P Brooks (718) 291-7416 Jamaica, NY 11411

Posted by: tomgee at August 20, 2007 11:28 AM in response to Garden Floor Demo

Crushed stone works very nicely to have a space with no weeds. You can add in little low maintenance areas with some perenials.

Posted by: tomgee at August 27, 2007 3:57 PM in response to Pavers for Front Yard

No do not renovate. The new owner will do what they want. Just some paint and make it as clean as possible. The key to showing well is make sure your place is very clean and has NO CLUTTER.
Its a waste to renovate and have the new owner come in and throw out all the $tuff you put in.

Posted by: tomgee at August 27, 2007 4:00 PM in response to Should we renovate our bathroom before selling?

Try Denatured Alcohol and steel wool (Fine and Very Fine grade). Lots of elbow grease will get it done.

Posted by: tomgee at August 27, 2007 4:03 PM in response to Stripping down (to the naked wood)

you could get a hose clamp ring that fits around your felxible aluminum then tighten it around the 6" vent.

Posted by: tomgee at August 27, 2007 4:10 PM in response to bathroom exhaust fan installation?

how wrong you are
I actually live there, south of Midwood and very close to Flatbush. I like it fine people...just fine. i think 4th Avenue is alot worse with noise than Flatbush! All that construction and 4 lanes
Now THAT is a Highway

Posted by: tomgee at September 4, 2007 6:46 PM in response to House of the Day: 18 Winthrop Street

There is another house on Lincoln for sale on the same block for less, probably needs more work
http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/rfs/420000693.html

It seems almost anywhere in Brooklyn is a prime neighborhood these days.....

Posted by: tomgee at September 17, 2007 1:48 PM in response to House of the Day: 190 Lincoln Road

The first 5 houses on the south side of Fenimore are huge, 3 floor triple parlor plus extensions on all three floors. Also 1200 square foot basements. The lots are over 100 deep. The remaining houses are almost as big with extensions on the first floor and first and second alternating. THe house at 84 Fenimore was WAY underpriced and a steal. Others on the south side have sold for over 900K. Also houses around the corner on Hawthorne are selling and sold for over 800K. I would say Fenimore is still prime PLG as well as Hawthorne.
Having seen houses on the house tours and houses on Fenimore, I would say most houses in LM are smaller with smaller lots.

Posted by: tomgee at September 18, 2007 11:32 PM in response to House of the Day: 190 Lincoln Road

Bilco makes one like that

Posted by: tomgee at September 18, 2007 11:34 PM in response to Roof hatch as a skylight

Green Board is a water resistant sheetrock, however it can still get mold over time because it is paper. It is NOT advisable to have a Green Board ceiling. That is because if there is a leak above the ceiling water can pool up and get heavy. This might cause a section of sheet rock to crash down. There is paperless sheet rock now that is more mold resistant.
For tiled surfaces cement board (Durock, Wonderboard, Hardi Back etc) works best.

Posted by: tomgee at October 11, 2007 10:56 AM in response to green board in bathroom

I wrote about this recently on my blog as a project for a Pest Management class at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Aphid Control.
http://flatbushgardener.blogspot.com/2008/06/why-are-aphids-so-hard-to-control.html

All the commenters' suggestions (except squirrels) will work. However, regular household soaps are not the same as the fatty acid soaps used as insecticides. They may interfere physically, but they're not as effective.

Posted by: Xris at June 29, 2008 9:44 AM in response to black aphids