Extra chair rail tiles for sale

That tub is right out of Scarface. I wonder if that's where they got the idea, in which case I don't think they really got the point...........

Posted by: supersleuth at August 19, 2009 2:40 PM in response to House of the Day: 180 Washington Park

"Recessed lighting notwithstanding"

I suppose it is objectively nice, but not really my personal taste. I guess I just don't understand why this would cost almost as much (or maybe as much?) as a real townhouse in the area.

Posted by: supersleuth at August 12, 2009 1:45 PM in response to House of the Day: 20 Grace Court Alley

Even though you would technically be breaching the lease the landlord has to mitigate his or her damages -- meaning that they would have to make reasonable efforts to find a replacement tenant rather than just sitting on the apartment and going after you for the full rent. When you are sure of your move-out date you should speak to the landlord and see what you can work out. If they find someone quickly without large expense you may be able to get most if not all of your security deposit back.

I strongly caution you against premature notification to your landlord, based on personal experience. When we went into contract on our house, the seller said that he had a very quick time frame because he needed the money to close on the house he was going to move into. Based on this, we told our landlords (owner-occupants in a six-unit building) right away. We banked on giving ourselves an extra few weeks on the lease to allow for us to do some work in the house before we moved in. The landlords found replacement tenants immediately, and everyone was happy.

Then the scary part happened. The seller's attorney canceled the closing date through a call from his secretary without explanation, and became incommunicado. It turned out that the sellers of our seller's new house had been delayed in their move, which was creating a domino effect. This became extremely stressful as we had no idea when we would be able to move into the house, didn't know if we'd need a sublet or for how long (and would have had difficulty finding one because we have a dog), and were somewhat concerned that we were going to end up losing both the house and our apartment, which we loved. At the end of the day, our landlords were great and the new tenants were able to put off their move for a month. We did have to put all of our things into storage and stay with friends for about a week, which our landlords needed to prep the apartment for the new tenants. We and the sellers moved the same day; I didn't get over my anxiety until I saw their moving truck outside the house. All in all I think paying a couple of months extra rent would have been worth it to avoid this stress, but of course we did not have a lot of extra cash at that time.

Posted by: supersleuth at July 31, 2009 2:25 PM in response to Breaking Lease to Buy?

Not to be unduly alarmist, and this is premature given that construction hasn't started, but anyone interested in purchasing one of these lofts should insist on doing an interior air test for volatilized mercury during warm weather. Historically, a lot of mercury was used in shoe manufacturing, I think to lubricate the machinery or something. In any event, it may have spilled into the floor-ceiling areas and be lurking there (as happened in at least one building I'm aware of in Tribeca). It is impossible to get out without removing the floors, and if in large enough quantities could cause health problems as we know from the fish issue.

Posted by: supersleuth at July 17, 2009 2:45 PM in response to Conversion Planned for 201 Front Street

Blowfish, I also live on a corner with a lot of drug activity and, selfishly, would love to see some regular busts until the market moved elsewhere. However I think using private property for this purpose without permission is pushing it. Sorry to belabor the point but if this happened to you, you would not know the person sitting on your stoop was a cop. It would just appear that they were loitering. As a woman, I think I would actually feel a little threatened by a strange man sitting on my steps without permission. (Particularly if, like Walker's mother, I was in my seventies, legally blind and an amputee.) Depending on my level of timidity that day I may even be reluctant to ask the person to move, because I would assume, just by virtue of them sitting there, that they didn't have too much regard for my interests. If I were home by myself at night I might even be afraid to open the door, which, if they had some criminal intent, would give them the opportunity to force themselves into my house.

You are right, I misspoke when I said the undercovers were posturing as drug dealers. But regardless, to the person whose property they are using I think they would seem shady just by virtue of what they were doing. And based on some knowledge of this issue (not from TV) I think that most undercover narcotics officers affect a less than clean cut look because sometimes they play the ghost role and other times the buyer. So I imagine these guys didn't exactly look like Jehovah's Witnesses taking a break from knocking on doors.

I think that this incident may result in a new policy precluding the use of private property by undercover cops when not absolutely necessary.

Xander -- this happened on Saturday night. A LOT of people with jobs are home on Saturday night.

Posted by: supersleuth at July 14, 2009 7:03 PM in response to Closing Bell: Shooting in Front of 370 Lafayette

Now they are saying that the cop was wearing earphones and therefore could not hear Walker (who was standing right next to him). Even if that is believable, and Walker did start physically assaulting the cop, he must have known that Walker had just come from inside the building and had a good idea of the motivation for the assault. Then he is assisted by his partner, who grabs Walker, but the first cop still sees a need to pull out a gun?

I also find it hard to believe that Walker would grab the gun if he was indeed aware that the armed man was a police officer. Not a smart thing to do in any event, but if you were being restrained by one apparent thug while another was pointing a gun directly at you, that might be a natural reflex action.

Brownstoner, I find it interesting that you emphasize that Walker was an ex-con. There is no question that the whole thing was an unfortunate accident, arguably resulting from police error, or a systemic over-reliance on firearms by law enforcement. Do you mean to suggest that one's view of the incident should be different if the victim is an ex-con vs. someone who has never been caught breaking the law? It's not as though there is an issue as to whether he "brought it on himself" by association with other criminals. In this case, the cops only appeared to be criminal types and were clearly not associates of the victim.

I agree with the prior post saying that if the cops were intent on not blowing their cover they should have just left the scene rather than engaging with Walker. Given their posture as drug dealers hanging out on other people's property they might have chalked up any flack they received to occupational hazards. It would be different if they witnessed Walker assaulting a citizen, but then again the appropriate thing to do would still be to identify themselves.

Blowfish -- I take it you are okay with the cops (posturing as drug dealers) hanging out on private stoops as long as it is not your stoop. How would you feel if you walked out of your door to see a shady character lounging on your steps? Also note that this was the stoop of a single family home not an apartment building, so it was clearly not someone who had any reason to be there.

Posted by: supersleuth at July 14, 2009 2:18 PM in response to Closing Bell: Shooting in Front of 370 Lafayette

A shooting is not necessarily a homicide though. Apparently there has been a "rash of shootings" in my immediate vicinity of which I have no knowledge.

The fact that the police are concerned about further repercussions concerns me as well. Not because I think anyone will be coming after me or anyone not involved in the original shootings, but there is always the remote possibility of catching a stray bullet (this actually happened to a friend of a coworker).

We need some national gun control!

Posted by: supersleuth at July 8, 2009 3:47 PM in response to Sky Watch Sets Up Shop on Franklin Avenue

bmfesq: My husband has told the police about the use of those trash bins multiple times but nothing has come of it. I suppose that's because just finding drugs in the bin doesn't give them anyone to tie them to.

I'm sure the dealers will be back as soon as the tower comes down -- that's what happened last summer. I've decided to practice equanimity on that issue since contacting the police does not seem to do any good.

I'd like some more info on the "rash of shootings" if anyone has it. I guess I could ask the cops stationed there for more specifics, but I don't really want to identify myself as a cop-lover which (I'm not and) would probably not make me popular with some of my neighbors.

Posted by: supersleuth at July 8, 2009 2:29 PM in response to Sky Watch Sets Up Shop on Franklin Avenue

We had one on Franklin Avenue for a couple of weeks last summer. I don't know if it was touched off by a specific incident or just by the rampant drug activity on that particular corner. Such activity abated while the tower was there and then quickly recommenced once it was removed. Well, I'm sure they have their reasons.

Posted by: supersleuth at June 24, 2009 1:47 PM in response to Police Tower Now on Nostrand

Only one full bathroom could be considered a drawback to many.

Posted by: supersleuth at June 24, 2009 1:38 PM in response to House of the Day: 212 Midwood Street

I lived in a rental loft with radiant heat and loved it. It's hard to do a cost comparison but the place was a duplex and I never needed to turn on the pipes under the upper floor. This was the by far best type of heating system I have ever experienced as it was never drying and the heat was very consistent (no radiators shutting on or off). The one drawback I have heard is that if there is a malfunction then you will have to break into the floor, so if installing radiant heat you may consider not using a very expensive type of flooring.

Posted by: supersleuth at June 2, 2009 2:07 PM in response to Radiant Floor Heat Info Request

I've lived in CH for over four years now and have never once felt "unsafe" much less experienced any intimidation or been the victim of a crime against my person. Once someone stole my front gate, but I tend to doubt they were from the neighborhood as they most certainly carried it away in a vehicle. In comparison, while I was living in Williamsburg (across the street from what is now Northside Piers), there were several armed robberies outside of my building and someone broke my car window.

I think CH may be unsafe if you were planning on setting up shop selling drugs as there would be some established vendors unfriendly to new competition. Presumably that is not your situation or you would be seeking advice elsewhere.

I am not familiar with the statistics, but anecdotally I hear of a lot more muggings etc. in Prospect Heights than in Crown Heights. I think that CH is a more cohesive community with more homeowners and long-term residents, as compared to PH.

Posted by: supersleuth at June 2, 2009 2:02 PM in response to Crown Heights Safe?

Personally, I think the St. John's house looks pretty great. Not the greatest block but the proximity to the park, museum etc. is terrific.

As a CH resident, I must say that CH is pretty vast compared to Prospect Heights with or without the block between Washington and Classon, and this block probably relates more to Prospect Heights anyway in terms of neighborhood feel (i.e., in my opinion, Prospect Heights doesn't seem like much of a cohesive neighborhood at all but rather a sort of borderland). While the realtor obviously thinks Prospect Heights has more cache (read: whiter), in another sense it would probably be a bit misleading to suggest that this house is within what CH-ers view as Crown Heights (grand historic residences and churches, etc.)

Posted by: supersleuth at May 29, 2009 3:00 PM in response to Open House Picks

Once my husband found some slices of white bread in our front garden and thought it might be a racial thing. I thought that was probably a little too subtle for anyone who would actually do something like that. But the fact that it was whole wheat bread in your case is truly perplexing -- maybe a commentary on your perceived crunchiness? But wouldn't a sprinkling of granola make that point more effectively?

Posted by: supersleuth at May 29, 2009 2:48 PM in response to Mysterious bread on windows

If you zoom in on the map in the listing, you can see how the streets are oriented. St. Francis is a very short one-block street running between St. John's and Lincoln Place.

I don't really walk down St. Francis that often, so I won't offer an opinion on the condition of this particular house. Maybe tomorrow morning I'll walk by and post again afterward. But the price suggests that much work is needed and/or the seller is really desperate.

Posted by: supersleuth at May 26, 2009 3:29 PM in response to St Francis Pl b/w Franklin &St C

I think you are confused. St. Francis runs parallel to St. Charles. You must be thinking of St. John's Place, which runs perpendicular to both. I live on that block. Great neighbors in general (if I do say so myself), great convenience to express subways, museum, park, and botanical gardens. Street parking is usually not too much of a problem and there is a reasonably priced garage one block over on St. John's ($10 per hour and I think they recently reduced their monthly to $163).

There is some apparent drug activity on our corner (we are very close to Franklin, not so much of an issue further down the block). This seems to occur mostly during the day when my husband is home, I don't notice it too much. There are some wanna-be thug types that hang around the corners on Franklin but don't really seem to cause any trouble, and are not particularly intimidating even to this skinny white girl. Sometimes there is some noise related to a couple of nearby bars on weekend nights (again more of an issue closer to the corner, although it can move down our street when people are going to their cars). One of these bars, Franklin Park on St. John's west of Franklin, has a nice outdoor sitting area.

I love my neighborhood but it is not Park Slope by any means, if that's your thing.

Posted by: supersleuth at May 26, 2009 2:41 PM in response to St Francis Pl b/w Franklin &St C

We did this in our front yard without a permit and had no problems. Of course that doesn't mean what we did was technically correct. As a practical matter, the jackhammering took less than an hour and our neighbors seem to view the planted area as a vast improvement over the former concrete paving, so I don't know how it would have become a problem unless a DOB inspector happened to drive by while the work was being done. But your neighbors might be different.

Posted by: supersleuth at May 26, 2009 2:22 PM in response to pavement removal along sidewalk

This seems to be a really wacky layout. It's not clear what the little loft is for. And the largest space, dowstairs, appears to be windowless (which probably explains the low maintenance and price per square foot). Plus one bedroom only seems to have half a window and inexplicably lacks its own door. The appropriate buyers for this would appear to be a couple with large wardrobes but no kids, who are engaged in some type of top-secret enterprise, or who like to have loud drug-fueled parties.

As for the kitchen, I don't really like the decor, but there is a lot of counterspace and a dishwasher. The real problem with it, which is apparent from the floor plan but not the photo, is that it is not really separate from the living area. The refrigerator sticks out. So it lacks the aesthetic advantage of a separate kitchen without providing the convenience of the suburban "open plan".

Posted by: supersleuth at May 21, 2009 2:03 PM in response to Condo of the Day: 555 Washington Avenue, #1A

Make a non-anonymous noise complaint with 311. DEP should then send someone to your house to take noise measurements. If they exceed regulations, the neighbor could be hit with a violation and required to implement noise mitigation.

Posted by: supersleuth at May 18, 2009 3:38 PM in response to major noise from neighbor's A/C

Can't you just make a noise complaint with your landlord? Tell them that your neighbor is constantly out in the hallway late at night. You don't need to mention your suspicions of drug dealing, though the landlord will probably get the drift. If the landlord does not do something about it, send a letter invoking terms of your lease that will allow you to terminate based on noise (breach of warranty of quiet enjoyment, etc.), announcing your intention to leave at the end of the month and demanding your security deposit back. Since it does not seem that you desperately want to stay in your apartment, it seems the path of least resistance would be to move out as soon as possible. But you should create a record so the landlord cannot enforce the lease.

Posted by: supersleuth at May 13, 2009 2:30 PM in response to What To Do About That Pesky Drug Dealer?

I can't believe that the birds are cognizant of whether dogs or on or off leash, and so I don't understand why it makes a difference in terms of bird watching. Obviously during off-leash hours when there are a lot of dogs congregated in one place fewer birds will be around -- but wouldn't it be easier to find them in the wooded trails (where off-leash is never allowed) anyway?

I must admit being somewhat of a scofflaw in the observation of off-leash hours, but I pick my times and spots. Even late in the mornings on weekends when the whether is colder you can walk through Prospect Park and see hardly anyone but people walking dogs. During school hours on a weekday, the park can be practically deserted. Who am I harming by allowing my dog to get a bit of a run in when no one else is around? In the Long Meadow it is easy to see whether anyone is approaching and if so confine the dog as needed.

If someone gave me a problem for having my dog off leash at an inappropriate time or place, there is not much I could do but offer my apologies and put the leash on. If I am issued a ticket I have to suck it up. But if someone used pepper spray on my dog in such a situation, I definitely would think they were in the wrong.

The excuse that this person was attacked once by a dog does not fly. If I were attacked by someone with a full beard does that give me an excuse to pepper spray anyone with a full beard who approaches me? I believe that the use of pepper spray is more illegal than having a dog off leash, which is a ticketable offense, not a crime.

Posted by: supersleuth at May 12, 2009 2:56 PM in response to Prospect Park Vigilante Wages Canine Campaign

I don't think it would be indelicate at this point to put in a call to the sellers, coincident with lining up your attorney to call theirs. The thing is that each attorney is likely receiving a flat fee for the sale and does not have an incentive to make this a priority. However, the sellers should want to keep their buyer despite their present grief. You can apologize for the intrusion but make it clear that the limbo you have been left in is making you feel uncertain that the sale will happen. If they are at all reasonable they should understand and be willing to give you an update. At the same time, it is also important for your lawyer to gain an understanding of any legal complications that may be presented by the mother's death.

Posted by: supersleuth at April 29, 2009 4:08 PM in response to What Could Be Taking So Long?

We are in the midst of having a clawfoot tub with shower installed. Our bathroom is small so we did not want to go with the exposed shower piping, and are instead having the shower plumbing go through the wall like it would for an ordinary tub. You just need to make sure that the showerhead comes far enough out from the wall to go over the lip of the tub.

This also happened to be much less expensive than the exposed shower piping because we didn't have to get one of those fancy kits. However this was as part of a whole bathroom reno; I guess if you weren't doing that, having new plumbing put in the wall and having to repair the wall afterward could overtake the costs of the kit.

Posted by: supersleuth at April 13, 2009 3:30 PM in response to Clawfoot tub to shower

Not that you should go by this, but we are doing a bathroom renovation involving most of the items on your list, plus multiple trades and over $10,000 in costs, and our contractor, whom I trust on this because he does a lot of work in coops (as well as trusting him in general), told us that a permit was not required. Although I don't think neighbors would complain about noise, as one is fairly deaf and the other never home, I was concerned because the contractor's assistant's truck broke down and he wasn't able to pick up demo materials for disposal, so some contractor bags and our old vanity were sitting in our front yard for several days, an obvious sign that work is being done inside. (Actually DOS picked up the vanity after we put it on the curb.)

Posted by: supersleuth at April 3, 2009 4:31 PM in response to What can you do without permits?

Dealing with a bathroom renovation now (which has turned my husband, dog and me into basement dwellers for the present due to the inevitable dust throughout much of the house) and I can understand why an unrenovated kitchen would be a turn off to buyers. On the other hand my tastes are very specific and I imagine that my tune will change once the renovation is completed, with the fixtures and finishes that we picked out ourselves.

I see very few kitchens on this website or even in my rare perusals of design magazines that I wouldn't want to change in some respects. And changing anything in a kitchen usually isn't worth it unless you are redoing the whole thing. This house generaaly looks good, and the kitchen appears functional at least, so it is a project to take on once the buyer is settled in and has saved some money for this purpose (and come up with their design concept). Or do it before renting out the apartment, so that kitchen is available for use. It's much better than having a whole house to renovate.

Posted by: supersleuth at April 1, 2009 4:48 PM in response to House of the Day: 213 Berkeley Place

This house looks very attractive from the pictures, and I agree that a two-bedroom house with a basement provides more useful space, and a better quality of life, than a two-bedroom condo.

It makes me feel good that we paid not much more than half of this asking price for a slightly larger house (similar setup, but with smaller kitchen and a proper dining room) in 2006, two blocks from two express subway lines and 15 minutes from Prospect Park. Is Carroll Gardens really that much nicer than (western) Crown Heights? That's debatable, but it certainly is at least two times paler. Sometimes the market's unspoken racism can work to one's advantage I guess. Just an observation that I hope will not turn into a general discussion of the relative crime rates or number of quasi fine dining restaurants and cute boutiques in these neighborhoods.

Posted by: supersleuth at March 31, 2009 6:19 PM in response to House of the Day: 93 2nd Street

As depicted in the photos, this house is lovely, with one exception. I just don't get the window between the dining room and the kitchen, when there are two doorways in between these rooms anyway.

Posted by: supersleuth at March 26, 2009 1:34 PM in response to House of the Day: 182 Rutland Road

As the spouse of the Brooklynian poster, I'd like to respond to a couple of things. For us this is a quality of life issue. We have never felt in danger in our neighborhood. Indeed, we rented nearby for a couple of years before buying our house, so we knew the score going in. That does not mean that we shouldn't still be troubled by crime that appears to go unchecked by the police. The same goes for the people who have lived there for years; I don't think it is only relative newcomers who would prefer to eliminate drug crime from our neighborhood, or, more realistically, deter the sort of out in the open sales that we see occurring. We would like to attend the precinct's community meetings, but as I suspect is true for many people, our work schedules and other commitments do not permit it. As there is a police presence in the area, I cannot believe they are unaware of these activities, so I don't see how further complaints would get them to respond better. But to those of you who are neighbors, make some calls when you see something. Maybe a critical mass will spur some action.

I cannot corroborate much of what saintv said. We've lived near this corner since 2006 and to us it appears the item sold is marijuana, but who can say for sure. I haven't seen many obvious crackheads around. Nor did I hear anything about the drive-by, hit-and-run, hold up and in-home assault described by saintv, which seems surprising but not totally implausible. The kids hanging out on the corner every day make me sad more than anything else.

On another note, the comment about juries is complete baloney. I sat on a grand jury for two weeks and it was a real cross section of Brooklyn. I really don't think anyone in the group could have been described as particularly mistrustful of the police going in, though the attitude of many (including myself) may have been shaded somewhat by what we learned during our service about the workings of undercover drug busts. Indeed, while I do wish the police could take some action in our neighborhood, at the same time I know that often innocent people are swept up along with the "real" criminals, if that is what you can call teenagers selling drugs for a pittance.

In spite of this one unfortunate aspect of my neighborhood, I still prefer living in a house in a diverse neighborhood two blocks from four express lines and 15 minutes from Prospect Park to living in an apartment in a white enclave on the F train and down a steep slope from the Park. (11217, as you might expect, even those of us who have purchased homes recently in Crown Heights could not conceive of affording a house in Park Slope in this lifetime. Even a two-bedroom apartment would be a major stretch.) But I'm vegan, don't go out drinking much, and try to limit my shopping, so many of the "amenities" of Park Slope don't appeal to me enough to sacrifice having a dining room, a basement, and outdoor space.

Posted by: supersleuth at March 18, 2009 2:38 PM in response to Drug Dealing Hotspot in Crown Heights?

There is a dining area adjacent to the kitchen and a tiny kitchen on the floor with the "formal dining room", I guess where the servants can keep the gravy warm and wash dishes for all the formal dinners a typical Brooklyn family has.

Is it just me or is weird to have a murphy bed in the front room on the parlor floor?

I question the "single family" nature of this house. Perhaps a good set-up for an extended family situation though.

Posted by: supersleuth at February 19, 2009 2:50 PM in response to House of the Day: 897 Union Street

Just want to put in a word for composting, especially for those with outdoor space. I've been doing it in a bin outside for about a year and a half now (I bought the bin from the Lower East Side Ecology Center for $20 at one of their workshops) and have had no problems with vermin or odors (the bugs etc. that are attracted to the compost stay in the bin). And we don't throw any food scraps away, as we're vegetarian (composting animal-based products is not advisable). Outdoor composting pretty much stops in the cold weather, so we've been putting our scraps in a larger bin we have upstate, but in the alternative you can get an indoor worm bin. Or just take a hiatus for the winter, you'll still be avoiding a lot of waste during the warmer months.

Posted by: supersleuth at February 19, 2009 2:38 PM in response to Thursday Links

Given the vile decor pictured in the photos, the kitchen and the bathroom must be PRETty bad not to have made the cut. But I think the place has "potential" based on the photos that are there. One bath is inconvenient but does not seem unusual in prewar two-bedrooms of this size. It would be pushing it to convert to 3 bedrooms with only one bath. Also, the dining room as bedroom thing never seems to work. A bedroom with french doors is just weird.

Posted by: supersleuth at February 18, 2009 3:31 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 125 Prospect Park West, #3B

I have a pellet stove in my house upstate, and know several people who have wood stoves. There are pros and cons to both. Pellet stoves are not as messy, are easier to operate (you just have to fill the hopper and turn them on) and are more eco-friendly because they use recycled materials. They can also be placed in smaller spaces because they do not radiate heat (just blow it out) and therefore don't need to be as far away from furniture. However, as another poster noted, there are not as many design choices for pellet stoves, although we found a pretty decent looking cast iron one. I should note that while there have been shortages of pellets further south, I have not had a problem finding them upstate, even when oil prices were sky high. I don't know what the situation is in NYC. We usually get them at Home Depot but they might not carry them here. Woodstoves generate more heat, provide a real wood fire to look at, and have more design choices. However, they can be kind of messy (embers will jump out when you put more logs on) and the room will smell like woodsmoke. If your biggest concern is fuel efficiency I would go with a wood stove, but if you have small children you might consider the safety issue. The sides and top of a pellet stove do not get hot (one reason they do not create as much heat).

Posted by: supersleuth at February 2, 2009 3:03 PM in response to Wood or pellate stove?

I live in a 15-foot, 2-story center stairway house and believe me it still beats a 1200 sf apartment. Though mine cost about a third of what this one does (in a different hood of course).

This house is unattractive not because of its size but the heinous interior decorating, particularly the choice of colors (and I have a green dining room, I'm not color-adverse). The kitchen looks like it belongs in a restaurant, which MIGHT work in an old-school loft but why subject a townhouse to this treatment? Also what is up with the carpet on the stairs?

Many of these things are easily fixed (well, except the kitchen and bathroom, which will cost; also, not sure how to fix the green floor -- could it be stripped?). But I think in this market a potential buyer should feel safe deducting the time and effort to do so from the offering price.

Posted by: supersleuth at January 8, 2009 2:54 PM in response to House of the Day: 295 Pacific Street

I'm not an expert either, but I too have this setup and I believe the drain is probably attached to a sewer pipe; otherwise it would back up during a storm because the water would only have a small hole to go into and would probably not percolate into the ground that quickly. If the water can't go under the first door, it will have no where to drain and your steps will be flooded. Why not just replace the interior door with something more air tight?

Posted by: supersleuth at January 6, 2009 1:46 PM in response to Door and drain under stoop.

We may never know this fellow's true back story, or whether the dog that went for the spaniel was typically vicious. But one part of this story speaks volumes -- in order to escape potential responsibility (which turned out to be negligible anyway) the guy actually abandoned one of the dogs. Whether it was because of mental illness or just callousness, this person should NOT BE A DOG OWNER. (Leading one to not unreasonably speculate that the dogs were not well cared for and therefore more likely to be dangerous.)

Regarding off-leash allowances, this troubling story has no relevance. This guy was clearly breaking the rules (off-leash is NEVER allowed on footpaths). He would have been doing this even if there was no off-leash policy. BTW, there's a guy in my neighborhood who actually walks around on the sidewalk with a couple of pit pulls off leash. He seems to have them under control (when he's paying attention) but I feel pretty uncomfortable walking my Napoleonic-complex 30-pounder anywhere near them.

Posted by: supersleuth at December 29, 2008 5:47 PM in response to A Christmas Tale

Don't forget to include the mortgage recording tax in your calculations. Maybe you can finance it according to the preceding comments but that is still a chunk of money that you will never see again.

Posted by: supersleuth at December 2, 2008 1:08 PM in response to Drop in interest rates--should I refi?

I read the above-referenced article in the Times about this building and ended up living there. My husband and I were among the first tenants of the rental portion, which was designed in a similar style. This was by far the best rental I ever lived in and Susan and Benton were by far the best landlords I ever had. They not only had a vision in terms of green building but good taste. And skills -- what the blurb does not mention is that they acted as their own GC.

Thanks to them also for introducing us to a fantastic neighborhood where we subsequently bought a house and plan to stay for the long haul.

Posted by: supersleuth at December 1, 2008 1:27 PM in response to Brooklyn Modern #4: Green, Industrial Wonderland