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Is Salvage Overdone?

Is Salvage Overdone? published on

Of course I don’t really believe that recycling old building materials can ever go out of style. It’s just that….I’m having difficulty finding my own materials this time around!

I’ve been hitting up the usual suspects religiously and have come up with bupkas. Build it Green’s inventory in both Brooklyn and Queens is low. Shite, in fact. Vaccaro’s has some decent stuff, but none of it worked for me in regards to this reno. I only found some louver doors at Eddie’s to make a wall out of. He told me that a lot of new restaurants and bars come by to shop.

Which brings me to the point that every new restaurant opening in Brooklyn is decorated with salvaged materials.

Enough already! Leave some for me.

Oh, even Upstate was a bust. Hoffman’s Barn was packed when I was there on Saturday. No lie. Totally Hipsterville. WTF?

I used to do well on Craigslist too. Now? Nah.

The good news is that I’ll be exploring new places to shop this week or next. I’ll head over to CT, NJ and PA.

So take that, people stealing my reclaimed thunder!

Incredible Brownstone: $675k

Incredible Brownstone: $675k published on 1 Comment on Incredible Brownstone: $675k

Head’s up! Anyone looking for an inexpensive (relatively speaking) brownstone in an up and coming area of Brooklyn? Before I tell you about the house that’s available, check out Reno Dakota’s (yes, like the song) full Victorian restoration (above). Yes, someone actually lives like that.

Envious? Me too. But what does that ever solve? Do something about it! The house right next door is for sale for a mere $675k, listed with Urban View and hopefully still on the market. It’s got every bit the detail that Reno and Kei’s house has.

My husband said “Let’s sell our house and move there.” I’m tempted but I like my part of southwest Bed Stuy, plus I can’t keep moving every few years. The part of Bed Stuy this home is located in is “Stuyvesant Heights East” near Ocean Hill. It’s clean, quiet and has lovely tree lined streets, but it’s closer to the Bushwick border than Clinton Hill…not that there’s anything wrong with that. The price reflects the eastern location. Homes in the western part of Bed Stuy have been hitting the million mark, so a gorgeous house like this seems like a steal. Plus, it’s getting tougher to find a place with so much detail. Seems like the flippers have gotten to many of them first and ripped out all the beauty.

Personally, if I was in the market for a house in Bed Stuy, I would check this one out ASAP!

Look Up! Beautiful Ceilings

Look Up! Beautiful Ceilings published on 6 Comments on Look Up! Beautiful Ceilings

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Can’t wait to find out what’s under those drop ceilings in the new home! My guess is a bunch of moldy, crumbling plaster. Ever work on a ceiling before? It’s a pain in the neck. Literally. So, I’ve been looking for alternatives to plain old plastering or sheetrocking. If I’m going to have to go through that, it might as well look fabulous.

I was standing at the Museum of Natural History over the weekend when I looked up and saw the gawgeous paneled ceiling above. Lots of work, for sure. Worth it? Of course! Especially if you can paint the molding before it goes up. I even found a place called Fantastic Finish where I can cheat and order pre-assembled kits. Not that I would do that of course, because budget, budget, budget!

Who doesn’t love an antique tin ceiling? Personally, I’m loving the chippy paint look but I don’t think I’d be able to get away with it in a new renovation. Perhaps a small section of the house…a bathroom, mayyyybe. But it would have to be sealed anyway, because as we all know, any paint prior to 1978 contains lead.

Here’s a modern take on the traditional tin ceiling. For me, it’s going to come down to whatever I can find at the salvage shops.

Reclaimed wood ceilings may look a bit dark around the entire house but they can always be painted to brighten them up. The photo above is actually weathered plywood cut into strips. That stroke of genius is from Burlap and Denim.

Drop ceilings have come a long way since the 1970’s. The tile above is from a company that does PVC drop ceiling tiles. They aren’t cheap and you’ve gotta have lots of time on your hands to paint each tile to look like that, but I’m just throwin’ around ideas here.

The Finish Line

The Finish Line published on

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The only time we’ve ever finished our renovations have been when we put a house on the market. Well, this time we’re not going anywhere but it’s probably a good idea to finish our own house before taking on the next project.

The thing is that we’ve lived in a construction zone in one house or another for the last 18 years so we are quite used to it. Plus, this place is so close to being done that we tend to forget there’s still work to do.

Nobody ever realllly finishes their renovations anyway, do they?

Here’s the punch list. I don’t have too much faith that we’ll get it done any time soon, but perhaps we can check off a few items.

1. Light fixtures. I keep buying them, but I don’t install them.

2. Paint basement steps.

3. Convert work room into dining room. Ugh. Now that I’m embarking on my first flip, the Reclaimed Home store is going out of business. I now have the task of liquidating my merchandise and crafts. Years of crap to sift through. Then I just move the table and chairs in, right? Nah, we want to take down a wall. Demo in an already finished room.

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4. Get rid of pissy cabinet. It was nice while it lasted but we no longer need a sink downstairs. Plus, the cats are peeing on it.

5. Get rid of cats. Only kidding!

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6. Molding for window sills. We did the marble and never finished it off.

7. Fireplace screen. It’s not fixed to the mantel and it needs painting. Currently being held up by a table I pulled out of someone’s trash. Classy.

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8. Molding in bathroom. We finished that bathroom 5 years ago and still, no molding.

9. Redo stairs from garden to parlor level. Yeah, that’s a job for the stair guy.

10. That damn deck! Ha, it’s going to go another summer before we get to it.

Finally! A Finished Light Fixture!

Finally! A Finished Light Fixture! published on 2 Comments on Finally! A Finished Light Fixture!

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It’s been nearly two years since I found my fantabulous light fixture at a salvage shop for $175. It sat in my work room for about six months before we rewired and installed it. Then it hung there with bare bulbs until last night. There was a bit of a problem getting the perfect shades but I finally gave up and ordered them because I got tired of looking at the bulbs.

Now I have a great light fixture! Total cost was under $300. Yeah, the shades were nearly as much as the fixture and lemme tell ya, I went cheap with those!

10 Money Saving Renovation Tips

10 Money Saving Renovation Tips published on 1 Comment on 10 Money Saving Renovation Tips

If you’ve been reading this blog everyday since it’s inception, you know all this like the back of your hand. It’s “Reclaimed Renovation 101”. But here’s a list of tips again just in case you’ve missed a few.

1. GC your own job. If you have the time and organizational skills, you can hire sub-contractors and oversee the project yourself.

2. Sweat Equity. Even if you don’t have mad skills, there’s gotta be something you can do to save some bucks. Demolition? Painting? Stripping paint? It’s called “grunt work”.

3. Re-used Materials. Buy second hand cabinets, appliances and building materials at places like Build it Green and Green Demolitions.

4. Architectural Salvage. Need doors? A fireplace mantel? Medallions? Light fixtures? Forget Home Depot! Yuck! Check out the salvage yards in Brooklyn, upstate and Pennsylvania.

5. Recycle your own Materials. Maybe you can re-use that wide plank sub floor. Those kitchen cabinets might not be so bad if you painted them. Many materials in your home may not need to trashed, only re-worked.

6. Craigs List! Check out the “free” and “materials” categories. You may find some company liquidations or overages on other renovations. Tile, flooring, maybe even sheetrock.

7. “Oops” Paint. If you only have a small room to do, look at the opened paint shelves at Home Depot or other paint stores. You can pick up a gallon for five bucks or so. Colors are already mixed though.

8. Day Laborers. Yeah, I know…illegal and risky. I shouldn’t recommend this, but…

9. Liquidation Stores. There’s one on McDonald Avenue in Brooklyn that sells everything from flooring to toilets. There’s also Lumber Liquidators.

10. Friends. Cheaper and more legal than day laborers. Just get them pizza and beer.

George and Mary’s Drafty Old House

George and Mary’s Drafty Old House published on 1 Comment on George and Mary’s Drafty Old House

I’ve watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” every year since I was a little girl. Never tire of it! I don’t think I have a favorite character. Clarence the Angel is certainly up there, but so is forgetful Uncle Billy and free spirit/lost soul Violet Bick. Have I been right in thinking all these years that she needed to go to NY for an abortion?

320 Sycamore plays as large a role as any human in the story. When it first appears, George is about to throw a rock at the windows. Mary tells him not to because she loves that house. George doesn’t get it. “It is a weather-beaten, old-fashioned two-storied house that once was no doubt resplendent.” Mary: Oh, no, George, don’t. It’s full of romance, that old place. I’d like to live in it. George: In that place? I wouldn’t live in it as a ghost.

Ah, but who ends up being right about that old house? Mary recognizes the potential in the forgotten Victorian beauty and knows it just needs some attention. Also, pretty cool that we see her working on it herself without the help of contractors.

The house is a metaphor for every character in that film and the entire town of Bedford Falls. They are all worth the effort. Why, even Old Man Potter comes around in the end, doesn’t he?

FYI, in my Beacon house, which I not-so-subconsciously fell in love with because of that film, there was a loose newel post. I always refused to fix it because it always reminded me of George and Mary’s broken bannister.

More on the old house @ Hooked on Houses.

 

Marble Window Sill

Marble Window Sill published on 2 Comments on Marble Window Sill

This is a work in progress and it doesn’t look like much now, but I’m excited that after oh, about four years of plywood window sills, we finally cut the marble to install. The plan has always been to use the recycled marble that came from our fireplace hearth. Two slabs were sitting in the backyard. Don’t know what took so long.

The pieces are not wide enough. We’ll use smaller cuts on the sides and fill it in with grout to make up the difference. Wood molding will be added to the front, painted to match the radiator cover.

It will take about another four years to for the finished product.

Reclaiming Our Roots

Reclaiming Our Roots published on 4 Comments on Reclaiming Our Roots

Reclaimed Home is going back to its roots! After moving back to Brooklyn, where space is an issue, we stopped collecting larger salvaged items for reuse. Well, it’s time to expand again.

Starting a tiny home based business was a breeze. Starting a small business with a team is a bit more challenging. But you know what? It’s important that we do this now for a variety of reasons.

Saving building materials from the landfills. Mother Earth is screaming for help. Tons of demolition rubbish goes into dumpsters every day.

Presenting restoration options for folks of all income levels. We’re going through some rough economic times. Why shouldn’t everyone have the same access to beautiful architectural details and furnishings for their dwellings?

Preserve our history! Old homes are being torn down to make way for new construction. Historic details are discarded of during renovations. The skilled craftspeople who created these materials are long gone. Let’s give their work a second life.

Here’s what you can do to help us achieve our goals. If it can be recycled, please don’t throw it out! We’ll take reusable materials off your hands. If you’re doing a renovation or know of someone who is, contact us before you allow your contractor to destroy house parts and throw them in the dumpster. We’ll carefully remove the items for you so someone else can make use of them.

It will save you demolition fees. It will save you disposal rates. Most importantly, it will save our planet from overflowing landfills.

You can email us by hitting the “contact” link at the top of the middle column. We thank you and Momma Earth thanks you.

 

 

 

Crown Heights North House Tour

Crown Heights North House Tour published on

What’s better than looking at internet house porn? Participating in house porn! Yes, all you house whores, it’s time for the 5th Annual Crown Heights North House Tour!

When? Saturday, October 1. 11am-4pm

Where? The kick off ceremony and breakfast starts at 10:45 at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church. Brooklyn Avenue and St. John’s Place.

What? A self guided tour of nine homes, one church, one community garden and a nonprofit location.

Tix? $20 in advance, available at Barbara’s Flowers, 615 Nostrand Avenue and Yanatiba,714 Washington Avenue or on-line from Crown Heights North Association. Tickets can be purchased for $25 at door on October 1st.

Building Stairs

Building Stairs published on

After six years of procrastination, we finally replaced our dangerous basement steps that were about to collapse.

Pre-cut stair stringers can be purchased in many lumber shops. This video kicks off after hubby measured and cut his own stringers. Project is for an intermediate skill level DIYer. Beginners can do it if they’re good at math. I suck at math, therefore, I would not be able to install stairs.

DIY: Concrete Slab Form

DIY: Concrete Slab Form published on

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This may be boring for you more designy/less handy folks, but it’s what we’re working on at the moment. In this case, we happen to be creating the slab to use as the bottom step of the basement stairs.

Check out this video if you want to learn how to set up the form for a concrete slab pour. If you’re working on an entire floor, you would do something like this on a larger scale. The room can be broken down into smaller slabs and joints can be filled in later.

This Hits Home

This Hits Home published on

The death count for Hurricane Irene is now up to 40. We joked that it was non-event here in the boroughs, but looking at the damage she caused elsewhere, we should thank our lucky stars it wasn’t worse.

This NY Times photo struck a chord. This poor woman was in the middle of restoring her 200+ year old house. You know she loved that house because she took the time to scrap the paint and brighten it up instead of slapping on some siding. I can sympathize with her loss because I know how I’d feel if I put in hours of work for nothing.

People’s homes and businesses are damaged all the time in natural disasters. As long as everyone survives (pets included), it’s just a building. And possessions. Hopefully, insurance covers enough so that people don’t end up with nothing. But you can’t replace the intangibles. The memories. The time spent working to make it yours.

Memories fade and time passes no matter what. Money comes back. It must hurt to have them stolen in a single day though.

Reclaimed Lumber Shipped Nationwide

Reclaimed Lumber Shipped Nationwide published on

We usually try to stick to local reclaimed wood resources but new advertiser Reclaimed Lumber (see link on the sidebar) has a warehouse in Pennsylvania. That’s local enough. Plus, they do ship nationwide.

The wide plank pine shown in the above photo is $5.95 per square foot. That’s not bad! The website says that shipping should cost less than $250.

One can get lost on the site. There’s all sorts of reclaimed flooring, including pine and oak from barns and wine barrels. But flooring is just the start. There’s paneling that’s not your grandma’s 1970’s wall paneling. Ceiling panels, reclaimed wood furniture, beams, frames and slabs. It’s the go-to source for reclaimed wood in any form.

You can buy and sell barns on the site. No sh*t! And old log cabins!

Kind of makes me wish I was restoring an old country home.

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