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June 26, 2006

Introducing the Bed Stuy Reno Blog

interior
houseIf you were at your computer over the weekend, you might have noticed the disappearance of the Cambridge Reno Blog and the appearance of the Bed Stuy Reno Blog. Given all the difficulties Shahn's been having getting everything wrapped up with Landmarks, he decided it would be better to hold off on any more public displays for the time being. Into the breach step an intrepid man named Peter and his wife, G, who recently closed on a wonderful old house in Bedford Stuyvesant. The "before" pictures remind us eerily of our own house back when we bought it in 2004. So we're particularly excited to follow along over the next year as they take us along on their renovation journey. Welcome!
Bed Stuy Reno [Brownstoner]




Posted by Brownstoner at 10:14 AM | Comments (23)
Categories: Bed Stuy Reno

Comments

Can't wait! When oh when is the Brownstoner reno wrap up coming out.. I feel like I sat thru the whole thing and never got to see the finished product

Posted by: Anonymous at June 26, 2006 10:24 AM

Over the weekend I cycled through Bed-Stuy and Bushwick and was surprised at the number of "for sale" signs that I saw. Very spread throughout the neighborhoods, too.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 26, 2006 10:29 AM

Soon!

Posted by: Brownstoner at June 26, 2006 10:46 AM

Welcome Peter and G to the block - I live down the block from you and look forward to the renos to this house!!

Posted by: Susan at June 26, 2006 10:46 AM

Thanks Susan! We are very excited to be here, and know this house will be fantastic.

Posted by: Peter at June 26, 2006 10:58 AM

LOL Now we have Peter, Susan and Thomas a couple more and we can hold our block meeting.Good luck Peter and wife G

Posted by: Anonymous at June 26, 2006 11:07 AM

welcome aboard...I'm on Macdonough and Stuvesant...if you need help with contractors,plumbers,etc...let me know

Posted by: Tre at June 26, 2006 11:09 AM

P&G -

Ah the memories! It seems like just the other day when I laid eyes on my piece of the rock in Bed-Stuy. I am few blocks over on Decatur. I look forward to following your progress. Feel free to post any questions you have on your blog. I wish that I knew about this website and all ...ok maybe just "some" of the helpful people when I was going through my trial and (many) error phase.

Good luck.

Posted by: Glenn Wellington at June 26, 2006 11:31 AM

Re: for sale signs in BS. I have noticed a lot of foreclosures for all parts of BS on Property Shark. Could be investors trying to onload or folks in trouble trying to get out.

Posted by: crouchback at June 26, 2006 11:49 AM

Among other equally valid reasons.

Posted by: crouchback at June 26, 2006 11:51 AM

Welcome Peter and G to the hood. Some of your horror stories - the refrigerator, plumbing, gave me an awful sense of deja-vu. Been there, still working on the rest.

I love that you are doing much of the work with your friends. That's what I read a good reno blog for, not just to see what a professional contractor/renovator has done. Good luck and if you need any local information......

If you can, get in touch with the Brownstoners of BedStuy. They are a great group to be associated with, and practically everyone there has been where you are. I think it's great that you have neighbors who are also brownstoner readers, and people who want to improve the neighborhood.

Best of luck, and will definitely keep reading.

Posted by: CrownHeightsProud at June 26, 2006 12:03 PM

Good Luck P&G! I too just moved into the 'hood (Kosciusko & Bedford). I bought a three story brick face last week that needs a good amount of work. I'm sure we'll be sharing lots of similar pains!

Posted by: Phil at June 26, 2006 12:36 PM

Hey CHP, what's "Brownstoners of BedStuy" and how come I don't know about this??

Posted by: Yente at June 26, 2006 12:59 PM

how much do these homes generally cost. the ones that need fixing?

are bushwick homes worth investing in - no detail there, and doesn't the neighborhood have trouble with noise?

Posted by: Timster at June 26, 2006 2:16 PM

P&G, your blog totally has my heart--you won me over with the maggots, which was the kind of "original detail" our place specialized in. Good luck with demo and tooth-dust...may the sordid squalor give way to all things bright and beautiful (or at least clean and functional!)

Posted by: Brenda from Flatbush at June 26, 2006 3:01 PM

Thanks for the words of encouragement! We've developed a mantra for dealing with things like the refridgerator and the maggots: "We only have to this once. . ."

It's nice to know too that other people have been where we are and that more still want to do it - it means we're not totally insane. Or if we are, we're not the only ones.

Posted by: Peter at June 26, 2006 3:06 PM

where is this house located?

Posted by: Anonymous at June 26, 2006 3:19 PM

Congrats on your new home! I just purchased a brownstone on Macdonough in need of MAJOR work. My 5 yr old daughter has mild asthama so we can't live through the reno. My GC will start the Demo in a week. I keep thinking I must be insane to take this on but all of you in the thick of it give me inspiration.

Posted by: new bed stuy at June 26, 2006 3:30 PM

Yente,

Brownstoners are the group best known for sponsoring the Bed Stuy House Tour in October, but they are also hold regular meetings, and are a very nice group of BedStuy people who originally gathered to preserve the great architecture and homes of BS, and to find like people to socialize with, trade tips and horror stories. As BS has changed and grown, so has the group. Joining is a great way to meet a lot of great people who have similar interests.

I tried to find a web address for them, but can't. Hopefully someone here can post, and in the meantime, I will contact one of the members, and get a contact #.

Posted by: CrownHeightsProud at June 26, 2006 3:35 PM

Welcome to the neighborhood! All other area residents, theirs a Fulton/Nostrand United Merchants Assoc. (meeting with local precinct officers, latest restoration plaza construction, etc.) breakfast on Wednesday. Im travelling on business but thought i'd spread the word here. Please report if so inclined!


http://www.bedstuygateway.com/

Posted by: mcteague at June 26, 2006 8:36 PM

Thanks for the info! I'll try to check that out!

Peter and G- welcome! Your blog is going to be fascinating (and agonizing for those of us who will get flashbacks) :-)

It's wonderful to have another renovation blog- but I still miss Shahn's!

Posted by: Bx2Bklyn at June 27, 2006 10:19 AM

Thanks for the info. I forgot where I posted that question and it took me awhile to find it!
BTW,be careful,P&G,restoration/renovation can be somewhat of an addiction. My husband and I are on our 4th house and we're mostly DIYers. Once the house looks nice, we need another project. I haven't lived without holes in the walls for over 10 years.

Posted by: Yente at June 27, 2006 11:01 AM

Welcome!!! My husband and I just looked through your blog and are fighting the flashbacks! I don't know your bed-stuy location but we are over on Monroe between Nostrand & Marcy and are finally (after 2+ years!) seeing a light at the end of the renovation (we too did most of the work ourselves while living in it) tunnel. We'd be happy to share some of the lessons we learned along the way and even might have some salvage goods that we didn't end up using that might fit your house.... CONGRATULATIONS! Maggots and all. :)
Amy & Mike

Posted by: amybnyc at June 27, 2006 9:48 PM

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