7 piece bedroom set: $1600. Northern Furniture

Last week I hooked up with Aline and Gio from Bleecker Street Antiques to preview the estate sale they’re holding in Newburgh this Saturday. The woman who lived there didn’t update anything since the 70’s. Walking into the home is like going through a time warp. Strictly mid century furniture and tschotskas! And it’s all in perfect condition, albeit the woman has a smoking habit.

9 piece dining room set: $1800. White Furniture Co.

Well, I didn’t completely clean them out. They still have tons left. The vintage clothing is to die for! I got some great items, but I didn’t want to be greedy and take stuff I knew I’d never wear….like the Mary Tyler Moore dresses and the fancy 40’s frocks. I did get me some swell polyester pants suits though, including one sparkly flare pants number I can’t wait to get into! And shoes….there were plenty of vintage shoes.

The furniture from the 50’s and 60’s is still there. It was too big for me to take. My husband would’ve killed me. Good stuff too! What they listed on their site is the real thing, but they’ve got plenty of inexpensive junktiques too. Oh, there were dishes and glasses, linens, artwork, record albums (remember those?) and even a vintage TV and a snow blower. Check out some of my own finds on this flickr set.

So, come up. Do some estate shopping. Have lunch at Macchiato. And then buy a house for under $100k. Sounds like a plan!

Estate Sale
135 West Street, City of Newburgh
Saturday, July 19th
8am-5pm

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Don’t get excited. Not this home.

See that house above? Door Sixteen (straight outta Newburgh) posted it on her site. It’s on the market for $199k and she lives right across the street so she can help you with your decorating. Not that she offered. Anyway, seeing the listing peaked my interest in revisiting Newburgh. I was going to look into homes for under $200k, but alas, there were too many. So, I narrowed it down to under $100k.

Listing by price: descending order.

This building is located near the hospital and the front faces the river. It’s 3000 square feet in need of rehab and listed as a single family. There was once an extra apartment downstairs, but you would need to go the legalization route. $99.9k for a solid brick building near the river? Not bad.

Hold on…Is that a castle?! Built in 1850, it’s only 1000 square feet. It’s listing as having 6 rooms, but only 1 bedroom. No interior shots. It’s less than 1/2 acre. But it looks like a castle! And oh yeah, it’s $99k.

This looks sweet! Listing says “AS IS”, “WHERE IS”. At least they show interior photos! It’s in need of plumbing, electric and heat. Hmm, ok, maybe it’s not such a bargain. Gotta figure it will cost at least another $100k to rehab (and that’s DIY), so it’s a better bet to find a livable home for $200k. She sure is sweet though. $95k.

And the winner, coming in at $39.9k is this little cutie! This is a 3BR bank owned property with less than 1000 square feet. It’s in need of rehab. No duh. I don’t know what kind of neighborhood it’s in. I don’t know how bad the interior is. Who the f*ck cares? IT’S $39,900!!!! And it’s not a friggen double wide!

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Yesterday we covered beautiful but costly antique tiles. There is a way to get the look without breaking the bank and I speak, of course, of the dreaded….reproduction.

I’m only talking encaustic tiles today since you can find ceramic reproductions just about anywhere. Encaustics originated in 18th century Europe and consisted of marble dust, cement and natural granite colors. Today’s less expensive tiles are made by layering cement and then adding pigment. They may not hold up as well as the originals, but we’re talking a huge price difference! There are still companies that fabricate handmade encaustics to match historic tiles, but let’s concentrate on affordability.

Tierra Y Fuego sells 8×8 tiles for under $10 apiece. I’ve dealt with this company before and keep coming back for more. They call these tiles “decorative cement”. When it comes time to do my brownstone front hall, I gotta get me some of these!

Villa Lagoon has 10×10’s for $9 and ships from Miami. Their “mosaic cement” tiles appear to be more pastel based than the Tierra examples. The website is extremely informative. They tested various sealers and posted all the results here.

And if it’s information you want, Concrete Cottage has everything you’ve ever wanted to know about encaustic tiles. They go over the process and list just about every place in the world where you can purchase these tiles. They also have several links to floor tile simulators.

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I saw these over at DesignBoner. How friggen cute are they? I thought I was cool with my Depeche Mode nesting dolls, but myself? That’s even better! Illustrator Trisha Krauss works from family photos to create sets of wooden Matrioska dolls. A set of three costs $800. If you have a larger family, just shell out more dough. Yeah, I know. Who can spend $800? Well, considering a photographic portrait costs in the $500 range (At least that’s what I charge. Not saying I’d PAY that), this isn’t so bad for such a unique idea.

But what’s that you say? You’re a talented artiste who can do it yourself? Well, buy your blank dolls here.

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Antique tiles are NOT inexpensive! But they are oh-so-gorgeous. Best bet to save money is try to find the tiles at a salvage place such as Island Girls (ok, pricey also). Those high brow tile boutiques will set you back a few bills, but keep in mind, you can always accent boring Home Depot tiles with a few pieces of the good stuff.

Here are some local and online sources for your antique tile needs. If they don’t fit your budget, at least get some ideas.

Bungalow Bill

Solar Antique Tiles

Luxetile

Karen Michelle Antique Tiles

L’Antiquario

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So, I was trying to find some cheater DIY video post on YouTube and discovered this eejit. Just as informative as Vila, no?

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Sustainable Flatbush is sponsoring a solar forum this Wednesday. If you were wondering if you can convert your house to solar, now is the chance to find out! Peter Landy will speak about his experience converting his house to solar power. Chris Neidl of Solar One will speak about current legislation and initiatives to make residential solar power affordable.

This forum will focus on single family homes. The next one will have information on multi family.

July 16th @ 8pm
Ditmas Workspace
535 East 17th Street (corner of Ditmas)
RSVP requested (but not required) to anne@sustainableflatbush.org

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World’s Oldest Blogger dies at 108. Can’t seem to access her site at the moment, but here’s the link: All About Olive

Walmart=Bad: Lagusta

New Furniture From Old: Dwell

Bohemia Takes It’s Final Bow: NY Times

New Contractor, etc……Renovation Therapy

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I’ve seen the house swap ads on Craigs and I’ve often been tempted to participate. “Care for my 6 cats and 2 dogs!” mine would read. Or “Great brownstone. Under construction.” Well, it seems like a good option for people with habitable homes.

I would be a little nervous about trusting a Craigslist stranger, but there are swap websites that offer some peace of mind. Exchange Our Houses is one of them. For 45 € per year, you can have unlimited exchanges. Probably works out a tad better for the Europeans with their 6 weeks vacation and superior Euro.

The Home Exchange Blog has everything you’ve ever wanted to know about swaps.

Here are some nice looking Craigs listings:

East Hampton: Weekend/Week. Flexible dates and trade.

San Fransisco for Manhattan: August 20-24

Marseille, France for NYC: Sept-Dec

Oh man, this one looks good! 3 months in the south of France? Hel-lo! Eh, I’d probably get bored with all that free time in paradise anyway. Poo. More photos on her blog.

Rome for Brooklyn: July 17-28

“Hi, my name is Luigi……The apt is beautiful, as you can see in the pics, it’s white, silent, sunny, cozy, and it’s in the heart of Trastevere. A two-minute walk from lively Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere. You’ll fall in love……Ciao, Luigi”

Oh Luigi, I think I AM in love!

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Ooh, honey…I’m loving The Budget Casa! I know my own blog is supposed to be for “thrifty” New Yorkers, but the gals at Budget Casa stay more focused than I do. Well, there are 4 of them, so cut me some slack, wouldjya?

Anyway, they’ve got tips for DIY cleaning, DIY no-sew pillows, Etsy picks under $30 and budget gardening tips.

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