NYC Outdoor Special: How to tell if your balcony is about to fall off, the case against urban backyards, and more

By Lucy Cohen Blatter | March 28, 2012 - 10:46AM

Ahhhh. It's finally (officlally) spring, that season between winter (when, prior to the Great Thaw of 2012, you would be excused for cursing your choice to live in the Northeast) and summer, when you wish you lived anywhere but hot, humid and crowded New York City.

As even the most jaded New Yorker can admit, however, spring is a pretty nice time around these parts. Especially if you've got some outdoor space. And since like everything else in the Big Apple, outdoor space is....complicated....we're rounding some of the best of our posts in the genre today.

If you're in the market for a roof deck or balcony, you might want to acquaint yourself with the reality that there is such a thing as an outdoor space perched too high. Thinking about installing a roof deck? Then take in these lessons from the birth of one roof deck (including how to make it make money for you).

For those of you in possession of a balcony, may we suggest you familiarize yourself with these pointers on how to tell if it's about to fall off before inviting your friends over to kick off outdoor margarita season. And if you're sharing a roof deck with the nabes, here's a primer on roof deck etiquette.

We're pretty sure that anyone with any type of outdoor space will want to know how to keep rats off of it. Check that out here. And if your outdoor space is a bit less glamorous, but you still want to work on your green thumb, our fire escape gardening tips may be just the thing.

Feeling shut out of the semi-private space class? While deck envy is an admittedly common malady around these parts, perhaps you can breathe easier in the knowledge that urban backyards can be a total nightmare.

Here are some other warm-weather posts you may want to check out here on Brick:

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