If NYC isn’t the center of your universe, you may not know this. There’s no MLS in NYC, any of the boroughs. Well, no real MLS, it’s kind of a joke. It makes it crazy difficult for a house buyer, shopping around with various agents, looking at The NY Times and Craigslist. It’s a full time job. And “buyer’s agent”? Ha! And don’t even get me started on how unfair this is for sellers.
Anyway, REBNY, the Real Estate Board of NY, is the the closest thing we have to MLS. Yesterday, they launched a web search portal called Residential NYC. It’s powered by Trulia, making it seems like….Trulia. Two of the largest real estate firms in NYC opted out: Corcoran and Elliman. So basically, MLS in NYC….not.
No, that’s not a photo of Sunset Park.
I must admit something. I know nothing about Queens. All I know is that I get lost whenever I go there, what with all of their roads, avenues, streets, boulevards….it’s a confusing place!
Anyhoo, in doing a search for affordable and decent architecture in the boroughs, Ridgewood kept coming up. I’m impressed. Ridgewood has more historic districts than any other Queens neighborhood.
Can’t tell you too much about Ridgewood, but I know folks whom are priced out of Williamsburg and Bushwick are moving there. It’s on the M line, not the fastest train into the city, but if you feel like switching for the L, you can do so.
Ridgewood is a diverse neighborhood. Lots of Eastern Europeans about. It retains an old timey feel with it’s many mom and pop shops (remember those?) within walking distance of most homes.
I won’t give you the pros and cons since I’m not familiar enough with the area. Any Ridgewood readers out there? Feel free to chime in!
Queens links:
OuterB
Ridgewood: About
Onderdonk House
Queens Chamber of Commerce
2 Family: $619k
* Open House this Saturday 9/29!
Tools:
Rubber Grout Float
Grout Sponge
Bucket
Mixing Trowel
Grout Saw
Vacuum
Rubber Gloves
1. First you’ll have to clean up that big mess you made yesterday. Grab a vacuum and a bucket of warm water. With the grout saw, remove any areas of mortar in the seams that are too high to accept grout. Vacuum all dust, wipe down mortar on tiles using the grout sponge.
2. Mix grout. We learned about slaking yesterday, so you know what time it is. Enjoy.
3. Throw a glob of grout on the floor and work it into joints at an angle. The key is to fill the whole joint, not just the surface.
4. Wipe up excess grout off tile with the clean edge of the float.
5. For edges and corners, you may need a margin tool, but fingers also work fine.
6. You’ll want to allow about 15 minutes for grout to set before you start to wipe the tiles down with sponge. Think about this as you’re grouting. Don’t do the whole floor at once so it dries and makes it more difficult to clean.
7. Cleaning is hell. You’ll need to replace water in bucket several times. Be careful where you dump dirty water as it can clog sewer lines. Just keep wiping and drying, trying not to drag the grout out of the seams. You only want to clean the tile, not the grout.
8. Wait 24 hours, then seal.
George Washington Slept Here…Really!
Kingston is the perfect place to be if you want a weekend retreat, but don’t necessarily want to be stuck in the woods. It’s about an hour closer than Hudson and housing is significantly less expensive.
The Hudson River city is comprised of three districts: Uptown Stockade, Downtown Rondout and Midtown. There is also a mall area for all of your big box needs.
There is a wide range of housing stock, from modest cottages to grand mansions. For those who have dreamed of owning a brownstone but are priced out, Kingston offers some lovely brick row houses within walking distance of many amenities.
PROS
- 2 hours from city. There is commuter bus service leaving frequently during rush hour and Amtrak across the river.
- Affordable prices for gorgeous homes.
- It’s an orgasmic experience for the history buff. You do know it was the first capital of New York, right?
- Plenty of shopping and dining.
- Perfect base for exploring the Catskills. You’re in the country in 5 minutes.
CONS
- 5 hours from city in traffic. That’s 3 hours to get out of the city and 2 hours to get to Kingston.
- Be on the look out for people playing banjos on their front porches in some parts of town. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that!)
- Property taxes…not so good.
- Although the 3 districts are somewhat connected, it’s a hike to get from one end to the other. A car is more convenient.
National Registry of Historic Places
4 BR Brick Fixer Upper: $ 135k
New 3BR Log on 2 acres: $ 374k
The Conscious Design Expo will take place in Parsippany, NJ this Thursday through Sunday, September 27th-30th. There’s a trade show, conference, lectures and dinner to benefit Habitat for Humanity.
Speakers include city planners, green architects, feng shui designers and landscapers. Dan Schachner, from HGTV’s Curb Appeal will make an appearance on Saturday.
Tools:
Utility Knife
Notched Trowel (See mortar bag for correct notch size.)
Mixing Trowel
Tile Cutter (You can rent one.)
Level
Rubber Mallet
Floor Scraper
Chalk Line
Framing Square
Drill
Bucket
Vacuum
Materials
Wonderboard or Mesh
Thinset Mortar
Grout
Spacers
Screws
Tiles + 5-10% extra for screw ups
Alkemi is actually recycled composite material as it’s composed of 60% post industrial scrap aluminum and polymeric resins. Internet photos do not do it justice. You have to see it in person to appreciate it. Best way to find a dealer is to contact the company directly.
Eleek manufacturers tons of cools home fixtures, but we’re focusing on countertops today, so let’s not jump ahead of ourselves. Their recycled aluminum countertops, backsplashes and tiles are made up of at least 70% post consumer product. The entire company is run with sustainability in mind. The website lists Virtue Tile in Summit, NJ as the closest distributor.
FRODO NEVER HAD IT SO GOOD
I’ve been eying this baby on Crib Candy for awhile now. The home was built by a young family with virtually no money to spend on housing. It took 1000-1500 man hours and £3000 to get it to this point. Even better than the cost is the fact that it’s a low impact dwelling.
The Simondale Website is fascinating. These folks are involved with the Lammas project, the first of it’s kind eco village in Pembrokeshire. Do we have anything that cool in the US? Let’s start one! Ok, who’s with me?
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Queens, huh? Who’d have thunk it? I must admit, I’m a Manhattan snob, but you’re opening my eyes. Good job.
Comment by Anonymous — September 29, 2007 @ 6:23 pm