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Posts from December 2007

Ye Ole Transit Village: Montclair & South Orange

Ye Ole Transit Village: Montclair & South Orange published on 8 Comments on Ye Ole Transit Village: Montclair & South Orange

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Author: Brett

Recently, Metro New York, that free newspaper distributed on the street, reported that more Park Slopers are moving to Montclair to avoid the alternate side parking. This fact made sense to me since we ruled out Montclair as a potential new home two years ago for their blatant lack of consideration for mass transit.

Many people may not know that the township of Montclair has forbidden NJ Transit from running trains on weekends and holidays. Which means that not a single town along the train line can use the train! I even went so far as to call NJ Transit and ask them why they had such limited service. “Ask the town of Montclair,” the rep told me. Outrageous? We thought so. Sure, there’s the Decamp Bus, but who wants to sit for an eternity trying to enter the Lincoln Tunnel when there’s a perfectly good train line going to waste? That’s why we decided long ago that we would only look in towns along a (working) train route.Continue reading Ye Ole Transit Village: Montclair & South Orange

6 Deadly Sins of DIY

6 Deadly Sins of DIY published on

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HGTV came up with these 6 Deadly Sins of DIY, but here’s our own take on it.

1. Time. “People often underestimate how long it takes to do a job properly.” Ha! That’s an understatement! Our first home took 9 years to complete. We started out with a bang and got bored with it. Eventually, we got used to living with the construction mess. And we never learned. Bed Stuy is over the 2 year mark and Beacon is going on 4 years with no end in sight. Time…yes, it always takes longer to finish a project. But if you’re talking about a big DIY renovation, consider the fact that you’re going to lose interest in the middle.Continue reading 6 Deadly Sins of DIY

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Sun Table Solar Generator

Sun Table Solar Generator published on 1 Comment on Sun Table Solar Generator

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Via Treehugger

Straight outta Brooklyn. Designers Devang A. Shah and Michael Low created The Sun Table, an outdoor table that stores solar energy and powers electrical devices.

The product “that pushes people to spend more time outdoors will be beneficial for humanity.”

The table stores enough energy to run a laptop for over 3 hours or a TV for 3 to 4 hours. For $3600, I think I’ll stick to running my extension cord outside when I want to work on my computer. As far as watching tv outdoors, what the F* are people doing watching TV outside anyway?

Cool idea or useless gimmick? I bet there are some savvy folks out there who can make their own.

DIY: Dishwasher Panel

DIY: Dishwasher Panel published on

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Photo is Miele panel, not DIY

I recently purchased a dishwasher that wasn’t exactly my taste. I couldn’t afford the one that was. In researching this, I learned that panel kits cost about $400. But that’s not all. They will only work with high end models. So you can’t buy an inexpensive dishwasher and expect to change the look.

Or can you?

I found this DIY tip in “HGTV’s Before and After Decorating” book but could not find an online link to the article. I hope I won’t get sued for copyright for posting it here. I made a few changes.

Here’s the HGTV’s how-to:Continue reading DIY: Dishwasher Panel

Another Green Demolitions Sale!

Another Green Demolitions Sale! published on 2 Comments on Another Green Demolitions Sale!

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I regularly check out the Green Demolitions site because they often have sales. Here’s what I found today:

Year End Sale: Luxury Appliances 60 – 75% off Market Price!
Famous Custom Home Decor: 75% off Market Price
Just Arrived: New-in-the-Box Famous Name Brand Whirlpools and tubs: all three stores
Famous Furniture Retailer Surplus – Norwalk, CT

But best of all…if you haven’t finished your holiday shopping…$100 gift cards on sale for $50. Can be purchased online.

Read This Now! Energy Star Boilers

Read This Now! Energy Star Boilers published on 1 Comment on Read This Now! Energy Star Boilers

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Trust me on this one. You’re never prepared for the day your boiler breaks down. It will be the coldest day of winter and you’ll be freezing your arse off. You’re going to put in ANY boiler the heating contractor can get you ASAP.

Do your research! Bookmark this page. Compare boilers now so you know which one you may want to go with when that dreadful day comes. Because unless you have a new boiler, it will come, my friend. Oh, it will come. And you’ll be sorry if you don’t heed my advice.Continue reading Read This Now! Energy Star Boilers

Urban Wildlife Sanctuary

Urban Wildlife Sanctuary published on

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Whether you live in an apartment in the middle of Manhattan or on a 20 acre property upstate, chances are there’s some sort of wildlife shivering outside your window. Wondering where their next meal is coming from. Looking in on you while you sit in your warm, cozy abode dressed in your hemp pj’s, sipping your organic wine and eating your fair trade chocolates. It’s time to take it up a notch.

1. Shelter. Buy or build a lovely birdhouse or insulated cat shelter. You can create hiding places for squirrels and such by using logs, brush or rocks. Bats need a place to rest and/or raise families. A roosting box would be nice.

2. Food. When we were new to the country thing, we put a bird feeder out in the warm weather. Guess who came to dinner? We attracted a bear. Winter is the time to put bird feeders out. The squirrels may get to it, but hey, they’ve gotta eat too! There’s actually an art to the whole bird feeding thing.

3. Water. Birdbaths and man made ponds are happy things to have around when water sources are scarce during winter months. Or summer months, for that matter.

NYC Wildlife
Urban Wildlife Sanctuary Program
Backyard Wildlife Habitat
Cat Rescue

Historic Bricks

Historic Bricks published on 2 Comments on Historic Bricks

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I’ve seen brick floor tiles at Lowes and thought I liked them. My husband hated them. He thought they were “fake” looking. Now I’m not sure how I feel about them. They would be cool for a laundry room, mud room or patio, no?

The Lowes tiles were probably mass produced stuff. Brick Floor Tile Inc offers salvaged brick that has been sliced thin. Unless you have verrrry high ceilings, you wouldn’t want to use a full brick on an interior floor. I would also guess that it would be too difficult to level.

For other brick projects, two companies that sell antique bricks are Historical Brick and Old World Bricks. However, I’m not suggesting you purchase historic bricks. Look around for empty lots, dumpsters and tear downs for free ones. Also check Craigs and used building stores on a regular basis. I just did a search and did not come up with any, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be there tomorrow. Or the next day.

Brownstoner forum

Reclaimed Lumber: Information Overload

Reclaimed Lumber: Information Overload published on 1 Comment on Reclaimed Lumber: Information Overload

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This started out as a post on antique barnwood siding. I found Elmwood Reclaimed Timber via Luxury Housing Trends and set out to write about that. Nice, huh? See photo above.

I somehow came across Cunningham Lumber. They have reclaimed lumber as well as salvage, all at good price points. Ok, so they’re located in Texas. But lookie here what I’ve found….a list of links. Too many to sort through now, so your homework assignment is to narrow it down yourself. You know, local sources/inexpensive. It’s due by Thursday.

Related: Reclaimed Flooring

Keeping Your Antique Windows

Keeping Your Antique Windows published on

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Our window has been looking like this for 2 years. And our porch still looks like this.

One of the things we fell in love with in our Beacon home was the wavy glass of the antique windows. Every window in the house is original wood, hardware and glass. Some of them don’t work too well and they are all terribly DRAFTY! But there was no way we’d ever even think of replacing them. So, we set out to restore them.Continue reading Keeping Your Antique Windows

New York’s Ethnic Neighborhoods

New York’s Ethnic Neighborhoods published on 1 Comment on New York’s Ethnic Neighborhoods

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Interesting series of Q&A on The NY Time’s City Room last week. Joseph Berger, a an education and regional columnist for The New York Times took questions on NYC’s ethnic and immigrant neighborhoods.

Some highlights:

Favorite Italian neighborhood: Bensonhurst, because real Italians live there. He says the Little Italys of Manhattan and the Bronx have Italian shops and restaurants, but few actual Italians. The population of Bensonhurst is shifting too, as working class families are sending their children to better schools and when the children return, concrete yards just ain’t good enough for them. The Chinese, who have an appreciation of rowhouses, are replacing the Italians. Bensonhurst is a quick subway ride to Sunset Park’s Chinatown.Continue reading New York’s Ethnic Neighborhoods

Dyker Heights Christmas Lights

Dyker Heights Christmas Lights published on 2 Comments on Dyker Heights Christmas Lights

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Brooklynites know where to go to see Christmas lights. It’s not 5th Avenue and Rockerfeller Center (although my parents did take me there too when I was a young’un). It’s Dyker Heights, which is that area between the better known Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst. Ah, Brooklyn at it’s finest!

The light and moving puppet thing (What do you call those?) shows are displayed on homes from 83rd to 86th Streets, between 11th and 13th Avenues. The greatest concentration is around 84th and 12th. Weekends are best, but it does get crowded. Be prepared to stand in line.

File under: Sooo not green and completely tacky. But 100% fun!Continue reading Dyker Heights Christmas Lights

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