Happy Daddy - Who did you use to restore? It seems like every place I call in Brooklyn wants me to replace rather than restore.

Posted by: keep at October 13, 2009 3:06 PM in response to New Double Glass in Old Windows?

I have a Lab and a son about the same age. They get along fine. Labs, however, do need alot of exercise and will get antsy without it (and therefore are more likely to chew and be otherwise destruction). Keeping the dog in the backyard is not a solution to the exercise issue. I find that my Lab likes to be around our family and will not voluntarily (or quietly) stay in the backyard alone. Because of time constraints, my solution to the exercise issue is to walk and play with my dog myself 1-2x a day (relatively short walks to relieve himself and obedience exercises) and to hire a dog walker for a longer (exercise) daily walk. On weekends I take the dog to a dog park or off leash hours and throw the ball around. (They don't call them retrievers for nothing!)

I also recommend dog training for whatever type of dog you decide to get. I used Denise Herman of Empire of the Dog and highly recommend her.

Posted by: keep at August 3, 2009 2:06 PM in response to Labrador in brownstone

It is not just the additional 100+ residents I am concerned about. These residents will have visitors, medical attendants, support staff, many of whom will walk, drive and park on Lefferts Place (ie, increased traffic and noise). Presumably the facility will provide services that require deliveries such as linen and meals. Those delivery trucks will be loading and unloading, double parked on my block spewing fumes and blocking traffic (ie, increased traffic and noise). Elderly people get sick often, so I expect that ambulances will be making many more visits to Lefferts Place (ie, increased traffic and noise). Realistic, yes. Hysterical, no.

Posted by: keep at July 28, 2009 3:35 PM in response to Lefferts Place Threatened by Healthcare Developer

As a Lefferts Place homeowner, no one I know is against senior housing. In fact, the multi-generational, economically diverse nature of the block is what attracted many of us in the first place. What is problematic is the scale of the proposed project and all of its attendant issues -- significantly increased pedestrian and vehicular traffic, service trucks, ambulances, noise. What is now a nice block where residents actually sit outside and chat with their neighbors will become a place where everyone stays behind closed doors because of the congestion and noise.

Posted by: keep at July 28, 2009 2:48 PM in response to Lefferts Place Threatened by Healthcare Developer

Lawyer here. There is NO duty to mitigate in New York. Your tenants owe you the remainder of the rent for the lease term. You can keep the apartment empty and recover from them or you can rerent and recover the difference. You can sue them but it might cost just as much to sue as you would recover (unless your lease has an attorneys fees provision).

My suggestion: Tell them that you are willing to allow them to break the lease BUT that they have to pay March rent and that the security deposit will be returned if the apartment is left in good condition. If they are unwilling to agree to such a reasonable proposal (one that acknowledges their need to break the lease with your need to have the rent paid), tell them that you will sue, report them to the credit agencies and obtain a judgment against them (which will go on the credit report) -- all of which you are legally entitled to do.

Your tenants are being unreasonable. You don't have to force the issue by making them stay 4 months, but they should pay you for MArch.

Posted by: keep at March 1, 2009 4:22 PM in response to Tenants moving out early

Try Clare Donohue at 121studio.com. Color consultation is one of her areas of expertise. She gave me some great ideas for room colors in my brownstone.

Posted by: keep at October 17, 2008 1:10 AM in response to Paint color scheme help

I'm convinced! I want to keep my original old drafty windows. Who do you recommend to repair them?

Posted by: keep at January 17, 2008 2:09 PM in response to A rant about replacing historic wooden windows in the name of energy efficiency

What is the contact (phone or website) information for The Organic Gardner? I would love for him to design my backyard. It is clearly in the BEFORE stage.

Posted by: keep at December 13, 2007 3:55 PM in response to Inside Third & Bond: Week 17

I have both california closets and easyclosets in my house. I used california for the master and child closets -- the efficiency ideas of the designer were extremely helpful. I subsequently used easyclosets for coats and utility. They were pretty basic and I hyad an idea of the layout that would work for my family. An important aesthetic decision is whether you like board or wire shelves. I think Elfa has wire shelves only.

Posted by: keep at November 27, 2007 10:20 AM in response to Closet Fix Up

I would absolutely recommend against leaving the dog in a fenced yard. Your dog is likely to get bored and bark alot, which will drive your neighbors crazy. Dogs are pack animals and like to be around others. Your dog will be sad and lonely if left outside in the yard, regardless of breed.

Labs are pretty high energy until they get old. They are usually good family pets, but need a lot of exercise. Do you have experience with dogs?

Also I know you didn't ask, but I would strongly encourage you to consider getting a rescue dog at a shelter. You can get an older dog who is already trained, and won't have to suffer through the very very cute, but destructive puppy phase. Both our cat and dog are rescues, and they are wonderful pets. Our cat is skittish and scared of strangers (he just hides under the bed) but our dog LOVES kids.

Posted by: brooklynstyle at August 3, 2009 3:42 PM in response to Labrador in brownstone

Take a look at ParkSlopeParents. Someone there just posted saying they have to give up an older kid-loving puppy b/c of allergy issues. Regardless of what kind of dog you get, it really can't be left in the yard for very long - good dogs are dogs that get lots of people time. Spending time with their people (and proper socializing, training and exercising) is how dogs learn to behave in the house and not be a nuisance to you and your neighbors. A kid won't be able to do all that, there has to be an adult in the house willing to do the work.

Posted by: petunia at August 3, 2009 9:16 PM in response to Labrador in brownstone

Happy Daddy and everyone else who's done this -- please do tell us who did this for you, as most people have told me the same thing they told keep -- replace with new windows. I'd love to keep the old ones, though, if it's not more expensive to do that. But want to make sure I'm using someone who knows what they're doing.

Posted by: de95 at October 13, 2009 10:32 PM in response to New Double Glass in Old Windows?

The problem with double-paned glass is that the seal between the panes often fails after 5+ years and there's no simple way to fix this. Also, any window made to hold a single piece of glass is going to look different with two pieces in there. Storm windows essentially add a second pane of glass and are simple to maintain and repair and are historically accurate (or can be, certainly there are non-historically accurate ones). Why not have nice wood storm windows made and a little maintenance for your existing wood windows plus some weather stripping? Certainly this is a safer and likely much cheaper path. Old glass and single paned windows look different in a subtle way that's part of the charm of a historic house.

Posted by: BHS at October 14, 2009 1:14 PM in response to New Double Glass in Old Windows?

BHS -- I'm convinced. So where do you get the nice wood historically accurate storm windows? Most of the ones I've seen are metal and not very nice-looking.

Posted by: prospect heights renovator at October 17, 2009 10:07 PM in response to New Double Glass in Old Windows?