Last week’s affordable Brooklyn under $600k was so popular, we thought we would do it again. Only this time, we needed more of a challenge. We’re taking it up a notch! Brooklyn homes for under $500k. And we haven’t even touched upon East New York or Canarsie yet.
$439k: Sheepshead Bay Single Family
3 BR brick, needs updating. It’s near the Belt, which means it’s closer to the water but far from the train. Eh. What do you want for $439k?
$495k: Prospect Lefferts 2 Family
Check out the interior photos. Lemme tell you something. If I bought this place, I would just carry on with the decorating vision. I wouldn’t bother restoring it. I’m groovin’ to the red carpet and mirrors. I’d totally go bordello style. So tacky that it’s AWE-SOME.
Bless you, agent Andre. The only one who got back to me regarding availability of these homes. Looks cool from the outside. Hancock at Malcolm X, 2100 sq ft. You’re past prime Stuy Heights and in the middle of 2 train lines here, but it’s probably still a good deal at that price.
Oooh…I like this. $100k cheaper than last week’s Flatbush brick which was in better condition. This one needs TLC but the details are intact. Do I see a clawfoot tub? Original plaster and parquet floors? Suh-weet. Map shows it’s close to Newkirk and Flatbush.
$499k: Sunset Park Single Family
Ok, agent Albert got back to me last minute. This property is still available. 43rd and 4th Avenue. So it’s not the prettiest part of Sunset Park, but it’s near the train. Ad says “move in condition”. Since there aren’t any interior photos, you won’t know what that means until you see it in person.
Eames Era furniture, artwork and lighting.
Showing Saturday in Williamsburg.
Lots of photos on Picasa.
Call Patrick at 914-374-4077.
Vintage medical office furniture from the 50′s.
Previews and purchase February 22nd or 25th.
Somewhere in Brooklyn.
The exam tables look like something out of a B horror film.
Prices start at $350.
Estate Sale
Danbury, CT, Feb 23 & 24
Waterworks tub and sinks never used, flat screen TV. Either someone got in over their head or these things fell off the back of a lorry. Either way, these high ticket items are significantly discounted.
Over 40 large vintage commercial lights for sale. Great deal if all are taken. Anyone need lighting for an entire home or store?
Within the next few weeks, we’re going to be bringing art dealer Elizabeth Heskin on board to educate us regular folks on collecting fine art. I tried to get her to write about affordable art for under $500, but she woke me out of my dream world.
Since I’ve been known to collect a photograph or two, I’ll get the ball rolling by sharing some tips on photographic prints. Keep in mind that I’m just a photographer, so I really know nothing about collecting.
I only buy black and white prints. It’s just my own personal preference. I’m not crazy about color and I won’t go near digital. In fact, I become really irate when I walk into a gallery that has digital images hanging on the wall. I feel cheated. Digital and fine art photography don’t mix! Unless it’s some funky Photoshopped image.
Prints should have been printed on fibre based paper or something that pre-dates that, unless you’re paying $50 for an RC or digital print at Union Square.
Some important factors to consider when parting with (much) more than $50:
Make sure you’re working with a reputable gallery.
Is this an established photographer?
Is the print signed?
Is the print part of an edition? Older photographers didn’t think of their work as “art” and therefore, didn’t number prints.
Condition of print.
Is it a vintage or modern print? Signed “modern” prints by masters are fairly affordable. They are still vintage, but were printed years after the photo was taken. I purchased a Henri Cartier Bresson just before he died. The signed, modern print set me back $5000 and has since gone up in value (Shame I never want to sell it). The vintage version would have been well over $100k if it even exists for private collections.
This is a cold and nasty tip, but they don’t call me a heartless bitch for nothing. As I did with HCB, look for aging and ailing photographers who won’t be around much longer. The values will go up after they kick.
But most importantly…..only buy what you like!
A good starting point is the AIPAD show. Several dealers under one roof. The show is usually in February but has been pushed back to April this year. That’s where I found the Peter Fetterman Gallery, with whom I’ve purchased a couple of prints.
If you don’t have thousands to spend but want an archival print from a master, go over to the Library of Congress site where you can order quality reproductions from their catalog.
Here’s another recycled countertop option for ya….Bio Glass is a solid surface material made from 100% post consumer waste.
Coverings, Etc is the company behind Bio Glass. The Miami based firm, founded in 1998, also has a New York showroom. Members of the US Green Building Council, their ECoverings line of products are produced from naturally occurring elements such as sand and clay.
But back to the glass. The slabs come in 4 colors: Fossil Amber, Ocean Saphire, Oriental Jade and White Diamond. The glass is made from almost 100% crystalline silica in the form of quartz. Here’s a spec sheet with a bunch of info I can’t understand.
Beautiful. Eco-friendly. So, can anyone guess what the down side is?
Bio Glass will set you back over $3000 for a 4×9 slab.
Available at A&K Tile in Brooklyn or a dealer near you.
Eve Levine, founder of Home Buying for Hipsters is a self described “practitioner of many trades, master of none”. As with the rest of us who float around between various careers, she dabbles in the real estate business.
This free event educates “non traditional wage earners” on buying property.
Since it’s geared towards hipsters it takes place in, where else? Williamsburg.
Tonight. 6:30-8pm @ Huckleberry Bar, 588 Grand St.
Let’s start with Manhattan. Broadway at 107th Street…awesome! Doesn’t give the square footage of this coop, but I’m assuming it’s the size of a closet. Not a walk in closet. But hey, if you just need a place to crash, this is it! I’m lovin’ this chick’s website. Adina! Is she a broker or a teen idol?
$ 300k: Ft Hamilton: 920 Sq ft, 2 BR coop
Looks like a nice renovation. They fixed up, but left some retro details. Advice to agent: Remove the litter box from the photo before taking picture. Maintenance of $668 includes gas, heat, water and tax.
$ 300k: Jersey City: 4 Family in need of TLC
The bad news is: This house hasn’t been touched for years. The good news is: This house hasn’t been touched for years. From the one interior shot it looks like there may be some detail left. Do I wear rose colored glasses or what?
I’m drooling over this one! 3 Family, 2600 sq ft home built in 1928. Needs total rehab. Fire damage. It looks so sad and forgotten, but I see the inner beauty. Come to mamma, I’ll save you!
Hmm, not bad. Two 2 BR units with a little backyard. No interior shots. It’s on the “mountain side” of town as opposed to the “river side” which means nice views, pleasant area…..far walk to train.
This is a follow up to last week’s wood stripping post. One reader is having a hard time with the SPR and asked for some tips. As I responded in the comments, it’s not perfect, but it is, IMHO, the fastest thing out there.
The reader commented that their SPR only heats up the middle section. I thought it may be possible that this is a faulty unit or the power source isn’t strong enough. The SPR should be used on a 20 amp circuit with a heavy duty extension cord. Anything less may cause the tool to work inefficiently or trip your circuit breaker. (more…)
Oy. Just call me Fred Sanford. I found a source for vintage and antique furniture over the weekend and next thing I know, my garage, basement and living room are overflowing with time-worn furnishings.
That’s a good thing as I’ve been stressing out that the Reclaimed store is totally lame and I won’t have enough inventory to set out for the Brooklyn Flea this spring.
Now I have too much. So here’s what I’m gonna do. Over the next few days/weeks I’ll be going over the inventory, pricing it and uploading it to the store. The plan is to restore all this crap and make some decent coin. Since I don’t have space, I’d be happy to part with items I don’t have to strip, paint, finish or reupholster. Mainly the chairs.
Have a look at the Flickr page and make an “as is” offer. The worst thing that can happen is I tell you to feck off. I’ll be putting them on Craigslist once I figure out the worth, but you get first dibs.
I’d like to properly restore a few items and get my price for them. If you think something has value, those are probably the items I’m not parting with too quickly.
“This here is the finest pile of junk in the world.”- F.S.
It’s probably one of those things you’d rather not know. Too scary. But the Dylos DC1100 is the first affordable air quality monitoring system designed for the home. Up until now, the only systems available were high priced units for hospitals and other large facilities.
The model detects airborne particles such as tobacco smoke, pet dander, dust and mold. It stores data for up to 30 days. All you have to do is plug it in and it will configure itself.
The website lists some tips on achieving better indoor air quality. Among them:
Keep your heating, ventilation and a/c units clean. Ducts and filters.
Clean blinds and drapery. (I don’t do that)
Vacuum your house preferably daily if you have heavy foot traffic and/or indoor animals. Use an upholstery brush on your sofa and chairs. Remove cushions and pillows and clean them with the upholstery brush as well. (I have a futon and a shop vac in the pet area)
Bathe pets often, or better yet, keep them outside. (Keep my pets outside? Screw you, buddy! Hmm, my dogs get bathed maybe once a year.)
Wash bedding weekly with hot water to eliminate the possibility of dust mites living in your linens. Only use foam pillows and replace them every six months. (Wow, my pillow is at least 5 years old)
Like I said….don’t want to know! But if YOU do, the DC1100 sells for $200 and you can purchase it here.
Via LeedPro
Design*Sponge will be giving away $1500 in prizes for their 2008 DIY contest. Submissions will be accepted until March 2nd, so get your sh*t together!
The contest is sponsored by 2Modern.com, Sparkability , Growmodern and Ready Made.
Your project can be anything that you’ve created yourself for the home, including furniture, decoration, tableware, fixtures, etc.
Prizes are as follows:
*1st place: $500 gift certificate to 2Modern and a check for $150
*2nd place: Check for $450
*3rd place: Check for $300
*Honorable Mention: Check for $100
Polls open to voting on Wednesday, March 5th and they’ll be accepting votes through Sunday, March 9th. Winners announced on that Monday.
See guidelines here.
Good luck!!
Join the mailing list for updates!
Digital photographs cannot be art? That is utterly and completely absurd. Things change. The digital darkroom is simply a more controllable space to make even more perfect prints (perfect meaning communicating the feeling you wish the photograph to communicate). When is the cutoff for technology for you in your definition of art? Photography has only been around for 150 years, and throughout that history it has changed completely again and again. We don’t sit around with handmade palladium prints. Imagine a polaroid spitting out tintypes! Color photographs (that aren’t digital) are all on RC paper. Color digital prints can be made on some of the most beautiful papers in the world – papers that are works of art in their own right – even blank. Then to microscopically spray clean, vibrant pigments onto these papers in very controllable colors and quantities: that’s the recipe for an artistic masterpiece…and that’s digital printing.
Comment by Paul — February 21, 2008 @ 9:25 am
Ok, Ok….sorry Paul, I guess I hit a nerve. I quote (from myself) “I only buy black and white prints. It’s just my own personal preference.” So you bring up a good point. I don’t buy RC either. This is a blog called “Reclaimed Home”. It’s all about preserving older homes, salvaging materials, period decorating and finding vintage and antique items. Did you really think the host of this blog would accept newer technologies? LOL. I would go so far as to make the analogy that comparing a black and white fiber print to a digital image is like comparing plaster to sheetrock, an oil painting to acrylic or a brownstone to new construction. Sure, we need the newer technologies and many people prefer them, but I’m not one of those people. I’m still listening to music from the 80′s and wearing clothing from the 60′s.
Be sure to come back on Monday, Paul, to see my post on my favorite NYC images. A color print did indeed make the list. But it was made in 1904.
Comment by RH — February 21, 2008 @ 10:16 am
Art is subjective. End of argument.
Comment by Anonymous — February 21, 2008 @ 11:56 am
You’re both right.
Digital is just another tool to make “art”. Because it can be “perfected”, it’s just different from photographic printing and the two are really very different mediums. I think some schools refer to digital as “image making”, rather than photgraphs.
A photographic print is inately authentic because it hasn’t been manipulated and represents the photographer’s vision. Fiber is more collectable because of longevity and the beauty of the surface.
Just don’t get schmaltzy with the “perfecting” on a digital image, or you’ll sanitize the art right out of the image. Use it like any other tool, with good taste. The longevity and surface considerations have come a long way in the past few years, but you still don’t see many galleries carrying digital prints.
Comment by Katherine — February 21, 2008 @ 1:58 pm
[...] a follow up to Friday’s photo post, I’d like to share some of my favorite moments of NYC’s history captured on [...]
Pingback by Reclaimed Home: Green Low Impact Housing Renovation of New York, Brooklyn, New Jersey — February 25, 2008 @ 6:37 am
[...] made it quite clear how I feel about hanging digital photos on my wall (when I have walls). So when I saw a modern tintype, I just [...]
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