Renovation
February 19, 2010
The Painter's Corner: Paint Rollers
You've bought your paint, you've bought your brushes. However, you don't intend to paint those vast expanses of wall surface with a brush, it will take forever. So you need a paint roller and roller frame. If you go to your paint center or home store, you'll find a large selection of various sized frames and rollers. There are large ones, small ones, fuzzy rollers, and smooth foam rollers, cheap and expensive varieties. Which ones are the right ones to buy? First, determine the project at hand. If you are painting a room with a lot of open wall space, you need a paint roller frame that will get the job done well in the least amount of time. The typical size of frame and roller is 7-9”. They come bigger – 12 to 18 inches, but unless you are a pro, this is highly impractical for a number of reasons. They also come smaller; 3-4” trim rollers and mini-rollers useful for furniture, shelves, trim and decorative painting and crafts projects.
February 12, 2010
The Painter's Corner: Paint Brushes
Ok, you’ve finally chosen your paint for your DIY paint project. That’s just step one. Choosing the right paintbrushes and painting tools are as important as the right paint. This is not when you decide to balance the budget because you bought expensive paint. It really does make a difference what paint brush you use. A typical room project usually calls for a combination of brush and roller applications. Brushes are used to cut in along the edges, next to ceilings, baseboards, and moldings, where a roller can’t be used. Some surfaces are too small for even the smallest roller, and most importantly, paint needs to be carefully applied to trims, moldings, doors and windows. The idea in all of these situations is to apply the smoothest and least amount of paint to these surfaces, creating a smooth coating that covers the surface well, without drips, lumps or obvious lines. (Decorative effects are a whole other topic) You spent the money on good paint. Why muck it up with a cheap brush? There are three types of bristle brushes on the market, synthetic, natural and a combination of the two. Foam and other kinds of brushes and rollers will be discussed in another column.
January 12, 2010
Main Post Office Getting a Tune-Up
Did anyone else notice the scaffolding going up around the beautiful Brooklyn Main Post Office on Adams and Tillary? As far as we can tell, this is most likely the set-up for the $1,340,000 Federal Stimulus project that was awarded to the Boston-based firm Goody Clancey for roof replacement and facade repairs. Good stuff, but not sure why they couldn't find a local firm to do the work.
December 30, 2009
The Painter’s Corner: Paint 101, part 2
In addition to the mainstream paint companies out there, there are many smaller paint manufacturers marketing their products for more specialized niche markets. Here are just some of them.
Premiere Interior Paints
Many of these high end paints used to only be available to decorators, or were only found in Europe, but thanks to an increase in demand by consumers, they are available to the general public. They are expensive, but many swear by their quality, and the type of coverage and colors they carry. Farrow and Ball paints, for instance, can have chalky, muted tones in colors not available anywhere else, for that classic Old English look. Where else could one find colors named “Churlish Green” and “Dead Salmon”? Benjamin Moore taps into this market with their new, color saturated Aura paint line, and Ralph Lauren Paints, listed yesterday, have always been marketed for an upscale market.
Donald Kaufman Paint
Farrow and Ball
Fine Paints of Europe
December 29, 2009
The Painter’s Corner: Paint 101
Renovators and decorators all agree, painting a room is the quickest, cheapest way to improve a room. Nowaday’s there are so many new paint companies, new kinds of paint, or should we say “surface covers”, in all kinds of prices, formulas and colors that it may be difficult to choose what you need or want. You’ve got oil-based paint and water-based acrylic or latex based paints. Milk paint, primer paint, and paint with primer in it already. Low VOC paints, and good old, fumes emitting, non PC paint. We have coverings that aren’t really paint, but clays or plaster. There is something for everyone, and for any job, in all qualities and at all price ranges here. The details below pertain to water-based paints.
Paint is one of those items that definitely adheres to the old adage, “You get what you pay for”. Good paint costs more than cheap paint for a reason. Good paint has better coverage, and will last longer. If you are paying someone to paint, having them paint with cheap paint is like stuffing the empty paint can with money, and setting it on fire.
December 4, 2009
Exterior Renovation Work Underway at 370 Clinton
A reader dropped a line to say that "on the corner of Clinton and Degraw there is massive scaffolding up around what had looked to be an abandoned brownstone. It was oddly out of place in the well-kept area with broken windows and no obvious maintenance. Good news that it looks like they are finally going to fix it up." The building in question is 370 Clinton Street, whose owner sold a half interest in the property over the summer.
Half-Stake in 370 Clinton Sells—For Half the Listing Price [Brownstoner]
House of the Day: 370 Clinton Street [Brownstoner] GMAP
September 16, 2009
Cast Iron Fence: We Can Rebuild It
Here's a fun guest post from a Clinton Hill brownstone owner...
The story: Our 130-year old iron fence was in terrible shape, barely standing at all—the last of the five identical houses in our row to have even pieces of the original. I had Vinnie from Italian Art Iron Works on Bergen Street out to look at it, and was still skeptical that it could be saved. It was missing 17 arrows and five of the seven post-end caps. Fortunately, previous owners saved 16 arrows, so at least we had those. Vinnie says to me, "You gotta spend-a the money." So I did. Here's a photo of Vinnie's guy putting the pieces together along with one of what it looks like now. But that spikey finial you see below was one of only two that we had. I scoured the salvage places, emailed photos to Olde Good Things and all the rest—nada. Vinnie ballparked that it could cost us $4,000 to have new ones cast—yikes!
And then...
August 17, 2009
Gut Reno on Gates
When we saw this post go up on the Forum last week, we emailed the poster and asked to see more photos of the 5-story gut renovation he'd been performing on a brownstone on the eastern edge of Clinton. He obliged, along with a brief description below.
The project came about as a way to give myself a informal, tactile education in architecture and building. I was trained as an engineer but I always felt curious about the built environment, partly its appearance, of course, but moreso how it is put together and how it affects us psychologically, emotionally, and socially. I came across this building about two and a half years ago and it was a wreck - no working plumbing or electrical above the parlor floor, every window was shot as was every flight of stairs, all three roofs leaked liked sieves, and it was snowing in the top stairwell. Still, I loved the scale of the building and the details, and it was undoubtedly a big project, bigger than I could probably handle, which made it that much more enticing.
I collaborated on the design with Public, a firm from San Diego, California, where I lived before moving to New York. We knew getting light in the middle of the building was important, as was taking advantage of the building's stepbacks to create outdoor space. And we wanted to preserve some of the building's sweet ruin and add modern elements carefully and in balance with the building's delicate detail. This was probably the hardest and most time-consuming part, creating details in the language of modern materials and construction realities that didn't feel faux-historic or forced. Hopefully we managed to succeed in a few places - whether or not we did, I got my education, and opened up all kinds of possibilities in my head for what and how to build in a brownstone.
August 14, 2009
DIBS Refinishes His Facade
Reader, commenter and frequenter of Brownstoner after-work gatherings, daveinbedstuy today shares with us the tale of his recent facade renovation...
I recently had the facade on my brownstone refinished. It had been covered with 2-3 layers of paint and was crumbling badly on the garden level, primarily the stoop area. I got a number of estimates and the price range was wide. After a recommendation from a neighbor who owns a number of properties and has had work done by a local guy, I went with Millad from CTG Construction. He literally lives around the corner.
We had an extensive discussion about the work needed and both he and I came to the same conclusion independently that we'd try to save as much of the original flat stone as possible from the parlour level and the top floor. (For before, during and after photos, click here.) This would be in the best interest long term instead of chiselling ALL of it off. The lintels & sills for those levels howvere, needed to be completely rebuilt.
The first step was...
June 26, 2009
Restoration of Slope Church Begins
OTBKB had an interesting post on Wednesday about the restoration of the Old First Reformed Church at 7th Avenue and Carroll Street. The restoration crew—30 teenagers and nine adults—came all the way from Ohio and have been camping out in the church. And this isn't the first time out-of-towners have chipped in to work on the church. Groups from Minnesota, Illinois and Ontario have come in recent years.
Volunteers from Ohio Begin Restoration of Historic Church [OTBKB]
April 29, 2009
Real Housewives: Simon and Alex's Renovation Revealed!
An hour before Simon & Alex's house renovation was unveiled on last night's new episode of The Real Housewives on New York, we stopped by their Cobble Hill house for a guided tour. The reality show couple livea in the lower duplex (plus renovated cellar) with their two kids and have two rentals upstairs. Enjoy the pics! Update: As a commenter points out, how funny was that to see Marty in the background of their housewarming party on the show last night!
April 27, 2009
Grand Avenue Haunted House Paint Job Starts
After appearing to have stalled out this winter, work has started back up again at 432 Grand Avenue, evidenced most obviously by the exterior paint job that's begun. Let's hope they can get this one to the finish line. Considering the interior was a gut job, we're not holding out for a big charm factor. Then again, remember what it looked like inside a couple of years ago? This should refresh your memory.
Grand Avenue Haunted House Gets Its Siding [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark
Grand Avenue Haunted House Losing Its Skin [Brownstoner]
Gutting Begins at the Grand Avenue Haunted House [Brownstoner]
Inside the Grand Avenue Haunted House [Brownstoner]
April 22, 2009
Major Repairs Starting at 129 Congress Street
The five-story brownstone at 364 Henry Street at Congress in Cobble Hill may finally be getting the fix it needs, reports Lost City. The arrival of a bulldozer and some workmen heralded the impending structural work on the five-family house. According to one of the workers, the building won't be torn down, but the long southern wall will have to be entirely replaced. According to the building permit we looked up, DOB green-lighted some initial activity a couple of weeks ago: "Temporary shoring for south wall demo, installation of grade beam to support new exterior block wall to be detailed and erected later by others."
Wall Coming Down in Cobble Hill [Lost City] GMAP
March 30, 2009
'Our Victorian House' Hits the Market
Like many others, we've long been admirers of the detailed period renovation of an 1890s Eastlake house in Fanwood, New Jersey that's been documented on a blog called Our Victorian House over the last several years; in fact, we gave it a shout-out way back in 2005. So we were interested to receive a tip from a reader over the weekend that the now-completed project has been put on the market for $799,000. Even if you're not ready to move to the burbs, you've to check out the renovation play-by-play. It's awesome.
March 19, 2009
St. Augustine's Getting Unwrapped
After two years of restoration work, the scaffolding on St. Augustine's in Park Slope is being dismantled. According to a post on Here Is Park Slope, the Roman Catholic church at the corner of 6th Avenue and Sterling Place should be completely unveiled by the end of next week. The crowning jewel of the project will be the church's spire which has been given a new coat of copper. "Stay tuned for the reveal," writes HIPS. "I’m looking forward to finally seeing the church in all its glory from my roof." GMAP
January 22, 2009
Ultra Modern Reno on South Portland Avenue
Here are some very cool before and after shots of a renovation of a South Portland Avenue brownstone that took place in 2007. The architect was Field Lines Architecture, an Lower East Side-based duo with clearly modern leanings. We have to admit to mixed feelings about the whole thing: On the one hand, the finished product looks really amazing, what modern architecture should be; on the other, the intact interior of a brownstone on the definitive brownstone block in the city was lost in the process. At least there are no Fedders boxes! Update: The architects just sent in another view that shows how they did in fact maintain original details where they could. Great to see that our fears were misfounded! "We at Field Lines believe that the real magic occurs when palimpsest of the past are not erased but rather incorporate as unique opportunities for design," they wrote. Check out the new image on the jump.
Continue reading "Ultra Modern Reno on South Portland Avenue"
TOH Brooklyn Airing Tonight
The first installment of This Olde House's first foray into Brooklyn airs tonight, giving viewers a close-up look at the renovation of a three-family brownstone in Prospect Heights. “My first thought was, what took you so long?” said or Charles Lockwood, author of Bricks and Brownstone. In addition to the media attention, the owners are getting hooked up with Andersen windows and Kohler fixtures in addition to the free advice from the likes of Norm Abram.
January 13, 2009
Renovations: Plaster Molding Repair
A regular reader sent in these photos of his recent efforts to repair the plaster crown moldings in his Clinton Hill brownstone. Turns out that back around 1910 someone added a screen to the parlor floor. As part of this project, the reader recycled the screen by handing it off to a homeowner in Park Slope. Way to go!
December 30, 2008
Inside This Old House Brooklyn
Yesterday, Gothamist got inside the ongoing renovation of a 104-year-old brownstone in Prospect Heights that is the latest project for This Old House. The plan is to do a "preservation-minded restoration" of the detail-laden interior, while patching and repainting the brownstone facade. Part of the renovation will include installing a wrought-iron spiral staircase the owners found on the Brownstoner Forum. Lots more photos on Gothamist, including one of the happy family.
This Old Brooklyn House [Gothamist]
New York City House Project [TOH]
September 26, 2008
Grand Avenue Haunted House Gets Its Siding
The Grand Avenue Haunted House, which sevens months ago was stripped down to its studs, was finally clad in the wood siding to match its original look—and that of its recently restored twin next door. The guy who makes his living on the block by putting out homeowners' garbage and keeping their stoops and sidewalks clean told us he thinks it'll go for $2 million when it's finished. We're not quite as optimistic.
Grand Avenue Haunted House Losing Its Skin [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark
Gutting Begins at the Grand Avenue Haunted House [Brownstoner]
Inside the Grand Avenue Haunted House [Brownstoner]
September 23, 2008
The Restoration of Restoration Plaza
Restoration Plaza, an economic development initiative conceived as part of Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 (with then Senator Jacob K. Javits and Mayor Lindsay pushing it along), opened in the mid-1970s: 300,000 square feet of commercial space including the Billie Holiday Theatre, the Skylight Gallery, local businesses and non-profits, and plenty of chains (it was created by the nation's first Community Development Corporation, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation). Many count it a success; even so, it's getting an upgrade, courtesy of Garrison Architects (whose plans for Redesigning Grand Army Plaza came in third in the recent contest). Here's what they have planned: "Restoration Plaza will become an open, accessible, and vibrant place, filled with people and bustling with activity. Its open spaces will be lined with benches and plantings. Shops and galleries will be clearly visible from Fulton Street... At night it will... be busy with neighborhood residents and visitors attending performances and movies in the Plaza's cultural centers. The Plaza will be surrounded with light from the Wall of Fame celebrating the founders of Restoration Plaza and Bedford Stuyvesant's most influential citizens." The final phase includes a garden and a "Great Hall" for weddings and concerts.
September 2, 2008
Building Upgrades for Thin Wallets
The New York Times offers "cut-rate quality-of-life enhancements," for buildings, from "rewriting outdated rules, to making thrifty but high-impact aesthetic upgrades, to improving service through technology and training, to forging a stronger sense of community." Can't afford a new bathroom? Try giving the doorman a little professional development course, or get a building listserv of Web site for intra-co-op or condo communications. Buy some flowers, host a communal gathering, hire a virtual concierge or simply install a community recycling bin. None of this requires any scaffolding.
Thrift Ways to Upgrade a Building [NY Times]
626 Pacific. Photo by threecee.
August 26, 2008
Painful Side Effect of 4th Ave. Firehouse Reno
A reader sent in these photos of the Richardsonian Romanesque firehouse—Engine Company 239—on 4th Avenue between 6th and 7th Streets. Still in use, it's been getting an upgrade over the last year, but the improvements also yielded some losses. More from our tipster:
Considering that it was too small, and the floors were caving-in from the weight of the trucks, I would be the first to congratulate the city's decision to gut-renovate rather than demolish the structure. A huge, new glass-wall extension at the rear looks spectacular, without detracting from the historic facade in front. The facade, after all, was what made the building worth preserving. So, now the city has turned it's attention to the front, and what's the first to go? The magnificent triple-column piers that supported the limestone lintel. As they were removed on Thursday, even the construction workers taking them down were lamenting that the city didn't have the foresight to reuse these anywhere; not even in the firehouse itself. They were being so careful removing the sections, but they were unsure of what would, or could, happen to any of it, even the capitals . Tons of carved limestone went into the dumpster, for lack of a better plan. Although 'dumpster-diving' has been a popular past-time for Park Slope renovators for 2 generations, who was going to pull-out a 1500 lb. block?
Anybody been on a rescue mission there?
July 28, 2008
Massive Renos: Are They Still Worth It?
The cover story in the real estate section of the Times this weekend takes a look at that age-old question: How much sense does it make to buy a fixer-upper? One couple that bought a $625,000 three-bedroom in the South Slope sees it paying off. Their renovation budget was $35,000; they're on track to have finished the work within a few months of closing; and the pre-reno property was appraised at $100,000 more than they paid. Another buyer profiled in the story, however, slashed her down payment from 45 to 30 percent in order to have dough on hand for a renovation. The article notes that there aren't a huge number of fixer-uppers for sale in the city, but we wonder whether the weaker market means fewer people are willing to pony up for properties that need major overhauls. Does a buyer-driven market mean not as many people are settling for houses or apartments that need big renovations?
Reluctant Renovators [NY Times]
Photo by reclaimedhome.
July 11, 2008
Bird Blog: Week 9
Every week, Jennifer Mankins, owner of the Bird boutiques, tells us about the new 2,500-square-foot store on Grand Street in Williamsburg that she's getting ready to open. Last time 'round, workers sorted tons of waste, the bulk of which was recycled. This week, the HVAC, in all its heating and cooling glory, is reckoned with...
I needed to consider another, possibly big, expense for a space this size; the air-conditioning and heating unit referred to as the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning). I had intended to have the existing HVAC unit checked early on, and with the decision to go forward with LEED certification I couldn't wait any longer. We contacted the technician that Bill recommended, Valery Danovich, and he agreed to meet us on site and take a look. Based on the exposed ductwork, he initially estimated it to be a five-ton unit, smaller than I had hoped. But to be sure, he needed roof access to get a closer look....
Latest Restaurant Additions
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La Mancha
added March 19, 2010 12:00 PM in Brooklyn Heights -
John's Bakery & Pastry Shop
added March 18, 2010 12:00 PM in Ditmas Park -
Amarin
added March 17, 2010 12:00 PM in Williamsburg -
Kimchee
added March 16, 2010 12:00 PM in Bay Ridge -
Magda Int'l Cafe
added March 15, 2010 12:00 PM in Williamsburg -
Villa Rustica
added March 12, 2010 12:00 PM in Park Slope -
Happy End
added March 11, 2010 12:00 PM in Greenpoint -
The Blue Stove
added March 10, 2010 12:00 PM in Williamsburg -
Madina
added March 9, 2010 12:00 PM in Kensington -
Cataldo's
added March 8, 2010 12:00 PM in Prospect Heights