February 29, 2008

Renovation Focus: The Vestibule

We've been trying to think of the next area of the house we should focus on for reader-submitted renovations and finally received inspiration from yesterday's post on the Windsor Terrace Renovation Blog: the vestibule. We've also been talking with Mrs. B about simple, inexpensive ways to make our own entryway look a little less haggard, so the timing seems good. So bring on the photos and descriptions of what you've done in your vestibule and why. We'll start running submissions next week.
Gussying up the Vestibule [Windsor Terrace Reno]

Posted by Brownstoner at 11:31 AM | Comments (5)
Categories: Renovation, Renovation Blogs, Windsor Terrace Reno

February 14, 2008

The House that Harvey Built

The Times has a fun profile of one of the “elder statesmen” of North Brooklyn, William Harvey, who transformed an old mechanic’s garage on North 8th into what he calls a “Scando-Monican Brutalist artist studio and apartment.” Harvey, a sculptor and housewares designer, bought the garage in ’98 and built the rooftop addition/current living space (shown here under construction in 2005) over the next several years; the home is filled with things like a homemade black walnut kitchen island, and furniture and fixtures purchased at warehouse sales, flea markets, thrift shops and IKEA. Harvey and his wife were “early adopters” of Long Island City and Greenpoint in the ’80s before they moved into their Williamsburg house, which has been featured in a movie and television show. Harvey believes Williamsburg is still defined, in part, by a do-it-yourself attitude. “The thing about this neighborhood,” he says, “is that it was founded on D.I.Y. I think those values will dissipate, but right now it’s still going strong.”
Scavenger King of Williamsburg [NY Times]
Photo from Property Shark circa 2005.

Posted by Gabby at 10:00 AM | Comments (14)
Categories: Renovation, Williamsburg

February 5, 2008

Closing Bell: Grand Avenue Haunted House Losing Its Skin

This should make any of you going through a renovation right now feel better...The old woodframe house at 432 Grand Avenue is undergoing a Landmarks-compliant overhaul right now. Interior demolition began in December and by the end of last week the entire facade of the house (which is slated to be a two-family) had been ripped off. It's pretty interesting to get this kind of glimpse at how this kind of house is constructed. Let's hope it ends up looking as good as its twin next door.
Gutting Begins at the Grand Avenue Haunted House [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark
Inside the Grand Avenue Haunted House [Brownstoner]

Posted by Brownstoner at 4:00 PM | Comments (18)
Categories: Clinton Hill, Renovation

February 1, 2008

Weekend Warrior: Fixing the Skylight

Remember our weekend warrior reader who created a wine cellar in his Clinton Hill brownstone last month? Well, he's been at it again, this time tackling a sagging skylight. In his own words...

The skylight is somewhat cheaply made, and not by Michaelangelo. The designs on the glass pieces appear to have been silk-screened. But I think it looks pretty nice, particularly with the oval plaster work, and it's original to the house (1870s, Clinton Hill). It's 30 inches wide and 55 inches long...We had a leak, as you can see in lower right. And I'm sure it wasn't the first leak over the past 140 years. And, upon a closer look, it became clear that the skylight was falling apart, sagging badly and in serious danger of raining down the stairs in tiny, irreparable shards. But how to get it down without breaking it?

When I crawled up into the cockloft, I discovered that the previous owner of the house thought he could improve upon actual sunlight with a flourescent fixture....I imagine the skylight also would look a little nicer with a little cleaning (you can't make them out, but there are at least six dead bees and a thick coating of grime, here) but I was actually really scared to touch the thing at all.

Initial plan was to slip a piece of quarter-inch plywood beneath frame, screw the frame to it, and then lower it through the hole. But the husband correctly pointed out that this A) would be a huge pain in the ass, and B) the glass had sagged so much that placing the skylight on a flat piece of wood would probably bust out pieces of it.

So I slipped an old, strong shower curtain under the glass, pulled it taut, and stapled it all around. Did the same thing on the top. And lowered it through the hole to husband, waiting on tall ladder, without any damage. Now to get it restored!

Two questions: (1) Does anybody know where these clearly mass-produced approximations of stained glass came from? (2) Can anybody recommend a place for stained-glass repair? Thanks.

Posted by Brownstoner at 10:27 AM | Comments (14)
Categories: Clinton Hill, Renovation