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Town House Living: It’s Torture

Town House Living: It’s Torture published on 5 Comments on Town House Living: It’s Torture

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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

Madison, Brooklyn

Madison, Brooklyn published on 3 Comments on Madison, Brooklyn

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Author: Brett

My in-laws and I take a stroll around the neighborhood, Madison, in Brooklyn, with the babies everyday. The name “Madison” is no doubt the wizardry of some enterprising real estate office put in place to give the area some caché. James Madison High School is nearby, so maybe that is the source as the area used to be part of Flatbush.

Marine Park, which is not far from Flatbush Avenue and the Kings Plaza Mall, is a welcome oasis for runners, Young People’s Day campers, and stroller-pushing moms. The attached houses on the streets surrounding the park run in the 500Ks and are along bus routes to the nearest subway stop at Kings Highway.Continue reading Madison, Brooklyn

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

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

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!

Woo-Hoo, Help Has Arrived!

Woo-Hoo, Help Has Arrived! published on 2 Comments on Woo-Hoo, Help Has Arrived!

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This is how I envisioned blogging.

Since starting this God forsaken blog in September, my goal has been 4 posts per day (weekends and holidays don’t count). Well actually, it was 5 posts, but that lasted about a week. I’m sticking to my goal even though I no longer have time to exercise, shower, feed my pets or earn money. Fortunately, I found a sucker friend who is willing to help out.

Brett to the rescue! I shot Brett and Andrew’s wedding a few years ago and we’ve been in touch ever since. She actually knows how to write, unlike myself, and she’s looking for her 15 minutes of blogging fame without having to be responsible for her own site. It’s a win-win situation.

*Brett and *Andrew sold their Manhattan apartment and have been looking for a home for the last 2 years. Crazy, huh? She’ll be filling us in on various neighborhoods and pitfalls of home buying. Ideally, we can follow their journey to an actual home and renovation if she doesn’t get sick of writing within the first week.

Somewhere along the way, a pair of twins came into the picture. Hopefully they won’t distract Brett from writing, like my starving cats’ crying out for some morsels of food or the stench of my own fat, decaying body.

*Names have been changed to protect the paranoid.

Affordable NYC: Inwood

Affordable NYC: Inwood published on 2 Comments on Affordable NYC: Inwood

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Here’s some fun trivia for ya.

1. Where did the $24 sale of Manhattan allegedly take place?
2. Where is the only natural forest in Manhattan located?

Inwood! I didn’t know that. Well, I probably learned about it in 1st grade, but I didn’t remember it.

Inwood Hill Park, a 196 acre natural forest NOT designed by Olsmstead and Vaux is where the famous Indian/Dutch deal may have taken place. Inwood’s geography is incredible, especially considering it’s in Manhattan. The neighborhood sits at the northernmost tip of the island, between the Hudson and Harlem Rivers. There are hills, trees and even caves in the area.

Transportation options include the A express, as well as the 1 and 9 trains, or an express bus. If you have car and need to run from the city on the weekends, it’s very handy for upstate.

The history is the same as any other NYC affordable neighborhood. White flight in the 70’s, crack epidemic of the 80’s. It got run down. Now Inwood has a large Dominican population, but it’s already been discovered by other newcomers. I wouldn’t say people are flocking to Inwood, but it’s not exactly a secret anymore.

As with other gentrifying nabes, some residents complain of lack of amenities while others don’t want to push ahead too quickly. Most of the residents seem pretty happy to be there.

The housing stock is mainly interesting pre war apartments. You can still find condos for under $300k, but the market isn’t flooded with them.

Inwoodite Blog
Forgotten NY
Wash/Inwood Online
Inwood Manhattan

Inwood Rentals: Under $1000

Inwood Rentals: Under $1000 published on

I’m shaking things up a bit this week. I wanted to see if Manhattan rentals exist for under $1000. Well, the listings exist, but I haven’t looked into whether or not these places are just bait. I also don’t know the area well enough to know if they are in a crappy section.

Here’s a good classified section for more listings.

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$995: 1 BR

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$1000: 1 BR

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$1000: 1 BR

Weekender: Narrowsburg

Weekender: Narrowsburg published on 1 Comment on Weekender: Narrowsburg

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Narrowsburg is quaint. That’s an understatement. I just want to put it in my pocket and take it home with me, it so cute.

Apart from being adorable, the town has alot going for it. Two and a half hours from the city, it sits on the Delaware River between the Catskills and the Poconos. This area has a different feel from the rest of Upstate. For one, the Upper Delaware is a narrow, windy river, unlike the Hudson. The town is surrounded by hills, forests and lakes, which makes it more cozy than the vast upper Catskills.

It has already been discovered by weekenders, but the party ain’t over yet. Home prices are still very much affordable. What could be better? Weekender amenities at affordable prices?

In the town, you have the obligatory fine wine shop, coffee house, art galleries and antiques shops to keep the city folk happy. Outdoor activities: canoeing and kayaking (of course), hiking (of course) and eagle watching.

The bad news:

You need a car. Trains go as far as Port Jervis and buses to Monticello, both a half hour away.

Taxes are high, but then again, no more shocking than other parts of upstate. They are lower in neighboring Pennsylvania, and you can just hop over the puddle to get there.

If you decide to take a drive this weekend, check out the Valley Artists Holiday Sale.

Need a vacation rental in the area? Check out my friend’s farmhouse!

NY Times Article
River Reporter
Narrowsburg Chamber


Narrowsburg Realtors

Narrowsburg Realtors published on

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$175k: 6BR, 1/2 acre

Instead of doing individual listings this week, I want to point you to few real estate sites. The reason being, all of the listings I came up with belonged to one agent and they don’t even have alot of info on their site!

I was really impressed Catskill 4 Sale which features a handy MLS and real estate blog by a gay friendly buyer’s agent.

Eagle Valley Realty seems to have the corner on the market. You can search by price, which starts at under $100k.

Catskills 4 Sale is an informative site from a broker who apparently enjoys fishing. Most of his listings are already sold.

Architecture Against Death

Architecture Against Death published on 2 Comments on Architecture Against Death

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I heard about this on NPR over the weekend and I said “Oh, puleeze!” But then I saw the photos and ok, it looks pretty cool.

Artist/Architect team of Arakawa and Madeline Gins, both living in New York, collaborated on the Reversible Destiny Lofts in Mitaka, Japan. The living quarters “steer residents to examine minutely the actions they take and to reconsider and, as it were, recalibrate their equanimity and self-possession, causing them to doubt themselves long enough to find a way to reinvent themselves. These tactically posed architectural volumes put human organisms on the track of why they are as they are. To be sure, every loft comes with a set of directions for use.”

In plain English, I believe this means that the space is not convenient or comfortable. It makes a person THINK and interact with their surroundings. So I guess the space keeps you on your toes so you’re too busy to die?

Check out the proposal for the Reversible Destiny Hotel in New York.

Yeah, What He Said: Bed Stuy Rocks

Yeah, What He Said: Bed Stuy Rocks published on 2 Comments on Yeah, What He Said: Bed Stuy Rocks

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I can’t pass up a good Bed Stuy article….or my Monday NY Times report. This Sunday there was an article on Micheal Andaloro, a commercial interior designer who moved to Bed Stuy from the East Village a year ago.

He’s one of the old time New Yorkers in search of NYC circa 1980s and he has discovered it in Bed Stuy (just like us!). He first looked in the South Bronx but wasn’t too impressed with the housing stock (just like us!).Continue reading Yeah, What He Said: Bed Stuy Rocks

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