We started chipping away at peeling paint and plaster behind an old radiator in the brownstone and made an interesting discovery. The “wood grain” in the above photo is not wood at all. It’s actually painted plaster and it looks as if it’s original to the house. This was the only area of the hallway not skimcoated during our restoration because the radiator was still connected.
The question now is: How far do we go? Now that we found it, we don’t want to cover it up again.
Do we keep that one area uncovered?
Keep going up the stairs?
Leave the faux as we found it?
Restore the entire thing?
I know what I’d like to do. But I also know our limitations on time and budget. And let’s not forget…this is the hallway. Our apartment is not even livable yet.
What would you do?
For the first time in it’s history, the Humane Society Legislative Fund has endorsed a presidential candidate. The board of directors, made up of both Democrats and Republicans, voted unanimously to endorse the Obama-Biden ticket.
President of the HSLF, Michael Markarian says that “As an Illinois state senator, he (Barack) backed at least a dozen animal protection laws, including those to strengthen the penalties for animal cruelty, to help animal shelters, to promote spaying and neutering, and to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption. In the U.S. Senate, he has consistently co-sponsored multiple bills to combat animal fighting and horse slaughter, and has supported efforts to increase funding for adequate enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, and federal laws to combat animal fighting and puppy mills.”
OMG, I think I’m weak in the knees. Obama had me at “I’m not a Republican” but the only thing that could top this would be if he was that tree hugging, ufo spotting, vegan, Kucinich himself. And I know that guy hasn’t a chance.
According to the HSLF, Joe Biden has been a friend to the animals during his long career. McCain has been lukewarm. And we all know where Palin stands. That moose killing, polar bear dissing, wolf shooting, PTA hockey mom, nasal, Tina Fey wannabe is the reason they felt the need to oppose the Republican ticket.
Click here for article including the lovely photo of Miss Sarah with her freshly killed moose and small child by her side. How sweet.
I get so lazy sitting at the market all day. Sometimes I don’t get out of my booth unless it’s to use the facilities or get ice cream. That worked out quite well for me this weekend since I made my little helper Emilia bring some of her artwork .
I’ve known Emilia for over 20 years. An SVA graduate, she has always struggled to make ends meet in the real world while working on her paintings. She is currently managing a successful art studio for someone else. Her work, as well as the other studio artists, goes unappreciated. Judging from the stories I hear, the place is a step above a sweatshop. Oh wait, do sweatshop employees get paid a week late?
Emilia has always had this idea to paint on found objects, but she doesn’t have much free time these days. Last week I twisted her arm to get some paintings together to sell at my Brooklyn Flea booth so I don’t have to pay her as much. (What? Did you think I was doing it out of the goodness of my own heart?) The small paintings are done on pieces of reclaimed wood and coated in oil polyurethane for protection. They are $35 online and as always, negotiable at the market. People seemed to really like them yesterday and they make lovely holiday gifts, kids!
If you’re in need of faux finishing, murals, gold letter painting or any skilled artist work in your home, Emilia is the one to contact. Whatever she can’t manage, trust me, she knows someone who can. She has access to all the struggling artists in NYC looking for work.
The paintings aren’t online yet, but check out Emilia’s wooloo site.
We’re in the home stretch of our Brooklyn brownstone renovation. Not really, but we’ve done 3 out of 4 floors plus hallway and laundry room. It only took us 3 years to get to this point. Well, a year and a 2 year break.
Anyway, the point of this post is to let everyone know that we have seen it all. This is our fourth DIY renovation and we’ve witnessed some pretty crappy work from previous owners and “contractors”.
A few things we’ve encountered:
1. Carpeting over rotting floor. (1st home)
2. Modular home not bolted together. (2nd home)
3. Support beams cut away to make room for pipes. (3rd home)
4. Workers put screws in our gas line after we fired them. When we turned on the gas supply to the stove, the screws fell into the valve so it could not be turned off. Luckily, the hubby decided to turn it on to blow out some dust before connecting, which is the only reason we discovered it. (1st home)
But ah, the Bed Stuy house wins the prize.
1. Boiler venting into the fireplace.
2. Tile floor under bathtub sitting on concrete directly on joists. Rotted joists.
3. Spliced two prong extension cord running up from basement instead of installation of new outlets.
4. Old penny fuse box. 1 fuse per floor.
5. Leaky gas stove.
And that was just some of the dangerous stuff. I haven’t even covered the cosmetics (like mirrors glued directly to plaster walls). But this weekend as I stripped paint from wainscoting caked in plaster, I reached my breaking point. It’s bad enough to strip 50 years of paint, but what’s with the plaster??? Like 1/2 inch. Yes, the wood was cracked, but what’s wrong with a touch of wood putty? Why the plaster? And caulk? Why? It took me all day to strip 3 panels.
But then why should it surprise me coming from people who let their kids write on the walls?
People, man.
You’ve probably seen recycled wine barrel bars and wine barrel chairs. I love this stuff, but it doesn’t fit every home. Perhaps it’s a tad goofy. But the floor! Ah, the reclaimed wine barrel floor! How could you not love that? It may look like any other reclaimed oak floor, but the numbers are what makes it. Is the $39 per square foot worth it though? Maybe not. You could always fake it. Stamp or burn some numbers into the wood before sealing and there you go.
Ok, I have to write fast before my computer dies again. Basically, I was told that it’s an $800 fix, so I’m just going to run this thing into the ground. The Mac doctor showed me a way around my problem, but let me know I should back everything up every chance I get. And I should live each day as if it’s the last because we don’t know when it’s going to happen, but it’s going to happen. Could be a day, could be six months, but my computer doesn’t have long to live.
So anyway, back to the post subject: Green Home Huddle! The site is only 5 months old and it’s looking pretty mahvelous. There’s a lot going on there…. eco-friendly product reviews, wiki and forum. It’s a fun way to waste time, but since it’s totally informative, you can do so without the guilt. So go check it out now because your laptop is not going to last forever. Make each moment count.
I’m a cuttin’ and a pastin’ these emails I received. Hey, at least I’m a postin’!
“On Thursday, September 18th, the Center for the Urban Environment will host Green Brooklyn…Green City-drawing over 3000 residents from all five boroughs to a full day symposium event at Brooklyn’s Borough Hall. “Green Brooklyn…Green City is unique in its sheer size and breadth,” says Aisha Glover, Director of Public Affairs and organizer of the event, “its New York City’s largest showcase of green and sustainability issues, programs, and products.”
At the 4th Annual Green Brooklyn event, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies come from across the five boroughs to share ideas with the public about how to live greener in their everyday lives. This year’s partnership with Greenmarket expands the event exponentially and couples the great work of the Council on the Environment of NYC with the Center’s own innovative programming. “Relationships like these,” says Sandi Franklin, Executive Director of the Center, “confirm the city’s status as a place of partnership and innovation. This great city is in the forefront of sustainability issues nation-wide.”
It is not surprising, then, that the event features some of the city’s preeminent leaders-from Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz to
businesses like Icestone and Green Depot.
With over 75 exhibitors on site, attendees can learn first-hand from local experts about socially conscious investing, how to solar your building, choosing non-toxic home products (and of course where to buy them!) how real urbanites compost, shopping eco-chic, and what New York City is doing to create a more sustainable future. Some are ‘events within events’ like the film showing of King Corn, a documentary that tells the seed-to-plate story of a crop that drives our nation-and a sustainability panel for nonprofits that features a number of community leaders, including pioneering nonprofits such as Sustainable South Bronx, Fifth Avenue Committee and Solar One.
“Green Brooklyn… Green City is in its fourth incarnation-and is reaching more and more New Yorkers every year,” agreed Franklin. “Its momentum is in close step with the city’s commitment to developing more sustainable communities. We are excited by the energy of this event and are eager to expand our role as a critical resource for discussions about the issues that most affect the future of our city.”
For full details visit greenbrooklyn.org
Birdwatching: Saturday, September 20
9 a.m. – Noon
Tour Guide: Randy Schutz
“We’ll meet on the southeast corner of 81st Streetand Central Park West on the park side entering the Park directly and taking in what wildlife may be in evidence along the way. Dependent on what we find we’ll visit Tanner Spring, the Shakespeare Garden, pass by Belvedere Castle and head into the Ramble. Much will depend on what we find and where we find it.
Almost 200 different species of birds can be found in Central Park during the year. Most birds are more active in the early morning and late afternoon, although there will be some activity throughout the day.
Please dress comfortably, and if possible bring binoculars. If you are new to birding, you will be given a few pointers about using binoculars and doing birding.”
$5 guest fee.
Obamatrips to PA from Dutchess County: September 20th & more
“Wilkes-Barre PA needs help canvassing. Stay the day or stay the weekend. We have accommodation options for overnight. Signing-up well in advance helps us with this. We are hoping to make a presence every weekend between now and the election. PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IN YOUR REPLY: 1) * Phone Number * and *email address* and *town you will be leaving from* 2) Are you willing to drive or do you need a ride? 3) Day trip or overnight? Expect to receive specific details of location and arrival time from direct contact by m.whaley@verizon.net. Our efforts will pay off on November 4th. Thank You!”
My Mac is still down, which means this blog is going to hell in a handbasket this week (kind of like the economy). I don’t have patience to research house related topics, but I’m still obsessing about the elections. That, I find the patience for.
Check out the video contest Obama in 30 Seconds.
Well, that’s a fine how do you do! On the very morning of Reclaimed Home’s 1st anniversary, my computer dies. Now, being a photographer, I know that the most important thing is to have back up equipment. As a blogger, yeah, not so much.
The closest Mac place to Beacon is in Danbury, a good 45 minutes away. I took the drive on Friday only to have them inform me my computer will have to be sent to the main repair location. That’s in Texas. And as luck would have it, they’ve evacuated because of Ike. Here’s where you realize what a selfish cow I am. People have much larger problems due to the hurricane, but all I care about is my computer. I know. I know.
Anyway, I don’t know when I’m getting my computer back since I couldn’t even leave it there yet. Right now I’m on my husband’s PC. It’s slow as sh*t and doesn’t even have good photo editing software. Makes for some very unpleasant blogging.
So if anyone feels like guest posting or trying their hand at blogging, shoot me an email and I’ll post it. Otherwise I might just have to rant about things off the top of my head.
This is a guest article written by Daniel Harrison, who has a great interest in eco-gadgets and getting people being a little bit greener with easy home eco tips.
Parties can be a great way of creating a lot of waste in a short time – drinks bottles, plastic plates and cups, discarded wrapping paper and so on. But there are methods you can try to make all parties more eco-friendly without breaking the bank.
Disposable products are the most convenient solution for busy people trying to plan a party. They also make cleaning up a lot easier and eliminate the risk of broken glasses etc. However, such products put strain on the earth’s environment and resources. The good news is that there are ways in which you can help to combat this waste. There is a growing selection of eco-friendly disposable products now available.
They are made from completely biodegradable sources so do not harm the environment, and they are as useful and as simple for a party as regular plastic cups and plates. You could also hire a company to provide cutlery and plates where they wash them all afterwards and take them away again, allowing you to throw an eco-friendly party without that extra effort.
An eco-friendly way to go about clearing up at the end of the party is to be constantly thinking about which items in the mess can actually be reused. For example, there may be wrapping paper in almost perfect condition, gift bags and so on that can be used again.
If you are hosting a childrens party then you are probably also going to be handing out party bags, which provides another large source of waste. However, there are companies that offer special eco-friendly bags that are recycled or reusable. When filling the bags you may also consider using products such as fair-trade items (chocolates and so on).
When shopping for your party products it may seem daunting at first. However, fair trade products are available in most supermarkets, though you may have to look a little harder for biodegradable disposable cups and recycled plastic bags. There are plenty of internet companies now specialising in environmentally friendly party items, so do your research online and you will be able to get products
delivered straight to your door in time for your party.
Join the mailing list for updates!
Awesome find! I say wait until you are finished with your apartment then go for it!
Comment by Julie — September 23, 2008 @ 11:20 am
It is hard to say how you should approach your lucky find of the painted plaster behind the radiator. If you have a wainscotting with a cap going up the stairs then the painted plaster will probably go all the way up too.
This would be a wonderful addition to your apartment. It also could be an utter disapointment if parts of it have been damaged or removed over the years.
You might want to remove some of the new skimcoat at several spots along the stairs to see if the wood graining is still there.
This is a perfect example to remind everyone to look throughly to the idea of restoring before you begin a project, especially if you are working on an older building.
Many times less is more.
Comment by Bert Hutt — September 23, 2008 @ 2:11 pm
Oooooo….tough call. It seems like it could be a very laborious project you’re thinking of tackling. I agree with Bert to check the condition at several different points along the way up the stairs. And…I also agree with Julie. Can you back burner it while you work on the apartment? I say your living space has to be the priority for sure.
Comment by laura @ shorehouse chic. — September 23, 2008 @ 6:10 pm
Yeah, I think it’s going to stay this way for awhile. We’re good at that…starting a project and not finishing it. Although, the radiator will probably have to go back into place at some point.
Comment by RH — September 24, 2008 @ 6:36 am
I actually have a question about this. How can you take off the plaster or paint and not destroy what’s underneath? I have no idea how to accomplish stuff like this.
Comment by hallie — September 24, 2008 @ 9:28 pm
I think because this was a faux job, it has poly or shellac on top of the original paint. That always makes it easier when taking top layers off because the paint doesn’t adhere to the poly too well.
The hubby just started scraping chipped lead paint (without a mask!!) in this instance and made the discovery. If it’s something that can’t be stripped, like plaster, you have to scrape. You can tap it to crack it and take off lots of coats that way, but be careful not to damage what’s underneath.
And always wear a mask!
Comment by RH — September 25, 2008 @ 6:28 am