Wallingford would be a better bet for a queer scene in that area, as there is a Gay bar on 45th. But even then, Wallingford is much like Greenlake - families with kids, dogs and more kids. And Fremont, while it has a strong nightlife, is a bit straight dude-ish.

Have you thought of finding a short-term rental, so that you can explore and get to know other neighborhoods before you settle? The neighborhoods around Capitol Hill - the Central District, Madison Valley, First Hill, Eastlake - all are Gay-friendly, not overly familyish, and easy to commute to UW and downtown.

[Oops, apparently I have been out of the rental market for too long. First Hill & Eastlake are probably out of your price range. But, check out Columbia City, Central District, & Madison Valley.]

I purchased a used Silvia from Visions Espresso on 1st AVE S a few years ago. They sometimes get them back in trade-in and recondition them for resale, which I only found out about after calling them by chance. I have been happy with my used machine for the last 4 years or so.

Anybody can make a dumb old brick. It takes jeebus or mudda naycha or maybe Ganesh to make an interesting brick. Or maybe one of the St. Vincents. I think one of the St. Vinnies was into bricks. Pretty sure it wasn't DePaul.

It's quite akin to the legendary disappearance of old barns in New England. Yuppies, in their constant effort to ruin everything for everyone, were allegedly buying entire barns for the weathered wood. The wood would then be used to side something new and make it seem authentic. Which is so poseur. And if it wasn't the yuppies it was their evil parasitical enablers: the Interior Decorators.

In New York, especially the South Bronx, we used to hear about guys being killed or trapped in buildings they were stealing the bricks from. None them realized, apparently, that one should take the bricks from the top down, not the other way around. Cave in! Collapse! Of course, the bricks would be much easier to get after that so there is no great loss without some small gain.

In short, yes, the market for old bricks is quite different from the market for new.

At .50 each I would expect that brick to be free of mortar and its structural integrety intact so at least get what you're paying for...

We've done it, and I recommend it. Everything you need to know about officially organizing the event and closing the street off is here.

We've always had coolers of beer and BBQ's in the street, and I really can't imagine that being a problem. Live music is allowed, with the recommendation that you keep it not-too-loud and not-too-late. I think the only real rule is you can't completely block the street so as to prevent emergency vehicles getting through (i.e. no setting up a stage in the middle of the street).

One other recommendation: organize the food. It's nice to have side dishes, desserts, etc, and that rarely works out if it's a free-for-all.

M.G. Andrea,

Please forgive the extended answer but I feel some extra setup is beneficial here to give the non-bird owner reader some extra background information. Although most folks nowadays are much more conscious of indoor air pollution and have a desire to live a more green and chemical-free lifestyle they do not necessarily know the extra care, skepticism and worry of people who have companion parrots and birds as pets. What may seem like normal everyday harmless conveniences have to be used very carefully or eliminated from our homes.

People typically toss out all of their cookware that have non-stick coatings based on PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene or teflon) as one overheated pan in a moment of inattention could kill every bird in a house in a matter of minutes. Birds are evacuated to safe locations or an isolated part of the house if a self cleaning oven is to be actuated as this poisonous deadly output is copious at such times.

Aerosols (deodorants, hairspray, cleaners, air fresheners) are either not used or replaced with solid or liquid soap products that do not laden the air with fine particles of modern chemicals. We don't burn incense and most people don't use candles (or use more bird safe soy based candles with non-metal containing wicks). Odor eliminator products like Febreeze are one of the most hotly discussed topics in online parrot forums as to whether they are safe or not. Lest you think that birds are a rare pet and these are rare concerns, manufacturers are starting to take notice.

I was interested to note that the third question on the FAQs page for the new Reynolds Wrap Non-Stick Foil addresses safety for birds in the home. Those of us with birds in our homes who have made all kinds of changes in our lifestyles (initially for them) find that we ourselves now live in much healthier indoor environment.

So now to the issue of carpet cleaning.

My initial thought was you have two routes - Do It Yourself or Commercial Cleaner. I know you were asking about commercial companies but first lets look at the the DIY route. Renting a carpet cleaner at your local big box hardware store or supermarket is a relatively less expensive route and you can be exactly sure of what you are using for cleaners as you add it yourself. My father used to clean his area carpets this way and often just used plain warm/hot water satisfactorily or extremely little common carpet detergent. The reasoning being that the carpet is initially treated to resist getting dirty (one of the problems of new carpet in our homes outgassing) and just rinsing the fibers can release most of the dirt. When using a detergent it is very difficult to get all traces of it off the fibers and so as a result the carpet becomes a very effective cleaning cloth at scrubbing dirt off of shoes that walk across it even after it is dry. The effect is that you start to see the dark track of where everyone typically walks much quicker after you have used soap to clean the rug and then you are back in the cycle of having to clean it again.

Many parrot owners use OxiClean solutions for safe bird cleaning tasks and I believe you could use a dilute solution of this on your carpet through such a machine. You could contact the manufacturer of the stuff they sell for use in the machines and ask about content and bird safety. If I was to use a rental unit I would run quite a bit of water through the machine out on the driveway to make sure you have purged the internal workings of soap and chemical residues before using it in the house.

As always, you should try whatever solution you use on your carpets in a small test area to determine the affect before commiting to a large area.

As to working with a commercial company there seems to be many in this area. With the current economy I think it is safe to say the consumer is in the driver's seat and most businesses are very interested in working for you. You should get good complete responses to your questions and concerns or just move on to someone else.

I did some reading about local companies (as anyone can) and am not in the position to speak from actual experience. However, I was impressed by the writeup and information presented by a local company, Alpine Specialty Cleaning. Be sure to read their FAQs page. They hit some of my main points and assure that there is no chemical residue left over after the job is done. They appear to have great ratings via the consumer indexes posted on their site also. I did find that the company has a couple of sites so be sure to use the link I included so you are specifically looking at the carpet pages.

For safety's sake I would always recommend getting your Umbie to a second location or to an isolated part of the house until you are convinced the carpeting is dry and the air is clear.

By the way, Bravo for being such a good parrot owner. I hope you share your success story in this venture with the rest of the community (and especially the bird owners) here. I would also like to be able to inform NWEBS members as to good companies that keep the needs of our feathered charges in mind.

The packing or seals as you mention are in need of replacement.

This is very doable with a minimal amount of tools. You can call around first with the manufacturer name and see who carries the parts you will need. Remove the unit and take it to the place and they will assess what needs to be replaced and give you the supplies needed.

You will also need to know where to shut off the water source before you open it up.

Here is a good little video to show you how it is done.

Repairing a single control shower faucet

After you do this yourself or with a friend you will feel so great when you realize how much money you saved!

Air conditioner designs change year to year and to attract the consumer's eye. The one pictured in your reference article is really intriguing and I think that the fact that you see that a fan is mounted horizontally is making you think that it will be quieter as the fan is outside the window.

Any air conditioner is going to have a fan that blows air over the cooling equipment moving cooled air into the room and a fan to move air over the coils downstream from the compressor to remove heat, so noise is relative to each unit and it seems to me that this design is not necessarily any quieter than other modern designs. However this squashed looking design certainly retains more use of the window for light entry and view than a traditional larger box design.

What you are looking at is typically called a "low profile" window air conditioner and you should be looking for units described that way. Sears and other typical appliance sales companies sell various low profile units. Here is one I found at Home Depot.

Example of low profile window air conditioner

I couldn't find the exact unit in the article but I hope this helps.

The simple answer is an electrician. The thermostat is purely an electric thing no matter what kind of heat you have.

Moving a thermostat is typically a simple job.

Is the handle of your microwave all plastic with no metal reinforcement? Do you have a gas stove or torch? If so, here's a thought for you.

Acquire a small gauge nail and remove the head of it with nippers. Then, heat it glowing hot and shove it into one end of the microwave handle. Heat the other end and repeat with the other piece. This will create an internal splint for the handle, which you can then patch further with plastic glue. If the broken pieces will allow you to do this, it's probably your most aesthetically pleasing option.

Otherwise, if aesthetics aren't a concern, get a fiberglass patch kit from your local auto parts store.

With pretty much any good glue for this application, though, you're going to need to give it more time to cure without extreme heat and humidity changes. Surely you have travel plans at some point in the future which would allow you to patch the handle and then leave for a couple days? Might not be as quick as you'd like, but what's a few more months/weeks at this point?

I am moving too; I think with bikes you have to get a "bike box", take the bike apart a bit, to ship. With USPS it would have to be parcel post, and that will be pricey due to the weight. If you are flying I would try to check the bike(s) in a box, it would probably be cheaper.

As for boxes, separate the books (and CDs, I think) and ship them USPS Media mail - very cheap. Then I'm pretty sure USPS parcel post is still cheapest but it depends on the boxes and weights. If you want to know for sure, type in the weight and dimensions for FedEx Ground, UPS, and USPS on their respective websites.

As an initial matter I'll give a little insight into foreclosures. When a loan is foreclosed, the property is sold at public auction. Bidding at a foreclosure auction is risky because there is a lot unknown about the property -- like what the inside looks like! -- and there are none of the mechanisms for protecting the buyer that are standard in a typical, MLS-listed sale. Given property values, the lender is usually the high bidder at these auctions such that the bank "takes back" the house. That house is then listed for sale by the bank on the MLS as an "REO" property. As a general rule, brokers are not involved in bidding at a foreclosure auction.

With that out of the way, yes, WaLaw is at the forefront of working to move beyond the archaic practice of compensating buyer's agents by commission by commission paid by the seller. Quite simply the current model is flawed in two major respects. 

First, real estate agents were, for the first 100 years or so of their existence, "salespeople" who "sold" real estate.  To this day, the agent who represents a buyer in a transaction is known as the "selling agent" and a house is "sold by" the agent representing the buyer.  The law imposes fairly limited obligations on agents in regards to their legal duties to their clients.  And remember that the agent is paid only upon closing, giving the agent a powerful personal incentive to see that the deal closes.  But buyers don't hire an agent because they need to be "sold" a home.  They need somebody who willl look out for their interests, period.  In other words, they need somebody like a lawyer, a professional devoted entirely to the interests of the client with substantial legal obligations to protect the client's interests at all costs.

Second, the buyer's agent is not paid by the buyer.  This essentially insulates the agent's commission from any sort of downward market pressure.  There is little incentive -- certainly no obvious incentive -- for a buyer to negotiate a lower commission with an agent.  This disconnect between the service provided and the fee paid is terrible for consumers because it keeps agent fees higher than if they were subjected to market forces.  Indeed, the Dept. of Justice recognizes that commission rebates are, in the current system, in the consumer's interest because it's the only way to put any downward pressure on fees charged to consumers. 

Now back to alternatives to the "traditional" real estate agent.  You hit the two biggest players, Redfin and WaLaw.  Redfin is at the forefront of seeking to modify the existing broker model to better suit the needs of consumers, including commisison rebates.  Redfin also pays its agents a salary and bonuses based on client satisfaction.  This helps to better align the interests of the buyer with the interests of the agent.  Findwell is another example of this type of "modern" brokerage.

WaLaw, sadly, is not yet as big as Redfin.  :-(  But we have big dreams!  We believe that, since a buyer is best served by a professional like a lawyer, then buyers should be represented by -- you guessed it -- lawyers!  As lawyers, we have very serious and substantial obligations to our clients that far exceed the legal obligations of an agent.  Plus, this is a legal transaction forth hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Prudence dictates you have an attorney on board.  Moreover, we are paid our flat fee directly by our client, and we rebate the full commission we earn as the buyer's agent.  This further insures that we are looking out for the buyer, not ourselves or the seller.

Finally, there are other small brokerages out there who are also trying to change the world for the better, such as RT Brokerage.  CEO Louis Herrera has long championed "fee for service" agent services where the client pays on an hourly basis only for the services needed.  That said, I am unaware of any other lawyers who embrace their role as lawyers PLUS provide agent services.  There are many brokers out there who are also lawyers, but typically they are the client's agent only and not the client's lawyer, thus seriously diluting the lawyer's obligations to the client.

Check these alternatives, and don't be shy about trolling the internet looking for others.  When you take on a powerful, long-standing, and entrenched status quo, its not always easy to get the word out.  But if you make the effort, you will probably find an alternative model that is right for you, and you'll save significant money.

In every single nice house I've spent extended time in that has an alarm system (aka almost all of them), the owners eventually get to the point where they ignore it completely, only use it as a fancy door chime (they can make little beeps when doors open), or only use it when they go out of town.

The last house I lived with my parents in had one and they barely used it, and there was a serious burglary when I was in 5th grade. They still don't use it and now that all the kids are out of the house the stuff is much nicer!

Anyway, my opinion is good in theory, sort of annoying in practice. Plus, they aren't fool proof. You're responsible for arming it every night and every time you leave the house and this can be annoying. If a "zone" isn't "ready" (aka a window is slightly open), the whole thing will refuse to set. Or if you have motion detectors and your cat is walking around, it won't let you arm it. Maybe the design has gotten drastically better over the years but I have always found alarm systems annoying. And I assume a well designed, not-annoying system isn't going to be cheap.

It's even annoying at my work. Our lease states an employee has to be on-site to okay that nothing was stolen if our office alarm goes off in the middle of the night... which usually happens because of the wind (or who knows) a few times a year.

PS, about dogs, saw this on CHS:

"Someone came in and, tv, computers, purse, everything. We really got cleaned out. With the whole family home and the dog -- fucking dog."

http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2011/05/09/burglar-clears-out-16th-ave-e-home-while-family-sleeps

Well, my crystal ball is as cloudy as the next guy's, so the reality is that nobody can really know the answer to this question. I can, however, offer an opinion or two...

There is a relevant article in today's Seattle Times. As noted there, prices continue to fall both locally and nationally. When will they hit absolute bottom? Its a tough question with a couple of different common answers.

In the prevailing view, prices are near bottom and we should begin to see renewed appreciation either late this year or next.  This position is supported by the simple fact that we've seen an historic drop in values that obviously cannot go on forever.  Moreover, the current downdraft in values is driven largely by the large volume of distressed properties on the market (either bank owned, or up for a short sale).  As this volume works its way through the market, we should begin to see stabilization of prices.

There is a much darker view, however, most recently mentioned on Seattle Bubble (a web site WAY ahead of the curve, at least to date).  Beginning in 1997, housing values began to oustrip inflation for the first time.  In other words, housing values began to deviate from the historical norm.  Every economist knows that sooner or later values usually return to that level.  The recent "pop" of the housing bubble did NOT return housing values to where they would be had they simply kept pace with the historical norm, i.e. the rate of inflation.  If "back to earth" means a return to this historical norm, we've got a ways to go yet.  Ouch.

My opinion?  I'm a pessimist generally, and I've long admired the historical norm.  On the other hand, things -- and dynamics, and fundamentals -- can change over time.  So I am guardedly optimistic that we are at or near the bottom, but I am certainly not convinced and recognize that we may have more to fall.

As for what areas are selling best: As a general rule, the closer you are to a "downtown" the greater the value of the property.  The link above notes this dynamic.  Interestingly, there are even "micro-markets" that are driven by a completely unique factor.

I completely understand your frustration and being overwhelmed with so many opinions!  Not knowing the details or history of your leak, here's my experience.  We had a minor basement leak for years and tried patching, which failed every time we had a good rain. Since we wanted to finish our basement, we decided we needed to get a professional opinion and repair. We were wary of many of the quick fix solutions floating around that only temporarily address the problem and, by many accounts, fail.

We used Dochnahl Contruction (425-255-7416) to assess and repair our basement drainage problem. We found them very ethical, honest, and reasonable. If you call them, you will more than likely have either Ron Nolton (owner) or Greg Nolton come to your home to assess the problem, not a trained salesperson who has no practical experience. They work on all size projects, including residential and commercial, and are locally-owned. 

Our leak required digging down to the foundation, replacing a section of damaged drains, and applying a barrier. With all the rain we've had this winter, the basement has been completely dry. I hope this is helpful. Good luck!

The side tables are a good idea. The other option is to get some nice braces from a hardware store and attach them to the sides. They don't have to be very high to stop the cushions falling off. Or maybe a little bannister that runs along the edge. Pretty simple to attach and takes up no space.

Most faucets made after 1997 have very low levels of lead in them, but virtually all have some lead.

The lead in a faucet usually comes from the use of brass. Brass is mostly copper and zinc, but also contains low levels of many other elements, including ~8% lead.

The NSF certifies plumbing fixtures as "low-lead" (which they call standard #61), and they maintain a list of low-lead faucets on their website. A NSF certified low-lead faucet contains less than 0.25% lead. a Prop 65 warning is required for a faucet with 5%, and the legal maximum is still 8%.

In the grand scheme of things, it's a pretty trivial amount of lead. The vast majority of lead in your drinking water is not leached from your faucet, but comes from solder joints in the pipes; lead solder was used in household plumbing up until 1988, which includes most Seattle buildings. Running the tap for a minute when you get up in the morning and when you get home from work is typically a good enough solution, still.

If you're still concerned, an ordinary carbon filter, like the kind used in pitcher water filters and most refrigerator water dispensers, does an excellent job of removing lead.

You probably used way more bleach than is necessary in the first place. Especially since front load washers use less water than top load. This isn't really a bad thing except that it will leave a lot of residual chlorine in the machine. Not to worry though, just run a few more rinses and it will be gone.

Every house is required by law to pay for garbage collection, so neither the landlord nor the tenant can just stop paying. The city has the power to declare the house "unlivable" because of garbage, which ought to get their attention pretty quick.

Since the garbage is overflowing into parking spaces, which is public property; this has become illegal dumping. You should call the SPU at (206) 684-7587 or fill out the online form here:

http://www2.seattle.gov/util/forms/illegalDumping/illegalDumpForm.asp

The fleas could also be carried in on your shoes and clothing from outside the building (not just the indoor common areas) so the issue is just how far afield of your apartment is your landlord responsible for pest control. Even those indoor common areas could be easily re-infested after treatment.

Fleas have a life cycle that can last up to six months (depending on how much down time they spend in less than ideal conditions (lower than ideal humidity, etc.) so continual treatment of the area is needed in battling the problem. There is treatment of the area with general chemicals and also treatments that can be used on the animals themselves, but they all have their precautions and dangers as should be noted and directions followed very carefully.

The most effective non-chemical treatment of fleas has been shown to be thorough vacuuming of the home frequently. As much as 96% of the adult individuals that are at liberty in the environment can be removed by vacuuming and regular cleaning. It would be good to get in the habit of daily thorough vacuuming. Get routine established with someone using the vacuum and a helper(s) moving lamps and furniture, etc. so that the task can be done efficiently and quickly. Done twice a day initially with treatment of the pets themselves and you will note a very serious decline in the population. You MUST do something to kill or eliminate the vacuuming results from your home each time to prevent the fleas obtained from getting free again.

Install good bug sweeps on the bottom of the doors leading to the common areas so that there is less of an avenue of migration from outside your apartment. Treatment of the floor areas just outside your apartment with repellents will help eliminate that route also.

If your cats will (or could learn to) allow you to comb them daily you can remove many of the fleas that are surviving on them with a gentle combing with a fine flea comb (get one of these at a good pet store). My mother had our large outdoor cat trained to come to her lap each evening and stretch out on a towel for her to comb him. With a bottle cap filled with rubbing alcohol and a q-tip on the table she would comb him until she had a flea cornered and then just touch it with the q-tip to kill it and then comb it out.

Finally, I would suggest going to your landlord not only with a complaint or comment on the situation but with a more complete plan of what to do and what it would cost to do it. I have found when you go to someone and say 'here is a problem I want you to solve' that many folks freeze and don't want to have to figure it out. Instead, go to him and say 'here is a problem (many of us have here) and here is what we can do to solve it, it will only cost $X'. Presented with a considered course of action and a realistic cost estimate he may be more willing to agree to helping all of you out and participating in effecting the solution.

Presumably dislodged fine rust in the pipes from the mechanical disturbance and vibration of working on them. Fine rust particles can also settle out to the bottom of a tank and not be stirred up by typical usage. However, if you drained the tank from the bottom you would find a lot of this sediment. Was the tank a brand new one or a used one that has been sitting prior to this repair?

Water heaters have a sacrificial anode have protects the tank itself from degradation due to rusting. You may want to check to be sure the "new" tank is in appropriate condition and has an anode in good condition in place. This site explains the function and particulars about anodes:
http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/pages/WHRpages/English/Longevity/water-heater-anodes.html

I would suspect that whatever disturbed rust in the system would flush with continued running water through the pipes and/or settle to a quiet state with some time. Every time we have work done in the neighborhood we experience discolored water for a short period as it settles or flushes through. Your situation is more immediate in your building or even in your own plumbing so it should clear soon. However, ugly it is, it is not dangerous. I would not recommend washing white sheets in hot water or similar until you have it running clear.

Equity Apartments allow Sheps. They have complexes all around Seattle. Good luck!!!

This.

Oh, why not? If they are horrible, you're not out much money. But stay away from their rugs and their upholstered furniture. They're dreadful.

I'd wash and press them before hanging them, however. Hand wash them in Woolite, and rack or line dry them (even if the instructions say they can be machine washed and dried, it's my experience with Ikea stuff that if you handle it with kid gloves, it lasts longer and looks better)

Or, if you're in the vicinity of one, stop by K-Mart. Sometimes they have some really fun stuff. Same rules about washing/drying/pressing apply.

Goo Gone, WD-40, and those big old-school erasers have each worked well for me in the past. You could try sticking duct tape on top of the label leavings, rubbing the duct tape in to the residue, and then ripping it away like a Band Aid.

You also might try some kitchen oils (olive, vegetable, mineral) if you don't want to use weird cleaners on a food prep surface. Just let the oils sit on the residue for a while before scraping.

It will probably make it to the street and out of your house alright. It is not what you would term very biodegradable (certainly not quickly) and doesn't do the waste water management folks any favors to have to deal with it.

I have a garbage disposal unit and run it occasionally to clear the small amount of matter that ends up getting down the drain, but there is no way one of these should be used for the purpose they were designed. The waste water treatment facilities are designed to deal with digested waste (brown water) and the emulsified oil and grease and soaps of washing bodies and clothes (gray water) but they have no end of problems dealing with solid undigested garbage (plant and animal matter) that people put down their drains just because they don't want to handle it and have a 5 horsepower motor and grinder to get it down there.

You can often donate worn out bedding to animal shelters, who use it as blankets to help calm critters. Check out http://www.snugglesproject.org/ for more on that (making blankys for puppies involves minimal sewing skills).

Pillow shams and curtains are also a possibility if the tear is conveniently located. Or, are you painting any time soon? You've got dropcloth.

It varies drastically by what type of washer you have. An old school top-loading washer can use up to 40 gallons of water. A front-loading washer is about half that. The biggest cost, by far, is heating the water. This will vary by season, as warmer inlet water is cheaper to heat than colder inlet water, for obvious reasons. Water costs vary by usage and season too. Here is a laundry cost calculator. I have no idea how accurate it is, but it seems about right.

Another thing to keep in mind is dirty cloth diapers take 2-3 washes to get clean. There are a million or so websites dealing with this topic.

For the sake of argument, let's just call it $1/wash, and $0.50/dry . For 3 washes/load, that's $3.50/load. Let's say you've got two loads per week, so $7/week, or around $28/month. Call it $30 to pay for detergent.

We use a diaper service. It's about $80/month and comparable to the cost of disposables. So, an extra $50/month buys convenience and not having to deal with poopy diapers. Worth it!

I thought of the Container Store in Bellevue. They are an absolute emporium for the storage-aholic in all of us, ranging from the smallest acrylic box to complete closet and wall systems.

Looking on their website I found this:
http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10000816&N=&Ntt=flatware

Is that what you were thinking of?

Probably best to call before going to make sure it is in stock:
700 Bellevue Way N.E.
Suite 120
Bellevue, WA 98004
(425) 453-7120

Directions/map
http://www.containerstore.com/locations/showStore.htm?store=BEL

Your question about painting the curb is answered here:

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattle911/archives/221003.asp

And go here for the city code on marking it appropriately:

http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/parking/drivewaymarking.htm

Broken belt? Most dryers are belt-driven, if I'm not mistaken.