Reuse. Rehabilitate. Restore. Architectural salvage and repurposed pieces for the home.
You don’t need a stinkin’ chartered boat to see whales. Nor do you need to schlep out to Montauk. Check this out. There have been whales hanging around Rockaway for a couple of weeks now. They’ve been spotted anywhere from Beach 90th to the Beach 120’s. How cool is that??
Open living/dining/kitchen area.
One half of the two family Rockaway house will be liveable by June 1st! As in liveable for normal people, not someone like me who no longer notices lack of switchplates and doorknobs. The self imposed deadline was set for this weekend to take some pictures and start spreading the word. Although it’s ready for it’s close-up, it’s a few days from being ready to show. Show by next weekend? Yeah, probably!!
The entire house will be for sale or rent by the end of this month. I call it a two story bungalow. It’s a cozy (that means small in realtor speak) 2 BR over 1BR, just under 1000 square feet for the whole house. Gotta do some comps and math to come up with prices. The website will get started (but not finished) today.
I’m on a roll baby and it feels good!
Yeah, that toe kick needs to be painted and stove needs backsplash.
The old singer sewing machine base trick. A favorite of mine.
Long, narrow bedroom in the back of the house. I want to work a little magic on those plain, white doors if I get the time.
Kitchen area before.
Living room during demo.
The Hamptons may have their Jitney but the Hipster Hamptons has it’s own Rockabus leaving from a single Brooklyn neighborhood. Can you guess where? Come on. Yeah, of course it’s Williamsburg.
It’s kind of funny that it exists but it’s pretty great because it’s a bit of a pain in the arse to get from Williamsburg to Rockaway Beach. It’s a breeze from my neck of the Bed Stuy woods as I’m 2 seconds from the A train.
Anyhoo, if you’re a Williamsburger who plans on coming out to Rockaway this summer to help me on my new house, check out the Rockabus. Service starts this weekend.
See you there!
I didn’t want to jinx it by mentioning it, but now that my offer has been accepted, inspection is done and I’m about to go into contract, I think it’s safe to tell you about the new house!
After looking in The Rockaways in bad weather then deciding to search upstate for a few months, I got discouraged with “the country”. Yes, there were houses in my price range. Loads of them. And I looked at them all. Only, none of them made too much sense. After travel time and/or living away from home most of the week, high taxes and the amount of work these places needed, I decided to give it one last shot locally.
I caught this house on Craigs and the agent actually did her job (unheard of in NYC in my price range) by returning my call and showing me the house. Not only that, but she has followed through on everything with this deal.
Location is pretty darn good even if it’s not on the beach. It’s actually located on the bay side of the peninsula with a view of the water. The parks department bought the property across the street on the bay and it will be a park with an area to put in kayaks and such. At the rate they’re going, I’ll be finished before them. This is in the high Beach 80’s, close to Thai Rock and within walking distance to the hip beach area. Like 4 blocks walk to beach.
The house is not much to look at. New vinyl siding. Hate it! But since I gotta keep costs down and I don’t want to put all that vinyl in the dumpster, I’ll try to purdy it up best I can with some molding to take away from the fugliness.
The 1920’s house probably never had any detail to begin with and it surely doesn’t now. There is actually wood flooring under that carpet, but who knows what I’ll find behind that drop ceiling and wall paneling? I’m thinking of going with Hollywood Regency style to spice it up.
It’s a legal 2 family of about 1000 square feet and I’ll keep as two units. I figure that rental income is never a bad thing. When all is said and done, the house should be fairly affordable to moderate income buyers. Even if someone just purchases it as a second home or two parties want to split it, the two apartments, although small, make sense.
The kitchens will get face lifts as will the entire house. What is NOT getting ripped out? Hello….
So, here’s where this blog will take another turn. Look for info on The Rocks (Yeah, gross term, I know. I said it to make you puke in your mouth alittle.) in the upcoming months. I’ll be posting design tips and DIY videos once the renovation starts.
If you follow me on Pinterest and you’ve noticed me creating boards like “Siding options”, “Tiny Back Yards” and “Hollywood Regency” now you know why. Let the fun begin! (In about a month when I close.)
The first time I went to check out The Rockaways and look at houses was during the winter. It was a gray, rainy weekday. Miserable. I was totally uninspired and that’s when I started looking upstate.
Well, over the weekend I saw a Rockaway listing that could work for what I want to do and I visited again. This time it was a sunny weekend and people were out. With dogs! And bikes! And frisbees! I walked along the beach and thought….yeah, I could deal with this.
It would mean I can commute from home while I’m working on the house. If I do upstate, I’m up there on my own for the better part of the week.
It would mean I’m not strictly in a second home area (Yeah, I know, people live upstate full time). Buyers who move there can take the A train to work. Granted, it would take them just as long as driving from upstate, but it’s a $2.50 subway ride.
It would mean less taxes.
It would mean I’m not paying thousands for gas to drive up and back while working on the house.
Drawbacks? Well, The Rockaways are still very rundown. The part I can afford, anyway. FYI, I’ll tell you that this is between Beach 86 and 100 Street. It’s totally risky.
Do I like taking risks? Yeah. Kind of.
If you know of any reason I shouldn’t do this, speak up now!!
File this under that old “Affordable Neighborhood” series I used to do, but I liked this title better. If you take the A train allll the way out to the end of the line, you’re in Far Rockaway. A few stops closer to the city, well that’s just Rockaway. Get it?
I explored near and far yesterday. The nicer areas of Neponsit, Belle Harbor, etc feel pretty suburban. The main shopping strip is around 116th Street and the summer hipster surf dude neighborhood is somewhere in the Beach 90’s. I looked at a house on the fringe of that area, in the mid 80’s. The asking price is $168k and the house is in really good condition.
As an immediate flip property, it’s probably not the best solution. The neighborhood still has a few years to go and I’m too impatient to hang on that long. As somewhere to live? Not too shabby. The house is within walking distance to the train, shopping and the beach. Much of the original detail remains. Rip up some carpet to reveal wood floors and strip all the molding and doors. Fix some plaster. Done. FYI, the home is semi attached and the area still does have some grit.
I was looking for signs of people restoring homes, but there isn’t too much of that going on. It’s mostly either properties that have seen better days or brand new developments. One place that I did fall in love with was this cute bungalow around the corner from the house I looked at. Someone did an amazing job here.
If you’re checking out the Rockaways to live, you’ll notice some extremely affordable areas from the 40’s to the 60’s. Yeah, there’s a reason. It’s pretty depressing around there. Once you go farther out, somewhere past the 20’s, it looks like any other part of Queens with some nice homes and pre-war apartment buildings.
Thinking of living there? Do check it out on a cold and rainy winter weekday. Everything is hopping in the middle of the summer, but what happens when the hipster doofuses run back to Williamsburg?
See photos below of the $168k house and the cute bungalow not for sale.
The original woodwork is throughout the entire house. Looks 1920’s Craftsman style to me. Like I sez, picture all of the wood stripped and wood floors. The doors and light fixtures are original.
How cute are these kitchen cabinets? Some schmuck will probably come in here and throw these in the dumpster while updating the kitchen.
Yes, there is a bar in the basement! And yes, it’s made out of a recycled door.
Behind the bar. I assume these come with the house.
The upstairs bathrooms are original and in good shape, but this unused one in the basement is da bomb! I’m tellin ya, I could’ve lived in that basement.
The adorable bungalow around the corner. Looks like they used lots of reclaimed material and that siding is corrugated steel. Watch for me to steal that idea if I have to re-side a frame house in the future.
The Bungalows of Rockaway trailer from Jennifer Callahan on Vimeo.
In researching The Rockaways for a possible investment property, I came across this documentary made a few years back. My bungalow obsession + not having to schlep all the way upstate to renovate = What could be better? Maybe the location of the bungalows. Apparently there’s a bit of urban blight going on in that part of Rockaway.
But supposedly it’s a Hipsta’s Paradise over in the higher number streets. Checking it out on Thursday. Will report back.
When we dropped in for a visit on the Federation of Black Cowboys a few weeks ago, most were out at a rodeo in New Jersey. We were invited back last Sunday for their ride over to the beach. Here are some photos. The rest are on Flickr.
Over the weekend we ventured out to Howard Beach, Queens to hang with a buddy who’s a member of the Federation of Black Cowboys. Those are the guys you see riding their horses on South Conduit out near JFK.
Black cowboys have been part of American culture since the 1860’s, but the current incarnation of the Federation was born in 1994. The website is not currently being kept up. They do often welcome visitors, but check first to make sure it’s cool. When we showed up, most of the cowboys and cowgirls were at a Juneteenth rodeo in NJ, so it was a quite day back at the ranch.
This is our buddy Ralph. By day, he’s a heavy construction laborer, but much to his wife’s dismay, he spends evenings and weekends tending to his garden on the Federation’s 25 acre property.
“Mountain Man” was proud to show us the museum he’s been working on. Housed in one of the trailers, it has some very cool old western gear, but I winced at the animal skins, body parts and traps. He uses all parts of the animal, so kudos to him for that.
This “kid” is only 17 years old. He has his own horse and attends an agriculture high school right there in Queens.
The garden, barbeque pit and picnic area are just off the main road. Making the most out of the urban/rural experience!
Black Cowboys Flickr set
This breathtaking mansion is sooo last week! But I didn’t spot it in The NY Times until this week so forgive me and my “old news” post.
I must’ve looked at the slide show a dozen times. Tears came to my eyes. I think I am in love. Both with the house and that cute old guy (Sorry, Pops) who looks like he’d feel just as much at home in a Florida condo. Hey guy, my mom is available!
The Astoria villa is on the market for $4mil. I think all of you moochers reading this blog for free should chip in and buy this house for me. My birthday is just around the corner as is the 1st anniversary of this blog. T’would make a lovely gift. Come on, let’s make this happen! Go, me!
But enough talk. Let’s just look at pictures and collectively drool.
He’s petting his pony! How cute is that? Does the telescope mean there’s a skylight for viewing? Oh, stop.
Geez, I was excited to uncover plain white marble mantles in my house. Plain marble, feh!
Ok, this is my favorite thing. If I could just rent out the basement, I’d be happy. A billiard room, a bar….and…a Roman bath. Oh, what cursed fate that I don’t have a Roman bath and pool table in my basement!
Author: Brett
Fueled by sensible home prices and city living (albeit, the outer boros), we returned to Bayside, Queens for another look.
On this trip, we took in two open houses: both condos in Northern Bayside. The first was a 3BR/2BTH in The Kennedy Street Quad complex on Corporal Kennedy Street. While our daughter slept in the car and Andrew watched our son stare at passing cars and shout, “Car! Car!” like some miniature carnival barker, I raced in to take a peek. The building itself was nothing special: your typical 1950s brick fare. Still, as I walked in, the friendly super warned me to be careful not to slip on the wet floor.
This spacious unit was empty, freshly renovated, and awaiting new appliances. At $409K, it seemed like a real steal. Located on the 1st floor, it was bright and felt more like a ranch house than an apartment. Then I noticed the lack of a washer and dryer and remembered that it was just an apartment unit. The agent, clearly shocked that anyone was attending this open house, asked me to sign in, then realized that she didn’t have a pen (memo to self: bring writing implement to OH!). She did have a couple of flyers on hand and I almost barfed when I saw the monthly maintenance fee: $1392.36. I don’t even care if an indoor parking spot is included (at an additional $45.90/mo.) It was a nice apartment, but this was no luxury building, mind you. There was no actual doorman or concierge present. After he saw the maintenance fee, Andrew did not even bother going in.
Next, we walked across the street to an Open House in the Bayside Condo Townhouses. This 3 BR/1.5 BA triplex condo in a gated community had a full finished basement with laundry (yay!), a Jacuzzi tub in the full bath and a fairly updated kitchen. The price was also reasonable: $629K for what really was like an attached townhouse plus the maintenance fee of $327.94 (and don’t forget your annual taxes of $2600). The unit was nice and felt roomy, yet I was distracted by the abundance of cat toys and yes, cat puke caked on the rug upstairs. I hate to sound catty (oh, yes I did!), but if you were this agent, wouldn’t you just grab a paper towel and scrub a bit? I bet you even cat lovers (and cat lovers feel free to chime in) are not fans of the cat puke. Anyway, yet more evidence that even in this shitty market, some sellers continue to think that their houses will sell themselves. Even without the cat puke, the backyard faced the Clearview Expressway. But if you like white noise and won’t be using the backyard, then maybe this is the place for you. Otherwise, if you are looking for a townhouse, we did see some attached houses in the area as well, like this one close to the train. At least you can avoid the maintenance fees. Also, we weren’t sure why the area was gated. Who were they trying to keep out, the other middle-class commuter-folks paying “luxury-style” prices across the street? Unfortunately, both properties are situated too far north to walk to the LIRR, but the express bus stops right outside, and shopping at The Bay Terrace is also a short walk away.
With both kiddies now awake, we headed further south to meet an agent and to see some detached single-family houses.
Author: Brett
Still stinging from our near-miss on a 3-bedroom Colonial in Port Washington, NY, we decided to switch gears and started looking somewhere we had always intended to check out, but had never quite gotten to: Bayside, Queens.
Bayside is sandwiched between the Clearview and the Cross Island Expressways and is cut in half by Northern Boulevard. It has a LIRR train stop which is about a 30 minute trip. Bayside has a suburban feel with the added bonus of city buses, parks, and low property taxes. The city public schools are exceptional, and as a former NYC middle-school teacher, this is not a phrase you will ever hear me bandy about. The neighborhood elementary schools, in fact, are so high-performing that they were exempt from the Dept. of Ed’s Orwellian standardized curriculum—a very good thing (art, music and recess, anyone?)
Ok, so there could be less cars and chain restaurants, but there are still oodles of affordable houses within walking distance to the train. It’s no wonder that “Time Out New York Kids” magazine touted Bayside last month as being one of the city’s best new neighborhoods for raising a family.
We have made two trips to Bayside so far—once on our own, and the other with an agent. On the first trip, we saw a roomy Center Hall Colonial for $768K on 205th St. The house had many great features—a sunny eat-in kitchen and outside patio, a finished attic bedroom, and 2 1/2 baths, along with a finished basement. The catch, of course, was that nothing had been updated in at least 15 years and it needed more work than we could possibly afford at that price. A great opportunity—for someone, but not us. Still, the same house would have listed for around $825 in Madison, here in Brooklyn.
Next, we drove to 213th St to see a newly gut-renovated Tudor in Bayside Hills, a leafy, section marked by stone pillars and green malls. This diminutive Tudor for $725 (price has now been lowered to $715k since we saw it last month!) had 3 tiny bedrooms, a barely-there kitchen with breakfast bar overlooking the dining room (dining square foot?) and a postage-sized backyard. What really made it a loser, however, was the basement. You could actually see the raw seams of the main floor as you descended to the “unfinished” basement. There, in one corner, someone had laid the tile for a second bathroom and had attached the door. So, this must have been what the listing meant when they said that there were 2 full bathrooms! Apparently not, since when we asked the listing agent, he replied that this was it for the bathroom—there would be no further work done on it. And I thought that after house-hunting for 3 years that I had seen it all….
After attending the open houses, we had lunch at Pizzeria Uno’s on Bell Boulevard, one of the main shopping streets, and also where the train station is located (at 41st ave). Normally, we wouldn’t bother with a chain, but since we had the kids along, we needed something family-friendly. We decided on our next trip that we would focus on looking at houses north of Northern Boulevard, to make it easier and safer to walk to the train and to shops. We felt like we had a better sense of home prices in Bayside and we agreed that homes were definitely more affordable here than in Brooklyn.
The question remained: Would we find what we were looking for?
Jean over at Renovation Therapy was kind enough to do this guest post for me. THANK YOU, JEAN!!!!
While Jackson Heights might have delusions that it’s the next Park Slope…Woodside/Sunnyside Gardens is trying to stay under the radar. We’re a very diverse hood and we like it that way. There are a few hipsters but we throw rocks at them and that is helping to keep their numbers down. Spaying & Neutering helps too – but rocks are more fun.
There are really 2 sections of Woodside, the 7 train section and the R train section. The 7 train section tends to be cheaper and not as well maintained as the R train section. Just sayin’.
The area around 39th Avenue and between Woodside Avenue and 48th Street is…gorgeous. Some people will argue with me and say that’s Sunnyside. It’s border-licious. The adorable brick rowhouse homes (typically) have shared back yards. I secretly harbor a desire to walk through them but since I don’t own one of those homes, not sure I’d be welcome. Still, I do love to peak into their secret garden-ness. Much to the annoyance of many local homeowners, the homes are now Landmark’d. Many of the gorgeous brick rowhouses were designed by Henry Wright and Clarence Stein who are better known for designing Temple Emanu-El and St. Bartholomews in Manhattan. Their vision was to combine urban and rural. They did a damn fine job. I’d love to own one of these rowhouses. Sigh. You can read more about the landmarking of the area here.
Many of the homes around here still have their “Say No To Landmark Status” signs in their windows.
Interesting current listing…
4 bedroom – $429,000
There’s an apartment building on 39th Avenue called Phipps. I have never been inside the apartments but I often sneak into the buildings piazza-like interior garden. It’s heavenly. It’s dark – with lots of trees, shrubbery and white fairy lights. OK, so they are Christmas lights – whatever, it’s heaven. There are benches in there and you can drift away sucking off the wifi for hours on end.
Across the street from this apartment building is an Italian restaurant called Donato’s. I love Donato’s. Hell, I just might go there for dinner tonight. The chicken francese can’t be beat. It’s a small family joint and it gets quite crowded after 7pm. It’s one of our hoods best kept secrets.
So there’s my quick Woodside review. I left out a million things, but come check it out…if you’re a hipster beware of rocks.
My completely unscientific research has led me to conclude that Queens is the most affordable borough. Here are some coops under $200k. I don’t know what some of these neighborhoods are like or if they are the slightest bit desirable, but they are cheap.
