We did two floors and it took about 4 months to complete once construction started and probably 8 months total. It took us about 5 years to start the process.

Posted by: trudylou at November 8, 2009 11:26 AM in response to 2 Floor Gut Reno - How Long?

Class 1 properties (1-3 family owner occupied homes) are taxed based on 6% of market value. Other classes are taxed at 45% of their market value. Market values cannot increase by more than 6% per annum or 20% over a five year period. Houses are just plain taxed at a lower level than condos. It's stupid - and I'm a homeowner.

See page 17 of the document linked below for more detail.

http://emma.msrb.org/EP332052-EP37100-EP659128.pdf

Posted by: trudylou at October 21, 2009 3:53 PM in response to House of the Day: 544 Washington Avenue

We were sued for a slip and fall on our sidewalk. The city was also named in the suit and sent us a violation about 6 weeks after the suit was filed. The lawsuit took about 3 years to resolve and has been a pain in the a$$. Because of the suit, our homeowners insurance was not renewed and we had a hard time finding new coverage.

Since you have a violation, I would deal with fixing the problem. Can't advise you on the LPC issues.

Posted by: trudylou at August 6, 2009 11:30 AM in response to Landmark Sidewalk Renovation

I borrowed from my 401K and then changed jobs and had to pay it back immediately. Even if you don't lose your job, the loans can handcuff you to your current job if you wanted to make a change.

Posted by: trudylou at July 22, 2009 2:57 PM in response to Tapping 401(k) for Purchase?

We purchased bluestone and re-laid the entire patio of the rundown backyard of our rental. It wasn't expensive except in sweat equity. 2 months later we were told they wanted their apartment back and were not going to renew our lease. Not only did they not thank us for the improvements, but they tried to push us out before the lease was up and then billed us for damage that occurred in the 8 years they rented it before we moved in. All this while we had a newborn and a 4 year old. Make sure your landlord isn't as nasty as these people were. Still makes me mad years later.

Posted by: trudylou at July 20, 2009 3:12 PM in response to Comestic Renos on a Rental?

I think prices will have to come down as people can't use profits from prior sales to buy. Miss Muffet will buy a house because she has this profit from the bubble. If she (and others like her) had to purchase based on their income and savings without this nut from prior sales, houses have to be much lower.

My husband and I both have good jobs and a nice combined income, but we could never afford the house we live in now that we bought in 1996, even at the current lowered prices. Things would have to come way down before our house is something we could afford, even though we earn more now than we did in 1996 and the rental income is higher. We bought in the 500s, house probably peaked at around $2 mill. We could afford around 800-1,000 from take home pay. Hmm. Bid half off peak comps?

Posted by: trudylou at July 17, 2009 6:35 PM in response to Open House Picks

We've been getting the phone calls again about chimney inspections. I haven't gotten one of these for about 3 years, but they're back. Several years ago, I made an appointment with one of the callers and told them I'd want evidence of being licensed. When he arrived, I asked to see licenses. He said he left it in his truck, went to get it and never came back.

Then we called AA (can't remember who recommended them).
AA inspected our chimneys and advised us we did not need to clean.

Posted by: trudylou at July 16, 2009 11:47 AM in response to Fireplace Cleaning

ENY, while it makes sense that Brooklyn needs hotels, why so many in Gowanus? Or that sad place at the entrance of the Battery tunnel? Aren't there better locations?

Posted by: trudylou at July 2, 2009 10:01 AM in response to Development Watch: 13th Street Hotel Sprouting

We've scraped off some of the paper and the wood subflooring seems to be solid beneath it. If we add over an inch to the floor height, how do you deal with the lower floor as you enter the hall? It would be a step down. How do you keep the entryway at the same level as the hall? The hall is currently carpeted and we want to take that carpet up eventually (but not now).

Posted by: trudylou at June 28, 2009 12:40 PM in response to entryway subfloor

Given the dramatic change in scope of FCR's plans, I would like to see the MTA and the City start all over on this and re-bid the rail yards. I never thought the FCR development was realistic so it is no surprise it's scaled down, recession or no.

I don't like the idea of the arena (I live about 6 blocks away on one of the approaching streets) but can't get too worked up about it either.

Scrap the whole thing and start the process over again. This is not the proposal that was selected by anyone.

Posted by: trudylou at June 5, 2009 12:05 PM in response to Gehry Officially Off Yards Project

My kids went to 261 and it was fine. The diversity (no group is a majority) and faculty are great but the test scores are lower than 29 and 321 and test prep regime was a drag.

This may have changed, but zoned schools did not have to enroll all comers in kindergarten, which is considered optional, but they used to have to take first grade and up if you lived in the zone. Anyone know if that's still true?

Posted by: trudylou at June 4, 2009 4:33 PM in response to Best Public Grade Schools in BK?

I was sad to see Brawta on Atlantic and Hoyt closed. I thought it was well established.

Posted by: trudylou at May 27, 2009 11:59 AM in response to Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up

As a Boerum Hill resident, I am concerned that parking permits in Brooklyn Heights would just push those cars into Boerum Hill where parking is difficult but not as impossible as it is in the Heights. While I'm torn on residential permits for my neighborhood, I am adamantly opposed to using them for just one neighborhood because of the impact it would have on nearby areas. Since parking is a problem is so many neighborhoods, if permits are implemented, they should be borough-wide with individual neighborhoods having the ability to opt out.

Posted by: trudylou at May 18, 2009 11:25 AM in response to Residential Parking Permits Pushed for Brooklyn Heights

If you follow the logic of the people talking about the $$ in interest costs to its logical conclusion, then a one year mortgage at 25% is a better deal than a 30 year mortgage at 5% since you pay fewer $$ to the bank. As many have said, what matters is the points, the closing costs and the time to recoup them in interest rate savings.

We are refinancing from a 3 year ARM to a 30 year fixed at 5% (conforming 2 family, no points). The payments will be lower because we are going from a 20 year final maturity to a 30 year final but we are fixing at a good rate and I can't afford the interest rate risk anymore.

For a lot of people, managing monthly cash flow is what matters most, not optimizing your finance structure. Given what's happened to my pay lately, monthly cash savings are what matter.

Posted by: trudylou at May 14, 2009 4:16 PM in response to Refinancing: How Sweet It Is

We are trying to refinance our mortgage and have found the rate about .5% higher because it's a legal 2 family rather than a one family. This was consistent across lenders.

Posted by: trudylou at May 14, 2009 1:23 PM in response to C of O Issue

Brad, your only comments on this site are recommending this same contractor. Do you have some relationship to them?

Posted by: trudylou at May 13, 2009 10:53 AM in response to Kitchen Reno

We don't have a bath on the parlor floor and I've never missed it. Personally, I don't like bathrooms that open into the kitchen or into the main entertaining area. I was at one house where I think all the dinner guests could hear me in there. There's a lot more privacy when you go up stairs or have the entrance off a hallway.

Posted by: trudylou at May 13, 2009 10:42 AM in response to Kitchen vs. First Floor Bath

There were a dozen or more skate boarders right by this park yesterday going down the steep hill at the end of Columbia towards Fulton Landing. They ranged in age from 10-25 and were doing tricks in the road. Some of them were pretty great.

There are also always skate boarders on and in Smith Street in front of Homage. It would be great to have a safe place off the street for these kids.

Posted by: trudylou at May 11, 2009 12:16 PM in response to Shredders Coming to Squibb?

Could the Adelphi house really get $2800 a month for a garden rental?

Posted by: trudylou at April 24, 2009 5:01 PM in response to Open House Picks

The impact of this downturn is likely to emerge slowly as these kinds of decisions are made well in advance. We are leaving our daughter in private school for her last year of middle school but are seriously considering applying to public high school next fall for entrance in 2011. With no bonuses, we have to cut and this all that's left. Luckily, we have enough savings to wait it out a little longer but if things don't turn around, we'll have to make the change.

Posted by: trudylou at April 23, 2009 11:55 AM in response to Applications Steady, Aid Up at Private Schools

$2000 a year 131 years ago is about $8000/month in today's dollars if you assume 3% annual inflation. Would that be about right to rent a house in the Heights?

Posted by: trudylou at March 5, 2009 1:01 PM in response to This Is Not the First Bear Market in Brooklyn Real Estate

The bottle digger lives on Hoyt Street between Dean and Pacific. You will know his house by the bottles in the window. He is a very nice man so I'd just knock on his door. Sorry I don't have a phone number.

Posted by: trudylou at February 18, 2009 5:11 PM in response to bottle diggers

Thanks all (including SenatorStreet). We put a garbage bag over the screen to darken the exit to the room hoping it would fly up but it's hard to imagine how a bird could fly straight up 3 stories. I think I'll try a big blanket when I get home from work. I'm just afraid of missing it and having flying around the room - then we'll never catch it.

My daughter wants to keep it in there as a pet.

Posted by: trudylou at January 8, 2009 12:32 PM in response to Bird in Fireplace

Last night about 8 pm I saw a young man get out of a sports car and urinate on my neighbor's bicycle which was chained to a tree while his friends cheered him on and cars behind theirs honked. I feel bad for the stoop pooper (I've seen her myself) but I have no sympathy for the young asshat pissing on a bike. Wish I got the license plate.

Posted by: trudylou at August 22, 2008 11:48 AM in response to Return of the Stoop Pooper

Now that Fairway is open where you can get decent fruits and vegetables, including organic, at a decent price, I wouldn't consider joining a co-op. When grocery stores carried nothing but crap, the co-op was tempting.

We were in Vermont a few years ago and went into a food co-op and asked if we could buy anything if we weren't members. The person behind the counter laughed, said that of course we could buy without being members, adding that we must be from Park Slope to even ask.

Posted by: trudylou at August 20, 2008 11:12 AM in response to Fort Greene Co-Op Chooses Toiling

What are the Sanborn maps?

Posted by: trudylou at August 19, 2008 11:47 AM in response to Sanborn Maps

About the only successful DIY project I've ever done was fixing cracked plaster skim coating a small room. I can't say I really enjoyed it, but I was surprised at how good it looked when I was done. An experienced friend came over the first day to get me started. I mixed joint compound with plaster. As I got better, I used more plaster and less joint compound. I sanded with a palm sander and ultra fine paper and it came out perfectly. The corner behind the radiator is a bit of a mess, but no one can see it anyway. In a big room or one with high ceilings, it might be harder.

Posted by: trudylou at July 21, 2008 3:12 PM in response to Skim coating yourself

Instead of putting the planters in the median along Adams and Boerum Place, would it have worked to put separated bike lanes there instead of on the sides that are always blocked?

Posted by: trudylou at July 21, 2008 2:49 PM in response to Checking In On the Adams Street Bike Lane

We just took the free water taxi from Wall Street and got a great view of the water falls. I wasn't overwhelmed, but they're kinda cool. Most of the people on the free water taxi were tourists. Between the water falls, the performance festival on governor's island and the free water taxi to Ikea, the harbor seemed alive and vital for once.

Posted by: trudylou at June 27, 2008 5:10 PM in response to Right This Way to The Waterfalls

Try VRBO.com.

Posted by: trudylou at June 16, 2008 4:50 PM in response to Hotel / Brooklyn Move

We painted a subfloor but have not been happy with it. The floor has been splintering and pieces of stuff - I don't know what it is - keep coming out from between the boards. The paint isn't the issue, it's the condition of the wood. That said, I love the look of it.

Posted by: trudylou at June 13, 2008 8:13 PM in response to Painting over the subfloor

This is very good for Poly. They may be able to attract students now, but they have a terrible time keeping them for both academic and financial reasons. Also, Poly itself has been struggling financially. Management and faculty are very strong, but the tight budgets make it hard to provide the resources to turn things around.

Posted by: trudylou at June 9, 2008 12:38 PM in response to Poly Want a Takeover?

As they were renovating this, I was hoping they'd restore the corner of the building which originally was curved. When they didn't do that, I assumed it was because they wanted the extra square footage of ground floor retail. Now that it's open, it doesn't have anything on the ground floor except an escalator and elevators. Would it have been expensive to restore the original shape of the building?

Posted by: trudylou at June 6, 2008 9:52 AM in response to Streetlevel: Modell's Now Open on Fulton Mall

Charter schools can be a great relief for overcrowded neighborhoods or persistently poor performing schools. They have more freedom to innovate and tend to be more flexible. It is too bad the regular public schools are not give the same level of freedom.

While charter schools run the gamut from traditional to progressive, the ones that open in inner cities tend to be of the highly scripted, highly disciplined style with a lot of rote learning. Many have great results both on tests and in keeping kids in school and getting disadvantaged kids off to college.

Posted by: trudylou at May 22, 2008 12:34 PM in response to Six New Charter Schools To Open in Brooklyn

That block of Sackett is quite nice and has a very friendly, tight knit group of people living on. The commute to midtown is fine on the F but it isn't all that easy to midtown. If you have kids, Carroll Park is great because you see all the same people over and over again. Your child will almost always run into a friend there. Carroll Gardens has less of a cool vibe, but it is a solid family neighborhood that people put down roots in.

Smith Street has some great restaurants and cafes but a lot of mediocre ones too. 5th Avenue is the latest cool thing, but give it five years and the "vibe" will move on, just as it did on Smith.

Posted by: trudylou at May 2, 2008 3:54 PM in response to Open House Picks

Boerum Hill Food Company is closing for dinner in the winter - business was slow that time of day. They are likely to reopen for dinner hours when the weather warms up.

Posted by: trudylou at April 24, 2008 11:48 AM in response to Wednesday Food & Drink Round-Up

This is the configuration they use extensively in Amsterdam. The bike lanes also have their own traffic lights. Not sure if that is planned here.

Posted by: trudylou at April 11, 2008 3:22 PM in response to CB1 OKs Brooklyn Greenway Bike Path

The first place I saw his work was in the chess area at the very north end of Hudson River Park by Stuyvesant High School. If you are fan of his and haven't been there, it is really great. A little dark and really witty.

Public art like the stuff in the subways was probably funded from grants specifically for that purpose. No money would have been diverted from maintenance to put a metal man on the seat.

Posted by: trudylou at April 7, 2008 5:44 PM in response to Closing Bell: Tom Otterness Comes to Dumbo

We have a dirt floor too. Parts are concrete and others packed dirt and there's a working drain in the middle. We only use it for storage and a table saw so it's never been an issue except that it makes the place extra creepy.

Posted by: trudylou at April 2, 2008 10:51 AM in response to Dirt Floor

I live in the neighborhood and would rather see something else there, but a jail makes sense in this location because of the proximity to the courts. I'd like to see them turn the door of the jail to the State Street and Boerum Place sides of the building and have only retail and other public non-jail things facing Smith and Atlantic. That way, the jail stuff is focused towards the courts and the retail faces the neighborhood, elimiating the dead zone on Atlantic.

Posted by: trudylou at April 1, 2008 12:50 PM in response to City Looks to Supersize the House of D

Isn't a penthouse the top floor? How can you have them on 8 floors?

Posted by: trudylou at March 31, 2008 2:23 PM in response to SOM-designed Toren About to Hit the Market

If you are painting brick it needs to be able to breath. Theroseal/Therocoat is the way to do that. Check for bulges to make sure the brick is still sound. You might want to chip away the cement or stucco and have a peek in a couple of places.

Posted by: trudylou at March 31, 2008 9:51 AM in response to Painting vs. Thuraseal on the back of our house

I read this regularly and I thank you for these posts. I know nothing about development so this is a real education for me. This post came with a warning label that it might be boring, so why the complaints?

Is this project taking longer than expected? If so, why?

Posted by: trudylou at February 21, 2008 12:26 PM in response to Inside Third & Bond: Week 25

It's been fixed, but for years, the curb cut on the SW corner of Smith and Atlantic used to have an emergency call box smack dab in the middle of it. Only pedestrians could use it.

Posted by: trudylou at February 4, 2008 5:09 PM in response to Closing Bell: Curb Cuts for the Stroller Mafia?

We got a cat a few years ago after several mice came jumping out of a kitchen drawer a few years ago. (It helped that our daughter had been begging for a cat.) Before that incident, the mice came in every Fall. We'd see evidence in the kitchen and then call an exterminator -- one visit and the mice were gone. We have a rear parlor kitchen and that is always where the mice are. I've never seen any evidence of mice in any other part of the house. If you keep food away from where your babies sleep and play, you should be fine.

Posted by: trudylou at February 4, 2008 9:35 AM in response to Brownstone owners- do you always encounter mice?

The elementary school isn't just about the money or the resume. It's about happiness and community. Elementary school is here children spend their day, nearly every day, for six years of their young lives. Their school becomes their life and is a major factor in their happiness as well as their education. Good public schools are a key foundation of a community. In Park Slope, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill, kids go to the neighborhood school. You serve on the PTA with your neighbors, rich and poor. These schools are a real asset to the neighborhood for everyone.

That said, I don't get these prices.

Posted by: trudylou at January 29, 2008 3:29 PM in response to What the Heck Is Going On in Carroll Gardens?

We moved to Boerum Hill 10 years ago and parking was not a big problem, especially on weekends. Now it is very difficult. Even if we were to rent a space, where would we find one? All the lots we used to park in have condos on them now. People park on our block and then walk to the subway into Manhattan. Other blocks are 100% taken up with government permits.

I'm undecided on this idea, but I'm leaning toward supporting it as long as the plan is limited to neighborhoods where there is really a parking problem.

Posted by: trudylou at January 29, 2008 10:14 AM in response to Pols Rallying for Residential Parking Permits

$3 billion is the forecast budget deficit if no action is taken. As budget gaps go, this one is pretty manageable.

There is plenty of blame to go around for how expensive and highly taxed this city and state are. Wicks laws require public buildings to hire trades separately, reportly adding up to 30% to construction costs. Or how about the requirement low bid contracts rather than looking for best value so you don't get cheap stuff that costs a fortune to maintain. Byzantine rules, cumbersome bureaucracy all add to the unseemly stew. Even union supporters must admit that some of the rules are counterproductive and inefficient.

Can't blame any one group of people but you can blame our leaders. It would be so nice to have representatives who would go after these arcane laws that everyone knows are bad public policy. Self interest seems to rule so we are stuck. No guts.

Posted by: trudylou at January 18, 2008 10:10 AM in response to State of the City: $3.1 Billion Deficit

We used to get the small box for a family of 4. You can leave standing instructions not to get the stuff you don't like and you can make substitutions.

Great service, but we found a whole box of fresh stuff every week was overwhelming and started referring to it as "the tyranny of the box." Can't go out tonight, dear, a new box is coming tomorrow and the fridge is still full. I wonder if they'd do every other week?

Posted by: trudylou at January 7, 2008 11:11 AM in response to Urban Organic - Yay or Nay???

Our contractor bought ceilings from Abbingdon and installed them. I believe Abbingdon does installations too. Great selection and top quality.

http://www.abbingdon.com/

Posted by: trudylou at January 4, 2008 4:38 PM in response to Tin Ceilings

It took us 2 months from closing to file the plans, and then 10 months from start of renovation to move-in. Converted & gutted a 4-family to 1.

Posted by: guest4 at November 8, 2009 1:42 PM in response to 2 Floor Gut Reno - How Long?

It took us 2 months from closing to file the plans, and then 10 months from start of renovation to move-in. Converted & gutted a 4-family to 1.

Posted by: guest4 at November 8, 2009 1:43 PM in response to 2 Floor Gut Reno - How Long?

A year from start to finish is about right depending on the nabe. You can cut some time off if you start demo before you get your permits, but of course that's a risk you may not want to take. The work itself can be done in six months or less, but the inevitable wait for inspections and approvals drags that out. Whatever you think it should be, just double it :-)

Posted by: denton at November 8, 2009 3:40 PM in response to 2 Floor Gut Reno - How Long?

Ugh. I was hoping it wouldn't take that long, but had guessed it might. Thanks everyone.

Posted by: FeaCat at November 8, 2009 8:48 PM in response to 2 Floor Gut Reno - How Long?

It depends on the scope. If you do decide to move forward, make sure you select architects/builders with strong project management skills. Ensure you are able to visualize your design and minimize changes. A well-planned project can move forward efficiently. If your architects and engineers are sloppy or you keep changing things, the blueprints will have to be resubmitted to the DOB (happens frequently).

It will still be time consuming and stressful. It is best to go into your project not emphasizing how quickly it can be done, but focusing on how it will enrich your home. Quality takes time.

Not to scare you, but I saw this renovation/divorce article in the NY Times last week:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/garden/05divorce.html

Posted by: masterbuilder at November 9, 2009 7:42 AM in response to 2 Floor Gut Reno - How Long?

From the day you hire the architect, allow 10 months or so to completion. Ed Kopel ARchitects, PC

Posted by: edkopel at November 9, 2009 10:58 AM in response to 2 Floor Gut Reno - How Long?

We worked with our architect while we went through the purchase so that we could start soon after closing. We closed at the end of August but the filing process took 5 weeks longer than expected. That was mainly because we added a small extension on the garden floor. So we started mid October and were done June 1. It probably could have been done May 1 if we were more on top of it. So I would say the other posters here are right - about 10 months. That said, we had a good experience with our contractor, Clinton Hill Design Build. I have heard some pretty hard war stories from other neighbors. Good luck.

Posted by: Colonel at November 9, 2009 8:22 PM in response to 2 Floor Gut Reno - How Long?

I'm doing the same thing now like what "Colonel" stated. I didnt close as yet but my architect file the job already. I'm now waitng to close and also waiting on dob to respond on if they approve the plans. Thats the best way to go if you are pretty sure that you will not change your mind on the purchase for what ever reasons. All the best.

Posted by: flawlessphoto06 at November 9, 2009 9:12 PM in response to 2 Floor Gut Reno - How Long?

Flawless, who is your expedior....I need one in a hurry. Thanks.

Posted by: thom at November 10, 2009 10:06 AM in response to 2 Floor Gut Reno - How Long?

I did exactly this. Just finished renovating a 4 floor, one duplex for me and two rentals. Took about 13 months, and there's still little things here and there to finish. Mind you I had to switch contractors because the first one was a con man who was ripping me off. All ended well, I am now the broke but proud owner of a bed stuy brownstone and it is gorgeous. If you are seriously concidering this please talk to as many people who have done this before as possible. If you need advice you can email me: elninio@hotmail.com.

Posted by: laninia at November 10, 2009 11:41 AM in response to 2 Floor Gut Reno - How Long?