September 24, 2009

Inside Third & Bond: Week 102

Nothing like a little appreciation to boost productivity in the final push toward a tight deadline. Case in point: on left, decimated six foot sandwiches shown in the yard; center, The Organic Gardener and crew laying out the landscaping for the 3+ bedroom model’s private yard.

These seven men weren’t alone responsible for eating 30 linear feet of sandwiches. This week we held a topping off party for the entire construction crew. The topping off of the first few buildings took place back in Week 82 and we’ve long since finished the topmost floors for the entire project. Low and mid-rise projects don’t always get a topping off party. There just isn’t the same dramatic effect of a crane carrying a beam 10 stories into the air as a panelized system being set into place on a four story building. Still, the construction team was not only doing a great job on eight buildings, but also working full steam to get the model residences ready for showing in October. We thought some lunch and commemorative t-shirts were in order.

Also on view in this photograph are the private rear yards belonging to each of the garden duplexes. It’s afternoon and the sun has shifted to our northern neighbors, making it easier to photograph the cedar fencing lining each yard. One of the great aspects of cedar is that it doesn’t need to be treated. The warm hue will slowly weather into gray. The color should look great at any stage, but sadly the comforting scent will disappear.

The yards look a little bleak here but plantings should soon be rooting in before winter’s cold. In order to meet our LEED goals, we are foregoing grass in favor of pea gravel and native, drought-resistant landscaping. Our typical yards are a simple formula of 1/3 plants and 2/3 pea gravel. The model yard will be an example of an upgrade The Organic Gardener can deliver – an extended living space out of doors.

Here is a sketch of the proposed model yard...

The hardscape materials are polished concrete, sustainable ipe hardwood, and pea gravel. The design reminds us of flowing water. The stream of plants is crossed by the bridges of hardscape. While striking, this design wouldn’t work for everyone. Some people have aesthetic differences and others practical differences. For example, there’s no room for a basketball hoop and it isn’t set up for major vegetable gardening. But that’s not really our concern. We wanted to do a simple typical yard that buyers could shape to their preferences, while also showing the potential of the yard to be an additional space for entertaining and relaxing.

If you’re having trouble picturing how this will look in the yards, consider that each yard is the width of the building plus 30 feet deep. It’s basically five six-foot sub-sandwiches laid end to end (deep) and a pickle or two over four six-foot sandwiches laid end to end (wide). Or enough sandwich to feed the entire construction crew at Third + Bond, all of Hudson, and everyone who has worked on the job – architects, engineers, expeditors, marketing consultants, the whole sandwich-eating family.

Inside Third & Bond: Weeks 1-101 [Brownstoner]
The complete offering terms are in an Offering Plan available from Sponsor. File No. CD080490. Sponsor: Hudson Third LLC, 826 Broadway, New York, NY 10003.

Posted by Brownstoner at 11:29 AM | Comments (7)
Categories: Carroll Gardens, Third & Bond Blog

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