Besides the Dumpsters in the West Village, he said, public schools are the best, because they are always replacing old wooden desks, chairs and other furnishings.

Unlike most private home insurance policies, those provided by the state, at equally high prices, do not provide for the full cost of replacing a destroyed house, and instead of paying the cost of replacing furnishings, the state policies reimburse at the depreciated value of furniture and clothes.

Though the rise of a more serious approach in Neoclassicism from the 1770s onward tended to replace Oriental inspired designs, at the height of Regency "Grecian" furnishings, the Prince Regent came down with a case of Brighton Pavilion, and Chamberlain's Worcester china manufactory imitated gaudy "Imari" wares.

Some improvements - such as replacing soft furnishings or general decorations - don't qualify for tax relief, so it's always worth checking with your local tax office.

Owners and renters can borrow up to $40,000 to replace damaged furnishings.

Under the new rules tenants will also be permitted to pocket, without tax, any insurance proceeds not used to replace lost furnishings.

He said that while many co-ops will repaint a wall damaged by a leak or refinish a wood floor, most will not replace damaged wallpaper, carpeting, furniture, furnishings, cabinets or appliances.

They also have only a narrow window of time to replace furnishings and to do all the repair work, cleaning and painting that is often required after everyone moves out.

Under the disaster loan program, homeowners can borrow up to $200,000 at low interest rates to repair houses; owners and renters can borrow up to $40,000 to replace damaged furnishings.

They said that he balked at paying for temporary accommodations and at replacing expensive furnishings even though their homeowners' policy covered full replacement value, and that he even suggested that they buy second-hand furniture and ask "church ladies" to wash down walls instead of hiring painters.