I recently replaced my 10 yr old Frigidaire Gallery apartment size stackables with the Bosch Axxis stackables ... with the regular electric dryer ... NOT the ventless dryer. I read some horror stories about the ventless dryer. After a few false starts, everything is working fine now. Because the power cord is hardwired into the washer, I needed to change my 220 3-prong outlet to a 4-prong. Also, the dryer wasn't heating up and they had to replace the thermostat.

A few caveats ... the smaller Bosch do not use bleach due to the hose setup. You must use a chlorine bleach alternative detergent ... but my experience is it doesn't whiten as well as good old Chlorox. While the units are small and wash as large a load as my old units did, it does take longer to dry; altho once finished, my clothes are dry. With The Frigidaire, I often had to run the dryer a few times with towels. The Bosch Axxis washer beeps to signal the end of cycle, but my dryer does not ... only the top model does.

The Frigidaire Gallery units are not quite as small, but still available and they are quite serviceable. I saw them available at PC Richards as well as Sears.

Posted by: tlocane at September 30, 2009 6:44 PM in response to Small washer/dryers

I used to have ADT services when I owned a second home on the Jersey shore. They were good and definitely gave me a written estimate before I signed up for them. For the entire 5 yrs I owned the house, I never had a problem with them.

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience with them; but I'm sure if you call the main # and tell them your experience, they will put you in contact with a rep who is honest and professional.

There are other security services available. I have friends who have contracted major companies (as ADT) as well as small privately-run companies. The only downside I've heard from those who have used the smaller companies is the often lack of customer service or the quick turnaround when something went wrong.

Good luck.

Posted by: tlocane at September 22, 2009 8:45 AM in response to ADT or Other System?

I have a tempur-pedic mattress and love it. It's been about 8 years old now and it's still like new.

A friend purchased an off-brand, low end tempur-pedic and had to return it due to a bad, obnoxious plastic smell that would not dissipate.

If you must buy an off-brand, make sure there is a return policy in the event you don't like it.

Posted by: tlocane at September 1, 2009 7:39 PM in response to Tempur-pedic Mattress

Before you decide to go with Verizon FIOS, check to make sure all of your current video equipment (TV, VCRs, DVDs, etc) is compatible.

A friend switched to FIOS after purchasing all new digital, equipment, only to find his new DVD recorder wasn't compatible w/ FIOS. FIOS told him they couldn't get it to work and he was out of luck ... this after spending quite a bit of money and FIOS stating that it was compatible with all new digital equipment. It clearly wasn't.

He switched back to cable and everything is working again.

Posted by: tlocane at August 30, 2009 2:29 PM in response to Verizon FIOS or Opt Triple Play?

Thanks all for your suggestions. I plan on following up with all the links you sent and check it out further.

Posted by: tlocane at August 8, 2009 5:19 PM in response to Toxicity Problems on Properties

I understand. How do I go about researching what kind of toxicity is present?

Posted by: tlocane at August 6, 2009 2:10 PM in response to Toxicity Problems on Properties

I used to live in a garden apartment in Long Island City. While my apartment did not have roaches, we did have the usual ant, fly occasional bee issues and we did have garden mice. Mice unfortunately come with the territory. I did have a cat who was a terrific mouser, but she didn't like the hind legs and would leave those after eating the rest of the mouse ... yikes!

I did use mouse traps and that worked, but in the winter time, the mouse problem increased a bit. I simply kept my floors and counters as clean as I could with no food ever left out and tried my best to patch up any holes or slits. Mice can flatten themselves out to almost nothing and can fit in the tiniest of holes/slits.

I don't like poisons .. specially with pets ... as mice can also die in between your walls and begin to smell. Make sure you have screens on all your windows, don't leave doors ajar and check under cabinets. sinks etc and patch all holes as best you can, Nothing is as enjoyable as having an oasis of a garden in the city.

Posted by: tlocane at August 6, 2009 11:51 AM in response to Garden Apartments & Pests

Hurricane... I do not have the condensation dryer, but the standard Axxis model. It too takes longer than my previous Frigidaire Gallery, but truthfully, when it's done, everything is completely dry; not damp like my Frigidaire left clothes.

As to the time it takes to dry ... at first when my new Bosch was installed, it seemed to take forever. I called the service dept and they determined the temp control was defective. They replaced it and now everything is fine. I never have to run my clothes thru a second drying cycle like I used to w/ the Frigidaire.

I know gas dryers are more economical to run. I'm not sure how much better at drying they are.

Posted by: tlocane at July 23, 2009 3:50 PM in response to Washer + Dryer Recs?

I had to replace my small, apartment-sized Frigidaire Gallery stackable front-loading washers and electric dryers about 6 months ago and decided upon the Bosch Axxis stackable units based on their reputation and size. While they are physically smaller, they hold a larger load than my original Frigidaires.

After a few mis-starts ... had to re-wire my laundry closet for the new 4-plug 220 line, the dryer needed to be fixed as it didn't get hot enough ... all is finally working as it should.

One caveat ... the Axxis models that stack CANNOT use bleach! Bosch says the units heat the water enough that bleach for whites is not needed. The real reason is the hoses that are used ... they degrade with the use of bleach. My whites are not as white as they used to be ... even with using a detergent w/ bleach alternative.

If you have the space, get the Whirlpool Duet units ... the full-size units; NOT the smaller Sport models. I had these Duets when I owned a weekend home. They were great and I never had an issue with performance or any problems with operation. They are stackable or can be placed side-by side.

Posted by: tlocane at July 23, 2009 7:48 AM in response to Washer + Dryer Recs?

I bought a house 5 years ago that had an ADT system installed as well. After I closed on the house, I called ADT and told them I wanted to activate the system.

Never was I told about any "changeover fee." I set up an account with ADT with a year contract and paid the necessary fees ... but there was no changeover fee. It sounds fishy to me.

Did you call ADT directly?

Posted by: tlocane at July 2, 2009 10:50 PM in response to ADT Security "Changeover" fee???

I bought a house 5 years ago that had an ADT system installed as well. After I closed on the house, I called ADT and told them I wanted to activate the system.

Never was I told about any "changeover fee." I set up an account with ADT with a year contract and paid the necessary fees ... but there was no changeover fee. It sounds fisht to me.

Did you call ADT directly?

Posted by: tlocane at July 2, 2009 10:50 PM in response to ADT Security "Changeover" fee???

p 3 ... no I don't know how much the city has spent; but that's a great question.

I read something about the cost and if I recall correctly, it was a high number. I will try and research it and report back if I find the answer.

Posted by: tlocane at July 1, 2009 11:02 PM in response to Empire Blvd now has just 1 lane

I have called the police dept on a few occasions asking this exact question. I was told they have very few stats. I asked if there were plans to implement collecting these stats and he basically said he had no idea. I got the distinct feeling he wasn't at all interested.

My building has experienced a lot of cyclist and pedestrian accidents on our south corner ... ped/motorist, ped/cyclist and cyclist/motorist. When we lobbied to get a stop sign on the north corner of our building to help slow down traffic, we had several board members and city politicians study the traffic and increased number of accidents. It took quite a few years to get the additional stop sign; but we continued to experience a lot of accidents.

Cops would sit in patrol cars and ticket cars that ran the stop sign, but never ticketed cyclists that ran the stop sign or ride the wrong way on our one-way streets. I saw a cyclist run the stop sign and turn the wrong way on the one-way street right in front of a parked patrol car and the cops didn't even try to stop the cyclist. I and another neighbor asked the cops why and they said it wasn't an important enough issue for them. The very next week I witnessed an elderly woman hit by a cyclist and sent flying.

I guess until someone gets killed, it will never be important enough!

Posted by: tlocane at July 1, 2009 9:29 AM in response to Empire Blvd now has just 1 lane

The first time you get hit by a cyclist, no matter how diligent and watchful you are, then tell me the above! It does not matter how careful you are. And tell that to the elderly lady several months back who was hit on my corner when a cyclist came out of nowhere and sent her flying ... bruised and bloody and refused to stop, but got back up on his bike and continued down the road!

I am all for cyclists and more of them when they obey traffic laws as they should. But when more cyclists are encouraged to take on traffic with absolutely NO regard for the laws and are not ticketed or subject to the same laws as motorists, then YES, I rant.

You should be more concerned that cyclists as well as pedestrians are put at more risk by the city's actions. Travel to any foreign city where bikes are the normal mode of travel, and for the most part, you will see organized travel ... cyclists obeying traffic laws. NYC has done very little in the way of making this a safe mode of travel!

Posted by: tlocane at June 30, 2009 8:55 AM in response to Empire Blvd now has just 1 lane

I don't live in Brooklyn as yet .. moving there within a year; but the city has done the same thing all over Manhattan. Washington Street downtown, in front of my building, has also been turned into a 1 lane road with a bike lane. The change has created a traffic nightmare along with a dangerous situation with cyclists riding their bikes the wrong way on Washington and not following traffic laws.

Traffic is now often backed up for several blocks where in the past before the reduced number of lanes, it flowed smoothly. Traffic noise has increased exponentially. Cabs try to beat the back log by driving into the bike lanes, ignoring the stop signs making it dangerous for cyclists as well as pedestrians crossing the street.

Bikers are also adding to the problems. They do not stop for stop signs or traffic lights, ride the wrong way down the one-way street and have almost run over pedestrians on numerous occasions. I was almost hit last week by such a cyclist. He even had the nerve to berate me for "getting in his way!"

Bloomberg has repeatedly said he is reducing traffic and making it more pedestrian- and bike-friendly. He has created the opposite! Remember many years ago when Kotch placed bike lanes all over the city as well? How long did that last? Officials realized quickly that unless traffic laws are enforced ... not only for cars but also bikes ... adding bike lanes and reducing traffic lanes only adds to the problem of an overloaded system.

Posted by: tlocane at June 30, 2009 7:16 AM in response to Empire Blvd now has just 1 lane

I don't live in Brooklyn as yet .. moving there within a year; but the city has done the same thing all over Manhattan. Washington Street downtown, in front of my building, has also been turned into a 1 lane road with a bike lane. The change has created a traffic nightmare along with a dangerous situation with cyclists riding their bikes the wrong way on Washington and not following traffic laws.

Traffic is now often backed up for several blocks where in the past before the reduced number of lanes, it flowed smoothly. Traffic noise has increased exponentially. Cabs try to beat the back log by driving into the bike lanes, ignoring the stop signs making it dangerous for cyclists as well as pedestrians crossing the street.

Bikers are also adding to the problems. They do not stop for stop signs or traffic lights, ride the wrong way down the one-way street and have almost run over pedestrians on numerous occasions. I was almost hit last week by such a cyclist. He even had the nerve to berate me for "getting in his way!"

Bloomberg has repeatedly said he is reducing traffic and making it more pedestrian- and bike-friendly. He has created the opposite! Remember many years ago when Kotch placed bike lanes all over the city as well? How long did that last? Officials realized quickly that unless traffic laws are enforced ... not only for cars but also bikes ... adding bike lanes and reducing traffic lanes only adds to the problem of an overloaded system.

Posted by: tlocane at June 30, 2009 7:15 AM in response to Empire Blvd now has just 1 lane

There is always the chance the new neighbor doesn't have the proper permits and is doing something they aren't supposed to ... but my guess is they are within the acceptable zoning codes.

What is your neighborhood zoned for? Go on PropertyShark.com. You can register for free, type in your address and select "map" for the report. It will give you a street map of your block and lot and on the left will be a mini-report giving you the zoning for your area and the buildable FAR for each lot. If it's 2FAR, that means he can build 2 times the square footage of his lot.

That doesn't necessarily mean he can build lot line to lot line; but he can build a total of that sq footage. A common 100 foot deep lot generally will require approximately 30 feet depth of garden space. It can vary from area to area depending on zoning.

There's no accounting for taste ... unfortunately, what you may consider an eyesore may be beautiful to someone else.

Posted by: tlocane at June 20, 2009 4:58 PM in response to Neighbor Building a Monstrosity

Sorry for the triple post. I accidently hit "submit" twice when the phone distracted me.

Posted by: tlocane at June 19, 2009 2:51 PM in response to FLOR tiles -- reviews?

I installed FLOR carpet tiles in my art studio ... essentially the second bedroom. I used the low pile Fedora ... a recycled poly. I chose this because I use a rolling computer chair and needed something that wouldn't impede the chair's movement and because it's rated for medium traffic.

My only complaint is that the wheels of the chair have marked the tiles and it's noticeable; interestingly enough, only on the darker color. I used 3 colors to create a pattern.

I find them easy to clean. I accidently spilled coffee on the tiles one morning and just wiped it up and patted it with a wet towel to absorb the coffee and then sprayed with clear water to rinse, reabsorbed and let it dry. It came perfectly clean. In the event of a more difficult stain, the company recommends removing the tile, washing it under the faucet and letting it dry before reapplying with new adhesive dots.

I would not use FLOR tiles for a heavily trafficked or living room where I wanted a nicer look; but for my purposes, it works fine. I couldn't beat the cost ... I created an 8'x10' carpet for under $200.

Posted by: tlocane at June 19, 2009 2:47 PM in response to FLOR tiles -- reviews?

I installed FLOR carpet tiles in my art studio ... essentially the second bedroom. I used the low pile Fedora ... a recycled poly. I chose this because I use a rolling computer chair and needed something that wouldn't impede the chair's movement and because it's rated for medium traffic.

My only complaint is that the wheels of the chair have marked the tiles and it's noticeable; interestingly enough, only on the darker color. I used 3 colors to create a pattern.

I find them easy to clean. I accidently spilled coffee on the tiles one morning and just wiped it up and patted it with a wet towel to absorb the coffee and then sprayed with clear water to rinse, reabsorbed and let it dry. It came perfectly clean. In the event of a more difficult stain, the company recommends removing the tile, washing it under the faucet and letting it dry before reapplying with new adhesive dots.

I would not use FLOR tiles for a heavily trafficked or living room where I wanted a nicer look; but for my purposes, it works fine. I couldn't beat the cost ... I created an 8'x10' carpet for under $200.

Posted by: tlocane at June 19, 2009 2:46 PM in response to FLOR tiles -- reviews?

I installed FLOR carpet tiles in my art studio ... essentially the second bedroom. I used the low pile Fedora ... a recycled poly. I chose this because I use a rolling computer chair and needed something that wouldn't impede the chair's movement and because it's rated for medium traffic.

My only complaint is that the wheels of the chair have marked the tiles and it's noticeable; interestingly enough, only on the darker color. I used 3 colors to create a pattern.

I find them easy to clean. I accidently spilled coffee on the tiles one morning and just wiped it up and patted it with a wet towel to absorb the coffee and then sprayed with clear water to rinse, reabsorbed and let it dry. It came perfectly clean. In the event of a more difficult stain, the company recommends removing the tile, washing it under the faucet and letting it dry before reapplying with new adhesive dots.

I would not use FLOR tiles for a heavily trafficked or living room where I wanted a nicer look; but for my purposes, it works fine. I couldn't beat the cost ... I created an 8'x10' carpet for under $200.

Posted by: tlocane at June 19, 2009 2:46 PM in response to FLOR tiles -- reviews?

I owned a weekend home in New Jersey and confronted the same issue. Setting pavers in gravel/stone, indeed allows for the pavers to settle and eventually sink somewhat ... specially if the foundation for the gravel and pavers isn't properly prepared. The gravel also allows for weeds to grow.

My driveway was so large that I only did an apron of pavers where the driveway met the road since the cost to pave the entire drive was prohibitive. I had the pavers set in concrete which was a more secure and neater finish.

If you decide to set the pavers in gravel/stone, ask how the contractor will prepare the sub layer. What will he use so the gravel doesn't sink too much and therefore, the pavers as well.

Posted by: tlocane at June 10, 2009 3:14 PM in response to Set pavers in concrete or gravel

There was a residential home on the property. I have checked with the city and all agencies and there are no environmental issues. All of that was checked after the house was demolished and the lot was cleared of all issues. There are no violations associated with the lot.

The BOD and Dept of City Planning & Zoning already confirmed it is buildable and how large a structure can be built.

It's my understanding the seller bought the land with the intentions of building a larger home on the lot and for whatever reasons, decided against it. From what I have found, the reasons have nothing to do with the lot itself or the area.

The lot is about 20x55 and in a mixed use location ... but primarily on a residential block. As I said, when the seller bought it back in 05, he paid 450K for it. He's now asking 470K.

Posted by: tlocane at June 10, 2009 3:07 PM in response to Purchasing a Vacant Lot

I haven't made an offer as yet. The lot just came on the market. I suspected 20% down was where the market was .... but it's difficult finding comps for vacant lots.

Appraisers are quoting $800-900 to appraise a lot. That sounds like quite a bit considering they are quoting $200-300 for a 1 family house.

Posted by: tlocane at June 10, 2009 1:19 PM in response to Purchasing a Vacant Lot

nope

Posted by: tlocane at June 10, 2009 1:03 PM in response to Purchasing a Vacant Lot

Oh great, now I get to worry about one falling on my face! Thanks Goldie! (Just kidding.) I told my landlady to get rid of the putrid pool of water & pigeon poop that collects in the air shaft and breeds all kinds of insects. But would she listen? No. Thank god we're moving soon.

Posted by: mopar at August 6, 2009 4:53 PM in response to Garden Apartments & Pests

Gemini
If you want a cat, I am trying to find a home for one or two of mine. I have a total of five. I know. I took them in from outside and had they spayed. All I can tell you is they are great to have around a garden. I have never had a rodent problem seeing for myself that they catch the "mices" before they come inside.

Posted by: HurricaneKate at August 6, 2009 5:38 PM in response to Garden Apartments & Pests

Go to habitatmap.org

Posted by: GTRAIN at August 6, 2009 7:12 PM in response to Toxicity Problems on Properties

go to maps

Posted by: GTRAIN at August 6, 2009 7:13 PM in response to Toxicity Problems on Properties

I have read before that Brooklyn College will test soil for Lead and other heavy metals. Although I am not sure how to contact them...

Posted by: Gross at August 6, 2009 7:16 PM in response to Toxicity Problems on Properties

You should not acquire property without doing a phase 1 environmental site assessment. Property uses have changed over the years and the current use may not provide any clues to potential environmental problems from the past. Dry cleaners, gas stations, old underground storage tanks can pose problems and they may not be apparent on public records.

Do not underestimate the potential for impacts from adjoining properties.

If you want some more background information, you can go to my website: www.environmental-law.net or look at the posts on my blog that appear at the EDR Commonground website.

Posted by: LSchnapf at August 7, 2009 11:24 AM in response to Toxicity Problems on Properties

The NYSDEC does have a spills database and also listing of known contaminated sites on its website. However, because historical contamination is not necessarily required to be reported there can be contamination that occurred prior to the current environmental requirements that will not show up on these records. This is why it is important to do a phase 1 that thoroughly evaluates past uses of the site and adjacent properties

Posted by: LSchnapf at August 7, 2009 11:28 AM in response to Toxicity Problems on Properties

Thanks all for your suggestions. I plan on following up with all the links you sent and check it out further.

Posted by: tlocane at August 8, 2009 5:19 PM in response to Toxicity Problems on Properties

If you have a cat, rodents won't even come around. : ) The other apartments in our brownstone have mouse sightings occasionally, but with our even strictly indoor, declawed feline we've never, ever had one.

Posted by: jland at August 9, 2009 9:51 PM in response to Garden Apartments & Pests

I vote for the cat. I have cats, a garden and no pests. If a fly enters he is dead within 15 minutes. The garden is the best perk available in an apt. Sit out on a summer evening and watch the fireflies.

Posted by: hancockone at August 10, 2009 4:22 PM in response to Garden Apartments & Pests