iuxta's Profile

Great apartment! It's always nice to see people with outdoor hobbies and how they handle all their gear (nice hang board by the way!). Sometimes I see these perfectly arranged small spaces on AT and think "Wow, they must not have any hobbies!" We also have bikes, climbing gear, skis, and a bunch more! It just becomes part of the "decor"...

Beautiful! Nice lay-out for an apartment, and you've used it so well! Love that you split up the spacious living room by putting the cough in the middle! (I've done that too.) So many people end up with awkward arrangements because they are locked into the idea that couches must be against a wall. Enjoy that view!!

In my previous house, I was a happy chicken neighbor! Our backyard neighbors had 3-4 hens. They were always quiet and well-behaved. I liked spying on them through the fence and listening to their little noises while gardening in my yard. And they are indeed inquisitive, they would get curious and come over to the fence if I spoke to them. Well cared for chickens probably won't disturb your neighbors. :)

Why can't a chicken be a pet? A pig can be a pet. "Vermin" like a rat can be a pet. "Pet" versus "livestock" is a completely artificial choice that we make about an animal.

Listening to all the stories here, I'm reminded that we have it pretty darn good. Our immediate neighbor is obnoxious (he parties with his teenage son and all the neighborhood delinquents) and they are out on their deck every night half the year. Two saving graces though: our bedroom is on the opposite side of the house (ahhhhh, quiet!), and they actually quiet down around 11pm. Probably because they've had the cops called on them plenty of times before we moved in. Totally can deal for now. Our downstairs neighbors are great and the neighborhood is off main roads, so not a lot of traffic.

While we have the occasional annoyance, I always think about my friends who lived in Washington Heights. DEAR GOD.

I get that monthly rent can sometimes equal a monthly mortgage payment, but I do not agree that owning is less expensive. People tell me I should buy a house all the time, but where I live, any house in an area you'd want to live is around $400,000 (even foreclosures are 350k, I am not kidding). You'd need AT LEAST 40k just for the down payment (probably more), plus closing costs, and an extra 10k for that first problem that always comes up (new roof, new boiler, new driveway, you know what I mean).

I started a decent job last year after living hand-to-mouth as a grad student for 6 years. Believe me, I'm lucky I got through those years without taking out more loans on top of my college loans, but I sure wasn't saving any money. Someone please tell me how I am supposed to scrape together 40k for a downpayment. My solution is to rent a nice enough place, but keep it low enough to save money. I've been able to save about 2k a month since I've had this job, but it will be a long time before I can buy anything.

A friend grows ground cherries here in NY. They are amazing! They love to spread out and they grow like crazy in the height of summer!

Love where you put the couch - it helps make two rooms. Some people seem so afraid to pull their couches away from the walls, it's sad. This looks fantastic! ENJOY!!!

Awesome progress! It's exhausting work - hang in there! Happy to hear you reused some cabinets, such a smart idea! Keep it up!!

I have open shelving and I've never had problems with grease or grime. Maybe it's because my open shelves are not near the stove? Granted, items on the top shelf get a little dusty, but that just requires a rinse and it's good to go.

Amazing work, it turned out beautiful! Thanks for the tutorial and the pictures of the process. I really appreciate "it should look like this" type pictures, those are so useful. Silly question, but how did you get the mantle OFF the wall? (I really have no idea about these things!)

And I have to chuckle... someone always painting things white, and someone's always stripping off paint. Oh well, as long as things get reused and recycled and loved, it's all good.