myplace's Profile
- Marie Hester
- 1998
- 2008
- Brooklyn
- Park Slope
- Rental
- writer
- Female
- 38
Author's Posts
October 3, 2009
Certificate of No Complaint?
What is a certificate of no complaint?
What is a certificate of non-harassment?
I have been reading through old posts to try to figure it out, but could someone just tell me what it is and how it might affect the purchase price of a home. Thanks.
September 29, 2009
Cost of Run-Down vs. Reno'd
The four story brownstones in the North Slope that are in decent condition seem to sell for close to $2 million and as much as $500,000 more and then some if it has a high end renovation. If a place needed a gut renovation (or at least serious work) to make it livable but in the same area - how much "off" full price would it likely be?
There is a three story brownstone on Park between 5th and 6th for sale for $999,999 but it is cash only and sounds like it needs a total redo. Nice three stories are priced between $1.6mil and $2mil. Does the price for the one that needs major work seem typical or is it more because it is cash.
Any opinions on what a four story brownstone that needs heavy work might/should cost on these pricey blocks?
Any ideas on this appreciated.
June 26, 2009
re-painting painted woodwork
Sadly, all the original woodwork in our brownstone duplex was painted over with what looks like primer. We don't have the resources to strip them down to the original so we want to re-paint them. In one room we went with high gloss white and it looks really nice. But what do you think about deep brown for one of the large doors. I think it would look good to the wall paint we selected and I would love something besides white.
Thanks
June 23, 2009
replacing kitchen sink
Our rental apartment needs a new kitchen sink and our landlord who lives out of state wants us to find someone to do the work. I have hired handy-people for other odd jobs but do I need a plumber for this job? If so, any recommendations? It is possible the cabinet needs replacing, too. Can I find someone to do both? If so, where?
June 4, 2009
varying color of brownstones
Hi,
Just curious...I noticed that the brownstones on my street vary a lot in brown color from dark to light and everything in between. One of them is a kind of orangey-brown. I think one might even just be painted brown. Some of them are beautiful and others not so much. When brownstones are refaced can an owner choose the brown hue? Does the hue relate to cost because some of the browns look nicer than others and I wonder if it is the color or the quality of the work.
Thanks.
April 9, 2009
washer drain and rain pipe issue
In our garden duplex, the ground floor washer drains into the same pipe that takes rain water from the roof of the brownstone down to the sewer pipe below the house. I posted on this some months ago and found out that this is not uncommon. I just can't do wash when it rains because it is too much water for the pipe to handle. Now, however, the pipe is overflowing (slightly) with every wash cycle no matter what the weather or size of the load.
The bottom pipe that goes to the basement is open and has room for the large metal rain pipe (attached) and a small space for the rubber washer drain tube - we don't see any blockage when we remove the washer drain tube and look in.
Who could I call to help me figure this out? The GE washer guy says it is a drainage issue not a washer issue. Our landlord prefers to have us deal with problems directly and send the bill. I'm hoping this is a minor fixable problem.
Thanks.
January 27, 2009
sequence of renovations
Hi,
We are looking at buying a brownstone that needs a lot of work. We are talking boiler, plumbing, electrical for starters. Is it an option to do the basics and wait on cosmetics or does it need to be done all at once? I am curious of experiences of people who have renovated a little bit at a time. Is it a nightmare?
October 8, 2008
replacing bathroom fan/light
Hi,
I need to hire someone to replace our current Broan bathroom fan/light with a new Panasonic fan/light. Is this something a regular handyman could do or do I need to hire an electrician and if so, how do I find someone and about how much should it cost? Any potential problems we should troubleshoot aside from what I found in the archives?
Thanks for any tips.
August 21, 2008
rain pipe and washer drain to same place?
Just wondering if this is common...
our washer/dryer is in a small added on room off the ground floor kitchen in the back of our garden duplex. The washer drains into a pipe behind it that has another large pipe running into it too. I have discovered I can't do laundry when it rains because it looks like the 2nd pipe is the drain pipe from the roof and lots of water rushes through it when it rains. If I run the washer and it drains, it is too much water for the pipe too handle. Where does that water go? Into the sewer? The other reason I think it is the rain pipe from the roof is that is runs down along what used to be the outside of the building before the little washer room was built.
Thanks
August 11, 2008
brownstone upper duplex made into loft?
I was out walking last night and noticed an upper duplex that looked like half the fourth floor was removed to create a loft like space with an open staircase on one side. I had never seen anything like it - are there others like it? It looked cool but also a lot of vast open space. J
Author's Comments
We went to the open house and the ivy on the front has grapes. No joke. It has a huge vine with grape shaped fruit hanging from it.
Posted by: myplace at September 28, 2009 3:14 PM in response to House of the Day: 59 St. Marks Avenue
I bought a t-shirt at the 7th Avenue street fair from a woman raising money for local independent feral cat catch/release workers. I don't have their direct contact info but perhaps you can find someone locally to catch for you. Try the NYC Feral Cat Initiative.
http://www.animalalliancenyc.org/nycfci/
Posted by: myplace at July 5, 2009 8:15 PM in response to Feral Cats—Help!
I have used Fabracleen several times over the last four years. They pick up and deliver and the turnaround time is a week. They did a really good job and were very professional. The last time I used them was a year ago.
www.fabracleen.com
(212) 777-4040
Posted by: myplace at July 4, 2009 3:48 PM in response to Area Rug Cleaning?
There are designated areas in the park to bbq and you can find them on the park website.
http://www.prospectpark.org/visit/activities/bbq
Near the bandshell is a popular place. I know from living near the park that hundreds of people bbq in the summer. On the 4th of July people often arrive as early as 8am to get a spot It is actually quite amazing to see people lugging bbqs, tables, and enormous coolers. So, I guess, get there early.
Posted by: myplace at July 1, 2009 9:27 AM in response to barbecuing in prospect park
Thanks very much.
Posted by: myplace at June 26, 2009 2:22 PM in response to re-painting painted woodwork
In our former apartment building we had trouble with flies and a science teacher in the building claimed the flies were due to a mouse problem at the building. She said they were attracted to the dead mice. The mouse problem lasted many many months and involved many mice, but when it was resolved, the flies disappeared.
Posted by: myplace at June 26, 2009 12:41 PM in response to Flies in the house
Thank you.
Posted by: myplace at June 23, 2009 12:50 PM in response to replacing kitchen sink
It might be worth a walking tour of blocks near Prospect Park in Park Slope to get ideas. There are some beautiful limestones on 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th just below PPW that have lovely small gardens in front. I am sure there are dozens of other examples in Brooklyn but I know these from my route to the park.
Posted by: myplace at June 5, 2009 9:24 AM in response to Landscaping help for front yards
Op here. Thanks very much for the information.
Posted by: myplace at June 4, 2009 8:02 PM in response to varying color of brownstones
We found our rental six weeks ahead of time when moving from California (4 years ago) but had to sign the lease to begin in two weeks - or a month before we moved. For us, paying the extra month was worth it to reduce the stress of finding a place. Last year, moving within Brooklyn we signed a lease two weeks before we moved to hold onto an apartment we really liked. The market is different now and perhaps a broker/owner would be more willing to negotiate a start date that works for you so that you can do your six week ahead looking.
Posted by: myplace at May 25, 2009 7:24 PM in response to Best time to find a rental?
The sign at No Name Books says they moved to Vanderbilt in Prospect - I think near Bergen - in Prospect Heights.
Posted by: myplace at May 20, 2009 2:08 PM in response to House of the Day: 449 Bergen Street
Hi,
You might start by looking at the bed bug registry (bedbugregsitry.com) to see if your potential apartment is on the list.
Posted by: myplace at May 2, 2009 6:44 PM in response to Moving and Bed Bugs
OP here,
Thank you for all of these comments. Part of our concern as renters is that this laundry hook up may violate code. We don't want to unpack a can of worms here. I will take the first step to call a roto rooter type plumber to try to clear the line.
Posted by: myplace at April 12, 2009 7:06 PM in response to washer drain and rain pipe issue
Wow! Thank you, thank you all for your ideas and experiences. We are so grateful for your advice and are talking through all of these scenarios. What a great resource the forum is. Sounds like either way we need to do our thinking and planning up front. I am sure I will be back with other questions.
Thanks again,
Marie
myplace
Posted by: myplace at January 28, 2009 10:39 AM in response to sequence of renovations
Friends of ours did a Plan B version in their place. They use the little side bedroom as an office. But, the floor feels very cramped.
Posted by: myplace at November 19, 2008 8:46 PM in response to Renovation/Resale Question
Thanks very much. I think I will start with a small manageable spot and give it a try.
Posted by: myplace at July 29, 2008 8:32 PM in response to patch repair of inlaid wood floors?
I did it! It turns out that I didn't have to remove the window after all. It was still possible to push it up along its track once I got past the loose part. The latch caught once I got it most of the way up.
Posted by: myplace at July 26, 2008 10:48 PM in response to removing a storm window - DIY or help?
Thanks. I think I will start with something inexpensive and see how it goes.
Posted by: myplace at July 12, 2008 4:02 PM in response to planter advice needed
Thank you very much for the answers...that explains a lot. It seems to be an issue of light and air.
One other question. In a brownstone duplex with the first floor as the garden floor, the front window often has the bars attached to the front of the building. Is it then the case that this room should not be a bedroom since the windows could not be used as escape in the case of fire? I know the bars could be replaced with those that open, but I wonder what people who choose to keep the old style choose to do. My sense is to not use it as a bedroom.
Thanks, again.
Posted by: myplace at June 20, 2008 2:09 PM in response to basement duplex code for bedrooms?
Thank you. I am going to give it a try.
Posted by: myplace at June 12, 2008 6:33 AM in response to removing glass shower door frame
Responses to Author's Forum Comments
Better than a colony of feral rats...
Posted by: Joe from Brooklyn at July 6, 2009 12:27 PM in response to Feral Cats—Help!
Hi, I've used the guys on Atlantic Ave. between Bond and Nevins, at the rug warehouse. They have always done a really nice job and will use the method appropriate for your rug.
Posted by: janeinteriorsnyc at July 6, 2009 1:13 PM in response to Area Rug Cleaning?
Speaking of rats -- can't we deposit such families of feral cats in those areas where rats are a huge problem (on my block for instance)?
Posted by: iz at July 6, 2009 1:31 PM in response to Feral Cats—Help!
Hoffster- Myself and our neighbors across the street from me (so in effect two 'rows' of houses )have been doing TNR with the strays around here. It really does work. They stop spraying, they keep other ferrals from coming in and laying claim to the area (we've actually watched them chase off interlopers). They catch any mice and larger bugs. It's actually nice to have them around once they're fixed.
Thanks for caring enough to do the right thing since you see how easy it is for people to make jokes and be cruel to these poor homeless cats that are just trying to survive.
The main thing is you're going to have to ask the neighbors to not feed them for 12 hrs prior to putting the cages down so they have incentive to go in to get the food (a can of tuna or wet food works best).
Good luck!
Posted by: TownhouseLady at July 6, 2009 1:39 PM in response to Feral Cats—Help!
Hoffster - thanks so much for posting this. I too have a colony in my backyard fed by neighbors that I've been trying to deal with. Having done the research, taken the TNR class, and spoken to the ASPCA, it just comes down to not having the time to coordinate this effort.
If you have any good experiences with advice from your post, would you mind posting it? I would be happy to assist in this effort, but really need someone to do all the coordination/legwork for me (for pay, of course!).
Posted by: overherhead at July 6, 2009 2:22 PM in response to Feral Cats—Help!
I took the TNR course and Have the same problem- being able to catch the cats. Its difficult for me to get the cages- no car. But we sure don't have a rat or mouse problem. the other thing is that if you remove a feral cat colony, more ferals will move in- colonies are territorial, and tehy move around if a colony leaves. I'd laso be interested in knowing if ther is someone who can help me do this- the cats are gorgeous but I can't take in anymore and I hate seeing the kittens suffer.
Posted by: bxgrl at July 6, 2009 3:31 PM in response to Feral Cats—Help!
I would like to have them returned, neutered, to the yard.
Good.
I did TNR Spring 08 after feeding 3 generations over the past 5 years. You have to nip this in the bud. I didn't, got too attached and saw the ravages that ferals suffer.
I'm still feeding 4-5 core cats with drop-ins. It's a myth that the neutered chase away the non-neutered. They have no balls.
Posted by: pattunia at July 7, 2009 3:29 AM in response to Feral Cats—Help!
Thanks for the comments and advice. I will post an update when/if this resolves!
Posted by: hoffster at July 7, 2009 11:13 AM in response to Feral Cats—Help!
It really is NOT a myth that cats hold their territory. I think it depends on the cat (s) but I have one core feral in the backyard that the neighbors had TNR'd well over a year ago. He allows one other TNR cat in the yard that was part of the neighbor's original trapping effort and that's it. This is down from numerous cats in the yard and kittens born under our shed 1-2x per year. He really does chase the others out. Seen him do it many times and he's quite aggressive about it. We've also received numerous dead mouse 'presents' on the stoop so I know he's hard at work. He's friendly enough to put flea stuff on him and he likes our dogs, so I can honestly recommend the whole TNR thing.
Posted by: kensington gal at July 7, 2009 12:01 PM in response to Feral Cats—Help!
Hi.. Please check out spacify site it can be help you sort the problem.
Russel
Posted by: russellyndon at July 9, 2009 9:25 AM in response to Area Rug Cleaning?
Thank you very much! Fascinating and really helpful to know.
Posted by: myplace at October 3, 2009 11:03 AM in response to Certificate of No Complaint?