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Hanging in There?

October 31, 2012 RH

Hope everything is ok on your end. That bitch Sandy really kicked our asses, didn’t she? No worries, if there’s anything east coasters are good at, it’s bouncing back.

I’m posting from a cell phone so it’s tough to research and write, but later this week I’d like to compile a list of helpers and helpies. Offhand, I know that FEMA is one place to go if your home has sustained damage. More to come if I ever get a new computer.

For those wondering about my Rockaway renovation, I haven’t seen it yet. I’m going to try to make my way out there today. If only the basement was flooded, I’d be thrilled. Expecting the worst: Total loss but hoping for the best. Either way, watching this unfold from the comfort of my Bed Stuy home where the lights didn’t so much as flicker, has been surreal. I may have lost a significant amount of money and time, but there are people who lost everything, including their lives. So, I’m one of the lucky ones either way.

Of course if I find my house under water, I probably won’t be so zen about it.

So, I guess I should head over there now. Fingers crossed.

Tell Me About it, Stud.

October 29, 2012 RH

Once again, the East Coast is preparing to deal with another slap in the face from Mother Nature. Can’t say I blame her, what with the way we treat her and all. Seems like only a year and two months ago we were worrying about Irene. This is supposed to be worse but so far she hasn’t showed up on my doorstep here in Bed Stuy yet.

The Rockaway house, well that one worries me. The Rockaways were evacuated yesterday, along with parts of lower Manhattan, Coney Island and other Zone A areas. My basement is ok to flood now as everything has been put on higher ground but I didn’t board up windows so I’m more concerned about the wind.

New Yorkers, myself included, seem to be freaking out about not having enough wine and coffee. The Brooklyn Fairway sold out of kale. No word yet on whether or not collard greens were still available.

Personally, I’m not too concerned about us here in the Big Apple. There may be riots in the streets if we can’t get Chinese food delivery but our allies would never lets us down.

The hurricane took the lives of 65 people so far, most of them in Haiti. It’s those folks we need to think about, not some schmucks in a high rise in Battery Park City.

Stay safe, my friends!

Accessorizing with Stencils

October 26, 2012 RH 1 Comment

I always think of stenciling as a finishing touch to dress up a home after the renovation is complete. After having some setbacks in the house that I’m waiting on for repairs, I found myself there yesterday with nothing to do, so I decided to get to some of those finishing touches.

There’s the correct way to stencil and then there’s my way. Since I was anxious to get something done without running to the store to get more supplies, guess which way I did it?

To stencil properly, you should have the following materials on hand.

1. Paint & Stencil. Duh.
2. Stencil brush
3. Blue masking tape
4. Pencil
5. Tape measure
6. Level
7. Paper towel
8. Water or denatured alcohol
9. Stencil adhesive

If you don’t have these items on hand, you can do what I do and use your fingers and a foam roller.

1. Have your base coat down and have the stencil paint on hand. You may use as many colors as your little heart desires.

2. Measure out where to start and the distance between stencils. You’ll most likely be using the same stencil over and over. That’s where the pencil comes in but you can also mask off where it will go. Personally, I like to get this step over with so I can just paint my stencil, but you can stop and measure/level each time. Whatev. Up to you.

3. The spray adhesive will keep the stencil in place. If not on hand (I’ve never had it on hand.) you can tape the stencil but honestly, it pops up and if you’re sloppy like me, there will be some touch up. That’s where your fingers come in. You have to hold it down and you’re literally painting your fingers.

4. Dip the stencil brush or foam in paint and dab it off on a paper towel. You don’t want too much paint.

5. Stipple the brush into the cut outs. Do not, repeat: do not use strokes or it will bleed underneath the stencil. Been there, done that.

6. Carefully remove it without smudging the paint all over.

7. Take off the tape, blah, blah, blah. Beautiful, huh?

8. Repeat over and over again, cleaning the paint off the stencil each time.

9. Touch up with small brush as needed. If it looks perfect, well la-di-da….aren’t you superior?

The stencil you’re looking at has dressed up a boring newly sheetrocked archway between rooms. After the setbacks, it made me feel a bit better about the house. She cleans up real nice.

Dumpy the Pumpkin

October 24, 2012 RH

The Appliances Are Here!

October 22, 2012 RH

The Rockaway house is a two family, so one of my biggest budget concerns has been the purchase of appliances times two. AJ Madison has been my appliance source for a few years now. There are always running good deals and they will deliver and haul away the old.

I got away with one kitchen of all stainless for under $2000. That includes the fridge, stove, dishwasher and over-the-stove microwave exhaust combo. The microwave makes sense when you consider it’s not that much more than just a fan. I figured we would save ourselves some money on take out during renovations. No, we won’t be using the stove. Let’s not go nuts.

My only disappointment was with the shorty refrigerator. Purchasing online, one has to remember to look at the dimensions. I looked at the width and assumed I was buying a standard size fridge, but it’s actually shorter than me. And I’m short! At the end of the day, who the hell needs a huge refrigerator for a one bedroom apartment? Plus, the smaller, the more efficient. Right?

Well, those were the brand new Energy Star appliances for the downstairs kitchen. While at Build it Green one day last week, I did spot this second hand dishwasher which I purchased for upstairs for a mere 25 bucks. It’s returnable if it doesn’t work but I’m ready to accept the loss as it’s not worth $25 to schlep it back to Astoria. Fingers crossed!

Bed Stuy House Tour

October 19, 2012 RH

Bed Stuy has some of the most beautiful brownstones in Brooklyn. You can walk around and see for yourself any day of the year or you can have a peek into some of these glorious homes tomorrow during the 34th Annual Brownstoners of Bed Stuy House Tour.

The self guided tour starts at 11am sharp. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 tomorrow. Click here to find out more details. Meet at the Old Boy’s High School on Marcy and Putnam. It’s simple to get to. The A or C train to Nostrand. Walk north a few blocks to Putnam, hang a right.

Have fun!

Shopping Re-Stores

October 18, 2012 RH 1 Comment

After having hit every Habitat Restore in the Tri-State area and beyond, I’ve come to a conclusion. Ready for it? They suck. No they don’t. But perhaps they aren’t worth the travel time and expense.

Here’s the thing. Local used building material shops are a great thing. You can hit them everyday and they may or may not have new inventory, but what have you got to lose? Traveling to multiple second hand shops miles away because you want to build green is the antithesis of green building.

Case in point. Yesterday I hit two Restores in Westchester. The Mount Vernon one was pretty good. The SOLD $600 fridge mocked me as I walked in the door. I so would have grabbed that. Also, check out the pinball machine that I wouldn’t have bought anyway. That was already sold too.

All that was left was crap. Meh. So, I hit the one in New Rochelle. That was just like a Salvation Army with clothing and small housewares. Determined not to let my shopping day end without a purchase, I set off to the Danbury shop. It was ok, but nothing for me. Well since I was up there, I went to Newburgh’s Restore where I found sconces for $5 that the woman didn’t want to take down for me. U Might Find It, a favorite antiques shop, didn’t have anything I needed either.

So, the day ended with an empty tank of gas and an empty car. I used a tank of gas in an attempt to salvage a few pieces of material. Doesn’t make sense.

Don’t get me wrong. Habitat Restores ARE a great resource for materials. If I was focused on the next project, I would be collecting electrical and plumbing supplies when I see them so I don’t have to purchase those new, but I’m not much of a multi-tasker. Restores are great for windows, doors and toilets, but the lovely antique details are more readily found at proper architectural salvage shops.

So my choice today is to buy inexpensive yucky Home Depot tile for the bathrooms or spend money I don’t have on nice tile. Decisions. Decisions.

Albany Salvage Schlep

October 16, 2012 RH 1 Comment

A few years ago when I lived upstate, I would take frequent salvage trips up to Albany. It was the motherload salvage. Three huge places in Albany proper plus some great shops in Ravena, Coxsackie and Troy.

Having some difficulty getting everything I need locally, I thought it would be worth the 3 hour drive to load up my car with some awesome inexpensive materials.

The first stop was Silver Fox, a massive building that you can get lost in. Not only does Silver Fox have salvage and antiques but they do a decent business making tables and furniture out of reclaimed wood, upcycling light fixtures and such.

Alas, because of my very tight budget, I only walked away with one light fixture. It IS perfect for a retro beachy house though.

Next up was the Re-Store. It looked like it had been picked clean. They had materials, but it was all cheesy stuff. Worth going if you need windows, electrical and plumbing or building as opposed to finishing materials.

Last stop in Albany was the Architectural Parts Warehouse, a place I remembered being completely fabulous. Oh, it was fabulous alright, but they didn’t have anything for me. And I could swear they raised their prices. I don’t know if everyone has raised their prices or it’s that everything seems so expensive to me now that my budget is crazy-tight.

The Ravena Barn Flea Market proved unsuccessful. If you need dishes, glasses or old adding machines, this is the place to go.

Finally, a bit of success at the Coxsackie Antiques Center where I picked up an English telephone faucet for 48 bucks. They had some great stuff and the prices were good but unfortunately, I was shopping for the renovation and not my own house.

With only two purchases and mega gas and toll expenses, I wanted to hightail it to Zaborski’s in Kingston. Guess what? That didn’t happen when I got pulled over for speeding.

So all in all, my day was fun but a negative drain on the finances.

Reclaimed Pine Flooring

October 15, 2012 RH 7 Comments

They all doubted me. The pine sub floor covered in paint, paper and tar could never be a finished floor, said they. Well, I had faith in Desmond the Floor Guy. Called him to look at it. “Sure, no problem.” said he. The day his guys came over and saw the work ahead of them, they screamed that I needed a new floor. Well, the distressed look may not be everyone’s taste and areas had to be patched but behold the beauty of my new/old floors!

Desmond Harmon has been installing and refinishing wood floors for over a quarter of a century. He’s been doing my floors for 18 of those years now. So long, that I still have a pager number for him. His cell is 917-642-2752.

Where unfinished floor meets finished

Before

After

Again? Before.

And after.

Desmond

Salvage Shopping Spree

October 11, 2012 RH

Wanna see what I’ve been buying with my tight, tight budget? This is shopping week as I’m banished from the house during floor week. Tuesday I stayed local in Brooklyn. Yesterday I hit New Jersey and today I’m trekking Upstate.

The marble bathroom countertop will fit a copper sink I have in the basement. I just need to find a base. Guarantee that the faucet will cost more than the entire set up. Marble piece purchased at Eddie’s for the sick low price of $25 when these things normally go for $80-$125. He has more, but I’m special, so don’t even THINK about getting it for that price.

The medicine cabinet is very similar to the one I got from Checklist Home Service, only it needs more work. Like stripping….arrrghhh! Anyway, 30 bucks at Vaccaro’s.

The Jersey trip started out at Appliance Warehouse on Rt. 17 North in Paramus. Miles of used appliances and yet nothing for me. I’m beginning to think it only makes sense to buy used when it’s high end because that’s where the savings are. New low end appliances that look good aren’t that much more expensive than second hand.

I lucked out with my upstairs kitchen tile at the Habitat Re-Store in Wayne. They had some great stuff and I probably found my cabinets there also but will have to return for them as I couldn’t fit them in my car. We’re talking $30-$40 for a row of base cabinets. The tiles? I’ll be tiling my entire kitchen for $25.

I should also mention that I finally stopped by Green Demolitions. The place is massive and wildly impressive. Again, it’s out of my price range as this house has to be affordable for the buyer but if you are looking for your own home, it’s well worth the trip! They do carry mostly new materials and I’d say it’s about 80% high end with good deals to be had.

Rebuilding costs

October 11, 2012 RH

Let’s say that your old house needs some care. Let’s say that you think it’s better to give your house a new look… ok, its’ time to rebuild your house. Now, the next thing to think about is the cost of the rebuilding operations.

This depends from the status of your old house and from how many operations it needs. To estimate the rebuilding costs is important because the building insurance will ask you how much you have spent to rebuild your property.

In order to find out the rebuilding costs of your property, you can use one of the following two ways: you can hire a surveyor or use a rebuild calculator.

Let’s say that you have decided to hire a surveyor. This is for sure the best way to make sure that all the costs for the rebuilding of your house are calculated in the correct way. The surveyor will take detailed measurements of your house and prepare a professional estimation of the Rebuilding Cost Assessment. The final cost will depend from this document.

Let’s say now that you opted for a rebuild calculator. This is our second option and it’s also very simple to do. All you need is a rebuild calculator: this is not hard to be used, but the final result will not be very precise. This is the only negative aspect because if you underinsure your house you will probably have some troubles in case your insurance has to refund you. Same goes for the over insurance of your building. The amount you paid for your home is likely higher that the rebuild value. And what you need to insure your home is the rebuild value.

When using the calculator you have to consider the external area of the building as well as the internal area, including upstairs and downstairs and a garage, if you have one.

Once you enter the measurements and answer a few questions, you can get the result – which is always approximate – of your rebuild cost.

Make sure that your reckons are as veritable as you can and remember that to calculate the rebuilding costs is not like placing a bet! You need to be very precise.

Anyways, even when you choose to place a bet you have to be precise and to know the team info and athletes and so on. With this betting affiliates website you will be sure and happy.

The House on Macon Street

October 10, 2012 RH

The house had been sitting empty since the fire in 2003. It always seemed so crazy that a once majestic home was allowed to deteriorate while real estate in this pocket of Bed Stuy has remained tight.

I heard that it was going up for auction. First I saw the “suits” meeting out front. Then came the rubbish removal truck. I knew something was going down.

Today I weaseled my way into 91 Macon while my neighbor was waiting to let the water company in. He was put in charge for the day, flashlight and all. Since I’m a licensed real estate agent and it IS officially on the market, it wasn’t verboten even though I felt like I was trespassing.

So here’s how crazy real estate in Brooklyn is. They are asking $900k as is. Word on the street is that they intend to renovate but leave any detail that’s there (Praise God) and that price will be $1.5m. Public record shows that they purchased it at auction for $600k a few months ago. That’s a hefty profit although not quite the $300k it may look like. Perhaps there were other liens and taxes, clean up costs, legalizing “stuff”, getting rid of squatters or dead bodies…

In any case, high for Bed Stuy? Homes in the area have been hitting over a million. Although $900k seems steep, $800’s seems almost fair. It’s 4000 square feet. I’m gonna predict they either get $850k as is, $1.1 on a crappy flip or $1.3 on a nice restoration.

Color!

October 9, 2012 RH 1 Comment

After suffering through the endless demo, sheetrock, taping and mudding, I finally got some color on the walls. Personally, I prefer rich jewel tones but since I’ll be trying to sell the house, I went with a lighter palette.

So, my lighter palette choices don’t translate into “safe”. I couldn’t bear the thought of using white. I tried to go with “beach housey pastel” but as you can see, some of the walls are more reminiscent of desserts. Mmm, mint chocolate chip and orange sorbet…..

Buh-Bye KitchenAid (and Whirlpool)

October 5, 2012 RH

File this one under “Information you should know”. KitchenAid tweeted a nasty joke regarding President Obama’s deceased grandmother. “Obamas gma even knew it was going 2 b bad! ‘She died 3 days b4 he became president.” The tweeter probably mixed up their personal account with KitchenAid’s and has supposedly been let go. An apology was issued.

KitchenAid’s parent company is Whirlpool whose Political Action Committee gives mostly to Republicans.

Not trying to sway you one way or another. It’s just some background you might want to know before you purchase appliances. Personally, I’m the Queen of Boycott and I haven’t exactly hidden the fact that I’m a strong Obama supporter. If you don’t like it, you can boycott this blog. I don’t give a fek.

You can check out many companies and their ethical, safety and environmental ratings at Good Guide.

Twice as Much

October 4, 2012 RH

Original deck was taken down.

There’s an old warning about home renovation that goes “Expect to pay twice as much and for it to take three times as long.” I’ve always found this to be true except this time I was prepared for the worst.

Case in point is the back deck. It’s not even so much a deck as steps with a landing. Whomever built this thing must have been on some hard drugs at the time. The stairs are cutting into the house and one landing leans on a roof without any other support. It’s a nightmare.

This is the final “big project” to tackle on the house. I left it for last because I knew it wouldn’t be simple. I’ll survive because my hubby is a structural engineer who has a penchant for removing rotting wood to add support. But I just want to warn others out there that this is what it’s all about. Opening up a can of worms. You remove a wall or a floor or a deck and chances are, what you see behind that won’t be pleasant.

As it’s been said on this blog a million times before, previous homeowners (in my experience anyway) tend to cover things up rather than correct them. The deck is over the basement. We are not only replacing the deck but the damage has spread to the side structures of the house and the basement.

I can’t imagine how much this would cost someone if they were paying a real contractor to do it. Then you have to consider that the contractor is doing the right thing because they sometimes like to cover things up also.

My point? I don’t know if I have one. Oh yeah, maybe it’s this: Expect to pay twice as much and for it to take three times as long.

At the end of the day, I’m gonna have me a nice new deck that will stand longer than the house itself.

Some rotted wood that was removed

Roof that supported the landing

Side of house once vinyl was taken off

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