shelter life alex's Profile

The key thing here is that none of these investments will get you all your money back. So first and foremost they're for you, not for the sale. Don't do any of these remodels if you're planning on selling in the near future.

I've said it before and I'll say it again (I've even blogged it): Garber Hardware rocks! Nice people, personal attention, better stock than Home Depot, a total understanding of the problems homeowners in the city have and the merchandise they sell, and help delivered with absolutely no condescension.

Go see Nathaniel on a Sunday. He likes visitors.

One note of warning: In trying to keep squirrels off my tomatoes last year I sprayed them daily with diluted Tabasco, so I strongly recommend turning your head before you spray anything with hot peppers or cayenne. One inadvertent inhalation (of even the smallest amount of mist) will leave you coughing up a storm.

What about oiling it to make it look really pretty again? Painting it would do some irreparable damage, as anyone wanting to strip it would have a hard time getting the paint out of those great little designs.

I would scrape out the white caulk, replace it with black caulk (wet your finger to smooth it neatly), then oil the whole thing with mineral oil. You can reapply the mineral oil after two weeks, then after another month, then another few months, at increasing spans of time until you only have to do it yearly. It will look AMAZING when you're done.

How about a cabinet that fits to the right of the soffit all the way to the ceiling, then a thin pull-out spice rack under the soffit? It is right next to the range...

Just to give credit where credit is due: We did write about this in This Old House, but the original idea came from Brad Kittel, the owner of Discovery Architectural Antiques, in Gonzales, Texas.

http://discoverys.com/

They actually shot the story using my apartment's hardware, and I can attest that it worked amazingly well on some pretty badly crusted hardware!

Anna at D16 and El Jinx: TSP is not available in a lot of places anymore (including NYC). We just used regular dishwashing soap. Also, if you don't have a crockpot, it can work almost as well to put everything in a heated pot of water with the soap, cover it, and let it sit out overnight (not on the stove). Several people have told me that does the trick.

The article for This Old House will be up on our site soon, if you want to learn more.

I've done this with a piece of stone (marble, granite, or soapstone is good), which is definitely better than laminated wood (see http://shelterlife.thisoldhouse.com/2006/05/hot_topper.html). It never got so hot that we couldn't keep some things on there all winter.

However, a radiator works by circulating the air around the fins as they're filled with steam or hot water. So you will cut down on some of the heat the radiator gives off. Not much, I suppose, especially if you're in a typical NYC apartment. But bear that in mind.

You know, my entire wall-sized bookshelf is filled only with books I have actually read. I never really look at them anymore.

On the other hand, the room full of bookshelves at my parents' house is filled with books I have never read. Every time I go in there, I discover something I had overlooked for the past 40 years and now find intriguing. Every visit in there is an adventure, and I end up poring over the shelves for long stretches.

Perhaps this person will get delight in the seduction of a room full of books that he can consider, try, taste, indulge in for decades to come.

Why be discouraging? At least he wants the shelves for *books*. That's a good sign.

p(too) -- she's even cuter in person. And very nice, too! Oh, and brilliant. Basically I wish I could be her.

Commuting is expensive--a train or bus pass from anywhere outside the city is several hundred dollars a month--and certainly not the greenest option. And there is a big difference between the cost of a fluorescent (yes, that's how it's spelled) light fixture and a green roof. A landlord isn't going to front the cash for a green roof, no matter how much it will save in the long run, if he just doesn't have it to begin with.