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Ashcans posted:Bear in mind that anything you hang above/behind the stove may be exposed to any vapor or spatter from your cooking - it sucks hanging your stuff up there and then finding it all sticky and greasy because you fried a bunch of bacon one morning. Yeah and then once it's got grease on it, dust gathers and sticks like nothing else  Yoshifan, the only way to keep your stuff from getting dusty is to keep it behind doors in cabinets or otherwise under wraps. For a lot of the stuff that has to be out, maybe you can get some relatively nice plastic boxes, or better, fancy photo or file boxes. For keeping the cabinets clean, wipe them down with pledge on a regular basis, especially after cooking something smoky or greasy. It's a real pain in the rear end to clean them once they've got a nice coat of grease on them, and dust won't come off without actual scraping.For ideas on how to store stuff generally, pinterest. Seriously. I've pinned a bunch of pantry and kitchen things here among other household organizing things.
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May 9, 2013 22:26
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I'm moving into a new apartment with a huge patio and I want to put this table outside: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20104718/ (we are downsizing to a 1bd and currently have way too many desks/tables). I know solid birch is not all-weather friendly, but patio is somewhat protected from sun and rain so maybe I don't need to worry about it that much. Can I coat it with something to weatherproof it? I live in Texas, if that matters. Alternately, both sides fold down so I could just make/get a cover for it. Thoughts?
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May 10, 2013 01:17
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taco show posted:I'm moving into a new apartment with a huge patio and I want to put this table outside: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20104718/ (we are downsizing to a 1bd and currently have way too many desks/tables). I know solid birch is not all-weather friendly, but patio is somewhat protected from sun and rain so maybe I don't need to worry about it that much. Can I coat it with something to weatherproof it? I live in Texas, if that matters. Alternately, both sides fold down so I could just make/get a cover for it. Thoughts? Is the polyurethane thick enough that sweaty glasses don't leave a watermark? If not, you could always sand it rough and apply some thicker clear polyurethane. It'll be great for some outdoor drinking/dining.
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May 10, 2013 05:37
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Anyone apartment-hunting right now will enjoy this (unless they live/want to live in NYC in which case haha sucker)
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May 10, 2013 16:51
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So, my landlord apparently found out that my boyfriend spends 2-3 nights a week at my place and told me I am not allowed to have guests spend the night. He cited water bills rising as a reason, because water is the only utility he pays for. I told him that I would be willing to pay more in rent or just, you know, pay my own water, but he said that wasn't an option. I feel like 2 or 3 more showers a week is probably not raising his bill by much anyway and this is just him being a dick. I'm also super mad about this because he ignores all kinds of blatant lease-breaking poo poo all the time, like the fact that almost all of my neighbors have cats or dogs when he strictly states no pets. And he must know about it, because every time he comes over to fix something my next door neighbor's dog is sitting out in the common grass area. They don't pick up its poop either so yeah, nothing subtle about that situation. Basically, is he really allowed to say I can't have people spend the night? It's not stated in my lease, for what it's worth. I live in Texas. When my lease is up next month I'll probably leave, anyway, because said boyfriend wants to live together and apparently that's not allowed, either. Even though the people next door have three occupants in a one bedroom.
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May 10, 2013 17:15
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I actually had to bring up the guest thing in a lease with a roommate once, however it was explicitly stated in the lease what the limits of "guest" were. His girlfriend basically moved in and I was tired of her sitting around in the living room watching my TV when I wanted to watch a game or something, paying for 1/2 the utilities when I was only 1/3 of the use, etc. I tried to talk to him about it a few times but it didn't change anything. The dealbreaker ended up being a day I was late for work because she was taking a shower (it was a 1 bathroom place). That was when I pulled out the lease and pointed to the exact lines about guests. I sincerely doubt that he can tell you that guests can't spend the night. But there might be something about how long/often somebody can stay before they aren't considered a guest anymore.
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May 10, 2013 17:32
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I have a standard Texas lease and there's no clause about guests, however my old place said that no one could spend more than 5 or so nights a month or no more than 3 consecutive days. I'd check your lease, but if there was a clause about guests he'd refer to your lease and not some excuse about water bills so I'm inclined to think he's full of poo poo.
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May 10, 2013 18:31
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It may not mention guests specifically, but instead say that all occupants have to be parties to the lease, and then it becomes a matter of how often someone stays there and what constitutes occupancy.
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May 10, 2013 18:42
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I have read the entire lease. There's absolutely nothing about guests, much less how long someone is allowed to stay before they are considered an occupant. It doesn't even say that only one occupant is allowed, that was just conveyed to be verbally and I have obeyed it to the best of my understanding of what counts as occupancy. The lease is only five pages long and written in pretty normal vernacular English so I don't think I've missed anything. (I am like 99% sure he just wrote this up himself). Then again, I guess there's really nothing I can do if my lease comes up next month and he decides not to rent to me again, which is probably what he'll do if I push the overnight issue.
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May 10, 2013 18:54
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Silly Hippie posted:I have read the entire lease. There's absolutely nothing about guests, much less how long someone is allowed to stay before they are considered an occupant. It doesn't even say that only one occupant is allowed, that was just conveyed to be verbally and I have obeyed it to the best of my understanding of what counts as occupancy. There is probably some sort of tenancy protection law that requires a minimum notice in order to terminate a lease in your locality. You should look it up.
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May 10, 2013 19:38
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Find a PDF copy of TX Landlord-Tenant Law/Act. There's probably a law that says landlords cannot dictate guest policy or social behavior (i.e. no alcohol use, no outdoor smoking, must receive prior permission to have guests) unless it's destructive, disruptive, or illegal. Roommate/house share arrangements often have landlords trying to enforce this. Even if its in the lease, it's probably not enforceable if it contradicts state law. Having a boyfriend, or friend, or a bunch of drunk friends stay overnight after a party, does not make them residents of the unit. Tell him your boyfriend maintains his own permanent residence and spends the majority of days/nights at his own place. Tell him you stay there as his guest an equal amount of time, and it would be unreasonable of you to expect landlord to credit you for days not spent occupying your unit using the utilities. If you're worried about this escalating, send him a certified letter reiterating what you say to him. Reference the dates and times of your conversations, and cite relevant portions of your lease and TX law. Keep a log of nights spent out of your unit, and vice versa. EDIT: I just saw that you're near the end of your lease. Don't push the issue until you're locked in for another year.
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May 10, 2013 19:46
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One of my apartment prospects is a whooolllleee lot of space but I'm living directly above my landlord. I've heard this can be a pain in the rear end. I'm seeing it tomorrow anyway, but should I be concerned?
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May 10, 2013 23:19
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Jet Set Jettison posted:One of my apartment prospects is a whooolllleee lot of space but I'm living directly above my landlord. I've heard this can be a pain in the rear end. I'm seeing it tomorrow anyway, but should I be concerned? Are you loud or plan on breaking any rules?
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May 11, 2013 00:09
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Thoguh posted:Are you loud or plan on breaking any rules? I've been told I have lead feet  , otherwise no. I'm lame. I do wanna throw a party here and there but I have mostly tame friends.
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May 11, 2013 00:50
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Thoguh posted:Are you loud or plan on breaking any rules? If he's going to be banging his broomstick against the ceiling every time you walk across your living room, that's a problem.
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May 11, 2013 01:08
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Ashcans posted:So basically yea, you are going to have to work your rear end of to get a good place without getting cheated on it. It loving ssssucks
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May 11, 2013 15:12
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Jet Set Jettison posted:One of my apartment prospects is a whooolllleee lot of space but I'm living directly above my landlord. I've heard this can be a pain in the rear end. I'm seeing it tomorrow anyway, but should I be concerned? Well, for one thing it makes you much more vulnerable to whatever eccentricities your landlord might have. And they probably have some. Do they have a dog they leave in their house barking all night? You're stuck with it. Are they lovely about parking their car and blocking other spaces? Stuck with it. Are they hyper-religious and like to kick off Sunday morning with some loudly sung hymns? Enjoy! Are they actually completely insane and will rapidly become convinced that you are pumping sulfuric gas into their kitchen to kill them, and counter this by pounding on your door at night screaming about the retribution of our lord jesus christ? You don't know! (Also that last one actually happened to me, so I am maybe a little more sensitive about the risks). The upside is that they are more likely to maintain and care for the property because they live there too. But overall I definitely consider it a great liability, and I would 100% make sure to meet the landlord in person and talk to them, and if possible ask them for the contact information of the previous tenant so you can talk to them as well - if not that, ask why they moved out and read between the lines. You should also be aware that there are often special allowances built into laws for owner-occupied structures, so you should make sure you know what changes that would potentially mean.
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May 11, 2013 18:38
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Got sick of this bullshit Ikea knockoff and my SO was out of town, so I spent yesterday driving to Queens from Philly and picked up the real deal. Much better.
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May 12, 2013 16:25
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My apartment has bedbugs. (I found them in my bed and caught a few with sticky tape.) The landlord is getting pest control to come and I've been washing all my clothes and linens etc. My question is, how do you clean stuff that's not fabric? Books, CDs, papers, my stereo, etc? The city's public health website says to seal everything tightly in garbage bags before they spray, but what if there's a bug in one of my books or my computer or something? Won't they just escape when I unseal everything eventually?
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May 13, 2013 02:02
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Carbon Thief posted:My apartment has bedbugs. (I found them in my bed and caught a few with sticky tape.) The landlord is getting pest control to come and I've been washing all my clothes and linens etc. My question is, how do you clean stuff that's not fabric? Books, CDs, papers, my stereo, etc? The city's public health website says to seal everything tightly in garbage bags before they spray, but what if there's a bug in one of my books or my computer or something? Won't they just escape when I unseal everything eventually? 1. Unseal those as soon as possible. The poison sticks around on surfaces for a couple weeks and will kill anything that was inside without damaging anything fragile. 2. If the pest control company is worth anything, they will be doing at least 1 follow up treatment to kill stragglers and recently hatched eggs. I am going through this myself right now
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May 13, 2013 04:21
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Fixed Gear Guy posted:Got sick of this bullshit Ikea knockoff and my SO was out of town, so I spent yesterday driving to Queens from Philly and picked up the real deal. Wait. I'm not sure if I'm reading this right, but did you drive all the way to Philly from Queens to go to ikea? When there's one in brooklyn......
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May 13, 2013 06:46
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Ashcans posted:Well, for one thing it makes you much more vulnerable to whatever eccentricities your landlord might have. And they probably have some. Do they have a dog they leave in their house barking all night? You're stuck with it. Are they lovely about parking their car and blocking other spaces? Stuck with it. Are they hyper-religious and like to kick off Sunday morning with some loudly sung hymns? Enjoy! Are they actually completely insane and will rapidly become convinced that you are pumping sulfuric gas into their kitchen to kill them, and counter this by pounding on your door at night screaming about the retribution of our lord jesus christ? You don't know! (Also that last one actually happened to me, so I am maybe a little more sensitive about the risks). The apartment was definitely too good to be true. It was super duper affordable and 1050 square feet, but there were issues. The landlord(s) had a 7 week old child! I asked them "How is the noise transfer?" and they recommended I don't wear shoes. The woman seemed nice but the guy gave me a weird controlling vibe and I could see us butting heads in the future. I turned it down. The landlords were not the only reason I turned it down though. The apartment was large, but had signs of previous water damage and one of the wood floors was really scratched up. Some rooms had shag rugs, and the threshold in between rooms didnt exist. Rug "fluff" was coming poking out into any room that didnt have carpet. Also it was on a street that had an old abandoned factory and was down the street from a gas station that I KNOW has frequent stabbings. This place was not for me. The good news is I may have found a condo rental in a much better area. I'm hoping this one turns out better.
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May 13, 2013 14:11
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Kingnothing posted:Wait. I'm not sure if I'm reading this right, but did you drive all the way to Philly from Queens to go to ikea? When there's one in brooklyn...... If I'm reading him right he came from Philly TO Queens. There's one right up the Jersey turnpike in Elizabeth, too, an hour closer than Queens or Brooklyn. Well, maybe a fun day in the city, too? e: I have a lot of e/n about needing to decide whether to sell my couches & buy a new one in new place, or spend the extra money/effort to deal with a UHaul so I can have them. Pah. Eggplant Wizard fucked around with this message at 15:09 on May 13, 2013 |
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May 13, 2013 14:57
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Eggplant Wizard posted:If I'm reading him right he came from Philly TO Queens. There's one right up the Jersey turnpike in Elizabeth, too, an hour closer than Queens or Brooklyn. Well, maybe a fun day in the city, too? There are TWO Ikeas in Philly, so that can't be it. I think he meant the one they had (on the left?) was from Ikea and was a bullshit knockoff of the thing on the right, which apparently we're supposed to know what it is. And the real deal comes from Queens.
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May 13, 2013 15:54
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I don't know which one of those is the bullshit IKEA knockoff and which one is the 'real deal'. I mean I would assume the small one was the knockoff, but the bigger one looks older/aged. We had those lampshades in my house as a kid and I just assumed they were made in a weird beige color until I found some packed up and realized that they were originally white/other colors and had just aged and faded to that.
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May 13, 2013 15:59
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Wait people are making knockoffs of IKEA products?
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May 13, 2013 16:02
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I guess 'IKEA knockoff' can be read multiple ways; I assumed it is an IKEA product that is basically an imitation of a more expensive/better designer. Not a knockoff of an IKEA original. But at this point I have no idea what it is or why you would drive to Queens for it.
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May 13, 2013 16:29
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There are no Ikeas in Queens so that doesn't work. 
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May 13, 2013 17:02
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i like nice words
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Anne Whateley posted:There are no Ikeas in Queens so that doesn't work. That doesn't apply to that version. Here is how I parsed it: 1. There is a cool lamp thing. 2. Ikea makes a lovely version of that cool lamp thing, which his girlfriend bought. 3. He drove to Queens to get the OG cool lamp thing because that's where a store that makes them is. 4. Duh
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May 13, 2013 17:51
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Scurvy fucked around with this message at 17:08 on Mar 12, 2017 |
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May 13, 2013 18:24
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I just got a new house, and we're moving next week. My garage floor is nice enough, but it would sure look better with a coat of paint on it. My dad recommends this stuff: http://www.alphagarage.com/calculate.php Which looks great, but it's several coats over several days, and it's $600 to say hello. I do not need it to look like Nascar, but I may live in this house for 10 or 20 years, and this may well be the only time the garage is ever empty - it is my one chance to do anything. Any suggestions that are more in line with a half day's work and $50-$100?
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May 13, 2013 18:43
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Scurvy posted:So I'm trying to move from Chicago to NYC... how the heck do I pull off finding housing? Stuff seems to go off the market immediately, and Craigslist is full of scammers (not to mention I don't want to rent something without looking at it first). Take a glance at the tumblr Eggplant Wizard posted, and weep. Eggplant Wizard posted:Anyone apartment-hunting right now will enjoy this (unless they live/want to live in NYC in which case haha sucker)
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May 13, 2013 18:53
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FISHMANPET posted:Take a glance at the tumblr Eggplant Wizard posted, and weep. Yeah, I've actually seen most of those in my searches
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May 13, 2013 19:27
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Scurvy posted:So I'm trying to move from Chicago to NYC... how the heck do I pull off finding housing? Stuff seems to go off the market immediately, and Craigslist is full of scammers (not to mention I don't want to rent something without looking at it first). I live in NYC. Under 1k a month without roommates is practically impossible. No joke even the absolute worst neighborhoods now a days are doing studios for like $1000-$1200ish. And neighborhood is everything when it comes to NYC. It can quickly become the difference between you feeling alright coming home from work and getting mugged every once in a while. Get rid of your cats and find a room mate. Otherwise your chances are really slim. Also all the brokers are terrible in NYC. The best thing to do is get lucky and grab a place from a friend moving out or literately go walking around the neighborhood calling numbers on for rent signs or knocking on doors. You can also get lucky with fliers in specific neighborhoods. What neighborhoods are you looking at so far? Why are you moving to NYC? What are your living requirements and what do you need to be close to? Do you need to have a car? Take public transit? Special dietary needs? Do you have enough saved for first month + deposit + possible brokers fee? When do you actually have to move? All of these things really matter when trying to find a place in NYC, unlike many other places. Check other sites like trulia and street easy rather than craigslist. Try and get digital copies of classified from local papers. Finding housing in NYC is really difficult and frustrating. Most of us just put up with poo poo in our current places just because moving here is such a pain in the rear end.
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May 14, 2013 00:44
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Scurvy posted:So I'm trying to move from Chicago to NYC... how the heck do I pull off finding housing? Stuff seems to go off the market immediately, and Craigslist is full of scammers (not to mention I don't want to rent something without looking at it first). First off, yeah there's no way you're living alone for $1000 a month, like literally no way, so don't bother thinking about brokers. If your budget was like $1200 I'd say it would be POSSIBLE but still not a sure thing. If I were you, I'd give away the cats. Then I'd come to NYC and stay in an extended-stay AirBnB room while actively looking for places on Craigslist via Padmapper, because no one will agree to live with you before meeting you in person. I've found two places using Padmapper, but in both cases it involves a couple weeks of constantly checking the site and emailing absolutely EVERYTHING I thought looked good, and then being available to come see the place ASAP. The place I'm about to move to next week: Craigslist ad was posted by roommates Thursday afternoon. I went to see it Thursday night. They offered it to me on Friday morning. Seriously. showbiz_liz fucked around with this message at 01:54 on May 14, 2013 |
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May 14, 2013 01:52
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Blast Fantasto posted:That doesn't apply to that version. Here is how I parsed it: Ding ding ding. The lamp is an Akari light sculpture and the only place that sells them is the Noguchi museum in Queens. Ikea makes a knockoff that is obviously inferior. The drive to Queens was fun but Goigle Maps wanted me to take the tunnel through midtown which was BS. I thought some of you were into the hoitey toitey design thing, so I apologize for shitposting! At least it was a fun game.
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May 14, 2013 02:08
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Ok, here's a dumb question. The past couple places I've lived at had battery op fire detectors, so when I was searing meats or just dicking up in the kitchen I could pull the battery out ahead of time and no one would be the wiser. The apartment I just moved into has a hard wired fire detector that is extremely sensitive, to the point that it set off the first night I roasted coffee with an air roaster (heavy smell but very little smoke). The previous tenants left the oven a wreck, I'm paranoid about cleaning it and don't want to disconnect the detector in the extremely off chance it's being monitored. Plus the aforementioned cooking methods. Is there an easy way to temporarily disable this thing?
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May 14, 2013 02:38
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Roybot posted:Ok, here's a dumb question. The past couple places I've lived at had battery op fire detectors, so when I was searing meats or just dicking up in the kitchen I could pull the battery out ahead of time and no one would be the wiser. Put a bag around it?
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May 14, 2013 02:39
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Has anyone ever used cube-it or any similar moving service? My boyfriend and I are looking to move to Vancouver, BC from Toronto, ON sometime this year or next year and are researching our options. We don't drive or have a car, and we are planning on selling most of our belongings and bringing the basics (clothes, kitchen stuff, tv, and a few other bits and pieces.) We were thinking of either paying a friend to come out here and drive a truck for us, or ship our stuff and take a greyhound, but we don't really have many other options that we can see. Does anyone have any tips for moving cross-country?
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May 14, 2013 04:11
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Robin Sparkles posted:Has anyone ever used cube-it or any similar moving service? My boyfriend and I are looking to move to Vancouver, BC from Toronto, ON sometime this year or next year and are researching our options. We don't drive or have a car, and we are planning on selling most of our belongings and bringing the basics (clothes, kitchen stuff, tv, and a few other bits and pieces.) We were thinking of either paying a friend to come out here and drive a truck for us, or ship our stuff and take a greyhound, but we don't really have many other options that we can see. Does anyone have any tips for moving cross-country? I've seen people recommend U-Pack in here before. They looked more expensive to me than a UHaul pod but I've never used either sooo Scurvy posted:Yeah, I've actually seen most of those in my searches 1. Try asking in the LAN NYC thread(s). Someone may know someone... 2. If you're working from home, do you really need to be in NYC? Could you be in like Jersey City for a couple months/year while you get to know the area? 3. Finding an apartment that takes pets is hard enough in normal places. I'm not going to tell you to get rid of your cats because I'm a cat lady and I understand, but you're going to have to give up something and I think location would be the easiest. Eggplant Wizard fucked around with this message at 14:16 on May 14, 2013 |
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May 14, 2013 04:59
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