I just sent this article to another poster with tree issues... perhaps the info can answer some of your questions too...
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE0DA143CF930A35752C1A967958260

Your neighbor's tree sounds
so beautiful... hope that it can be saved.

Posted by: bren at August 12, 2007 10:09 AM in response to Massive Tree Doomed?

I would politely point out to the contractors that your yard is getting covered in flying paint chips, and ask that they put down some drop cloths in your yard and clean up at days end.

If the neighbor is an old crank probably better to deal politely with the contractor a.s.a.p.

When our co-op had pointng done we gave our neighbor next door a "heads up" , made sure that their yard was left immaculate at days end... covered all plants etc. ... we received a lovely note thanking us for our thoughtfullness afterwards... sounds as if your neighbor isn't too neighborly though, so,again,try speaking with the contractor first...

Posted by: bren at August 14, 2007 12:26 PM in response to Paint and debris from neighbor's buiding work

OP, I think that this link will answer most of your tree care questions!

Good to see folks interested in taking care of our city trees!

http://www.bbg.org/vis2/2007/bigtrees/street/

Posted by: bren at August 17, 2007 11:15 AM in response to Sidewalk Landscaping

This link provides tree care tips from the NYC Parks Dept. Also explains that Ivy can kill trees, and goes on to describe what types of plants can safely be planted in the tree pit.

http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/trees_greenstreets/tree_care_tips/planting.html

Posted by: bren at August 17, 2007 4:39 PM in response to Sidewalk Landscaping

The Stuy' Heights house is just beautiful...
so spacious and lovely....

Posted by: bren at August 17, 2007 5:02 PM in response to Open House Picks

Quite possibly someone just went back there and urinated... years back, our co-op had a problem with people climbing over the locked gates leading down to our basement entrance who then proceeded to relieve themselves on our property...

Posted by: bren at August 21, 2007 11:56 AM in response to What's that smell?

For those interested, here's a link to an informative article " Brooklyn's Serious Mortgage Foreclosure Outbreak" from "The Gownanus Lounge" 3/29/2007... the article includes a map of foreclosure patterns in Brooklyn 2006...

Posted by: bren at August 22, 2007 12:01 PM in response to Report: Brooklyn Foreclosures Up 51 Percent

oops! here's the link:

http://gowanuslounge.blogspot.com/2007/03/brooklyns-serious-mortgage-foreclosure.html

Posted by: bren at August 22, 2007 12:03 PM in response to Report: Brooklyn Foreclosures Up 51 Percent

Cheer up, it's only normal to be feeling
a bit anxious, as Mrs. Limestone pointed out,
changes aren't always comfortable, even if they're for the best....

You will gradually make your new place as homey as your old rental, except this time,
it will truly be your home.

Good luck, and keep us all posted of course...
we want to know how things are going for you and your family in your new home!

Posted by: bren at August 23, 2007 10:02 AM in response to panicked about moving to my "brooklyn brownstone"

Well, for the time being, perhaps you could put down some nice area rugs with padding...

The laminate flooring scratches so easily...

Posted by: bren at August 28, 2007 2:33 PM in response to What kind of floor do you recommend?

What ever happened to getting them from liquor stores and supermarkets? No bed bugs there.

Posted by: rh at April 11, 2008 12:55 PM in response to Does anyone know where to buy moving boxes in BK

Did the smell go away? If so I'd say a neighbor poured oil or whatnot in the sewer. I had an oily gassy smell before, freaked out, and it was gone in 12-24 hours. Same smell came back once or twice over the years, dissapearing just as quckly.

Posted by: guest at April 11, 2008 7:49 PM in response to Basement Smell

I can't think of anything more wasteful than buying boxes. I have always just gotten them from liquor stores.

Posted by: guest at April 11, 2008 10:34 PM in response to Does anyone know where to buy moving boxes in BK

12:22 you are sadly misinformed. There is a bedbug epidemic in new york city. It is not limited to bushwick or indigent clothes or whatever. It is widespread. Do not use boxes used by anyone else.

Posted by: guest at April 12, 2008 1:16 PM in response to Does anyone know where to buy moving boxes in BK

If you lack the time or inclination to hunt down used boxes, the staples on 4th and 4rd sells them for an exorbitant price, or there's boxkits.com that delivers to your home

Posted by: Gringcorp at April 14, 2008 4:29 PM in response to Does anyone know where to buy moving boxes in BK

I have read all the comments and not yet have found the answer to your problem. I am having the same problem. My condo stinks off and on all the time. The upstairs bathroom is the worst of them all and I have had to close the door and not use my bathroom any longer. Anywhere there is cracks or open wall to the pipes this smell is coming into my place. I dont know how to fix this. I have talked to many people yet no one seems to know the solution. I can talk to my neighbour about it but what is she suppose to do? stop cooking all together? She has every right to do anything she wants in her own place. Unfortunatly I am getting the negative discusting smell from next door because of what ever the case is. So if anyone has a valuable solution to stop the smell from entering my place please tell. I would love to know.

Posted by: guest at April 18, 2008 11:23 AM in response to Stinky Neighbor - Please help!

Be nice to the dog, poison the %^&^*& owner.

Posted by: guest at April 21, 2008 11:32 PM in response to New Neighbor's Barking Dog!

I live on 1st btw hoyt and bond and noticed that smell I think yesterday morning. I think that sad to say it is probably the Gowanus - maybe with the droughty weather we're having the water level is going down and making it stink more? It is disturbing though and makes me feel like we're all going to die of cancer (although all my neighbors on the street are about 90 and in great health - so I guess that's a good sign).

I don't think it's a boiler because the weather was too warm for a boiler to be on - plus if we're all smelling it in the gowanus area it's got to be a pretty big source.

Posted by: guest at April 25, 2008 5:48 PM in response to Exhaust smell on Sackett St

It's been awfully warm for anyone's boiler to be on.

Posted by: guest at April 25, 2008 5:49 PM in response to Exhaust smell on Sackett St

If it is an old boiler that provides both heat and hot water, then it will be on all year. (There are still some of them around - not everyone has switched to having a separate hot water heater.) So it could be an old boiler.

Posted by: guest at April 25, 2008 11:27 PM in response to Exhaust smell on Sackett St