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Anatomy of a Brownstone:Green Depot

Anatomy of a Brownstone:Green Depot published on

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Sarah Beatty, CEO of Green Depot, the Brooklyn based green building materials company, spoke with Rolf and Emily. Green Depot is the materials supplier for 93 Nevins.

Sarah founded Green Depot in 2005 when she realized how important sustainable building had become. She found a backer in the already established Marjam Supply Company. Ok, so it didn’t hurt that her husband owns Marjam.

Green Depot is a green building superstore, with locations in various Mid Atlantic and Northeastern cities, including Brooklyn, NY. They sell pretty much everything, including soundproof drywall, eco friendly cabinets and a variety of solvent free adhesives.

Sarah spoke of the importance of using non toxic caulks, sealants and cleaners as well as alternatives to fiberglass insulation and taking advantage of low VOC paints.

Anatomy of a Brownstone:The Health House

Anatomy of a Brownstone:The Health House published on 1 Comment on Anatomy of a Brownstone:The Health House

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Rolf Grimsted and Emily Fisher of R & E Brooklyn are community sensitive real estate developers located in Boerum Hill. At the Anatomy presentation, they focused on 93 Nevins, their project which began with an abandoned shell in 2005.

93 Nevins, a brick 1920’s structure, was originally a pharmacy. It saw a few incarnations over the years, slowly becoming more and more run down until 1980 when a fire pretty much totaled it. The city had it slated for demolition until Rolf and Emily rescued it.

At first there was some question as to whether or not this was a tear down. However, they soon realized it wouldn’t be very eco friendly of them to not save the beautiful original brick. So, they salvaged the structure and set out to create the greenest building in NYC.

Upon completion, 93 Nevins will be officially certified by the American Lung Association as a Health House. The first of it’s kind in NYC. The building will consist of 2 LEED certified townhouses, each approximately 2500 square feet.

A few interesting points brought up by the couple during their talk:

As community sensitive developers, they wanted to take into consideration the effect the building will have on neighboring properties. They were careful not to block light or be intrusive in any way towards nearby properties. Especially since this is their neighborhood!

A Geothermal heating system was looked into, but they decided against it as a) it was cost prohibitive and b) the amount of electricity needed to generate the pumps didn’t make sense in a green renovation. They instead chose a hybrid system using solar and hot water.

Radiant floor heaters were used in place of radiators or forced air for aesthetic purposes as well as air quality issues. The water temperature for the Warmboards only need be 80-85 degrees.

The homes will be up for sale once the project is completed. There are already interested parties. The price will be “your average brownstone in the area, plus”.

Architect
Contractor
Building Supplier
Natural Home

Anatomy of a Brownstone: Going Green

Anatomy of a Brownstone: Going Green published on 1 Comment on Anatomy of a Brownstone: Going Green

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We attended City Tech’s Anatomy of a Brownstone, Part VI this past Saturday. It was a 4 hour lecture chock full of information which is going to sustain us with posts for the entire week.

There were booths set up outside of the lecture hall with samples of green building material such as flooring and denim insulation. Here, people could speak to the day’s presenters and ask specific questions about materials and programs.

Barbara Barran of Classic Rug did not speak, but she was on hand to answer questions about her custom rugs that are made of biodegradable and sustainable fibers, such as hemp, nettle, banana, wool, linen, and silk. They can provide one-of-a-kind area rugs and wall-to-wall carpeting. Classic Rug received an award from Domino Magazine, which listed them as one of the top 125 eco-friendly companies in the USA.

The lecture was organized by Debra Salomon of 408 Design Group.

The program included:

Murray Levi and Ellen Honigstock of The US Green Building Council

Sarah Beatty of Green Depot

Rolf Grimsted and Emily Fisher of R&E Brooklyn

Jennifer Napoli and Gerrard Owens of A&K Tile

Pietro Calabretta of All Renovation NY

Mark Wyman of Assoc. for Energy Affordability

Judy Torres of Keyspan Energy

Over the week, we’ll be posting full information on each speaker and their various companies and projects, presenting it in the order above which was order it was presented at the lecture.

Anatomy of a Brownstone:Green Building Council

Anatomy of a Brownstone:Green Building Council published on 1 Comment on Anatomy of a Brownstone:Green Building Council

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Murray Levi, AIA, was the first presenter on Saturday. Murray, the Vice President and General Manager of LiRo Architect is also the education chair for The United States Green Building Council of NYC. He spoke about the LEED rating system and ways to track your energy consumption and keep your home green.

Ellen Honigstock, Architect PC, represented the USGBC alongside Murray. Ellen is a LEED for Homes advocate. She spoke of Regreen, a program developed by USGBC and The American Society of Interior Designers. She also presented us with very informative handouts, which can be downloaded as PDF files on her blog.

Murray and Ellen mentioned the importance of indoor air quality and touched upon sick building syndrome. They recommended the book “How To Grow Fresh Air” and stressed the importance of growing native plants indoors to support clean air.

Also recommended was the book “400 Uses for Vinegar” as cleaning with toxic chemicals was unpopular with them.

Home Depot Contest

Home Depot Contest published on

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A couple of weeks ago we announced that Home Depot is having a contest to win a $25k gift card. We had every intention of entering, but since we haven’t even gotten our act together to do our holiday cards yet, it probably ain’t gonna happen.

We pulled a few of our favorite entries to share. It was really slim pickin’s. Is there no creativity outside of New York? Anyway, at least they got their entries in on time.

Anyone intend on joining in on the fun?

Affordable NYC: Ditmas Park

Affordable NYC: Ditmas Park published on 11 Comments on Affordable NYC: Ditmas Park

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Added Saturday: Living in Flatbush. The Times is stealing my thunder!

Ok, so Ditmas is no longer that affordable. Let’s face it, none of Brooklyn is. But at least you get what you pay for here. The historic housing stock is nothing short of spectacular and the quiet tree lined streets within 20 minutes to Manhattan are the reasons this neighborhood is so desirable.

Ditmas Park is part of Victorian Flatbush. I grew up in nearby Midwood and didn’t really pay attention to what neighborhoods were called. So forgive my ignorance if I’m about to screw up boundary lines between Ditmas Park and Ditmas Park West and Beverly Square East. Honey, it was all Flatbush to me back then. Good map here, though.

My BFF lives in Ditmas, so I just asked her to contribute her thoughts on the area. Here they are:Continue reading Affordable NYC: Ditmas Park

Eco Bath

Eco Bath published on 3 Comments on Eco Bath

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Upstate House has an article from designer Kaja Gam on a green bathroom renovation. The materials used, such as bamboo flooring, bamboo plywood trim, Kirei board paneling (made with sorghum), and “burl wood” panels made from wheat chaff were all sustainable. It looks great and the fixtures are more water efficient than the ones that were discarded.

But Kaja brings up a good point… something I was thinking about as I read the article. It’s a shame the old fixtures had to end up in the landfill. It’s always best to reuse anything you can, but what if you have an faux marble sink and an olive green toilet? Sure, you can donate them, but whom do you think is going to want them?

Enviromode recycles old porcelain fixtures, but they’re in Texas. I couldn’t find anywhere local that recycles toilets. Anyone have ideas? I kind of like this one.

Sculptured Steel Trees

Sculptured Steel Trees published on 1 Comment on Sculptured Steel Trees

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Via CribCandy

If any of my readers can afford this for their residence then we need to talk about you supporting me. Prices start at $25k and continue on past $1mil.

Very cool idea, though….no? Nature Maker’s life size Steel Art Trees are replicated right down to the smallest detail. They are not only beautiful, they serve a purpose as well. The trees can be designed to hide structural columns and other unsightly objects.

The company was founded in 1983 by the late Bennett Abrams, an ecological artist and sculptor, and visionary Gary Hanick. As you may have guessed, the residential market for these isn’t quite that strong, although it does exist. These art trees can be seen in casinos, museums and libraries as well as other commercial venues.

Illy Push Button House Coming Soon!

Illy Push Button House Coming Soon! published on 2 Comments on Illy Push Button House Coming Soon!

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Correction: The Push Button House was originally supposed to be open as of today. It will not be installed until Saturday now. I just corrected the information below, but call before you go, because it may not be open to the public by Saturday. I hope nobody ran over there this morning!

Just a reminder that the Illy Push Button House will be on display for the holidays starting Saturday. The recycled shipping container, originally unveiled at the 52nd Venice Biennale in June 2007 was designed by architect/artist Adam Kalkin.

The Push Button House transforms from a container into a five-room home with a kitchen, dining room, bedroom, living room and library. It will act as a cafe while in NYC. Visitors can enjoy a complimentary cup of coffee or take the opportunity to donate to Illy’s annual charity to benefit Ethiopian schools.

I’m going to try to get down there to for a more in depth post, but I just wanted to remind folks for the big first day!

Press Release

2nd Floor of the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle.
December 1 through December 29, 2007
Hours: Monday-Friday from 10am-9pm, Saturday & Sunday from 11am-7pm.

Weekender: Tivoli, NY

Weekender: Tivoli, NY published on 5 Comments on Weekender: Tivoli, NY

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I love Tivoli! Much like High Falls, this is a tiny town bursting at the seams with great restaurants and a tremendous cultural scene. How did Tivoli, in northern Dutchess, become so hip?

Well, it’s a college town. Home to Bard College located in the hamlet of Annandale on Hudson, Tivoli caters to both young hipsters and weekenders alike.

Main Street is about 2 blocks long. Within those 2 blocks, there is the friggen awesome vegetarian Luna 61 (closed for winter), 4 star Santa Fe and Osaka Sushi to name a few restaurants.

The Tivoli Artist’s Coop and Kaatsbaan Dance Center rival any NYC establishments. Ok, well, maybe not, like, Lincoln Center, but you get the drift.

Tivoli is close to Rhinebeck, Red Hook and less about 16 miles from Hudson. There are plenty of historic sites, antique shops and hikes in the surrounding area.

Downers:

Amtrak to Rhinecliff will get you close enough, but you need a car or taxi to get to Tivoli.

Because the town is so small, not many homes are for sale and those that are, aren’t as inexpensive as Kingston or Athens.

Tivoli.org
Hearty Roots Farm

Move Right In!

Move Right In! published on 5 Comments on Move Right In!

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From: Brett

Where do you go in New York when you’ve sold your Manhattan coop and the sale of your new suburban home has fallen through? Well, if you don’t want to spend a small fortune in rent for a Manhattan apartment only to break the lease because you are sure that you’ll find the home of your dreams in no time, then you do what any self-respecting Gen Xer would: you move back home.

Home, in our case, is the Madison/Marine Park section of Brooklyn. When we found ourselves backing out of our contract for a 4 bedroom in NJ last year, myself, my husband, and our infant twins, settled down in the house in which he was raised.Continue reading Move Right In!

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