Reuse. Rehabilitate. Restore. Architectural salvage and repurposed pieces for the home.
Houseblogs is teaming up with True Value Hardware to promote their D.I.Y. All-Star Contest 1st Home Edition. Grand Prize is $5,000 in merchandise from True Value and an in-home consultation with Steve Watson, D.I.Y. expert and host of HGTV’s “Don’t Sweat It”.
To enter: Submit a short essay along with photos or a video of a home improvement project that shows off your best work. More details here.
Entries must be received by 8/22/08. Good luck!
Via Charles and Hudson
As is. Cracked, caulked and caked with paint. We’ll be making radiator covers out of that fancy piece leaning against the wall.
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Ok, I need your help. Think of this as a poll and your vote will be counted by leaving a comment. Here’s the deal: I usually like dark, gothic looking rooms. I’ve done 3 of the 4 floors in our brownstone with darker walls and stained woodwork and I love it. But I’m bored with that already. I want to shift gears with our apartment. Not to mention that this is the garden level and doesn’t get a lot of light.
I wasn’t sure what I’d find once I started to strip the wainscoting. I uncovered oak with a base coat of brown so it’s nice and patchy and soaked into the wood. This being held together by caulk over the years. Some panels are broken in half and held together by plaster. Not surprising and definitely in line with what I found around the rest of the house. The question is, do I want to restore the wood or just paint it?
I’m thinking paint. Actually I’m beyond the thinking stage. I started to prime it. I’ll have to strip the 50+ years of paint off of all the wainscoting anyway because the details are lost. It kills me that I’m going to cover it up again, but it’s just too much work to have it look eh and make the room dark.
Which leads me to my poll. I’m thinking of a Hollywood Regency meets Victorian meets Art Nouveau look for this room. I’d like to have white walls to bounce light around and color for the wainscoting. I can be persuaded on this matter as I did prefer white wainscoting and colored walls on those internet color simulator things.
Any painted molding in the rest of the house is a deep (brick?) red. Too dark. And I’m sick of it.
Originally I thought yellow. Now I’m over that. It’s my least favorite color.
Now I’m onto a powder blue….like the Volkswagon Beetles. With maybe a gold or silver for the inlay.
Any input would be greatly appreciated!
Not fully cleaned yet in this photo, but you can see it’s going to be a job to get it to look good. We’re turning that server into a “kitchen sink with counter top”.
All primed and awaiting a color! So, what say you?
I’ve been showering with Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap since the mid 80’s when I gave up on animal derived products! I read the label a few times and knew about the other uses! Sometimes when I run out of dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent or shampoo, I’LL USE BRONNER’S MAGIC ALL-ONE!
Before I get to the list of uses, I’d like to fill you in on some history about the man behind the crazy labels! Emanuel Bronner was the son of a German Jewish soap maker! He emigrated to the US in 1929 and his parents, who stayed behind, were killed in the Holocaust! To make a long story short, he married, had 3 kids! Wife died! He abandoned the kids to save “Spaceship Earth”! By 1947 he was thrown into an insane asylum! After 3 escapes, he landed in California where he started his soap business! He died in 1997, completely blind and was not a real doctor! His sons took over the business! READ YOUR BOTTLE label while on the bowl! It’s all there!
Ok, so what are these 18 uses?! They are not all listed on the label or the site, but here’s what I came up with: (!)
1. Facial and body soap!
2. Human shampoo!
3. Pet shampoo!
4. Floor soap!
5. Dishwashing!
6. Laundry!
7. Toothpaste!
8. Mouthwash!
9. Bubble bath!
10. Massage oil!
11. Baby oil!
12. Shaving cream!
13. Denture cleaner!
14. Car cleaner!
15. Toilet cleaner!
16. Sun tan oil!
17. Peppermint as mouse deterrent!
18. Lavender as moth and ant deterrent!
I’ve said it a thousand times before: Don’t get taken in by “greenwashing”. Look, I’m an environmentalist because I like animals better than people and I’m into green building because I like old crap better than new. So yeah, save the planet and recycle, salvage, yada, yada. But let’s tell it like it is.
So when I read the Forbes article on greenwashing, I was all “Yeah, that’s right!” They talk about “hidden trade-offs” in materials such as concrete and carpeting. Concrete will last forever once it’s installed, however the cement production isn’t too environmentally friendly. On the other hand, carpeting can be produced in an eco-friendly fashion, but the upkeep takes more energy than a wood floor. It collects more dust, which requires more vacuuming. Unless of course, you choose to ignore it.
And here’s why I loved the article. They say “older is greener”. I know, it’s obvious, but perhaps not to everyone. The key is to salvage your existing material and turn it into something beautiful, unique and inexpensive.
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
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!
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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!
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.
It’s been nearly seven years since our country entered Afghanistan. And then Iraq. I’m well aware that people are dying over there every day but since I don’t personally know anyone involved in this crazy war, I’m emotionally disconnected.
Or so I thought. I didn’t realize that I knew a war hero. Who’d have thunk it, that among my progressive thinking, New York liberal, artsy fartsy high school buddies, one of us would go off to war? And get killed?
I didn’t know Danny Farkas all that well. He was the skinny kid who hung out with the production crew (my high school had a great AV program). He was a friend of a friend more than a friend of mine. When I saw him at our high school reunion back in 2003, I couldn’t believe how buff he was. “Where’s that skinny kid?” I asked him.
I received an email this morning from a fellow ex classmate that Danny was killed in Kabul on July 4th in a non-hostile incident that is being investigated.
Danny was a NYC Police Lieutenant in the 112th Pct. in Forest Hills and an Army National Guardsman. Funeral will be held Monday in Midwood, Brooklyn.