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November 2, 2005

Designer Brownstones in Bedford Stuyvesant

houseOn Monday Set Speed brought our attention to some new brownstone condominium units hitting that market at 76 Macdonough Street in Bed Stuy. They are done by a small company called, appropriately, Designer Brownstones. The company started out of a frustration with poor quality renovations the founder observed going on in Bed Stuy. By contrast, Designer Brownstones says, "We use only top quality materials and are mindful of preserving the original details such as fireplaces, shutters, pocket doors, decorative molding, plasterwork and hardwood floors which give our brownstones their unique character." Amen.
76 Macdonough [Designer Brownstones via Set Speed]




Posted by Brownstoner at 11:56 AM | Comments (20)
Categories: Brownstones

Comments

brownstoner, can you tell from the pictures on the site whether they're true to their word? i guess you can't really tell unless you go there in person...the prices seem right, though...and unless i'm mistaken, these are in the historic district...

Posted by: ltjbukem at November 2, 2005 12:01 PM

Bathrooms are a bit of a downer, but it looks like otherwise the details were preserved. With how nuanced a touch is hard to tell from pics though, you are right.

Posted by: Brownstoner at November 2, 2005 12:13 PM

bathrooms and kitchens looks a little iffy to me. and these days, not many flippers are removing fireplaces or wood floors..

Posted by: Anonymous at November 2, 2005 1:00 PM

sooooo, how much????

Posted by: Anonymous at November 2, 2005 1:23 PM

Nice idea -- lame execution.

Painted over mouldings and details (check out that mantle)? exposed brick? Home Depot bathrooms?

How is this "using top-quality materials and preserving original details?"

These are better than some hack-job gut reno, but not by that much.

Posted by: clinton hillbilly at November 2, 2005 1:35 PM

Sorry, not impressed by the paint-covered woodwork. Kitchens and baths look depressingly uninspired.

Posted by: Anonymous at November 2, 2005 1:53 PM

My heart breaks a little when I see a developer throwing yet another coat of white (really white) paint over those fireplaces. And then the brown over the stairs.

Don't get me started on those ext windows or the Home Depot french doors. Looks like they decided to skip the kitchens altogether, which may be a blessing.

The truth is, I'm sure they did an okay job. But the "We use only top quality materials and are mindful of preserving the original details such as fireplaces, shutters, pocket doors..." is pure bull.

Posted by: Anonymous at November 2, 2005 1:58 PM

I'm not completely blown away by the units but its all around not bad, I don't know how much a fan I am of turning brownstones into condos but it could be worse. overall, I could be sold on this idea. besides, this is my street!! how much are these anyway?

Posted by: stuy blkbuttrflie at November 2, 2005 2:12 PM

I just read ltjbukem's commentary and the prices aren't that bad I wonder if these will go fast and if he'd get asking...

Posted by: stuy blkbuttrflie at November 2, 2005 2:18 PM

yuck

Posted by: Anonymous at November 2, 2005 2:36 PM

face it, at prices of $379K and $599K, you could do a lot worse...just strip the paint and put on a new coat...i'll say they get sold out in a month max...

Posted by: ltjbukem at November 2, 2005 2:40 PM

I wouldn't be surprised... considering the money this person is making off this I wonder if individuals would consider this option or if it may become popular. it may not be as cost efficient initially if you're just the home owner though as you'd have to find the upfront funds to convert the house into condos but I it could happen...

Posted by: stuy blkbuttrflie at November 2, 2005 2:56 PM

I honestly don't think these look that bad. Would definitely have to see them in person, but it's a little different take on the brownstone market and will probably allow more people to consider home ownership. Has anyone actually seen the spaces?

And by the way, flippers may not remove wood floors, but they certainly do cover them up with other things.

Posted by: sal at November 2, 2005 2:58 PM

Quite disappointing!!! Definitely not "top quality".

Posted by: house#4 at November 2, 2005 3:01 PM

These places don't look too bad, a lot better than many condo conversions or coops in brownstones that I've seen.

As for paint on woodwork such as window casings, not all of the woodwork in brownstones was originally stripped and stained to begin with. Yes, some mahogony, walnut or cross cut tiger oak was, but oftern window and door frames were of pine or other wood that was originally painted. I've seen plenty of examples of people "restoring" the woodwood and the new stained wood does not look so hot because it was meant to be painted in the first place. Not to say that the picture of a painted bannister is not a shame, but just giving some perspective, imo.

Posted by: Anonymous at November 2, 2005 4:19 PM

Yes, the original woodwork in my 1870's Greenpoint house is pine that was originally painted, with red glaze over a lighter base coat to look like mahogany. This was a very common technique for this period, less high-end than decorative hardwood but still fancy. Stripping woodwork like this is not only historically incorrect, it usually results in ugliness since the inexpensive wood was never meant to be exposed. Can't tell what the situation with these particular houses was, of course, without seeing them in person & poking around with a scalpel (which somehow the realtors never seem to be enthusiastic about...)

Posted by: Naomi at November 2, 2005 5:37 PM

They could have at least gotten some Ikea cabinets for the kitchens (maybe added an island), stripped the moulding to the wood, stripped the fireplaces and french doors. Not everything needs to be saved, or kept historical. You can add modern touches without sacrificing the overall look.


They are better than what's been going around, but better is still not good enough in my opinion. A couple of the kitchens looked poorly planned. Who would want such short cabinets in a kitchen? What could you realistically store in them? It seems as though they found a formula and are sticking to it.

Good idea, though. Maybe I should...

Posted by: browngirl at November 2, 2005 6:22 PM

Is exposed brick above a bathtub a good idea?
It's hard to tell, but that's what I think I see..

Posted by: OE at November 2, 2005 10:03 PM

I think that's exposed brick too, I kinda like that but I do agree with browngirl they could have at least ikea'd it up a bit.

Posted by: stuy blkbuttrflie at November 3, 2005 8:32 AM

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Posted by: clomid at June 30, 2006 2:47 AM

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