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Display Name: ayse
Personal URL: http://www.casadecrepit.com/
Member Since: 9/26/07
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I have about 4000 books now. Mostly in IKEA Billy, like everybody else. Some in pine shelves from the unfinished furniture store, which are a lot stronger and hold up to moving better. If you go pressboard like Billy, get shelves as narrow as you can, because book weight is substantial (especially if you are heavy on 19th century novels as I am). Some people think books look messy, but they are just wrong. Non-readers will never understand it. I love the rhythm and texture of shelves of books. Also, get more bookshelves than you strictly need to house your collection, both to house future purchases and to leave some blank space for texture. You can use those blank spaces to put small decorative items, but keep it simple or it will look cluttered.

Sorting by colour is INSANE, or at least it's for people with only a small collection, like maybe 1000 books or less. When I passed that point I had to start categorizing things more carefully. I would never be able to find anything if I had to remember what colour the spine was. I grew up in libraries and I use a subject-based sorting system for my nonfiction (my own, because that works for me). My professional books have their own sorting system, and they are kept in separate shelves. Oversize books are kept separate from more standard-sized books, except in the few categories where the mix is more even between standard and oversize, and I just adjust the shelves to fit them together.

Fiction is sorted out by size (because mass market paperbacks can fit very efficiently in a shelf designed for them, but you might have to build that yourself if such a beast is not available locally) and then language, then alpha by author, then chronologically by original pub date. I don't bother to sort by genre; it's all fiction to me.

I periodically go through and take everything off the shelves, clean the books (they get pretty dusty and dirty), then re-sort them. That keeps things fresh. It also enables me to reallocate shelf space when a subject area grows a lot, or when I decide to get rid of some books I know I won't use any more.


Living with Lots and Lots (and Lots) of Books? Good Questions
5/8/12 12:47 PM

We gave up nothing. The key was to make a realistic list of things we absolutely needed to have, and then a second list of things we'd like to have that were not necessary. The first list was three things: a large yard, "good bones" for renovation, and two off-street parking spaces. Our real estate agent was invaluable in helping us define our list. She also was amazing at giving us houses to look at that met all our requirements. We looked for longer than we wanted but have been very happy ever since.


What 'Must-Haves' Did You Let Go Of When Buying Your First Home?
4/9/12 2:46 PM

I say do it; I've torn out some of my plaster walls and I'm slowly working up to tearing out the rest. My preference is to replace the plaster with drywall of similar thickness (my plaster is 3/4" thick, so 3/4" drywall works well; for 1" plaster use two sheets of 1/2" drywall) to give the same sound-dampening qualities. (Mass cuts noise transmission; you can also get drywall designed to cut down noise transmission even more than the regular stuff.) That will also help with fire protection between the units.

FYI, lead paint was almost never used on interior walls; it's mostly on trim and exteriors. But most paint stores sell little test kits.


Thoughts on Replacing Plaster Wall with Insulation and Drywall?
Good Questions

11/21/11 6:28 PM

I hardly ever take baths in my only bathroom, because to take a bath I have to scrub the tub out first (showering leaves scummy residue all over). That kind of ruins the relaxing aspects of a nice hot bath.

A shower, assuming you have a nice detachable shower head that you can bring down to floor level, works just as well for pretty much everything, including washing dogs and other oversized washing needs. It's even easier for some things because of the lack of high edge to haul wriggling dogs over. I'd exchange my tub/shower combo for a shower-only in a heartbeat.


Does Shower, No Tub, Hurt Resale Value?
Good Questions

9/12/11 2:44 PM

I've tried out this chair for some extended sitting (I'm 5'; there was no issue with the height of the chair for me). I found it not terribly comfortable for how I like to sit, in part because it didn't allow me to lean backwards (I didn't realize how often I lean back and look at the ceiling while thinking through things until I tried this chair), and in part because it didn't allow me to change position easily. And I halfway wanted stirrups because at desk height my legs didn't reach the floor.

On the other hand, I have a friend not much taller than me who swears by it. I think it depends a lot on your personal sitting style.


Apartment Therapy San Francisco | Good Questions: Humanscale Saddle Seat Reviews?
6/18/09 3:02 AM

Joan, you can put anything on your floor that you are willing to walk on.

I saw a floor done in OSB (oriented strand board, looks like random fiber pattern, used for sheathing) with several layers of finish over it (OSB is very delicate) that was just stunning. Plywood (especially finish-grade plywood) could look very nice. And reclaimed timber is very trendy (and VERY VERY EXPENSIVE).

Tongue and groove is popular because it is designed to stay tight and flat to the floor even as the house and the floor move due to changes in temperature and humidity and so forth. It's not the law.


Apartment Therapy Los Angeles | How To: Install Hardwood Floors
2/6/09 1:40 AM

So, about those directions in the post. Asphalt felt? Under a floor? This is madness. I know people do it, but they do it when they're laying over concrete that is damp because it was not properly waterproofed. In that case I would get a waterproofing specialist in to seal the floor (there are some nice paint-on crystalline sealers) before proceeding, and I'd definitely put down sleepers before attaching the floor.

And yet those pictures show asphalt paper on a plywood subfloor. Unbelievable. Asphalt paper under a floor reeks. It should not be inside the envelope of your house. Ugh.

Also, regarding the parquet floor tiles: they still sell those; any flooring store will have them. They're usually engineered wood, and depending on the brand may or may not be refinishable by sanding and resealing. And don't condemn the floor as damp until you've checked it out.


Apartment Therapy Los Angeles | How To: Install Hardwood Floors
2/5/09 8:18 PM

We've got a fake tree. I'm allergic to most Christmas trees, so this season is all about antihistamines and going everywhere with an epi-pen.

I'm not too worried about the ecological impacts of my tree: they tend to last many decades with proper storage. So compare the embodied energy, water, and so forth in my one tree with forty farmed trees, and the plastic one comes out looking pretty good.


Apartment Therapy San Francisco | Reader Survey: Are You Buying a Real Christmas Tree?
12/12/08 8:21 PM

As for health issues, I can't imagine what they would be unless you are thinking of something that isn't actually linoleum (the green flooring material). Obviously you shouldn't eat it, but linoleum itself is pretty safe; it gets used in LEED-certified buildings all the time. Sometimes people call vinyl flooring linoleum, which can be misleading.

And Marmoleum (a brand name for one company's linoleum) comes in white and black tiles.


Apartment Therapy San Francisco | Good Questions: Replacement for BW Linoleum Tiles?
12/12/08 7:06 PM

The ones my hummingbirds go crazy for is Salvia clevelandii, which is also a native and does well here. When it's blooming, I have three hummingbirds on that bush from dawn to sunset. And it's right by my stairs, but they love it so much they will stay there when we come and go. I almost hate to prune it.

Even though everybody says hummingbirds are most attracted to red, I've found they will only go to my red salvias when the clevelandii is totally occupied with humminbirds or not in bloom (Salvia clevelandii has a purple flower).


Apartment Therapy San Francisco | Good Questions: Flowers to Attract Hummingbirds?
12/5/08 5:03 PM

I love sharing big meals with friends and family.


Apartment Therapy Los Angeles | Thursday Giveaway: Angel Print Series by HerskLos Angeles
11/20/08 11:08 PM

My biggest timesaver is reminding myself not to try to make everything perfect. Good enough gets done faster.


Apartment Therapy Los Angeles | Thursday Giveaway: "The Expert's Guide to Doing Things Faster"
11/3/08 6:17 PM

We have a Neuton and love it. Maybe it is a "yuppie" choice for mowing, but we have a fairly large garden, and the reel mower we own was requiring a lot more strength than we had after the other physical labour we do around the house. Also, we use the mower both to mow the lawn and to chop up garden waste for our compost piles, which a reel mower just cannot do properly.

We got a spare battery and edging kit; the battery is very useful and the edging kit is handy, although we don't really have the sort of yard that requires a lot of edging.

Had we not gotten this particular mower, our other option was a corded electric mower. Having used both, I'd say the cord-free is definitely worth it.


Apartment Therapy Los Angeles | The Neuton CE 5.2 Battery Powered Lawn Mower in the Test Lab
11/3/08 6:10 PM

That gummy light is pretty awesome.

My favourite colour is red.


Apartment Therapy Los Angeles | Thursday Giveaway: Target Red Hot Shop Giveaway Package
10/9/08 2:15 PM

The very best dessert I've ever had was a plate of perfectly-chosen figs at Chez Panisse. Fresh ingredients in season really do make all the difference.


Apartment Therapy The Kitchn | Thursday Giveaway: A Platter of Figs by David Tanis
10/3/08 10:04 AM

I keep butter out on the counter (in a covered dish to keep flies and cats out). A stick of butter will last us a few weeks, but it's never gone rancid or developed any kind of bad growth. I find butter is more likely to develop off-odours in the fridge, picking up all kinds of smells from whatever we have stored in there.


Apartment Therapy The Kitchn | Good Question: How Long Can I Leave Butter Out?
9/30/08 7:25 AM

Oooh, I've been thinking about going to this for the last couple of weeks.


Apartment Therapy San Francisco | Thursday Giveaway: Tickets to West Coast Green San Francisco
9/11/08 3:43 PM

We're planning to do mostly solar thermal, because our city has its own energy company and already does green energy more efficiently than we could. We'll still add some PVs, but the priority will be for thermal.

Why? Solar thermal is more energy efficient than PV, and we'll be changing our heating system to hydronic at the same time, so it'll make a huge difference in the amount of energy we use that's from elsewhere, especially natural gas. 90 percent of our natural gas use is heating (water and the house), so this is a place where we can make a real dent in our energy consumption. (We use heat year-round, but not much, and there's no winter snow cover, so all the things that are drawbacks to solar thermal are benefits for us.)


Apartment Therapy New York | Survey: Would You Add Solar Panels to Your Home? The Washington Post, 8.16.08
8/18/08 5:29 AM

I'm a big chocolate ice cream fan. I know everybody's into these exotic flavours but I've never gotten tired of a good chocolate.


Apartment Therapy The Kitchn | Thursday Giveaway: Summer Ice Cream Bucket Kit
8/7/08 12:37 PM

To keep mosquitos from being a problem, just add mosquito dunks (we now put ours in a mesh sack because as they dissolve they break into pieces and clog the sprinklers; if you don't have sprinklers this is not as much of an issue). If the container is dark, no algae will grow in it, so either paint the container until you can't see light through it, or wrap it in a thick light-blocking material.


Apartment Therapy Re-Nest | Good Questions: Rain Barrel Alternative?
7/21/08 10:25 AM