Remedial Repairs Forced Upon 476 Washington Avenue

make the maruading kids fix the house as a summer job.

Posted by: guest at June 19, 2008 10:46 AM

Brownstoner:

I think its awesome that you have appointed yourself ombudsman of taste for brooklyn architecture.

Posted by: guest at June 19, 2008 10:48 AM

is this area nice?

Posted by: guest at June 19, 2008 10:53 AM

how would you describe "nice."

The Brownstoner would say its the best area in the solar system, because its his neighborhood.

I don't think the schools are good there. But the area is pretty nice.

Posted by: guest at June 19, 2008 11:03 AM

i guess i meant is it safe, good room for real estate growth, etc

Posted by: guest at June 19, 2008 11:05 AM

These owners are losers. They need to "dump" this house on the market already to someone responsible enough to maintain it. If you don't have the means, it's a wrap. Let it go.

Posted by: guest at June 19, 2008 11:15 AM

We looked at this house about 5 years ago when it was on the market for 335 NEGOTIABLE . Having been inside, there really isn't any "former glory". It was the most disgusting SRO I have ever seen. No detail at all, radically uneven floors, everything that could be wrong with a house was wrong with this place. Tear down might be the best option here.

Posted by: guest at June 19, 2008 11:16 AM

PS11 is pretty good.

Posted by: guest at June 19, 2008 11:17 AM

what part of "landmarks Preservation Commission" do you think implies that they would allow the tear down an historic house?

Posted by: guest at June 19, 2008 11:24 AM

"...5 years ago when it was on the market for 335 NEGOTIABLE."

What bubble? What impending crash?

Posted by: guest at June 19, 2008 11:28 AM

Sounds like the very definition of a bubble, don't you think?

Posted by: guest at June 19, 2008 11:40 AM

It's in contract now for a nice number. Not $1.2m, but a nice number.

Posted by: guest at June 19, 2008 12:02 PM

aussie = daveinbedstuy

Posted by: guest at June 19, 2008 12:44 PM

"who am I to argue"

nobody.

Posted by: guest at June 19, 2008 1:03 PM

I used to own a frame house in Brooklyn, built roughly around the same time as this one. Not having seen this one from the inside, but having read 11:16's comments, it sounds a lot like the house I used to own. Personally, I would never buy such a place ever again. My experience with home ownership was so bad, I went back to renting.

The house had numerous, serious problems. The sellers, the broker and inspector (which I naively let the broker bring in) all covered up serious deficiencies with the home, which would have brought the price way down. About a week after moving in, the problems appeared and got worse until a large 5-figure investment took care of the most serious issues. Even then, the house would need major renovations to bring it up to snuff, at least for the kind of tastes bstoner's readers seem to exhibit. After the main issues were fixed, I had had enough.

I was able to sell it for a small gain (miracles happen), but made sure it was known how much was put into it to make it livable. Knowing what I know now, I would recommend the place be torn down completely and a new building put in its place. It's someone else's decision, now, but I would advise anyone to steer clear of this type of purchase unless it can be demolished and a new structure put in its place, given one has the funds of course.

You have to really, REALLY love having a second job, not only taking care of the house and land, but spending all your free time fixing it or working with contractors to remodel the place. You don't get to "live" there. It's your other job, waiting for you when you get home from your hour commute.

There's a lot more to what I went through, and I hope the repairs have held up for the buyers who took it off my hands. Just looking at the picture up there gives me the heebie-jeebies.

If you want a place to _live_, avoid these old wood frame houses, unless some miracle worker has come in and rebuilt it from the inside. If you like fixer-uppers, the kind that take years, hey knock yourself out. Better you than me.

Posted by: guest at June 19, 2008 1:56 PM

guest 1:56. I live in and old woodframe. Some people like it. Some people don't. Even if you're experience regarding a gut renovation is typical, univeralizing your emotion towards the experience is not really valid or useful. So you hate working on houses. Who cares.

Posted by: guest at June 19, 2008 2:22 PM

Thank you, Guest 1:56, for posting your experiences.

A big raspberry to you, Guest 2:22 for your gratuitously rude comment.

Posted by: guest at June 19, 2008 5:48 PM

Wood frame house are pretty easy to fix, as long as you go in knowing that it will take the appropriate amount of resources. There's no reason for demolition.

By the way 11:24, not true that houses in historic districts can't be demolished. See this link to Brownstoner from just last month.

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2008/05/emergency_demo.php

Posted by: guest at June 19, 2008 6:15 PM

It is extremely difficult to find insurance companies to write policies for wood frame houses. They burn too fast and it is always 100% replacement because nothing is ever left to restore.

Posted by: guest at June 19, 2008 9:39 PM

9:39 not true, we have a "brick filled frame" and had absolutely no problem getting insurance. why do you think that?

Posted by: guest at June 19, 2008 10:30 PM

"Who cares." The rallying cry of the intellectually lazy.

Posted by: guest at June 20, 2008 11:27 AM

Just make sure to bring in the inspector yourself, someone you trust. The siding could be covering up severe fire and/or water damage. The sellers could have remodeled over major structural deficiencies - the brokers are on the sellers' side, not the buyers'. Also, check thoroughly for any present building code violations. Finally, make sure you have a good lawyer, someone who fights for you.

Wood frame houses, really old ones like this one, could be more trouble than their worth. Do your homework so you don't get reamed.

Posted by: guest at June 20, 2008 11:34 AM