The land Use Sub-committee voted unanimously today in favor of the entire HD.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at February 8, 2010 7:00 PM in response to 185 Ocean Avenue Starts Back Up

I'm curious. My deed, from 1974, says something like "$1 and other consideration" instead of stating the actual sale price. Is that still a common practice?

Posted by: Bob Marvin at February 8, 2010 12:28 PM in response to Acris: $0 for a Sale Price?

But Kelly, it's in a 125' deep lot--lots of outdoor space--only crowded in the cold months.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at February 3, 2010 5:35 PM in response to House of the Day: 121 Clarkson Avenue

Bedford IS frequently bumper to bumper going south, during the evening rush hour, as far south as Church Avenue. It can also be heavy southbound on Saturdays, during the day. Traffic is relatively light at other hours. It also seems to be much lighter (at least in PLG) going northbound. I've never figured out why. Where do those cars go? I'd like to think that the world ends somewhere south of the PLG border and they fall off, but I keep hearing about this new "round earth" theory :-)

Posted by: Bob Marvin at February 3, 2010 5:31 PM in response to House of the Day: 121 Clarkson Avenue

Miss Muffett,

After ALL I've written here about PLG? Where have I failed?

Posted by: Bob Marvin at February 3, 2010 3:06 PM in response to House of the Day: 121 Clarkson Avenue

Miss Muffett,

After ALL I've written here about PLG? Where have I failed?

Posted by: Bob Marvin at February 3, 2010 3:05 PM in response to House of the Day: 121 Clarkson Avenue

"I thought PLG ended at Parkside?"

No, it's Clarkson, although some RE people try to push it south a bit to Lenox, or Linden, or, perhaps, Avenue U :-)

FWIW a house on the first block of Clarkson was on the house tour the year before last.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at February 3, 2010 2:27 PM in response to House of the Day: 121 Clarkson Avenue

Ikea actually has very nice hand-made Iranian rugs at prices much lower than ABC. I've only bought a couple of small ones, but the last time I looked they had plenty in the size you mentioned.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at February 2, 2010 2:27 PM in response to Staging apt - need carpets

Brenda is correct about Edwin Litchfield.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at February 2, 2010 1:23 PM in response to 3rd Ave Landmark Still Crumbling

Prospect Lefferts Gardens is a beautiful neighborhood, has houses in your friends price range, is well-served by ssbways, and is about 20 minutes from lower midtown via the Q or B train.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at February 2, 2010 9:35 AM in response to Need Neighbourhood Suggestions

"In case you haven't noticed, this issue got alot of press on Brownstoner and other similiar publications (as Bob Marvin, who does not live in BS, pointed out)."

Did I Benson? I only recall quoting one item from the HDC's newsletter. I DID see an article in the NY News, but I don't know that that's a very "similar publication." or that the News has ties to any preservationist community. My only comment on THIS particular thread was to express gratitude to those who, quite properly, questioned DOB's authority rather than blindly accepting it (like certain others).

Posted by: Bob Marvin at February 1, 2010 10:41 PM in response to Update on MacDonough Street

Good news and an excellent example of why it's virtually always a good idea to question authority, rather than blindly accept it.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at February 1, 2010 12:59 PM in response to Update on MacDonough Street

IIRC the law was changed several years ago to make owners of 3+ family houses liable for sidewalk injuries but, in the cases of one and two family homes the City is still liable.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 30, 2010 1:14 PM in response to Dangerous Tree in Front

I think it's safe bto assume that ANY ESCO is likely to be a scam.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 29, 2010 11:27 PM in response to Spark Energy or MX Energy?

Oh no! The large sized candy bag is too heavy for the floors and, combined with the over-sized pumpkin, could cause the building to collapse. That poor abused landlord! :-)

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 29, 2010 8:26 PM in response to Are These Legal?

Maybe the now (hopefully) more activist City Advocate's office can help.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 29, 2010 2:49 PM in response to Advice on DOB Issues

BHS,

We weren't immune to ALL the'70s fads. We still have our '74 coppertone range, which we'd replace if we could find a 36" range we like that's reliable and doesn't cost as much as a car. Our harvest gold 1974 washing machine is still in the laundry room/darkroom, but I'd never use the term "decorating" to refer to that space. We DID recently (to my wife's delight)replace the early '70s Lucite "Tiffany" dome light over our round oak kitchen table with a c. 1910 craftsman style fixture. Come to think of it, I guess refinished c.1900 oak IS very '70s, but I don't care :-)

I passed my Old House Journal back issues on to young neighbors a few years ago where I hope they'll inspire more "brownstone revival movement" type work.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 29, 2010 2:37 PM in response to Open House Picks

The Bloomberg administration prides itself on making City agencies more user-friendly for large businesses. Small home-owners are off that arrogant SOB's radar. No wonder so many people don't file with DOB.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 29, 2010 1:49 PM in response to Advice on DOB Issues

"Sounds like some stubborn owners. Either that, or they don't need to sell"

Or BOTH, not a bad position to be in, in a down market.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 29, 2010 1:43 PM in response to Open House Picks

BHS,

I protest! MY house was decorated in the '70s* and doesn't look like that. The Van Buren St. house COULD have been decorated in the '50s or '00s by someone with somewhat stuffy taste.

*Of course our aim was to make the house look like it had been lived in by the same family since 1899, who had moved in with some furniture inherited from older houses and had made additions over the generations--we never much cared for what's in style NOW.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 29, 2010 1:40 PM in response to Open House Picks

Yesterday's E-Bulletin from the Historic Districts Council said that "the parties have come to a tentative agreement to delay demolition and allow the buildings to be shored up in advance of future repairs". I guess the concrete trucks are evidence that that agreement has become more than tentative.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 29, 2010 11:09 AM in response to Salvation on MacDonough Street?

You put a HOUSE sized pumpkin in an APARTMENT!

What an awful thing to do. You're very lucky that your landlord didn't immediately have you arrested and thrown into pumpkin prison. It's bad tenants like you who make life hell for fine upstanding landlords, like yours. Next you might put up a Christmas tree--the nerve, the unmitigated gall!

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 29, 2010 10:51 AM in response to Are These Legal?

From the Historic Districts Council E-Bulletin for Thursday:

"....It is important to note that although the buildings are in the Stuyvesant Heights Historic District, the DOB has the authority to supersede the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s oversight in an emergency public safety situation. The LPC reached out to HDC early on Thursday to let us know about the situation, but unfortunately, it was entirely in the hands of DOB, who had decided that demolition of the two buildings was the only option. HDC spent several hours over the past week talking with neighbors, city agencies and local officials. We also alerted our colleagues at The New York Landmarks Conservancy to see if they would lend their technical expertise. Alex Herrera, Director of Technical Services for the Conservancy, arranged for an independent structural engineer to evaluate the site and neighboring building owners also retained engineers. As of today, the parties have come to a tentative agreement to delay demolition and allow the buildings to be shored up in advance of future repairs. However the situation is still unfolding and demonstrates the continued need for both education about appropriate structural work for historic buildings as well as better communication between city agencies about the need to preserve landmarked properties whenever feasible."

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 28, 2010 11:44 PM in response to Any News on 329-331 MacDonough S

Frederick Law Homestead is correct about the size of the PLG HD. It includes the 600 homes in Lefferts Manor plus a few hundred more on Lefferts Ave. and Sterling St., bet. Bedford b& Nostrand (although I wouldn't call these a mere "buffer zone"). 900 or so houses isn't THAT small an historic district. We tried to make it larger back in the '70s, but, knowing of Ft.Greene's problems a little earlier, were resigned to settling for whatever we could get. The establishment of the Ocean-on-the-Park HD added one strip that we wanted to include years ago (albeit as a separate HD, which is fine). I hope there'll be more additions (or additional HDs in PLG) in coming years. Chester Court and Parkside Ave., west of Bedford, come to mind but are by no means the only additional blocks that should be landmarked.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 28, 2010 4:50 PM in response to Brooklyn Sales: Under a Million

When I went out for my run this morning I noticed that Maple I was closed off at Flatbush, but that's all I know.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 28, 2010 1:47 PM in response to Power Outage on Flatbush?

maxsdad,

There's no indication that this tenant isn't doing just that.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 28, 2010 11:47 AM in response to Are These Legal?

AND I still resent getting multiple copies on my stoop.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 28, 2010 11:42 AM in response to 16 Phonebooks on Stoop?

"How many people still use phone books?"

I do, sometimes, but, old as I am, I use Google far more often.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 28, 2010 11:42 AM in response to 16 Phonebooks on Stoop?

Keep in mind that the current mess on MacDonough Street seems to have been caused by an incompetent contractor doing a gut rehab. BE CAREFUL, you potentially have a LOT to loose!

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 28, 2010 9:11 AM in response to GC for Brownstone Renovation

I agree with queenoftheclick2 that $20 each is in order. Necessary? NO, but be a mensch.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 28, 2010 8:32 AM in response to Tipping Your Floor Refinishers?

Here Here Brenda! I felt the same way. I had no problem with the landlords in two owner-occupied brownstones I lived in between getting married and buying my house, but grew up in a six-story Queens apartment building where the landlord was a real SOB who I'd have liked bitten by something more fearsome than a pet turtle :-)

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 28, 2010 8:30 AM in response to Are These Legal?

guest4,

cadmic42037[at]mypacks[dot]net

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 25, 2010 1:45 PM in response to Wood Panelling/White Baseboards

guest4,

cadmic42037[at]mypacks[dot]net

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 25, 2010 1:45 PM in response to Wood Panelling/White Baseboards

BTW, if the baseboards are already painted white, they could be stained to match (fairly closely) with a varnish stain over a tan base coat.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 24, 2010 2:11 PM in response to Wood Panelling/White Baseboards

Why not try staining the new baseboards to match the rest of the woodwork?

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 24, 2010 2:10 PM in response to Wood Panelling/White Baseboards

"huge hole in plumbing stack= big tear-out"
Not necessarily!

We have a fully intact 1899 bathroom. our plumber always told us that if/when the part of the waste pipe that ties together the lines from the tub, basin, toilet, and dressing room basins needed replacing he'd have to rip out the original tile floor BUT, when that finally happened, he was able to do the work mostly from the floor below. He did have to remove the marble slab from under the toilet, but he didn't break it and was able to put it back. I'm pretty sure the work cost as much, or more, as replacing the floor, but it was worth it to someone like me who rather have an historic bathroom than a modern one.

You need a plumber who is sympathetic to old houses. Wilfred Richards, who did the work in our house passed away several years ago, but there must be others.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 23, 2010 1:48 PM in response to Bathroom Ideas to See

I think (hope?) that modsquad is over simplifying things a little. While there might be circumstances where it's truly impossible to save a building, I'd think that more often it's a question of what resources are available and what is practicable (a word bureaucrats love). I realize that DOB's first priority must be threats to safety, but if they're allowing two (hopefully business) days, the threat can't be all that imminent

I'd hope that much more is possible for occupied houses in an Historic District than for unoccupied ones with trees growing through them (like the lefferts Pl. building just demolished). I hope that organizations like Brownstoners of Bed-Stuy are involved and that they've contacted the Historic Districts Council, Municipal Art Society, Landmarks Conservancy, etc. as well as all the local elected officials

In a perfect world the insurance companies covering both houses might realize that they could save a lot of money by moving quickly to pay for stabilizing the buildings, but I fear that expecting such companies to be proactive and fast moving is probably unrealistic.

It would be awful to loose these houses if they're savable!

BTW, Mopar, I can't find anything about this matter on the Bed-Stuy Blog. Maybe I'm looking at the wrong site. Can you post a URL?

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 23, 2010 11:37 AM in response to Update on MacDonough Collapse

This looks like the sort of faux Victorian stuff that was popular in the late '60s--early 70s when the Brownstone revival/Back to the City Movement was young. I still have my plexiglass "Tiffany" dragonfly dome light, that I bought in 1972, stashed in my cellar.

IT makes me feel old to see it treated as an antique. I'm sorry I don't have any idea of the value.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 23, 2010 9:37 AM in response to Can Anyone Tell Me Anything?

I wonder who held this hearing?

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 22, 2010 5:02 PM in response to Update on MacDonough Collapse

If your house is anything like mine, I'd have a very strong preference for staining the new woodwork to match the old but, if you must have white, you could always pain the window woodwork the same color as the new wood.I can't imagine why you'd want to rip it out.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 22, 2010 5:01 PM in response to Molding Issues!

"I don't believe it is OK to to renovate the house if that means removing original detail. I think people who do that are philistines. If you don't like the original look of the house, don't move there".

Here here!

Good going Mopar.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 22, 2010 1:18 PM in response to Mantel Mirror Value?

I drive past that site several times a week. That flimsy top floor wall kooked like it could tumble at any moment.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 22, 2010 1:06 PM in response to City Cuts 15th Street Building Down to Size

The architect may well be a "very thorough & conscientious guy" but wouldn't he be liable for not properly supervising the contractor? Not fair, of course, but the world usually isn't fair.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 21, 2010 9:41 AM in response to Wall Collapse, Vacate Order, Maybe Demo on MacDonough

Thanks Denton.I checked the minimum system requirements and my ancient iBook is many generations too old for Lightroom. I'm using PhotoShop 7--the three newer versions won't work either. Fortunately my digital photography is just an afterthought and I don't need anything better. Nothing will replace my 50 year old Rolleiflex :-)

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 20, 2010 6:22 PM in response to Building Collapse on Lefferts Place

BTW DIBS, ONLY B&W? When you photograph someone in black and white, you show their soul; in color you show their cloths :-)

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 20, 2010 4:47 PM in response to Building Collapse on Lefferts Place

Not anymore Denton; I shoot utilitarian stuff with a DSLR now (in color, no less, DIBS). However my "real" photography continues to be done on medium format B&W film with real (i.e. wet darkroom) prints. FWIW when my "utilitarian" photography was scanned B&W film I could post images in a couple of hours--it would have been even faster had i been willing to ruin my negatives by scanning them while still wet. Digital (assuming adjustment of my images in PhotoShop) is only slightly faster.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 20, 2010 4:42 PM in response to Building Collapse on Lefferts Place

There are panels that are made specifically for this problem. They attach to the bottom of your fence to close the space and match your existing fence. Please feel free to give me a call to discuss your options. I own a fence company. Brooklyn Fence distributors. My name is Don and you can reach me at 718-444-8554. I look forward to hearing from you

Posted by: Donfenceman at February 7, 2010 2:35 PM in response to Doggie Jail

There are panels that are made specifically for this problem. They attach to the bottom of your fence to close the space and match your existing fence. Please feel free to give me a call to discuss your options. I own a fence company. Brooklyn Fence distributors. My name is Don and you can reach me at 718-444-8554. I look forward to hearing from you

Posted by: Donfenceman at February 7, 2010 2:37 PM in response to Doggie Jail

Most deeds don't actually list the consideration. It used to be that you would have to back into the purchase price by looking at the transfer tax payment. I think now the actual price is registered on the tax forms filed with the city, but the actual deeds often just read $1 (or $10) and other consideration.

Also, there does not need to be consideration for a property transfer, only for a contract of sale of property. E.g., you can gift the property without consideration.

Posted by: Boerumresident at February 8, 2010 4:02 PM in response to Acris: $0 for a Sale Price?

Almost all deeds I review say "Ten dollars and other ....".

You can look at the state transfer taxes to determine the price (1-3 fam & condos): 0.004%, plus 1% for transfers > $1M.

I agree with slopefarm, most with no price are related transfers, change in owner's name, correction to deed, etc.

Some go to silly lengths to try to hide the transfer. For example, I've seen condo transfers recorded under the original lot number rather than the lot number for that particular unit.

Posted by: the_why at February 8, 2010 4:06 PM in response to Acris: $0 for a Sale Price?

I only use oil for trim. http://www.caseysbuilding.com

Posted by: caseysbuilding at February 8, 2010 6:19 PM in response to oil based paint

Just another example of silliness. Why does real estate have to be so rarefied?

Posted by: tybur6 at February 9, 2010 12:09 AM in response to Acris: $0 for a Sale Price?