Albemarle Reno: Albemarle General
November 18, 2009
Beneath the Surface
Picking flaky skin off day-old sunburns is irresistible to me. Peeling off the damaged dermal layers brings an odd satisfaction. As the contractor walk-throughs continue and bids are calculated there is some excavating we can't help but do on our own.
Above is our vestibule floor. Could I have lived with this for awhile? Probably, but I couldn't help wondering if the linoleum masked something more interesting. . .
November 6, 2009
Welcome to The Albemarle Reno Blog
My husband and I, together with our intrepid architect, have been plotting and planning since we closed on this house on Albemarle Road in Prospect Park South about three weeks ago. We are first-time home-buyers who have rented brownstone apartments in Carroll Gardens and Boerum Hill since 1992. The renovation we have in mind is extensive. It includes restoring the kitchen to its rightful place (it was shunned to a back hallway in 1959 to make room for the owner-dermatologist's suite of exam rooms). Also in that era, the ornate, oval dining room slummed as a waiting room, while the walls, baseboards and molding throughout the house served as track for stapling miles of alarm system, intercom, phone and, yes, electrical wires. If you click through below, you can get a good sense of the beautiful house we are getting--but also the range of work that lies ahead. We're looking forward to documenting the project as well as benefiting from the input of the Brownstoner community as we go along.