RH, Author at reclaimedhome.com

Liquid Stainless Steel

November 19, 2007 RH 5 Comments

Before

Et Voila!

This is one of those things that might look ok online, but the verdict is still out until I see it in person. It’s difficult to get a good idea of what it looks like since the images are shoddy and the display samples are crappy whatever color they are. But hey, it’s probably a good idea if you want to freshen up your kitchen on a small budget and you have ugly appliances that work just fine. Don’t know how green it is. Probably no less green than buying new appliances.

This is actually water based automotive grade stainless steel that you can roll on without priming in many cases. You must apply the finish coat afterwards. It can be used on most surfaces, but is not recommended for counter tops.

Thomas’ Liquid Stainless

DIY Linkorama

November 19, 2007 RH 2 Comments

Replacing A Dishwasher

Attic Insulation

Dealing With A Wet Basement

Exhaust Fans

Pre Fab Pets

November 16, 2007 RH 3 Comments

Ever say “Darn, I wish my dog’s bed harmonized with the rest of my Mid Century Modern furnishings.” Well, now Tinkerbell AND Mr. Bigglesworth can have their very own Wright inspired home.

Pre-Fab-Pets is a brand new company based in San Diego.

The Architectura, pictured above, is available in small, medium and large. Only the large size is sealed for outdoors. What’s with that? So you can kick your big dogs out of the house but let those little yappy rats have all the fun?

Three other bed designs are available: The Dog Day Bed, Bent (I like that one!) and Zen. Prices start at $149 for the small Zen bed and top out at $999 for the large Architectura. Items are only available on the Pre-Fab-Pets website at the moment.

Via CribCandy

Throwplace

November 16, 2007 RH 1 Comment

Here’s another materials exchange for ya.

Throwplace is a website where individuals and businesses can list items for donation. All items are FREE! Registration and listings: FREE!

There are four sections: US Charity, International Charity, Business and Up For Grabs. Individuals cannot take from the charity sections. You can browse the listings and classifieds, but must be registered to donate or request items.

Happy hunting!

Affordable NYC: Inwood

November 16, 2007 RH 2 Comments

Here’s some fun trivia for ya.

1. Where did the $24 sale of Manhattan allegedly take place?
2. Where is the only natural forest in Manhattan located?

Inwood! I didn’t know that. Well, I probably learned about it in 1st grade, but I didn’t remember it.

Inwood Hill Park, a 196 acre natural forest NOT designed by Olsmstead and Vaux is where the famous Indian/Dutch deal may have taken place. Inwood’s geography is incredible, especially considering it’s in Manhattan. The neighborhood sits at the northernmost tip of the island, between the Hudson and Harlem Rivers. There are hills, trees and even caves in the area.

Transportation options include the A express, as well as the 1 and 9 trains, or an express bus. If you have car and need to run from the city on the weekends, it’s very handy for upstate.

The history is the same as any other NYC affordable neighborhood. White flight in the 70’s, crack epidemic of the 80’s. It got run down. Now Inwood has a large Dominican population, but it’s already been discovered by other newcomers. I wouldn’t say people are flocking to Inwood, but it’s not exactly a secret anymore.

As with other gentrifying nabes, some residents complain of lack of amenities while others don’t want to push ahead too quickly. Most of the residents seem pretty happy to be there.

The housing stock is mainly interesting pre war apartments. You can still find condos for under $300k, but the market isn’t flooded with them.

Inwoodite Blog
Forgotten NY
Wash/Inwood Online
Inwood Manhattan

Inwood Rentals: Under $1000

November 16, 2007 RH

I’m shaking things up a bit this week. I wanted to see if Manhattan rentals exist for under $1000. Well, the listings exist, but I haven’t looked into whether or not these places are just bait. I also don’t know the area well enough to know if they are in a crappy section.

Here’s a good classified section for more listings.

$995: 1 BR

$1000: 1 BR

Weekender: Narrowsburg

November 15, 2007 RH 1 Comment

Narrowsburg is quaint. That’s an understatement. I just want to put it in my pocket and take it home with me, it so cute.

Apart from being adorable, the town has alot going for it. Two and a half hours from the city, it sits on the Delaware River between the Catskills and the Poconos. This area has a different feel from the rest of Upstate. For one, the Upper Delaware is a narrow, windy river, unlike the Hudson. The town is surrounded by hills, forests and lakes, which makes it more cozy than the vast upper Catskills.

It has already been discovered by weekenders, but the party ain’t over yet. Home prices are still very much affordable. What could be better? Weekender amenities at affordable prices?

In the town, you have the obligatory fine wine shop, coffee house, art galleries and antiques shops to keep the city folk happy. Outdoor activities: canoeing and kayaking (of course), hiking (of course) and eagle watching.

The bad news:

You need a car. Trains go as far as Port Jervis and buses to Monticello, both a half hour away.

Taxes are high, but then again, no more shocking than other parts of upstate. They are lower in neighboring Pennsylvania, and you can just hop over the puddle to get there.

If you decide to take a drive this weekend, check out the Valley Artists Holiday Sale.

Need a vacation rental in the area? Check out my friend’s farmhouse!

NY Times Article
River Reporter
Narrowsburg Chamber

Narrowsburg Realtors

November 15, 2007 RH

$175k: 6BR, 1/2 acre

Instead of doing individual listings this week, I want to point you to few real estate sites. The reason being, all of the listings I came up with belonged to one agent and they don’t even have alot of info on their site!

I was really impressed Catskill 4 Sale which features a handy MLS and real estate blog by a gay friendly buyer’s agent.

Eagle Valley Realty seems to have the corner on the market. You can search by price, which starts at under $100k.

Catskills 4 Sale is an informative site from a broker who apparently enjoys fishing. Most of his listings are already sold.

Shopping For Bargains

November 15, 2007 RH 1 Comment

I like to think of myself as a savvy bargain hunter. My husband just calls me cheap. At any rate, I’d like to pass along some of my favorite places for shopping for home related bargains.

1. First off, I always try to go second hand. Craigs tops my list, followed by Ebay. Then there’s always Goodwill, Salvation Army, Housing Works as well as other thrift shops too numerous to mention. And don’t forget the flea markets.

2. Pearl River Mart : Chinese department store in Soho (formerly on Canal St). Lighting, bedding, table settings, window treatments…you name it. Gorgeous stuff at fab-o prices!

3. Ikea : Not exactly a secret. If you haven’t been since you bought that futon in college, they’ve got lovely bedding, rugs, fabrics and kitchen ware for cheap! I always, always buy my wine glasses there because I go through them quickly. Under $5 for a 6 pack.

4. National Wholesale Liquidators: They are all over the tri-state area. Anything from small appliances to linens to rugs, lamps and window treatments.

5. Target : Another favorite for cheap funky finds that don’t last very long. I always buy my sheets there and about a month later, they look like shit. But I can’t help it! They are cheap and cute. And you know what? The only reason our good “guest sheets” look any better is because we never use them! Anyway, lovin the Target.

6. Overstock.com: Yeah, I’ve done well with them from time to time.

Toilet Thrones

November 15, 2007 RH 4 Comments

Herbeau’s Dagobert

King Louis XIV Throne

Yet another project I’d like to try. Build myself a toilet throne. The two shown here are the only ones I came across in my search and neither one is really my taste or budget. I love the idea so much that if someone offered one of these up for free, I could live with it.

Vintage Tub has the best price on the Herbeau. It can be yours for the low low price of $9799. They are $12000 elsewhere. You’re paying for their sense of humor as well as a toilet. “Le Bon Roi Dagobert” plays when lid is raised, a song about a king who arrived at the minister’s council with his pants on backwards.

The King Louis XIV toilet is a mere $3250. A drop in the bucket, so to speak. This is a good DIY design. The toilet bowl caulks to the furniture in the same fashion as an under mount sink. There are sliding panels on each side for access.

Cork Flooring

November 14, 2007 RH 9 Comments

I haven’t explored cork flooring yet because it reminds me too much of the 70’s. I still have nightmares about cork walls (my friend did his entire room in brown cork) and cork wedge heels. Hold on…I just had another memory! Does anyone remember Azuma on W. 8th Street? They had lots of cork.

Maybe here’s where I need to say “Cork has come a long way.” Actually, it was around long before the 70’s. It’s a sustainable, resilient material now being used in homes of people with taste (unlike the 70’s when nobody had taste).

Pros

Cork is from the bark of the tree. If harvested correctly, the tree is unharmed and the bark will regenerate.

Easy DIY. Cork often comes in 12″ squares for easy installation.

Absorbs sound.

Thermal insulation.

Comfy in bare feet.

It comes in colors! Not just brown.

Cons

Don’t expect it to last longer than 10 years.

It scratches.

Tends to yellow and fade in the sun.

It does need to be sealed.

Green Living
Cork Floor
Duro Design

NYC Stuff Exchange

November 14, 2007 RH 15 Comments

How did I miss this one? NYC Stuff Exchange launched their site in May, but they’ve had a phone hotline for years.

The City of New York offers way for residents to search for places throughout the city where they can donate, sell, buy, rent, or repair gently used items. The goal is to help lessen the City’s waste by encouraging the recycling of materials that might otherwise end up in the dump.

There is an events calendar where you can search or submit sales run by non profit organizations.

Hideaway Kitchens

November 14, 2007 RH

I’ve been looking into hidden kitchens lately for our Brooklyn crib. It’s a garden level apartment which we’ve configured as a 1BR. That means the kitchen will be in the living room. Since we don’t live there full time and we never cook, a dorm style set up will do. We have an antique armoire which was once my hidden office. Now that my office has exploded all over the house, I’d like to use the armoire to house our kitchen.

I’m thinking something along the lines of the photo above. Hubby sez “no”, but we’ll see.

Given the size of NYC apartments, I’m surprised I couldn’t come up with any local search results.

John Strand
Yanko Design
Apartment Therapy

Boat Bath

November 14, 2007 RH

Husband, get nervous. Very nervous. My rubber ducky and I want this tub! I saw it on the wonderful Designer’s Block and can’t find any more info on it. That’s fine, because I’m sure it’s more than I could afford anyway.

So here’s what I’m thinking. Take an ordinary tub and frame the exterior to make it “boat like”. Ok, so the tub is oval and the boat is….boat shaped, but that just means you have places to put your shampoo and soap.

Think it can work? I’ll need to buy another house since I’m running out of bathrooms to work on.

So That’s What A Chef’s Kitchen Looks Like

November 13, 2007 RH 3 Comments

I’ve mentioned it before and I’ll say it again. My kitchen necessities: a phone and a microwave. And it has to look cute. Other than that, I don’t care about oven temperatures, layout or warming drawers. Warming drawers? Just stick the dinner back in the microwave. Wine cooler? Isn’t that what the fridge is for? Garbage disposal? Hey, my dogs have gotta eat!

So, when I found Marissa’s Kitchen on Living Well in Westchester, I had to pass along the fine design details to my readers who actually cook. Fivecat Studio’s design features a multi level Fireslate countertop, glass display shelves and a stainless steel recipe hanger, along with bamboo cabinets.

Of all the super duper high end appliances I’m actually only jealous of two:

The Fisher & Paykel dishdrawer, because I’d love to never have to put away clean dishes again.

The Miele Coffee System, because I like my coffee and it’s easier to make a cup at home than to go out for it.

Marissa’s Kitchen
And Blog

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