:17 AM in response to "dark" hardwood floors being used in modern condos/homes

Mary Kuzma Finishing 718 388-8577

Posted by: IMBY at August 12, 2008 10:22 AM in response to Furniture Painting and Work

...missed the boat. Consider yourself lucky.

Try internet pornography. I hear college kids are into that stuff.

Posted by: IMBY at August 12, 2008 10:36 AM in response to HELP!

Dark floors will be more work to keep clean and show scratches more. Also have seen where there is uneven darkening over time when solid hard wood is used in sunny rooms. This tends to even out over time. Dog scratches tend to show up more. On pre finished flooring with a slight beveled edge, dust will collect and show up as white lines between planks unless vacuumed out. Dark floors make your ceiling look higher when used in contrasting light colored rooms.

Posted by: IMBY at August 12, 2008 12:03 PM in response to "dark" hardwood floors being used in modern condos/homes

Are you near an avenue? 100'from the corner? You may still have a commercial overlay.

Posted by: IMBY at August 14, 2008 7:59 AM in response to Restaurant on garden floor

Building does not seem out of scale for that corner. The setback is not so visible from the street.

I was just thinking how this builder had escaped all the problems that seem to plague every other builder in the neighborhood...Lots of excavation/foundation related Stop Work Orders. Then I checked your DOB link and found this from 8.08.08

Re:CONSTRUCTION POSSIBLE CAUSING DAMAGE TO 618, PLEASE CHECK 618 DBC

and this from earlier.

CALLER STATES THERE IS ONGOING CONSTRUCTION AT THE NOTED LOC DAMAGING THE NEIGHBORING PROPERTY, THERE ARE NOW CRACKS IN THE WALLS, CEILING, CELLAR,ETC. CALLER STATES PLEASE CONTACT TO COME SEE DAMAGE/DO INSPECTION"

The site has always been pretty clean and well run at least from a passerby's standpoint. Would like to know that there was at least one guy out there who knew what they were doing.

Posted by: IMBY at August 14, 2008 4:14 PM in response to Development Watch: Facade Phase at 620 10th Street

Thanks for the answers. Hopefully it wouldn't look like Sam's hollywood kitchen; )

Posted by: spnder at August 22, 2008 1:18 PM in response to What's a "Hollywood" Kitchen?

I actually loved the I LOVE LUCY clip. It made me smile (and made me happy that I don't have that kind of kitchen, though I wouldn't mind the VIEW).

Posted by: newsloper06 at August 22, 2008 2:58 PM in response to What's a "Hollywood" Kitchen?

Sounds familiar. My first week in my first apartment on the UWS there there was an armed mugging in my lobby, a shooting at the Pick & Pay, a dead o/d in "Needle Park" (across from the W.72nd Street subway station) and I learned that my first floor neighbor was a pimp and a drug dealer.

I was afraid my parents would visit, hear the news and put the screws on me to come back home to Virginia. But that was the worst it ever was. Cops arrested the drug dealer a few weeks later. After that the only predators I had to deal with were real estate speculators.

Hope things get better with your hood too.

Posted by: Steve at August 22, 2008 4:37 PM in response to Shooting - Monroe & Nostratd, Bed-Stuy

Amber, Welcome to the hood. It has its good days and bad days. Try to get more info from your neighbors and check out one of the crime meetings that the police hold monthly. They will give you the 411 and you will see and meet all the conscientious non-gun toting neighbors that care about the block. this neghborhood is transitioning and the more the community cares the faster it will change. Who knows--the cops might even step up their patrols if you ask. And on another note--Take solace that no one is going to mess with you with 3 dogs.

Posted by: HomeSweetstuy at August 23, 2008 11:13 AM in response to Shooting - Monroe & Nostratd, Bed-Stuy

Quite a few neighborhoods in Brooklyn are know high-crime areas and Bed-Sty is one. So are Crown Hts, East NY, Williamsburg, Coney Island and Brownsville. All of Brooklyn regularly gets their fair share.

There is crime in Bay Ridge, but not major gangs and blatant drug dealing. Most of it is preying on the elderly population, bank and store robberies and home break ins. There are alot of bars and the fights have turned deadly, but only about 3 times in the 25 yrs I've been here. Walking alone on the side streets between 2 and 6 am is just setting yourself up for a mugging, which is when and how most of the crime happens here.

Posted by: premadas at August 23, 2008 7:11 PM in response to Shooting - Monroe & Nostratd, Bed-Stuy

Muggings don't only happen late at night or early morning. It's unsafe to believe that. My husband was mugged in the early evening in prime North Park Slope. I have a Bay Ridge mugging story too. Wherever you live, stick to crowded streets on walks home at night even if you have to go a little out of your way. In Bay Ridge everybody is inside and the sidewalks empty by the time it's dark. When I rented an apt in Bay Ridge my first year in NYC in 2004, one of my young female neighbors got mugged in our foyer when a guy followed her home after work around 8pm at night. We were on a nice block too, 95th and Marine. There are both houses and large coop and apt buildings around there but most often I wouldn't see a soul on the sidewalks at night even when it wasn't late.

Posted by: traditionalmod at August 24, 2008 11:24 AM in response to Shooting - Monroe & Nostratd, Bed-Stuy

Muggers usually don't mug in their own neighborhoods, for obvious reasons. They usually (but not always) focus on neighborhoods where people are patronizing restaurants, bars and stores and where the mugger is reasonably sure that the victim is carrying cash.

Street muggings are fairly uncommon in Bay Ridge for several reasons, one of which was already mentioned: there's not a lot of sidewalk traffic in its residential neighborhoods for it to make it worth a mugger's effort and where he might get spotted by cops before he finds a victim. Much of the after-dark pedestrian traffic around here are dog walkers. Finally, a lot of law enforcement types reside here. That's just the nature of Bay Ridge, or at least north Bay Ridge. A mugger would know that by the large number of personal cars parked at fire hydrants with NYPD dashboard placards.

Posted by: Steve at August 24, 2008 4:20 PM in response to Shooting - Monroe & Nostratd, Bed-Stuy

Sounds like you aren't in New York State?

Laws vary widely in different states, but it does seem like you have a decent leg to stand on, even without a lawyer.

I'd go into this playing a little bit dumb. Your position should be that you need to understand everything and you may have been confused and so to prevent further confusion you need to get everything in writing so that you can figure out who you owe money to and why.

Don't let him bully you into paying anything out. Don't even bring your checkbook to the meeting.

Do bring both bids, any contracts you signed with him, and at least a log of what checks you wrote and to whom.

Mostly though, keep your cool. No reasonable person signs papers under duress or writes checks under duress and if you're reaching a point where he's insisting you just come back to that, say "I'm clearly confused and I'm going to read this over before I sign anything."

If he gets you half convinced that he has some kind of standing, then go to JC Roofing and lay it out for them and ask for some clarification of who you owe what to.

Posted by: serpentor at August 26, 2008 3:49 PM in response to mechanic lein

I so appreciate each of you taking the time to respond to my posting. I feel much more confident where I stand. One thing I didn't convey well enough is that J.C. Roofing will stand behind and Garth does have a General License I believe the thing about Garth is he represented hisself as being part of J.C. Roofing but is not part of the company he gave them the work and was trying to make a easy buck by taking a big cut because he wasn't expecting me to make the balance due to J.C. but to him like I did with the pre start check for materials. Once again thankyou and if more people would take a minute out of thier day to help others like you guys the world would be a better place!!!!!!!♡Felicia

Posted by: watersfa at August 27, 2008 12:08 AM in response to mechanic lein

I so appreciate each of you taking the time to respond to my posting. I feel much more confident where I stand. One thing I didn't convey well enough is that J.C. Roofing will stand behind and Garth does have a General License I believe the thing about Garth is he represented hisself as being part of J.C. Roofing but is not part of the company he gave them the work and was trying to make a easy buck by taking a big cut because he wasn't expecting me to make the balance due to J.C. but to him like I did with the pre start check for materials. Once again thankyou and if more people would take a minute out of thier day to help others like you guys the world would be a better place!!!!!!!♡Felicia

Posted by: watersfa at August 27, 2008 12:08 AM in response to mechanic lein