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House of the Day: 1199 Bergen Street

Categories: HOTD

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Here's another gem in Crown Heights North. The 3,500-square-foot house has lots of beautiful old woodwork and one particularly amazing old built-in marble sink. A broker bought the house back in 2004 for just $363,000 and has been fixing it up. As is typically the case, it looks like he's made the mistake of cheaping out on the kitchen; the bathrooms, while nothing special, at least stick with a simple white color scheme. Think this will fly at $999,500? We suspect not. More like low $900's. But we've been wrong before.
1199 Bergen Street [NWNY Realty] GMAP P*Shark



By Brownstoner at March 13, 2007 11:57 AM | Comments (31)

31 Comments

By Anonymous on March 13, 2007 11:21 AM

Wow, looks great! $999 seems a bit high though.....I agree with Mr. B- high $8's to low $9's.

By North Sleeper on March 13, 2007 11:22 AM

Other than the shiny cabinets, how is this "cheaping out" the kitchen? Looks like granite coutnertop and OK appliances...just wondering what people consider "skimping."

By lp on March 13, 2007 11:35 AM

I think it is more the light maple finish of the cabinets that doesn't look too nice. IMO, cream painted cabinets would look better and make it look more high end - especially with shaker style doors. Could do that cheaply enough with IKEA.

By Anonymous on March 13, 2007 11:41 AM

4" backsplash is one skimp
sink and faucet is another
space between fridge and cabinet should be covered for a more "custom" look

in general the lack of detail in kitchen doesn't jive with the detail in other parts of the house

By North Sleeper on March 13, 2007 11:56 AM

I don't know...it is an undermount sink which I find nice, and you can't really tell anything about the faucet. As for the fridge lining up with the cabinets, that's a custom job and something buyers can do themselves. Not a big deal to me. Do most home owners have a custom built frame around their appliances?

By Anonymous on March 13, 2007 12:02 PM

Bstoner: gettin a little sloppy on the links. GMAP link is wrong

By Anonymous on March 13, 2007 12:10 PM

"This sophisiticated 4-level home
has been totally refurbished with the finest of details throughout."
-The pile of $15 Lowe's lighting boxes isn't an example of 'finest details'.
-The faucets in the bathroom tub/shower and pedestal sink aren't examples of the 'finest details'.

"The large gourmet kitchen will please any chef."
-30" range w/ matching fridge hardly meet the definition of a large gourmet kitchen.

Does anyone really fall for all that Brokerspeak.

By Anonymous on March 13, 2007 12:19 PM

Why oh why do people choose such light wood finishes for new cabinets when the whole house is done in such lovely dark tones of wood *confused*

By what bubble? on March 13, 2007 12:20 PM

i thought under some NYS law (or at least some under ethics guidelines) brokers must disclose if they own the home being sold...no?

By Anonymous on March 13, 2007 12:20 PM

i've said it before, and i'll say it again: what's being evaluated, and judged, as "cheap" or "nothing special" (and how could anyone say that about the bowl sink mounted in what looks to be original marble in the first place) are PHOTOGRAPHS.

i understand that the site would look pretty bland without them, but it would be refreshing, b'stoner, if you made your pronouncements after actually seeing what's there. and no, i have no connection to anybody selling anything in Brooklyn. Just sayin'.

By Anonymous on March 13, 2007 12:26 PM

I'll wait til next year, after the subprime debacle and buy it for $363,000. I will however, gladly thank him for all of the lovely renovations.

By Anonymous on March 13, 2007 12:29 PM

12:26 wishful thinking you'll be looking for new apt to rent next year

By donatella on March 13, 2007 12:36 PM

I agree with 12:19. The cabinets don't work with the house and I also think this is a cheap job. Why not go the extra mile and add some quality cabinets. Even with what you have, you should have molding meet the ceiling and cover the space over the refrigerator. Also, call me a crank, but with all that heavy dark woodwork, if you insist on keeping the 100 years of dark varnish, at least moderate the paint job to be a less white/pastelly high contrast. Also, knock yourself out and spend a few dollars or a little imagination for the bathroom. Yawn. This place is not my cup of tea at all.

By Anonymous on March 13, 2007 12:46 PM

Wow.. I think this looks pretty good. I am a fan of CH North and keep hunting for a bargain. This one is out of my range though. I don't like the colored line of tiles in the bathroom but wonder if could you paint those cabinets white and add some fancy silver handles or would you have to scrape the varnish off those...

By Anonymous on March 13, 2007 1:19 PM

You can practically see your self in the sheen of the cabinets, no way paint is sticking to them w/o a good sanding and a coat of primer. But if the renovator just made choice more in keeping with the existing character of the rest of the building and the original/existing finishes, we wouldn't have to be discussing painting brand new cabinets.

By Anonymous on March 13, 2007 1:22 PM

i'd love to see pictures of all of your crappy kitchens.

By anonymous on March 13, 2007 1:37 PM

Nice original sink! My husband and I are trying to do a similar DIY repro in our home. But those photos are terrible, it's like the FBI photographed the home or something.

By what bubble? on March 13, 2007 1:37 PM

anon 1:22...here's mine

http://lifeofmoochie.blogspot.com/

By Jake the Snake on March 13, 2007 1:42 PM


You folks are a bit wacky. If I wanted to buy that house the kitchen finishes and bathroom finishes would not make or break the deal.

98% of what matters is location, size, construction quality, heating/cooling system, windows, view, neighbors, yard, and proximity to amenities and the subway.

Bathrooms can be easily and cheaply retiled and kitchens cabinets can be redone inexpensively as well with a little common sense and know-how.

By Sarah on March 13, 2007 1:46 PM

This house is beautiful....I wish I could afford to buy it wold have ben nice to see the backyard. This hpouse will not be on the market for too long, It's one of the best original details i have see in a long time! Good Luck

By anon on March 13, 2007 1:50 PM

what bubble? - thanks for the pic! Where did you get your cabinets?

By Anonymous on March 13, 2007 1:59 PM

your floor is ugly.

By Anonymous on March 13, 2007 2:01 PM

i'm just kidding.

i just don't like how rude some people can be on this board.

By what bubble? on March 13, 2007 2:02 PM

anon @ 1:50...we had them made by an amish guy in pennsylvania...it turned out there were cheaper (in terms of cost) than any mid-level or high end cabinet sold commercially, plus they are wood all the around, inside and out.

anon @ 1:59...thank you...you are the first person to say so and you did it soo nicely.

By tripster on March 13, 2007 2:19 PM

I agree with jake the snake. . . if the quality of the kitchen redo is a make or break issue then you are never going get a brownstone in your budget.
If you like the house and the nabe and the price, you'll buy it.
If not, you'll pass.
Simple as that.

By WAF on March 13, 2007 3:36 PM

Bubbles, I love the kitchen. Curious why you chose to put the ovens that low. Also, where did you get the industrial type ceiling fans?

By cp on March 13, 2007 3:41 PM

Looks like the flloors have been replaced... at least in the photos they're shownig.

By what bubble? on March 13, 2007 3:47 PM

WAF:

the top oven is really normal height, and just due to lack of space and the layout of the kitchen, this was our only option. plus we have 9 1/2 foot ceilings, so it make look different than a normal layout b/c we took the cabinets to the ceiling.

the fan is the coolest thing...we got it online somewhere (i'll have to ask my wife). each fan is controlled separately and you can make it so the whole thing spins...no need for air conditioning at all.

By what bubble? on March 13, 2007 3:48 PM

waf...i just remembered...we got it at fanworksoutlet.com...i think. called the gyro or something like that.

By Anonymous on March 13, 2007 4:32 PM

geez, at least clean up before taking pictures.

By Crown Heighter 101 on March 13, 2007 4:36 PM

yeah but the truth is you should see the blog chrealestate.blogspot.com to see the future of the Crown Heights Neighborhood.

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