The Twittering Lost Bronx Zoo Cobra is My Neighbor!

Here is an article about the twittering Bronx Zoo Cobra! Apparently, he twitters from Downtown Brooklyn, about a block away from Duffield Street.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/31/escaped-cobra-hunkered-down-in-brooklyn-and-feeding-twitter/?partner=rss&emc=rss

The Scaffold Comes Down and the Stoop Repair Begins

The scaffold came down yesterday, revealing a dusty but strong brick facade. The stoop is now being repaired.

The Two "Misses" of Brooklyn and Manhattan?

This is a picture of the proposed statue for Tillary and Flatbush Avenue Extension. At 25 feet high, it will probably be in full view of my back porch. I'm not terribly opposed to this, but wonder about the names of of the two seated "Misses," "Miss Brooklyn" and "Miss Manhattan." It smacks of beauty pageant, if you ask me. I suppose I was hoping for something more architecturally imposing for the "Gateway to the Borough." I was thinking of a more modern version of what's on the Manhattan side of the Manhattan Bridge.

Dumpster Dilemma

We are trying to minimize the use of dumpsters, but still need a few for all the rotten wood and multiple ceilings.

With parking scarce in Downtown Brooklyn, drivers of cars have been removing the cones and little sawhorses that are supposed to reserve the space for the dumpster. Someone went as far as to move a big wood shoot so that he could park. This has slowed down the removal of debris. If a car is too close to the dumpster, the truck can't haul the dumpster away. And if a car takes over the spot in front of the house, a dumpster can't be replaced. I'm hoping that we'll only need one more dumpster to remove some debris in back of the house, because I am getting tired of these delays!

More Snow, Waiting, and the Nesting Doll Ceilings

Not much is being done on the house while the snow continues to fall in Brooklyn. Our attention has turned to work on the inside of the house. While working on the third floor of the house, we noticed that underneath one ceiling was yet another ceiling, and behind that ceiling was, you guessed it, another. No wonder the ceilings didn't look particularly high! This poses a problem for us, given that it can potentially lead to a lot more debris. The ceilings look in pretty bad condition, too.

Traffic Changes for Other Side of Duffield Street

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/category/video-on-demand-news/?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=5450306&flvUri=&partnerclipid=

These changes don't directly effect my block on Duffield Street. I share the skepticism of the local residents and workers regarding the proposed changes, though. Also, a few notices on the street might be a good idea, DOT!

Bricked Up, Windows to Follow

The front of the house should be all bricked up as of today. We chose brick for the front of the house because it matches the neighbors' houses and it is a good green option.

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/greenbricks

It is now time to decide on windows. The color of the window frames was a fairly easy decision. We chose dark brown to match the neighbors' windows. The type of window is a harder decision. I'm definitely going for the Low-E coating and argon gas fill in the windows. As for whether to go for double or triple glazing, I'm not sure. There doesn't seem to be much of a difference in terms of energy efficiency. Ultimately, the decision may come down to how much more the triple glazing costs. If it's a lot more, I'm not sure if it pays, given that the difference in efficiency is not that much, as far as I can tell. Here's a link to a discussion of energy efficient windows in New York.

http://www.efficientwindows.org/factsheets_existing/New%20York.pdf