Reuse. Rehabilitate. Restore. Architectural salvage and repurposed pieces for the home.
I am loving this website I found! GSALR is a map interface and planner for garage, estate, yard and stoop sales. It’s basically a bunch of Craigslist ads, only it’s soooo easy to plan it all out so you can hit every yard sale in your area…and maybe even get to a few in other areas.
The Crown Heightser describes Crown Heights as “Brooklyn’s hippest, most diverse and most architecturally beautiful nabe”. Well, it’s close. Maybe only second to my Stizzy.
Actually, the architecture here is phenomenal. Crown Heights North was recently granted landmark status. There are extraordinary mansions mixed in among the lovely brownstones and limestones.
Crown Heights is home to The Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Botanic Gardens, Brooklyn Public Library, The Brooklyn Museum and within walking distance to Prospect Park. The area is serviced by the 2, 3, 4 and 5 trains as well as the Franklin Avenue Shuttle.
You may have heard about a little incident in 1991 known as “The Crown Heights Riots”. The neighborhood does have a scarred history. Today, it’s diversity is a positive thing. In terms of food (What else is there to life?) you can pick up a falafel and then cross Eastern Parkway for your jerk tofu.
Crown Heights is on the cusp on gentrification. There aren’t tons of luxury amenities yet and the prices and cool folks living there reflect that.
Wiki Crown Heights
Crown Heights North Association
Crown Heights Info
Crown Heightser
When: Tomorrow! October 6, 2007. 10am-5pm. Tour begins at noon.
Where: St. Gregory’s RC Church, 991 St Johns Place bet. Brooklyn & New York Aves.
Cost: $25
This is the inaugural tour of the Crown Heights North Association. 10 houses, 2 churches and 1 community garden. This tour features period detail and restoration, as well as more modern touches combined with ecologically green products and technology.
Bard College
You can say that Red Hook is the poor sister of Rhinebeck, which is exactly what I like about it. It’s laid back, down to earth,vibrant and interesting. And less expensive! There are some great antique shops and restaurants, most of which don’t have websites that I can link to.
Red Hook is located just on the northern tip of Dutchess County, almost in Columbia County. The country side is beautiful and it’s within 15-30 minutes of Rhinebeck, Tivoli, Germantown, and Hyde Park for further exploration.
Amtrak services nearby Rhinecliff. Many people actually commute to the city, although it seems nuts to me. Homes range from under $200k to over $2mil.
I’ll cover Tivoli another day, but I just have to say, it’s worth the drive for lunch or dinner. Like High Falls, it’s a teeny, tiny town bursting with awesome restaurants, including my favorite vegetarian, Luna 61, formerly located in the village of Red Hook.
Red Hook
Red Hook Chamber of Commerce
JFive Homes
Rhinebeck Farmers Market
Red Hook Concerns
Hoffmans
Hoffman’s Antique Barn, located behind a movie theater at 19 Old Farm Road in Red Hook, is my upstate Eddie. They have windows for $9, wooden mantles for $195 and tables of small items listed from $2-5. There are plenty of doors, sinks and tubs as well. 845-758-5668
The Stormville Antiques Market is this weekend! Another favorite of mine for bargain hunting. The show opens at dawn and that’s when you should try to get there. Although some vendors are still setting up, others sell out of their best stuff by 8am. And traffic is killer by 9am! Good to go up Friday night and get an early start.
A shout out to Junk To Jems, from Long Island. He’ll be at Stormville this weekend in booth #265. I was going to do a write up about him this week, but it’s going to be next week instead. People line up at his booth before he even arrives.
If you’re an old home fanatic like myself, you can spend the entire weekend touring the historic mansions in Dutchess County. Wilderstein is my favorite, a dark Queen Anne style home still undergoing restoration. And if you’re in the area, Wing’s Castle is not so far and it is a must see!
Hudson River Valley National Heritage
Staatsburgh
Olana
Vanderbilt
Wilderstein
Montgomery
Shipping Containers Recycled as Homes
With shipping containers piling up because we import more than we export, some architects have come up wonderful uses for them.
Adam Kalkin, who admits he has a “fascination with junk” is one artist/architect who specializes in shipping container chic. His homes start at $99,000 and are not only beautiful, but can provide extraordinary shelter for disaster relief.
I’ve seen plenty of vintage stoves around in antiques shops and on Craigs and I’ve always been tempted. Some are free. Some are only a few hundred bucks. What worries me is the cost of restoration. I mean, you’re dealing with gas and fire….scary. This probably isn’t a DIY job.
Restoration companies can’t really give quotes without knowing about the stove, so it’s hard to say how much that “bargain” will cost you in the end. I’m sure I’ll find out when it comes time to redo our kitchen. Until then, check out some of the already restored models and classifieds:
Antique Appliances: Classifieds
Bryant Stove
Barnstable Stove
Antique Stove: Classifieds
Belgrove Appliance now Stove Lady
Stove Hospital
Sweet custom “Pine Wet Bar”: $2900
Green Demolitions is a second hand supplier of first class home fixtures. They sell high end commercial surplus and used donations from homes being renovated and demolished in CT and NY.
There are currently 3 locations in Bethel, NY, Blackrock, CT and Honesdale, PA. Saturday, Oct. 13th, will be the grand opening of their 4th location in Norwalk, CT.
But back to this sale….
Today through Sunday at the Bethel and Honesdale locations….50-75% off! They have cabinets, appliances, building materials, etc…
I’ll admit it. I’m too much of a loser to get my act together to apply for these incentives. I don’t even know if it’s for NY. But if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s giving advice to others. So, don’t do as I do. Do as I say: read up on this and apply for these credits!
Homeowners can get credits for energy improvements to their homes, such as windows, insulation, and envelope and duct sealing. Credits are available to homeowners and businesses who install qualifying solar equipment including photovoltaic cells and solar water heating systems. They’re giving credits for installing efficient air conditioners and heat pumps; gas or oil furnaces and furnace fans; and gas, oil, or electric heat pump water heaters in new or existing homes.
Home Depot Special
New Life: Faux Antiqued Look
No, No, No, You don’t need to pay $20,000 for new cabinets! Not even $2000. Do you have real wood cabinets? Or even cool metal one? If not, you can probably pick up someone’s throwaways on Craigs.
Tools:
Materials:
Yo, that dude’s name is Crapper!
Actually, Thomas Crapper, a London plumber, set up shop in 1861. He promoted sanitary fittings and a water waste preventing cistern syphon. The company is still around today and offers some gorgeous reproduction bathroom fittings. They are not inexpensive and with shipping….yikes! But I’m thinking it might be worth trying to make my own version of “The Throne“, pictured below.
