RH, Author at reclaimedhome.com

Strike Three!

March 10, 2008 RH 2 Comments

Author: Brett

We did not take the house in Westfield, NJ.

We had eventually agreed on a price, after the owners left us hanging all week. In turn, we left them cooling their heels while we called the town’s tax offices and made sure that their many renovations would neither raise our taxes nor cause the new additions to be ripped out due to a lack of permits (Shh! they had filed for some, but not all).

We weren’t sure why a house this good was sitting for so long. Sure, it was overpriced, but maybe there was something more? We checked out Property Shark and discovered that the current owners had purchased the property in July of ’06, but were already putting it back on the market in June of 2007. Suddenly, the house seemed like the one empty seat on a packed subway train—you slide into it before thinking—only to discover the big wad of gum that’s been stuck to it the entire time. Still, we did our homework and couldn’t find anything wrong.

Were we just stressed because the agent was pushing us to sign the contract before a second look? But in the end, the queasy feeling that Andrew had about living in New Jersey or about the commute (he had to transfer at Newark), or whatever it was that gave him that pit in his stomach took over.

Andrew wanted my opinion—what should we do? This was the third house that we had tried to buy in Westfield, and each time we thought we might get it, Andrew got that sinking feeling. Should I be like my mother had been to my father and guilt him into it? After all, I’ll be the one spending my days lugging laundry baskets up and down the stairs in that house, stocking up on teething biscuits and Pringles in town, and pushing our SUV-like double stroller up and down the sidewalks while he’ll be clicking the mouse in his mid-town Manhattan office 5 days a week, 9:00-5:30. As long as he has his plasma in his media room, he’ll be just fine, right?

Well, I just could not. Call it evolution. In my mind, it didn’t matter that I could have lived there. If both of us weren’t crazy about the venture, I assume it just won’t work. This, by the way, must be the definition of love. Either that or stupidity.

The kicker was that Andrew’s mother and brother also admitted that they did not want us to move to Westfield, NJ either. Guess the joke has been on me. Yes, they are a proud, but stubborn people, these Brooklynites.

So, we are benched once again. We know that we cannot afford a single family detached house in the boros, at least not one that doesn’t need a lot of work, so we thought that our next step would be to take a look at some 3 bedroom apartments. The hope is that the commute would be easier on Andrew and maybe we could avoid the 10k suburban tax bill each year.

Our first stop is Greenpoint, Brooklyn where we’ll check out some of the new constructions in the area.

Sound Proofing Existing Walls

March 10, 2008 RH 4 Comments

Plain sheetrock

Living Room detail

We screwed up. We built out an interior wall to hide plumbing and didn’t insulate for sound proofing. D’oh! So now we’re trying to come up with ingenious ways to control noise without ripping out the area in question.

There are a few solutions:

1. Build the wall out more. Use a drywall such as Quiet Rock or insulate and use regular sheetrock. Since we’re terrible at taping, we don’t like this option.

2. Blow in insulation. This isn’t feasible for us as there isn’t enough space between the pipes and the wall.

3. Cover with cork or fabric. Homasote offers both options as well as other sound proof wall materials.

4. Use a paint such as Acousti-Coat, a water based latex formulated with hollow ceramic microspheres, sound absorbing fillers and resins.

5. Build the wall out with ornate plaster (or fake plaster) detail. The most complicated of all options. And guess what? This is probably what we’ll do. Why? The house has alot of period detail which we’ve tried to match on rooms that needed gutting. Our oversight was a blessing. We now have an excuse to take straight edge drywall and make it look fabulous. We may need to use something behind the molding for soundproofing, but hey, it saves us from taping!

6. Put it off until we no longer notice it. Actually, this is our most likely scenario.

Sound Proof Foam

**PS: Sorry about the horrible iphone photos. Didn’t have my camera on me.

5 Boro Rentals: What You Get For $1200

March 7, 2008 RH 2 Comments

Let’s explore the rental market today, kids! What kind of an apartment can you get with $1200 in each of the boros? Apart from Manhattan… a 2 BR. All of these are no fee listings.

Manhattan

1BR in Inwood/Washington Heights. The ad states “Pictures are representative of typical renovations.” So does that mean this isn’t the actual apartment? Is there an actual apartment? Anyway, I chose this one because they accept dogs and cats.

Brooklyn

Midwood 2 BR. Again, maybe just a teaser. “This apartment is a must see, *however* I manage over 800 no fee apartments in Brooklyn.” The ad mentions that Joan Rivers, Chuck Schumer and Woody Allen have called Midwood home. They neglect to mention ME! Also sez Midwood neighbors Park Slope and Coney Island. Ok, I’m not sure “neighbor” is the correct word, agent Jason. It’s true, Midwood is right smack in the center of Brooklyn (Don’t bother looking at a map. In my mind it is, and that’s all that counts.) But no, it doesn’t “neighbor” PS or CI. I thought Midwood sucked when I was growing up. But now that the rest of Brooklyn is filled with the new Bourgeois Elite, Midwood is looking good to me.

Bronx

2 BR in Little Italy section. Well, it sounds like it’s a 1 BR with “office”. It’s in a private home. I’m not sure if the cleaning products shown in the Craig photos come with the apartment.

Queens

Ridgewood 2 BR. Railroad apartment near shopping. Heat and hot water included. Carpeting, new stove and cabinets. Probably a schlock renovation (yes, I AM my mother!), but I like Ridgewood. Ad lists: No section 8. No washing machine. No dryer. No pets. Love that negative advertising!

Staten Island

2 BR in a 4 room apartment. Yeah, I have NO idea where this is. Heartland Village. Sounds like a senior development. “It’s on a quiet dead end street near the golf course.” I would take it for those kitchen cabinets alone. They rock!

Weekend Sales!

March 7, 2008 RH

Antique and vintage moving sale.
Open House 3/8 and 3/9. 12-4
Bellmore, LI

DDC: Domus Design Collection
Floor Sample/Clearance Sale
March 1-9
181 Madison Ave.

This usually extremely expensive store is lowering their prices to merely very expensive. Big discounts though. For real.

________________________________________

Annual Larchmont Antique and Collectibles Show
March 8th & 9th
10am-5pm
45 dealers. Sponsored by The Mamaroneck Schools Foundation

________________________________________

Estate Sale
March 8 & 9, 8:30am-5pm
67-27 Utopia Parkway, Fresh Meadows
Contents of entire home. Deco, Regency and Mid-Century items.
Contact: heleneATmagicksalesDOTcom

439 Metropolitan -LEED Platinum Pt II

March 6, 2008 RH 8 Comments

Last December we reported that NYC’s first LEED Platinum mixed use building project was underway in Williamsburg. I recently visited the site to interview architect Mark Helder for BCAT Brooklyn Review’s A Walk Around the Blog.

The building is slated for completion by July 2008. That seems a long shot at the moment (see photos), but Mark assures us that the most difficult part is behind him now. Because they saved the existing walls, underpinning the foundation was an arduous task.

The building will house Mark’s design studio on the ground floor and cellar and will have two residential duplex units above that. The first unit will be about 820 sf and the penthouse, about 1050 sf. Each apartment will have a private balcony and in addition, the penthouse will have exclusive use of the roof garden.

Because of the space constraints, the building was designed with as thin walls as possible while not sacrificing thermal or noise benefits.

I thought it was interesting that the greenest building in Brooklyn sits right near the BQE. But then again, that’s the ONLY kind of building that should be situated there. 100% of the ventilated air will be filtered to near HEPA standards. The building will have one of the best indoor air qualities in the city, far exceeding the American Lung Association’s standards for their Health House certification.

Heavy laminated glass windows will mitigate noise pollution. Concrete floors with an acoustically insulated radiant floor slab will further help with noisy neighbors.

See the blue on the front of the building? Solar panels.

Mark Helder moved to the states from Amsterdam when his wife Nikki felt it was time to reconnect after being away for a decade. Whenever he would visit NYC, he always looked around in astonishment at the abundant building opportunities. Lots of empty and smaller spaces and in general, an aging building stock with opportunities for improvement.

He also noticed that building technology followed the money and was of low standards as compared to what he used to in the Netherlands. Even though there were budgetary constraints back home, it seemed to him that the quality was higher even in the very low budget segments of the market. He feels it’s just what people are used to / demanding to get for their money.

Mark goes on: “In that sense it’s easier building green in the Netherlands, first, because it is a national consensus and people are aware of the long term maintenance effects when building a building which lasts for at least 50 years. Second, building standards and codes are kept up-to-date to the current (energy) developments. The minimum energy efficiency requirements are set to a relative high level in relation to the regularly available building technology and is updated every few years or so. In the US the minimum energy standards are relatively low and building a better performing building is basically voluntary. The gap between the minimum requirements and the regularly available building technology is large.”

Brooklyn Review airs Monday, March 10th on Time Warner channel 56 or Cablevision 69. Check listings for encore presentations. I’ll post the video here if it’s not completely embarrassing.

The Art Hotel: Carlton Arms, NYC

March 6, 2008 RH

Photos by Darek Solarski

I came across a funky fantasy hotel on Blog Like You Give A Damn, but it was in the Midwest. So I did a little search of theme hotels closer to home and came up with one right here in NY.

I’ve heard of The Carlton Arms and I think I even know someone who stayed there once (my couch must’ve been booked). What I didn’t realize is that it’s so cool inside. Not only are the walls covered with colorful murals, this is a budget hotel. With rates starting at $80 per night, what cheap ass relative would pass this up? (My relatives, that’s who)

The Gramercy Park 54 room hotel has been around for about 100 years. Original clientele included out of state farmers and businessmen who parked their horses in the carriage barn next door.

During prohibition, the Carlton lobby acted as a speak-easy with gambling taking place in the upstairs rooms. It became a respectable hotel again for a while until the 50’s when it became a hang out for drag queens, prostitutes and drug addicts. Not that drag queens can’t be respectable.

Like so many other NYC buildings, including my own, The Carlton became an SRO during the 60’s. By the 80’s, it had hit rock bottom, with a steady clientele of pushers, junkies and nut jobs.

Ed Ryan took over the place when the owner had a mental breakdown. As rooms vacated, he cleaned them up and rented them to travelers looking for inexpensive lodging. In 1983, front desk clerk, artist Gil Dominguez painted a series of murals. Other artists came and followed suit in the rooms.

John Ogren and Ty Inwood took over the hotel in 1998. Now it’s mostly young European and Asian hipsters staying there.

Original Art For $99

March 5, 2008 RH

I’m not a poster person. If I’m going to take up valuable space on my walls, it has to be original artwork. Since I can’t afford that $5,000,000 Frida Kahlo painting, I find talented emerging artists elsewhere.

But $99? Even I would be willing to spend more than that! I found Original Art For $99 via an Apartment Therapy post and thought….”This has got to be crap.” You know….the stuff you see in tourist “art galleries” or at an amateur art show in some weird city that’s not NY?

But I was impressed. $99! The site has a bio of each artist and lists the size and medium. The artists get 90% of the sales price and shipping is a flat $11. I’m assuming they do alot of volume and that’s how both artist and site make money.

Here are some of my faves. Click on images for info.

DIY Linkorama

March 5, 2008 RH 2 Comments

Ok, feeling a bit lazy today and I do realize that I haven’t done an eloquent DIY home improvement post in awhile. So, you wanna know how to do something? Check these out:

Caulk Like a Pro

Blow In Insulation

Pour a Concrete Floor

Install a Sump Pump

Google List of Tool Rentals

Green Furniture on a Budget

March 4, 2008 RH 2 Comments

The Lazy Environmentalist posted an article last week entitled “Green Furniture For All Budgets”. I thought “Hey, this is great!” I love Vivavi’s designs (The company behind the Lazy E). I just can’t afford them.

But alas, there was nothing for my meager budget in that article. I have a few theories as to why this is so:

1. Everybody out there is earning WAY more than me and the hubby. Ok, I’m a freelancer and winter is my slow season. I’ll give you that. But hubby? Steady paycheck. Decent salary. We’re DINKY’s. I dunno.

2. I’m extremely cheap. This is true! Only cheap with certain things. I will blow $300 on a dinner for two, but I would NEVER spend over $30 on a sweater. I let the hubby do that. And then I wear his clothes.

3. I don’t see the value in “new crap”. Give me antique over modern any day of the week. That Target coffee table pictured above is $339. Can I afford it? Yeah. But it looks cheap to me. I could pick up a great coffee table on Craigs for under $50. And it would be green because it would be recycled.

LE states that it is getting easier as there are more options for the consumer now. True, but I still don’t think it’s affordable to everyone. Case in point, the green Crate and Barrel sofa he shows listed for $2299 and the Vivavi sofa for $4200. I’m not sure if he was trying to say these are affordable, but if so, he’s out of touch with reality. Or maybe I am?

As someone who is cheap, first and green, second, I make up my own rules.

1. If it’s second hand, it’s green. Save it from a landfill. Recycle it.

2. If it’s a closeout or liquidation, it’s green. You’re not buying a new product that will need more production. They are just trying to get rid of what was already made.

3. Leftover materials from other’s jobs=green. People/contractors often order too much flooring, sheetrock or tiles and sell off the remaining for half the price. Take advantage!

Now, if you’re looking into green options because of health concerns, you will have to go with the formaldehyde-free, non toxic choices. But if it’s for the environment, then why can’t RE USE be the #1 rule?

So, there you go. It’s easy to be cheap (or poor) and green!

VitraStone Eco Friendly Surfaces

March 4, 2008 RH 2 Comments

VitraStone manufactures sinks, countertops and tiles. The material looks like concrete, but in fact it’s a blend of ceramic cement, fly ash and recycled glass.

70-85% of the material is recycled glass. The glass is pulled from the local recycling center. It’s crushed there and then delivered to the VitraStone facility.

The fly ash used in production is a bi-product of local coal burning plants. Millions of tons go to waste in landfills and flyash waste ponds every year.

Ceramic cement is used instead of Portland cement because the production of Portland cement accounts for 7% of all Carbon Dioxide emissions from human resources. Chemicals such as water reducers, plasticisers and acrylics that are not used in the proprietary blend of VitraStone ceramic cements.

The products come in a range of colors and can also be customized. Stained glass, fossils, stones or metals can be inlaid into the material which is then sealed with a deep penetrating sealer (food grade, no VOCs).

On the down side, VitraStone is located in Colorado. The closest showroom seems to be in Philly.

Oh yeah, and it ain’t Home Depot prices.

Planet Reuse

March 3, 2008 RH

Newly launched Planet Reuse is a global community that connects buyers and sellers of reused and reclaimed construction materials and equipment and allows them to purchase products online.

Anyone can use the site but hopefully it’s the contractors and demolition services who will take advantage of this as they are the ones taking materials out of the buildings. It’s shocking how many perfectly good fixtures go into NYC dumpsters.

You can sign up to create listings or just browse and shop. Check back with them frequently as the site is brand spanking new and will need some time to catch on.

via Materialicious

5 Boros: Which is the Best Value?

February 29, 2008 RH 2 Comments

How far does $350k go when trying to purchase a home in NYC? Let’s take this boro by boro.

Manhattan Studio: Sutton

Hey, this is actually cute! Although it’s teeny (looks to be under 300 sq ft judging from the floor plan), it’s not a dump. And the Sutton area address has gotta be worth something.

Brooklyn: 3BR in Flatbush

I tried to find an actual house for $350k in Brooklyn, but alas, it doesn’t exist. If I had gone up to $400k, I would’ve come up with a few. So I chose to search for a 3BR and here’s what I came up with. A pre-war coop in Flatbush. A small 1 BR in Park Slope South can be had for this price as well.

Queens: St. Albans Brick

This is the first listing that came up under my search criteria for Queens. It looks too good to be true, but then again, I don’t know a thing about St. Albans. Brick single family with 4 bedrooms. No info. Just says “seller must go”. I’m too scared to call! You do it!

The Bronx: Baychester Single Family

Ok, not bad. A 2000 square foot, 3 BR home in Baychester. No maintenance fees (apart from all the repairs on the 1931 house), alittle outdoor space and you’re still in the boros.

Staten Island: Stapleton 3BR

This one is a mere $349,900! I chose this home because Stapleton is the only part of Staten Island I know anything about. It’s close to the ferry and has an urban feel to it rather than a….um….a….Staten Island feel. This 1809 square foot home is looking a bit worn, but the choice is yours…. Would you rather have your own home in Staten Island or a cramped studio in Manhattan?

Design Your Own Wallpaper

February 29, 2008 RH

Ever want to create your own wallpaper design? Design Your Wall offers the service for a $25-$150 layout fee plus $6.50 per square foot for the paper.

They accept original artwork or digital and will help with any questions you might have. You can get wallpaper, borders or murals printed up from your own images.

You don’t have to print pictures of your puppy dog. Here’s something else to consider. They can also reproduce vintage patterns. They do have a few lovely samples on their site. Or you can do produce your own.

If you’re buying all that newly manufactured wallpaper, you can alleviate some eco-guilt by created your own green paste for the job.

Reality Check

February 28, 2008 RH 3 Comments

Once we put our bid in, it didn’t take long for the shenanigans to start.

Sure, we started the bidding 100k lower than their asking price, but we had good reasons for doing so. We weren’t even planning to see the house at all, but when we took the drive out to look at other properties, the agent pressed us to see this house. He pointed to the original list price and showed us how the sellers had already come down a bit, but that the property has been on the market since June and the house had been showing well, but no one was bidding since they were put off by the high price. To our surprise, we really liked the house. A 1920s Colonial, it was extensively updated in 2006 with a new roof, kitchen, three new bathrooms, a deck, and siding. The first floor rooms are bordered with the original wood beams and French doors delineate the entryways. The wooden banister leading to the second floor is thick and sturdy as are the stairs. New carpeting on the basement steps and steps to the finished attic are covered with paper to prevent viewers from sullying the pile.Continue reading Reality Check

Dining Table = Pool Table

February 28, 2008 RH 1 Comment

Remember when pool tables transformed into ping-pong tables within minutes? Ok, they still do. But here’s a better concept for those lacking in playroom space. A pool table that turns into a dining table.

I’ll admit it. I didn’t know they existed before seeing the Yanko Design post on Fusion Tables. I immediately fell in love and wanted one then and there (yesterday/online). Then I found out that Fusion is based in Belgium. Well, that sucks.

So I did a search and loandbehold, there are plenty of pool/dining tables out there! Unfortunately, pool tables aren’t disguised as well as the Fusion. They look like pool tables with boards on top.

But have a look anyway:

The Carsten table is available through AE Schmidt. Maybe this looks good to me because I can’t enlarge the image enough to see the flaws, but it doesn’t look like it’s trying to be something it’s not.

Case in point….

This dining top from California Tables, on sale for $795, can be used with an existing pool table. But it’s not well integrated. It’s just a top thrown over the table. I’d rather dine on the ping-pong table. Now that would be cool! Add poly or resin and you have a dining table!

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