Brownstone Archives - Page 3 of 3

Affordable NYC: Brooklyn Under $600k

February 15, 2008 RH 3 Comments

We’re going into a recession! There’s a housing slump! So does that mean a Brooklyn townhouse can be had for under $600k now? Let’s see….

$599k: 2 Family, Crown Heights North. OH Sunday!

I’m putting this one at the top of the list because judging from internet alone, it looks like the best choice. A 3200 square foot 2 family limestone in Crown Heights North. It looks like this has great detail. According to the floorplan, only 2 floors are finished. Agents suggest finishing the “English basement” for a lower duplex. If the previous owner had done this, the price would not be under $600k! Open House this Sunday: 1274 Park Place.

$575k: 2 Family Bed Stuy

Location! Location! Location! This house needs a full reno, including roof, plumbing and electric. Maybe even windows and facade, judging from the picture. Some details remain. They list it as a 3 story, but I’m looking at 4 in the photo. That would mean more rental space=more money. Or a larger space for yourself. The map is showing MacDonough and Tompkins, which is right near an up and coming strip of shops and restaurants, close to Fulton and 2 blocks from the A express. Oh, and a block from the Reclaimed Home Brooklyn headquarters. The rehab needed might be too extensive to make this work.

$599k: Renovated 2 Family in Bed Stuy

Looks like they did a nice job of restoring this place, but it’s difficult to see since 2 of the 3 shots are of the hallway. And no exterior photos! Located on Monroe between Stuyvesant and Lewis. I know that Stuy/Lewis is verrry desirable closer to Fulton, but I’m not familiar with that particular block.

$599k: Flatbush

Not much to go on. To say this house needs updating would be an understatement. Nice vinyl panels in the hallway! But I’m seeing some details, which makes this an exciting option. Looks like some original plaster, molding and doors are left.

$599k: Bushwick 3 Family

Hmm, not much info here as far as photos or exact location. Sez 3 renovated apartments. I’m thinking, live in one and fill the other two with hipsters who will pay your entire mortgage. Not a bad scenario, no?

$575k: “Park Slope/Gowanus”

And if you must live in Park Slope, there are still homes on the fringes of the neighborhood. This 2 BR ~~shack~~ house in need of updating is somewhere within walking distance to 7th Ave, 5th Ave and Smith Street. Maybe it’s even got breathtaking views of the Gowanus? Oh wait, there’s already an accepted offer. What? I didn’t say anything.

“Under Construction” Behind the Scenes

January 22, 2008 RH 1 Comment

Yesterday I linked to OTBKB‘s post about DIY’s upcoming TV series “Under Construction“. I have to admit that I’m guilty of not reading the whole post and I didn’t see the YouTube link.The show follows Brooklyn contractors John DeSilvia and John Palanca of Design Tech Construction as they deal with NYC’s whiny clients, unreliable sub contractors and DOB red tape. (Ok, that was me putting my own spin on it).

Watch the video! It’s too funny! You know they never would’ve used the word “poop” if the cameras weren’t rolling. Also, is that guy Scott Baio’s brother or what?

“Under Construction” airs Tuesdays at 9pm on ET.

More Brownstone Courses At City Tech

December 26, 2007 RH

Photo: Matt Carman

City Tech’s Continuing Ed program is offering more brownstone series courses starting in January.

For more information: dsalomon@citytech.cuny.edu
To register: 718 552 1170

January 15
Green Home Furnishings and Healthy Home Decor: HHT 075 $40

February 20
Interior Design Basics HHT 072 $40

March 6 – 27
The Art of Home Decor HHT 070 $125

March 11
Basic Home Repairs HHT 077 $40

April 12
Spring Sruce Up (No course number) $20

April 17
Low Impact Living: HHT 076 $40

Town House Living: It’s Torture

December 10, 2007 RH 5 Comments

NY Times revealed the pain and suffering behind owning a town house in the city. “Town House Living: The Untold Story” a gripping exposé of whiny ass rich folks who can’t do anything for themselves left me saying “WTF?”

The Manhattan town house owners interviewed complained of vertical living challenges and the fact that they actually had to maintain their own homes.

A 30 something couple had diaper changing stations installed on every floor and doubled up on kitchens, laundry rooms and espresso machines because they couldn’t handle the stairs. I wonder how much they pay for their gym membership.

One woman complained “You have no idea how much the garbage controls your life”. She spoke of the street people rifling through her trash leaving an “ungodly” mess. Another gentleman wakes up at (gasp) 6am three days a week to haul his own trash to the curb. And on top of that, he has to clean the front of his house. The horror.Continue reading Town House Living: It’s Torture

Anatomy of a Brownstone:Energy Incentives

December 7, 2007 RH 1 Comment

The final two speakers of the Anatomy lecture were from the energy community. Although they spoke separately, I’m rolling them into one post because both had to do with energy incentives.

Mark Wyman of Energy Smart Communities educated us on NYSERDA’s energy audit program. He went over tax incentives, rebates and how to find energy star contractors and products. All of the information can be easily found on the getenergy website.

Mark covered the Association for Energy Affordability, a program that assists low and moderate income people with making their homes healthy. He also touched upon Power Naturally, NSERDA’s renewable energy program.

Take the pledge to do your part to conserve energy! For more information, contact Wendy Fleisher. wfleish AT pratt.edu

Finally, Judy Torres from Keyspan spoke. FYI, Keyspan is now National Grid after the UK based company bought them out, turning it into the second largest utility company in the world.

Judy covered the Energy Analysis program designed to help people analyze and improve their energy consumption. It’s free and fun to do the profile.

National Grid offers rebates for energy star products such as thermostats and up to $800 in rebates for high efficiency boilers.

Anatomy of a Brownstone:Salvage Design

December 6, 2007 RH

Debra Salomon, the principal of 408 Design Group who organized Anatomy’s events, presented with Pietro Calabretta, owner of All Renovation, NY. The two have partnered on several projects.

Pietro spoke of the Greenstone Project, at 695 Degraw, which he worked on with Eitan Baron.

The home features Caesarstone countertops, dual flush toilets, energy star appliances and Fireclay shower floor tiles. We’ve covered all of those items in the past.

What we found most interested was the hot water return system Pietro mentioned. If we understood correctly, the system reuses the cold water wasted while waiting for the hot water to become hot.

Although all of the speakers shared valuable green building information, we found Debra’s subject matter closest to our hearts: old home restoration and salvaged materials.

She presented a design for an air conditioner cover which is an elaborate Victorian pier mirror housing the wall a/c unit. See photos for details.

Debra also showed us an antique butler’s pantry she and Pietro recreated in a brownstone as well as some gorgeous salvaged cabinets that are sitting in someone’s basement because they can’t use them. (Oy, I’ll take them off your hands.)

Anatomy of a Brownstone:A&K Tile

December 5, 2007 RH

A&K Tile Studio in Park Slope has allocated 20% of their showroom to recycled tiles. Before sitting down in the lecture hall, I had a chance to speak with Gerrard Owens, the managing partner. He later presented with Jennifer Napoli.

I also saw some of the samples they had on hand. We’ve covered some of the recycled products here in the past, such as Brooklyn manufactured Ice Stone and Teragren Bamboo, but it was nice to see some other items in person that were new to us.

A&K carries lines from the following companies:

Sandhill Industries, 100% recycled glass tiles
Ekobe Coconut Tiles
Wicanders Cork Flooring

Anatomy of a Brownstone:Green Depot

December 4, 2007 RH

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

December 4, 2007 RH 1 Comment

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

December 3, 2007 RH 1 Comment

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

December 3, 2007 RH 1 Comment

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.

reclaimedhome.com

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