« Co-op of the Day: 130 St. Edwards Street Streetlevel: Skateboards, Flowers and Dry Goods »

May 4, 2009

House of the Day: 1816 Glenwood Road

Overall, this house at 1816 Glenwood Road in Fiske Terrace is very nice for all your standard Victorian Flatbush reasons (porch, lawn, charming architecture, etc.) so maybe it's a little nit-picky to say that the renovation feels a touch contractor-y. Thankfully most of the things that rub us the wrong way—like the kitchen floor, the floor-to-ceiling brick fireplace, the faux retro ceiling fixtures—are easily, and inexpensively fixed. (In contrast, the design choices in the bathroom look quite nice.) All that stuff pales in comparison to the original parquet floors and the generous scale of all the rooms so we're sure some buyer will fall in love. Whether they will be willing to write a check for $1,300,000 is another question.
1816 Glenwood Road [Mary Kay Gallagher] GMAP P*Shark

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.brownstoner.com/mte/mt-tb.cgi/9563

Comments

I don't think prices have tanked quite to the extent that the reader appraisal suggests... Although I'm sure whoever is voting wishes it has.

Does this house have any original glass?

Posted by: Architerrorist at May 4, 2009 1:20 PM

Looks like a very nice house on a nice street. I do't know this part of brooklyn at all. The renovation looks nice with a beautiful bathroom, floors, wainscoting and colors. Agree, what's with that fireplace??? Easily brought back to period.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at May 4, 2009 1:24 PM

This is a nice property. Easily worth 1.1 to 1.3 mil.
It is the renovation (including central air) that makes it worth it. We see many attractive houses in "as granny left it" condition. You can't comapre something like that to something like this. This is perfect for someone who drives to work. Lovely street.

Posted by: sam at May 4, 2009 1:33 PM

Central air is unusual in Victorian Flatbush, even with expensive renovations. That alone sets this house apart, and would seem to guarantee that the wiring is new and up to code.

The fireplace looks like it was added decades after the house was built. Wouldn't exactly be cheap to hack it out, but you could find a nice, period mantle to put in its place.

Maybe it's just me, but stained glass would be a must for me in any Victorian Flatbush house.

Posted by: Architerrorist at May 4, 2009 1:41 PM

At some point, a sheet rock wall was installed to cut the main staircase off from the sitting room (I would bet at the same time the fireplace was replaced). If I bought this house, the first thing I'd do is take that wall down and open the staircase back onto the sitting room/foyer area. Not a hugely expensive operation, just a little messy. Easy to get original floorplan and restore.

Posted by: Architerrorist at May 4, 2009 1:43 PM

vintage stained glass is the easiest thing to find and have installed. Ditto for mantles.

Posted by: sam at May 4, 2009 1:44 PM

Even with the mediocre kitchen, I still find this house so much more appealing, inside and out... For the money I'd save, I'd do the kitchens and baths... Although Fiske Terrace benefits from landmarking and West Midwood suffers from a lack of it....

Posted by: Architerrorist at May 4, 2009 1:45 PM

Glenwood is a little further away from the train and the Cortelyou strip than I prefer but still a reasonable walk in cold weather. I don't see anything wrong with the renovation except for the fireplace. IMHO, unless you are a chef/caterer or the mother of 18 kids and counting, why do you need a stove with 22 burners, 10 ovens and a refrigerator the size of three coffins? I think that kitchen reno's have become a status symbol and are a big waste of resources. This one seems fine though. Also, while I think that brownstones are beautiful, I prefer these freestanding homes which are much more open and filled with light.

I think this is a very reasonable alternative to moving to the suburbs. Kids can play in a nice yard on a swing set or go to a local park. The schools are pretty good over there too. Don't know about the 1.3 million price. Would probably sell for just under 1 million.

Posted by: Chosen at May 4, 2009 1:45 PM

Sam - I lived in this neighborhood for years and I can't tell you how difficult it was (eventually impossible) to find a stained glass window of the period and a stylistic match which would fit the original window frames... I wanted to install one in a bathroom reno. No luck.

Crappy vintage glass is very easy to find - this stuff is far harder to find, and even harder to find an easy fit.

Posted by: Architerrorist at May 4, 2009 1:46 PM

Archi: It's true that one tends to find things when one isn't looking for them but I have been to salvage warehouses and antique stores with literally hundreds of windows from the 1880's through the 1920's. Naturally you would need to have them retrofitted to fit, finding an exact fit to your sash would be hard. But you know there are also many stained glass studios, making new stained glasswork in Brooklyn. They do a lot of work for the churches and their work is A-one.
I like this house as is. I would have to look at that fire place closer to really make it out because the house is late and has that touch of arts and crafts that can result in quirky details. But putting aside stained glass and mantles, it has a two-car garage!! I am, I admit it, green with envy.

Posted by: sam at May 4, 2009 1:55 PM

Having lived in a Victorian in Fiske Terrace for a couple of years,I would say this is a great buy,the tranquality and the beauty that this area conveys can not be found anywhere in Brooklyn. If you enjoy peace, space, gardening, entertaining and if you work from home or just spend a great deal of your time home, and if you love decorating and have the money to do so these houses are enjoyable. If not these beautiful and spacious homes become monsters that you dread coming home to after a while. Lot's of maintenance!Life can be complicated already! Overall, one must be fully prepared and equipped to live in these houses. If you have kids, get a nanny, a cleaning lady, a gardener....so you can fully enjoy these houses and your LIFE!

Posted by: siIluvBK at May 4, 2009 1:59 PM

siIluvBK,

As a former (and very happy) Victorian Flatbush homeowner - I agree with your post 100 percent! If you have the time and money and love to nest, yet can't imagine leaving NYC, nothing beats this area... If you don't have the money and DIY isn't your favorite hobby, I'd say stick to a building with a super!

Posted by: Architerrorist at May 4, 2009 2:06 PM

Those casement windows on the top of top story of the front of the house are so cute.

Posted by: BHS at May 4, 2009 2:06 PM

Archi - it looks like the staircase was enclosed on both sides to build those bookcases. i would definetly get rid of those walls and open it up. i like the kitchen. i think being move in ready with central AC is worth at least 100k. i would love to have this house.

Posted by: bkny at May 4, 2009 2:09 PM

Looks pretty nice to me. It ain't easy to find a move-in ready victorian. Unfortunately, the price is more than a stretch these days. There will be a lot of resistance over $999,000.

I personally would rather be closer to the park, but seems like there is a contingent that likes it out there.

Posted by: manofelt at May 4, 2009 2:24 PM

"Easy to get original floorplan and restore."

Architerrorist, how would you obtain the original floorplan?

Posted by: East New York at May 4, 2009 2:24 PM

As far as upkeep on a place like this, if the mechanicals and the roof are new, the major cost in the next 5-10 even 20-30 years is going to be a repaint. That's going to be one hell of a bill for a place like this.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at May 4, 2009 2:29 PM

I believe they are available from Brooklyn Borough Hall. I never obtained mine (sadly), although I know several people who did. I'm sure there's someone out there who can give exact details.

Posted by: Architerrorist at May 4, 2009 2:35 PM

Do you really think the original floorplan has been changed so much? It may not have been. This house is late (built circa 1905). It is very possible that what you see is what it was. One has to visit to make sure. I could tell in five minutes what is new and what is original if I were there in person.

Posted by: sam at May 4, 2009 2:37 PM

bkny, the wall and bookcase were more than likely added, the Victorian I lived in had the staircase opened onto the main living area, which I never found to be quite comfortable, it was like sitting on a couch in a mini ballroom, the living room became my least favorite place to relax and use unless we entertained guest.I always felt as if I was floating in space or just waiting to waltz across the spacious living room floor. The den was much more comfortable and cozy. I could see why they would want to put this wall up. The era in which these homes were built fit the lifestyle of the people who first bought them during that time. things were very grand back then. Today, one's lifestyle is more relaxed and much less formal. So, there in that house they created or owners prior created a little nook to relax and watch T.V. I think that's reasonable with the added shelving. I think it looks great and fits in with the home. Overall, the house is worth what their asking, they put money into this home, from the detailed explained on M.K.G. website.

Posted by: siIluvBK at May 4, 2009 2:42 PM

It is much more expensive to resurface a brownstone than to repaint a wood frame house. I have done both. If the refacing of the stone is done correctly, you won't have to do it again hopefully in your lifetime but you would have to repaint about every ten years. People always complain about the maintenance on these houses but don't have a real sense of what it takes. This one is move-in ready with what appears to be all new systems. It has a two car garage, lots of space for storage entertaining and overnight guests.

I rent out one space in my two car garage to people who live in a neaeby co-op building, when relatives come to visit, they never have to pay for a hotel, I do not pay for a storage space to keep seasonal things like tents, Chrsitmas ornaments, lawn chairs, etc... I don't rent places for kids or adult parties because I have plenty of space to entertain. If you put a price on any one of those things it all equals out if you don't come out ahead. I know people who have toddlers of the opposite sex sharing a bedroom in their brownstones in which they have rental apartments to offset the high purchase prices. That is fine for now but I can tell you from experience that as a teenager you do not want to share your room with a sibling of the opposite sex. Each child having his or her own room is a luxury that is very affordable out this way especially because the house prices are considerably lower than comparable brownstone areas .

My heating bill has gone down after instituting some energy saving measures but it was only about 15% higher before my energy audit than heating and cooling my brothers brownstone. As far as nannies, gardeners and cleaning ladies, I'll just say that many people have done and do without.

Posted by: Chosen at May 4, 2009 2:53 PM

Chosen,
Who did the energy audit for you? My heating costs are high, not outrageous (with the thermostat programmed no higher than 68), but I could probably benefit from some energy saving measures as well.

Posted by: Bklnite at May 4, 2009 3:03 PM

Neighborhood Housing Services

Posted by: Chosen at May 4, 2009 3:08 PM

Thanks.

The house does look pretty sweet. I'd like to see pictures of the basement "...with a Media room, granite counter top wet bar, 550 bottle wine cellar with Whisperkool system. Infra-red dry heat sauna w/DVD & MP2 hookup"

Either the seller or MKG is a bit behind the times... I'd prefer if it had an MP3 hookup :-)

Posted by: Bklnite at May 4, 2009 3:32 PM

Agree that the enclosures around the footing of the staircase look odd. Hard to tell if this is at the back or the front of the house, or even if it's on the first floor. If the front, then the bookcase and wall were definitely added later. The footing of the staircase would have flared out onto the floor. If this is in the back of the house, it's possible that this is an adaptation of a butler's stairs.

This is on the Glenwood Road section of Flatbush Malls, the boulevards with central planted medians in this part of Flatbush. Also, this is in the newly landmarked Fisk Terrace neighborhood.

My guess: $1.15M.

Posted by: Xris at May 4, 2009 4:43 PM

I'd agree that these houses are as much a hobby as a shelter. My neighbors (and I, to a lesser extent) spend a lot of time gardening, etc, and take tremendous pride and joy in having stewardship over these homes. They do cost more to heat than a shoebox that's attached at two sides, but you get some of that back in the summer, when the neighborhood's dense tree canopy and all those windows and exposures mean you almost never need air conditioning. Spending time in both neighborhoods, I'd venture that in the summer it's a good 5 to 7 degrees cooler in this part of Flatbush than in Park Slope.

When Brooklyn College's new pool and gym finally open later this year, that area will have a very nice new amenity.

Posted by: Sparafucile at May 4, 2009 5:04 PM

Sparafucile, what's the deal with access to Brooklyn College facilities? Is it open to the public for a fee? Or do you need to sign up as a student for some part-time course?

Posted by: the chicken at May 4, 2009 5:12 PM

Nanny? Gardener? Cleaning lady? (ROFL)
Yes, these houses are a labor of love. And if you don't have a firehose of cash, you can indeed begin to dread coming home to your monster, who will be thirsty for the firehose all the time. This one looks like it's been pretty well-fed for awhile, though.

Posted by: Brenda from Flatbush at May 4, 2009 5:35 PM

Chicken: I've heard that anyone can sign in as a visitor to the library (you can't check anything out though) but am not sure about the other facilities.

Posted by: sixyearsandcounting at May 4, 2009 5:45 PM

The Flatbush Malls are maintained by the Fiske Terrace Association, which has been working for the neighborhood since 1907. This time of year, as everything is blooming, just take a walk through our neighborhood to see what everyone has been saying. I've lived here for 30 years and I'm still amazed that you can live in a neighborhood like this in NYC and still be just a few minutes from a subway station. In fact, the Avenue H subway station "head house," the former real estate office for the original developer from the turn of the last century, has itself been designated a NYC Landmark. It is about 3 blocks from 1816 Glenwood.

Posted by: evfred at May 5, 2009 8:46 AM

Agree with evfred. Live in nearby Ditmas Park West and underwent a similar, exhaustive renovation. This one looks like it was done pretty nicely, and not to have to live thru a reno and be able to move into a house like this adds a lot of value. The neighborhood isn't for everyone, but it is for a lot of people -- good livin'.

Posted by: mh at May 5, 2009 11:21 AM

« Co-op of the Day: 130 St. Edwards Street Streetlevel: Skateboards, Flowers and Dry Goods »

May 4, 2009

House of the Day: 1816 Glenwood Road

Trackback Pings

Comments

Post a comment

Latest Restaurant Additions