Mayra David

Many things are said about the process of finding a decent rental in the city and living happily ever after (many of those things are said, in fact, right here on BrickUnderground)--and for better or usually for the worse, most of the crazy/frustrating/outrageous bits are true. To help smooth your way, we asked a few veteran New York City renters to share their best tips on conquering one of the most competitive rental markets in the world.

After marshalling our resources and prepping our apartment, we were finally ready for our various DIY renovation projects. Reinstating the French doors between the dining and living rooms, refurbishing the radiators, and refreshing a dining hutch were at the top of our list.

Mud rooms, guest rooms, and professionally designed rooms. We asked five New Yorkers how they would improve their city abodes. A room that can take getting dirty It would be great to have a “mud room.” I recently met neighbors who combined two apartments and they created a “mud room” by one of the entries. This means they have one “formal entry” and the other door enters into a tiled room where they have their laundry, plus space for bikes and strollers and a place to enter with dirty shoes. - Pamela, Upper West Side

I have fond childhood memories of delicious smells wafting through the house, welcoming me home after school, or waking me up on a weekend morning. It wasn’t so much the smell of cooking that would wake me up, but rather the smell of sawdust and freshly cut wood combined with the noise of my dad’s table saw.