Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with flat

Student accommodations in Dublin?

cosmac — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:08:14 -0800

My son will be spending a semester at Dublin City University starting in September (coming from the US). He's been trying to find a place to stay for himself and another student since January. Nothing available on campus and the popular off campus places are all full. He's been checking on www.myhome.ie and www.daft.ie. Found a workable place but was told they don't rent to students. Other students he's talked to are planning on just going and looking once they get there (staying at a hostel until they find something).

I understand student housing is tight. Budget is ideally under €1,200/mo for a two bedroom flat. They will probably be there a year (co-op jobs after school).

Is looking once there workable? Any other suggestions on how and where to look?

Low-profile doorknob?

vorfeed — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 13:36:15 -0800

I need a low-profile (sub-2" on the inner side) entry doorknob. Can you recommend one? I recently bought an electronic deadbolt for my entry door, but due to the shallow clearance between the deadbolt and the outer security door, there's not enough room for a doorknob on the outer door. Right now I have two standard deadbolts on the outer door, but this isn't a great solution -- I have an indoor cat, so I need the door to stay shut when pulled closed.

Any suggestions for a low-profile (short & flat -- I doubt lever-style will work as there's not much room beside the door, either) entry doorknob which fits a standard US doorknob-hole? Whether the knob locks from one or both sides is not vital, but would be nice. Something around $50 would be good.

Rental Impasse

Brian Lux — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 07:33:24 -0800

What are best ways to advertise a rental flat in London without using an estate agent? Is it gumtree? What strategies do you have any strategies for making it stand out?

Moving... till I don't know what's sane.

droplet — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 13:12:45 -0800

Is moving to Inwood, Manhattan possible for what I'm looking for? I've had a great (cheap) roommate thing in Brooklyn for the last 11 years that will end in May, as my soon-to-be-ex-roommate is getting married and her dad wants the place back for his own use. After determining my needs (no more roomies, separate bedroom, separate kitchen, a body of water in walking distance) I'm looking at upper Manhattan. Ideally, I want a one-bedroom in Inwood, but Harlem/East Harlem/Hamilton Heights/Hudson Heights/Fort George/Washington Heights are OK, too.

Aside from where I'm currently living in Brooklyn, which is way, way, WAAAY too expensive otherwise, the other boroughs don't appeal. At all. I've lived in NYC for a long time and know most of the nabes in all boroughs pretty well, and lived in three boroughs. I love that Inwood has the last natural forest in NYC. I love that The Cloisters are right there. It's so quiet. I like how "neighbourhood-y" Inwood feels.

Apparently, I'm supposed to get a promotion/raise and a bonus in the 1st quarter next year from my current job, Capital One says I actually qualify for a "fair to middlin'" regular credit card (I didn't realize that I could've applied for and gotten a card 10 years ago even after wrecking my rating as a 19 year old in college), so hopefully I'll have some sort of decent rating once I need to really start searching in April.

I've paid my rent on time since I've been here and my roommate (or her dad) would be more than happy to write recco letters to that effect. I've paid my Verizon bill and mobile phone bill on time as well, even when I was unemployed for 2 years. My intuition tells me that with the raise, I'd be able to pay up to ~$1300/mo. I've never had a lease while living in NYC, so I might as well be straight from Bumblestick as far as this whole rental business is concerned.

I've read the previous "How to find a place in NYC" AskMe's, and they seem to be out of date now, so I'm asking again: What's the deal in getting a place in NYC these days? Craigslist/Padmapper/Hotpads/Trulia/Zillow seem to have so many scammy listings, and though I see 1-bed rentals under $1300 in Upper Manhattan, I don't trust them to be real. I hear so much crap about brokers that I'm not sure what to do.

TL;DR: I have to move within NYC by mid-May 2013; looking for 1-bed w/separate kitchen in upper Manhattan, preferably Inwood. Can most likely pay up to $1300/mo. Are these expectations too out there given my financial parameters? What should be my plan of action to get as close to what I want as possible?

Winter Damp Solutions?

mary8nne — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 02:26:12 -0800

Damp Mouldy London Flats: Cheap simple solutions? We moved in to a new flat in May and now that the could winter is coming the flat seems to be getting rather damp and there are some mould (mold) issues. What do we do? Does anyone have experience with any of the following:
- Electrical Dehumidifiers; How do they work? are they very effective?
- buckets of dessicant / moisture absorbing substance?
- turning up / turning on the radiators?

In the mornings the windows are usually covered with condensation (whereas none of the neighbours flats are).

We don't really use the radiators much as the flat is not double glazed so it seems wasteful. So most days lately the ambient temperature inside is around 18C - 19C inside. I know this will result in a higher relative humidity. What temperature to people usually maintain indoors in winter?

Due to the damp / condensation there seems to be a bit of dark mould starting to grow in the corners of the sash windows, would treating those areas with anti-bacterial type stuff kill off the mould?

Home is where the 'for sale' sign is.

Ziggy500 — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 04:02:48 -0800

My flat has been on the market forever, and nothing has worked out. Advice and encouragement requested. My flat is a studio in a London burb which has been on the market since February (so, not forever exactly, but it feels like it). It is in good condition, in a nice complex, and other flats nearby exactly like it have been sold recently. It's priced realistically (around the same price as the similar flats got sold for). On the minus side, it's a studio flat, and the lease is about 77 years, so not terribly long.

I've had 3 offers for the flat in that time. 2 were later withdrawn by the prospective buyers (they changed their minds). I accepted the 3rd, and we went quite a ways towards exchange and completion before the buyer backed out with no words of explanation, leaving me completely disheartened and a few hundred pounds in legal fees poorer.

I don't know what to do. It is currently still on the market but I'm not having many viewings requested at all. I think that as we get to winter I'm going to have to take it off the market. I don't think it's good for a property to be on the market forever. It is only listed with 1 estate agent.

I like the flat but do not want to live there for ages longer - I need more space. I am feeling extremely discouraged by the thought of being stuck here for months and months. I am looking for practical advice in how to sell it off quickly. But in the absence of that, anecdotes and words of encouragement would be good too!

Finding an apartment in Copenhagen

Busoni — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 04:14:41 -0800

I'm moving to Copenhagen in a couple months. How do I go about finding an apartment? Some scattered thoughts:

I imagine I'll be sharing an apartment with one or more people for a year or so. I guess unfortunately that'll mean I'll be taking a place sight unseen.

I heard that Denmark has these things called "boligforeningen (/-er)." Do I join one now? Should I join one now? How? Which?

I'm working in the DR Byen area, so I guess I would want some place either in Sundbyen or Amager. Are these the neighborhoods I want? Should I look at other places as well?

I'm living in Norway now, so I don't expect too great of a culture shock.

If there's some forum or blog I should be posting this question to instead, I'd also like to know.

Save my home from the 1980s!

Anonymous — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 07:16:05 -0800

I recently moved to (West) London from overseas and have to do some reasonably major renovation work on a 2-bed flat. This will include re-doing the floors, removing the dreaded "woodchip" wallpaper and therefore possibly re-plastering, replacing or fixing Artex-ed ceilings and possibly some dated/inefficient windows, and re-doing a kitchen. I am not sure what type of professional to call to get an overall plan and estimates or where to look for such professionals. The flat as purchased is in great condition so this isn't an emergency-homelessness-avoidance thing - there are no structural issues at all and its been surveyed and given an electrical safety certificate. This is basically a really extensive re-decorating job to make the flat more liveable and modernise it and to preserve our investment, since the flat was frozen in approximately 1982 when we moved in. If I were in the US or Canada, I would know who to call, but here...not so much.

It seems that all of the "Interior Decorators" or "Interior Architects" around will only look at large houses and really huge budgets, as opposed to the flat and reasonable-but-not-Beckham budget we've got. I am not sure a painter-decorator is qualified and don't know how to find a good one if that's the right way to go. Most of this is not stuff we can even try doing outselves - we can't mess with the ceiling or floors and woodchip, though nominally wallpaper, was meant to be permanent and is very difficult to remove without professional help. Please don't suggest DIY.

What we really need is someone to do what a good "contractor" would do in the US or Canada - come look at the place, help us itemize a list of jobs, and give us an overall quote for work he/she would then supervize. No one here seems to call him/her-self a contractor!

I know such people exist - I have seen them on UK shows like Homes Under the Hammer! - but don't know the first thing about where to find one or even what search terms to use on Google. Help...

Where to buy decent ballet flat in Australia

JeanDupont — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 02:05:43 -0800

Dowdy-shoe wearer needs advice about buying decent quality ballet flats in Australia After years of laboratory work requiring sensible shoes, I've recently started something new and want to wear ballet flats. I'm a university student & want to wear them with jeans and just-above-the-knee dresses.

However, since I only wear sensible shoes, I am clueless about pretty shoes.

I bought a $20 pair to see what they were like, and while I really like them, the sole is coming away from the upper after a week's wear (admittedly, it's been a week with a lot of rain). I investigated a couple of better-quality stores and see that you can pay over $100 for a pair of ballet flats.

Are more expensive ballet flats worth the extra cost? And has anyone found a brand that you can buy in Australia (or online from Australia) that lasts well while being pretty?

How much should I pay & how long can I expect them to last?

Where to find a reasonably priced studio flat or room in London?

Vivban — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 04:39:38 -0800

Where to find a reasonably priced studio flat or room in London? I've been looking for accommodation in London for quite some time now, but so far I've been unsuccessful (or.. unlucky) with searching in all the "usual" places (Gumtree.com, Findaproperty, flatland.co.uk etc.) In the meantime, I need to move within a couple of weeks, and can't seem to find anything in East Central London (close to City University) that is not super expensive and/or managed by a (what i prefer to call) "greedy agent"... very frustrating :/

Find me a stylish, high quality flat cap

MuffinMan — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 06:09:43 -0800

I am looking to buy a decent flat cap. Something well-made, with traditional quality and material but not necessarily traditional in style. I am in the UK, so anything must be available in/sendable to the UK. I am not from Yorkshire. I am not [that] old. I do not own a greyhound.

I would prefer not to wear something that was overtly branded, garish or too heavily patterned. I have had a look at the Kangol range and while I am not averse, I haven't seen anything that really tickles my fancy enough to buy right now.

Women of the Green! Spill your secret...

xm — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 19:42:07 -0800

What's your secret for getting a flat belly? I would love to hear from you especially if you happen to be a bit plump. What I just don't get is how overweight/plump/curvy women (like Beyonce) have a flat belly!! I mean, we all know you cannot target problem spots without working out overall but there are so many women who have curvy, have thunder thighs and what not and yet have a flat stomach. How on earth is that possible!?! This is driving me crazy!

Is there something I never learned? Is there a secret trick you are willing to share?

Moving up in the world - circumstances changing

anonaccount — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 08:13:59 -0800

Circumstances changing! Some financial help and advice needed! Hello all,

I'm struggling with some sizeable decisions and would appreciate some input or different points of view.

Currently, I'm on a low-ish paid job and living 7miles away from work with my parents. I don't pay rent, so my only serious outgoing is the car (a Nissan 350Z), and loan repayments from the loan I used to buy the car. I'm not struggling for money but I'm not saving a great deal either. However, I was lucky enough to receive £2000 back from my bank after claiming a PPI refund. I also have about £3000 in an account that my parents set up for me a while back.

It's very possible that I'm about to be offered a new job, on significantly more money than I am on at the moment (a 10k rise), however I would be working 30miles from home.

The my new salary would enable me to get a mortgage (using a first time buyer scheme) for a flat I've been looking at on a new build estate. Ive spoken to the mortgage people and on my new salary they would be more than happy to offer me a mortgage for the flat (or something even bigger). The £5000 I have saved already, plus a little more saving (to bring it up to £7000 would be enough for the deposit.

But I can't seem to make a decision on I would do about the car.

The job pays well enough for me to keep the car - but possibly not with mortgage repayments as well.

A) Do I sell the Zed to buy something really nice but more economical?
B) Use the £2000 I have already and buy something cheaper and economical, sell the Zed to eliminate the loan repayments (almost entirely). This would require more time saving to get a deposit together.
C) Same as above but keep both cars
D) Use the £2000 to get the Zed LPG converted. Still have a nice car, costing less to run :wacko:

The loan still has about £7k to pay off (£160 a month)

I appreciate I should probably wait until I know about the job - already had 3 interviews and there are no other candidates in the running - but the thought of having to sort this mess out is giving me headaches.

So, hive mind, what do you think?

What's causing me to get holes in my socks so quickly?

GlassHeart — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 10:18:46 -0800

What's causing me to get holes in my socks so quickly? I always get holes in my socks right away and don't know why. One thing I've noticed though is that the first hole seems to always appear in the same spot. But, eventually, more holes tend to show up elsewhere, but they take quite a few more months to appear.

I've had my current socks -- cotton socks -- for less than one month and there's already a hole in one of them. Another has a very thin spot on it; it'll probably have a hole in it within a week or two. I used to think that cotton socks were the problem so I got a few pairs of (cheapish) wool socks a few months ago but, with time, the same thing happened to them and I threw them out. I've been thinking of getting a few pairs of thick SmartWool socks to see if it'll remedy the problem but I'm nervous that the same thing will happen to them. I'm nervous because SmartWool socks aren't exactly cheap. If the same thing happens to them right away that's $100+ down the drain as I tend to throw socks out shortly after holes appear in them.

Any ideas as to why this is happening? I walk on carpet a lot; could this be causing my socks to wear out quickly? I have quite flat feet; could this be causing my socks to wear out quickly?

Thanks. I hope you can help me figure this problem out.

Flats with a pencil skirt?

Frosted Cactus — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:12:10 -0800

Flats with a pencil skirt? I have a wonderful dark jean pencil skirt that I have never worn because I always thought one needed to wear heels with that type of clothing, and I don't wear heels (2 small kids, really casual office, *comically un-cordinated* and lack of funds for a 'heels only' wardrobe)

Then yesterday I saw a girl with ballet flats and my jean skirt-she looked great! Can/Should I try it or was it just her confidence that made it a Do?

Pointy or ballet flats? Fitted shirt or slouchy?

What are the best websites to find a place to rent in Perth, Western Australia?

Year of meteors — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:58:44 -0800

What are the best websites to find a place to rent in Perth, Western Australia? I am trying to find an apartment, flat or villa to rent in Perth, Western Australia. (Preferably in the Maylands or Bayswater area.)

So far I have been using http://www.realestate.com.au

Is there another website out there that I should be using as well?

Thanks!

Why are my bicycle tires always going flat?

dino terror — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:17:57 -0800

Why are my bicycle tires always going flat? (Air pressure gauge question within) I used to just pump up the tire until it felt solid and ride, and I would get a lot of flats. Turns out according to the inflation recommendation on the side of the tire I wasn't putting nearly enough air in.
So now I follow the instructions and pump them up with a pump with an attached pressure dial. The amount of air in the tire seems insane, but anyway... I did this a few months ago with new tubes in preparation for the summer and haven't rode anywhere yet. The tires are now soft to the touch (is that normal?). (I did due diligence checking the rims and tires for anything that could puncture the tubes).
I pumped them back up and checked the pressure with the pump dial as well as with a few different pen gauges I had laying around and they all gave wildly different psi readings. So one concern is that I am over or under-inflating due to these POS pressure gauges.
I ride around town rarely on my bike, mostly because I know that every damn time I have to pump up my deflated tires and it is a pain. I must be doing something really wrong because this doesn't seem like rocket science to have tires that don't constantly deflate on you... Where am I going wrong?

If you think I'd pay £200 to see some handball, you got another thing coming

Helga-woo — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 04:20:31 -0800

Can I really make a killing renting out my flat during London 2012? Since I didn't get tickets, I'm thinking about my Plan B, which is getting the hell outta dodge for the summer. I have a nice flat in a nice part of Walthamstow. You can practically see the Olympic stadium from the backyard. If you were standing on a ladder, and that tree wasn't there. But still.

Despite the proximity, it's not that quick to get to the Olympic park, 30 - 45 minutes by public transport, or about 20 minutes on a bike. It's about 25 minutes to the city or the west end. But it is Walthamstow, even if it is nice in my little bit. I know there's several sites online where people are advertising private accommodation, but I just don't know what the demand is. Will there really be people willing to pay for the privilege of staying in Walthamstow for 3 weeks?

Bulletproof riding

thecaddy — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 13:39:05 -0800

Recommendations on flat-resistant bicycle tires? So last week I posted a question about changing my first flat tire on a bike. Since then, I've fixed flat tires three more times. I've come to the conclusion that, in addition to finding a new route to ride through nyc, I need to replace my old, came with the bike tires with something new and a little more kevlar-y.

So do you have any suggestions? I'm looking for 700x25c tires, front and back, with beads that won't be that difficult for me to remove/mount on my own. (Though, hopefully, I won't have to remove them again for a while...)

Anything in particular I should know? Are tires the kind of things a store would install for free or do I need to be prepared to do it myself?

Getting a Karlstad home from Ikea?

AAAAAThatsFiveAs — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 18:20:40 -0800

Will an IKEA Karlstad sofa fit into the back of a Prius? I'm looking to purchase a Karlstad. From what I can tell, it comes flat-packed.

If you've bought this sofa (or a similar one) before, were you able to get it in your car? Did you have to drive a truck or SUV, maybe get it delivered?

My car is pretty spacious with the seats folded down, but it'd be a drag to drive a couple hours to the nearest IKEA only to find I couldn't get the sofa home.

Thank you!

Long time rider, first time flat fixer

thecaddy — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 08:34:44 -0800

Cycling filter: Is it a big deal if my presta valve doesn't go through the rim exactly perpendicularly? So it's a bit embarrassing for me to admit this, but this morning I changed a flat on my bike for the first time. After about an hour and a half, I finally had the tube back under the tire, and managed even to get the tire back on without the use of tire levers.

But, as I as refilling it (slowly, to make sure that there's no flat spots / bulges, natch), I noticed that the valve is slightly off center compared to the hole through the rim, and it's probably sticking out from the rim at around a 75-80 degree angle rather than the 90 that it should be. Is that something that's going to be a big problem? Should I deflate the tire and start over? Or will everything be fine?

Should I Stay or Should I Go

litleozy — Sun, 29 May 2011 16:29:13 -0800

Should I stay in my current place and feeling trapped or move out and risk getting something worse? Okay turning to metafilter because I’m sort of paralyzed and need some perspective. This will be long, and a bit self-indulgent.

For a variety of reasons I’m wondering whether I should stay on in my current flat. What started this all off was a rent increase on my current place, going from the very reasonable 433 per calendar month to the still reasonable 473 per calendar month. It’s a four bed flat in South Camden, London (that’s ridiculously central for those that don’t know London) and it’s genuinely a nice place.

Of my current flatmates, all great people, only one other would be staying on in this place. For the other two, one is leaving the country and the other does not want to live in this flat any more: he would be looking for something in a different area of London to move a bit and would be looking for a nicer place.

I completely get where he’s coming from and that’s part of my conundrum: I want to move. I want to move but I am very much aware that my current place is a real deal and that I may well end up paying as much as I would with the rent increase for somewhere that’s further out and not necessarily better.

I feel like this partly because of my current situation: been living in this place for two years now, one year as a student, one trying to find decent employment. I’m in a bit of a rut (that I’m already a bit out off thanks to a 8 to 5 I’m starting next week-had been freelancing+part timing+bar working till now) and I’m worried that staying here will be stagnating and not really breaking out of the student mindset. Add to that that there will be different set of people (all people that I like mind and I know who I would live with if I stayed here) and it may feel like a corpse of a flat, a gutted out version of the past one.

I also know that movement in itself is no solution and that moving for the sake of moving is a form of displacement, particularly when it’s in essentially the same place. I’m butting my head against the wall because I’m worried I’ll feel trapped in my current flat (even though I like it) but also worried that I’ll end up with something objectively worse if I move and all because of a, somewhat puerile, impulse.

tldr: stay in current flat that is guaranteed to be a good deal but may feel like a confinement or risk moving, satisfy urge to be somewhere different, and potentially end up in some far out shit hole.

My question is two-fold:
-For those who know the London real estate market (got to be some reading this) is it optimistic to be looking for a 4 bed that would be around, maybe even less than, 433/per calendar month/person? Especially if we’d be looking for one that’d be central-ish?

-For those who’ve made it this far (HI!): am I being pigheaded about this? One in the hand worth two in the bush, etc…

I've phrased this in the first person, but I am talking this over with the people I'd be living with. They'll sort of follow what I do because we're all in the same boat. I just need to get my head straight first.

Help me nail down a solution here...

RolandOfEld — Wed, 25 May 2011 23:16:19 -0800

There's a nail in my tire, what's the best course of action for the circumstances at hand? Quick responses welcomed. Full story follows so you can have all the facts (if you want them):

So, I'm due for a set of tires, that goes without saying. However, they're not to the point of 'dangerous to drive' either. Please don't belabor this point too much, let's focus on the nail's impact on things.

Earlier last week, I noticed a sound coming from my vehicle that I identified as something relative to the wheels spinning since it was obviously occurring once every wheel revolution. Think a very gentle, hardly noticeable
"mmph...... mmph...... mmph.. mmph... mmph, mmph, mmph "
that disappears in the other road noise as you accelerate. I figured I either had (in decreasing order of likelihood) a tire that was out of round, brake rotor/pad problems, or something wrong with the suspension.

Went to Costco, explained the situation to the manager who was very nice/helpful and he took a look, said I needed tires but was ok for now, he felt around trying to see if he could identify a problem with the tire and found the head of the nail sticking out of the right front tire tread about 2-3 inches from where the curve of the tire's sidewall begins (on the engine side of the wheel if it matters). His response was that it was probably what was causing my noise but I'd be hard pressed to find anyone willing to plug it due to the tire's age and the location of the puncture since it was somewhat near the sidewall.

Money in this household is tight now so after shopping around for tires it seems like if I wait til sometime next month I might be able to get about a hundred bucks knocked off what I'm looking at paying at Costco at the moment. Normally I'd take the risk and wait since I only drive around town for short distances but this weekend being memorial day and all I was planning on driving ~3 hours on the innerstate to be with family. So that's the monkey wrench...

I know how to plug a tire, having done it once before. We also have AAA roadside membership since my girlfriend's car used to be a real beater (and is now a vintage VW beetle that could put her on the curb at the drop of a hat).

I'm considering risking it as is and seeing if I can make the drive home. From there I'll either look for memorial day sales if I feel the need, or simply drive it back on Monday and try to wait until the awesome sale day in a month or so. I did find one store in town that has my size ( P185 / 60R15 ) and wouldn't be an awful deal but still would be quite a bit more than if I can manage to wait. Plus buying from Costco would have a few fringe benefits as well.

I have NOT noticed a change in air pressure since the noise began.

Thoughts? Experiences? Ideas? I saw this question and gleaned some information (that I mostly already knew) from it but would appreciate any other opinions on the current situation.

My car is a manual transmission 2007 Toyo Yaris by the way with 78k miles on the stock tires. I drive VERY passively and have minimized weight by removing the backseat, blah blah.

Desperately seeking allhomes.com.au for Adelaide

with the singing green stars as our guide — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 19:41:17 -0800

Does Adelaide have a website like www.allhomes.com.au, which lists all places to rent, regardless of which real estate agent is managing them? My Google-Fu has failed me.

brick + TV

mwhybark — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 20:47:59 -0800

TV mounted to brick, part deux Previously (not me, but otherwise similar. outcome: mount into the brick).

Our twist: the wall is certainly decorative. It's Tuscan course, thin, 18-inch-long brick with a finished band top and bottom above a rustic center.

The logic of drilling the brick is well taken. But as the brick is non-structural, and therefore may even lack form-holding studs behind it, is it even a good idea to try? TV is about 40 inches, a couple years old, and probably between 50 and 70 lbs.