JefferyK's Profile

Let's see. I have lived in my 325-square-food studio apartment in San Francisco for about 14 years. It is under rent control. My rent goes up every year, but the increase is tied to inflation. I am currently paying $875. If I moved out, it would rent for at least $1,500. There are 20 units in my building; at least 15 of them turn over fairly frequently. Which means there are many units going for the market rate. And these astronomical rents have had no effect whatsoever on building maintenance. It is still as dirty and rundown as ever. The landlord still cuts as many corners as he can to save money, and he still gets a new Mercedes every year. I guess "creative class" hipsters are so desperate to live here that they don't care that they don't get anything for their money. If I were paying $1,500 for a shoebox, I would be raising hell with the landlord about every little thing.

In other words, if you earn $72,000 in San Francisco, you can't afford to rent a one-bedroom apartment -- they go for much more than $1,800 a month.

Mine was very easy to remove, just as described in the post (e.g., the only screws were on the side rails). The caulk is easy to scrape off, if needed. I was worried about leaks on the floor, too, but I haven't had any issues with a shower curtain and a liner. A big plus is that the tub is way easier to clean with a curtain. And like I said, the mold . . . the bottom track often has drain holes in it that traps water beneath it. Ugh.

I've come to the conclusion that only acceptable material for kitchen countertops is stainless steel: It goes with everything, it lasts forever, and it never goes out of style.

I'd use a row of matching baskets for storage on top of the cabinets, clear everything off of the fridge, hang the paper towels under the cabinets on the left, ditch the clock and frying pans, hide all dishwashing supplies except for maybe one dispenser of soap. IKEA sells a great wall-mounted wine bottle holder -- you could hang it above the fridge on the left (looks like the cabinet will still open just fine). If you paint the back wall/backsplash a dark color, the entire wall will recede -- way more bang for your buck than painting the cabinets, IMHO.

I think there is too much contrast between the wood and the white appliances and hardware -- I would do stainless steel. I hate the tile -- it is really dated and really ugly -- so I would replace the countertop (I'd go with stainless steel) and backsplash (something glassy and yellow-y). For the countertop, I would go with stainless steel. I would replace the light fixture with something silvery to go with the new appliances/hardware. I would paint the the walls something yellow-y.

ugliest. coffee table. ever.

Haven't read the entire thread, but just in case this hasn't been shared:

http://savethepinkbathrooms.com/

OMG -- places like Daiso and Ichiban-Kan sell totally cute cord wrap animals and things for, like, $1.50.

So, when are the savings going to be passed onto customers? I mean, retailers are buying far fewer bags these days, which means overhead has gone down, and now customers will be paying for the bags. Also, they do make biodegradable bags -- I mean, Mexico City can force large retailers such as Wal-Mart to use biodegradable bags but San Francisco can't? I suppose it was easier for city government to push the expense onto consumers instead of retailers.