Renovation Blog
October 26, 2007
Video: Inside the Gates Renovation Blog
This video should help pull together all the posts from the Gates Renovation Blog over the past year. Enjoy. To see all the videos we've posted recently, just select "Video" from the "Topics" dropdown menu near the top of the page.
October 15, 2007
Today on the Renovation Blogs and Forum
There are two new posts today on the Renovation Blogs:
Water Problems with the Extension [Crown Heights Reno]
Picking Colors for the Bathroom [Bed Stuy Reno]
Meanwhile, here are some of the topics posted on the Forum today:
Dumb to Buy Gorgeous Apt with No View?
Seeking Someone for Minor Plumbing Fixes
Need Someone to Install Exterior Doors in Our Basement
Are There Really Bed Bugs at 616 E 18th Street?
Repairing Damage to Original Brownstone Doors?
A Good Rental Broker in Prospect Heights?
Remember: You can follow all the renovation blog posts in a single feed here.
October 2, 2007
Today on the Forum and Renovation Blogs
Here are some of the topics posted on the Forum today:
Any Way to Stop Neighbor from Building Extension?
Is There a Mass Exodus from Milk Factory?
Have You Ever Used New York Heating Corp?
Best Way to Investigate Property Violations?
Relationship Between DOB and ECB Fines?
Impact of Neighbor's Disrepair on My Property Value?
Need Specialist to Repair Plaster Frieze
Place to Repair Vintage Lamps?
Meanwhile, there's one new post today on the Renovation Blogs:
Curb Your Enthusiasm: Shower Curb Complete [Bed Stuy Reno]
Remember: You can follow all the renovation blog posts in a single feed here.
October 1, 2007
Today on the Forum and Renovation Blogs
Here are some of the topics posted on the Forum today:
Is Ditmas Park "Fringe"?
Extracting Fireplace Tiles from Cement?
"Value Spillover" from PLG to PLG South
New Landlord: How Much Security Deposit to Keep?
Can Someone Recommend a Reliable Oil Company?
Cost of Removing and Replacing Stairs?
Cost to Build Stairs to Backyard??
Meanwhile, there are three new posts on the Renovation Blogs:
Grouting "Sort of a Pain in the Ass" [Bed Stuy Reno]
Contractor Almost Tosses Old Clawfoot [Windsor Terrace Reno]
Treasures from the Excavation [Crown Heights Reno]
Remember: You can follow all the renovation blog posts in a single feed here.
September 18, 2007
The Dirty Business of Fireplace Renovation
A reader who's in the midst of a project to convert two of the fireplaces in his Clinton Hill brownstone to wood-burning and reline three of his flues sends in a mid-project report. So far everything's going well, if a little slow: So far, the workers have been very careful to protect the existing mantels and surrounding parquet floors with rosin paper. We can imagine that having to witness holes getting punched in the walls might be a little traumatic, but since the flues aren't straight, it's the only way to go in this case. Getting down to the boiler from the ground-floor kitchen has proven to be the trickiest part of the job so far because the original hearth in the kitchen, which serves as the foundation for the three fireplaces above it, gets very narrow in places. Ultimately, the workmen were able to get the piping through it though. When the job's complete, we'll have a final report. In the meantime, check out the slideshow on the link. Update: The slideshow should be working now.
Fireplace Reno Slideshow [Flickr]
July 10, 2007
Renovation Surprise: Stained Glass in the Floor
Here's an email that came in from a Brooklyn Heights couple who run a design-build business called Dwellings Ltd and are in the process of renovating their own newly-purchased co-op.
I wanted to share an architectural find my husband and I uncovered during the demolition phase of a coop apartment we recently purchased. The apartment is in a stunning limestone building in Brooklyn Heights with the original mahogany trim, plasterwork and mosaic tiled hallway still intact. It's one of the main reasons we were drawn to the apartment—this house was really something in its day. The apartment is on the second floor and there was what appeared to be an unused shaft between a closet and the kitchen that we could use as additional space. There was no evidence of the shaft in the apartment above or below. We figured it was the remnants of a very large dumbwaiter. After making the proverbial inspection hole, however, we discovered the interior was finished plaster and wainscot trim. Clearly not something one would have seen inside a dumbwaiter. It was also very large (3' by 6') and a ton of construction debris that had been piled inside the shaft from the renovation of the apartment above many years before.
Progressive removal of the debris during demolition proved that what we took for a floor was actually a glass panel. After completing the cleanup, we discovered the remnants of an amazing large stained-glass panel which would have served as artwork for the parlor floor below, lit from the shaft that at one time went clear up to the roof. In addition, there were windows into the shaft which would have provided fresh air to the center of the building. We were both happy to have found this piece and at the same time saddened that it was in the condition it was in. Why it wasn’t removed and put to good use at the time the shaft was run with duct work and closed up we can’t understand. We’ll attempt to resurrect it in some form, either cleaned up and left as the artifact it is, or disassembled and reconfigured into a more modest smaller piece. See the attached photos for what is left of this once-impressive large piece of artwork. Light under the small pieces of glass show many of the individual pieces have beautiful motifs painted on them—leaves, fruit, and geometric forms.
Another find during demolition was...
Continue reading "Renovation Surprise: Stained Glass in the Floor"
April 10, 2007
Reno Bloggers Take New England Salvage Road Trip
Ooh, are we jealous! Since our salvage infatuation hit us after we already had young kids, we've never been able to get away for a good old fashioned architectural salvage road trip. Over on the Windsor Terrace Reno Blog, Mr. and Mrs. Limestone took a tour de force through New England recently, hitting such hot spots as the Old House Parts Company in Kennebunk, Maine, Portland Architectural Salvage, and White River Junction-based Vermont Salvage, among others. Awesome!
Architectural Salvage Romp in New England [Windsor Terrace Reno]
January 4, 2007
Kitchen Reno: Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours
Some of the newer readers might not even realize what a big part of the site our renovation blog was in the early days of Brownstoner. Truth is, we miss it. Plus, we did kinda leave people hanging by not showing the finished product. It may have had something to do with a couple of harsh comments about the choice of shower curtain in the kids' bathroom and something to do with the fact that a house like ours is never really done. Unless you have a bottomless pit of money that allows you to perfectly restore everything in the house before moving in, a brownstone reno is really a lifelong commitment. Which makes it hard to say, "Okay, we're done now!"
With that said, it's time to start revealing the finished product in bits and pieces. As promised last month, we're starting with the kitchen and hoping other readers will follow suit by sending us their photos and stories to run on the main page. There are some good shots of the evolution of our kitchen in the July 2005 archive that are worth checking out as background.
The current kitchen is at the top of the stairs on the second floor where a bathroom used to be. We closed off the original doorway from the hall (where the fridge is now) and opened up the wall to the dining room. We were able to salvage enough of the old pipe molding from our demo to cover the entire opening. The counters are veiny white marble cut from a very large slab (found at Build It Green!) that had been salvaged from the bathroom of an old theater in the West 40s in Manhattan. We saved money with IKEA cabinets and splurged a bit on appliances, with the theory that we could move the appliances if we ever have the money to move the kitchen down a floor to the rear of the parlor. So we went with a Bosch dishwasher, a Bluestar range and a Jenn Air refrigerator. We capped it off with a vintage Art Deco ceiling light.
Okay, your turn. (If you emailed us last month already, please send us a reminder.)
December 12, 2006
Renovation Blog A La Carte
Because not everyone has the time or the inclination to take on an entire reno blog, we're going to start soliciting readers' input on a room-by-room basis. Every month, we'll ask you to send in a few photos and a description of the renovation process you went through on a particular room. And to play fair, we'll kick off each month with a couple of shots of our finished (to the extent that any budget reno is really ever "finished") job. We'll start the ball rolling in January with the kitchen and happily start accepting submissions now.
November 1, 2006
Looking for a Few More Reno Bloggers
We're so pleased with the two reno blogs we began hosting last Summer that we're now looking for a couple more. So if you're about to get started on a renovation — either townhouse or apartment — and have an exhibitionist streak, drop us an email and let us know. No blogging experience necessary.
September 19, 2006
Peeling Back the Years, Stowin' Away the Time
Last week on the Bed Stuy Reno, our fearless renovators attacked the multi-layered kitchen floor. "It’s the kind of work that is self-sustaining, because with each new layer peeled back, the motivation is there to go just one more." Ah, the small satisfaction in life! Steps 3 through 6 on the link.
Peeling Back the Years [Bed Stuy Reno]
August 31, 2006
Renovating on the Cheap in New York City
The House & Home section today uses the quest of the former editor and chief of Dwell magazine to find the perfect house for $100 a foot as a jumping off point to investigate whether in New York City it was possible to do a gut renovation for that number. They look at six renovations across the city that ranged from the Red Hook house above for $67 a foot to a Tribeca loft for $180 a foot. We know first hand that it's possible: We did our house for about $75 a foot. We could have easily spent double that and close inspection quickly reveals numerous imperfections. Certain things don't bother us, like the layers and layers of accumlated paint on the door moldings; others, like way the contractor mounted the old marble sink in the guest bathroom too close to the side wall, will bother us for the next twenty years. But the way we look at it is that an old house like ours is a lifelong project and, plus, we couldn't have afforded to buy it if a "perfect" renovation was the only option. And, like most things, it looks great by candlelight!
We'd love to hear what readers have spent on their "on the cheap" renovations.
The Cheap Fix [NY Times]
July 6, 2006
Fliperati: Lapsed Banker Turns to Reno-blogging
A reader just turned us on to this new renovation blog called Fliperati. Started recently by a banker who'd had enough of the Wall Street slog, the site is chronicalling his recent purchase and impending renovation of a suburban New Jersey house. A recent post of his mulled over the wisdom of spending the extra time and money on preserving original details. So far, he hasn't gotten any feedback and we're worried that he may have already opted for trashing the moldings. We bet he'd appreciate some feedback on the subject. Check that specific post out on the link below.
Flipping and Preservation Mutually Exclusive? [Fliperati]
June 9, 2006
If This Fan's A-Rockin'...
Over on the home improvement blog Charles and Hudson, they've got up a little video primer on how to stabilize a wobbly ceiling fan. Which reminds us: We still need to get some ceiling fans. What do people recommend?
Fixing a Wobbly Ceiling Fan [Charles and Hudson]
May 22, 2006
Looking For A New Reno Blogger
As many of you have noticed, after his most recent set-back with the LPC, Shahn Andersen has decided to pull the plug on the Cambridge Renovation blog. That, combined with the fact that the site has been too light on the renovation front in recent months, means we are looking for a new reno blogger. If you've recently started a townhouse renovation or will be getting going in the next month or so, please email us. You don't have to be doing the work yourself (we certainly didn't), but we want someone who will be in the trenches and at least a gung-ho weekend warrior. A fairly thick skin is also required. We assume most folks reading this will be from Brooklyn, but it's not a necessity--Harlem could be fun too.
March 24, 2006
Modesty Goes Out the (Bathroom) Window
Who knew that while we were scandalizing a portion of the Brownstoner readership last year with our installation of a salvaged paned window into the wall between our bedroom and bathroom (shown here mid-reno) there was a whole wave of renovators doing the same thing only on a more expensive and modern level? The motivation seems to be the same: To bring in some natural light into an otherwise closed-off space. Some of the examples in yesterday's NY Times article are far more risque than ours, which is visible only from the master bedroom, as opposed to to the living room. That would be a bit much even for us.
Who Needs Bathroom Privacy? [NY Times]
March 13, 2006
Getting Our Hands Dirty in the Garden
We got cracking on our garden this weekend. Our contractor had removed the old tool shed that was in the yard when we bought the house. Other than that, this was unchartered territory. A few hours and a few aches and pains later, we had generated six contractor bags of leaves and garbage and two large bundles of vines that we had carted away Sunday afternoon. We suspect that we weren't the only ones working in our garden this weekend.
March 3, 2006
Renovation Blog Updates
If you haven't checked it out yet, go take a look at Shaun's latest handiwork created in his continuing bid to win over the LPC. Quite impressive!
In other news, Mrs. B is going to start blogging the interior design of our house in the next week or two.
Facing the Committee [Cambridge Reno]
February 27, 2006
This Is Hardcore: Craig and Yvonne's Parlor
It'd been a while since we checked in with Craig and Yvonne over at Our Victorian House and, man, we'd forgotten what a bunch of maniacs these guys are! They really live and breathe restoration. To refresh, Craig and Yvonne bought their Victorian woodframe house back in 2001 and have been painstakingly doing a period restoration themselves. While we're not sure we'd want to live in such exacting period detail ourselves, we are still blown away by what they've done in rooms like the parlor (pictured above). So check it out--it's a far superior reno blog to our own!
Parlor Floor Photos [Our Victorian House]
Renovation Tip: Recruit Relatives [Brownstoner]
November 9, 2005
Today on the Reno Blog: Crazy Boxsprings
Take a look at these boxsprings that go with the 1880s brass beds passed down to us by the in-laws. We've never seen anything like them! That--and for those who haven't been checking in--a shot of the Brownstoner vinyl collection finally in place on the Reno Blog.
The Craziest Boxsprings [Renovation Blog]
November 2, 2005
Today on the Reno Blog: Flood Damage Shots
We're recovering slowly from the psychological trauma we suffered upon witnessing the Niagra Falls-like flooding of our rental unit during the deluge of early October. Wish we could say the same for our cellar ceiling. We haven't fixed it yet, but at least it looks like the insurance will fairly generously compensate us for the damage to the house. For a photo of ensuing mold, check out the reno blog today.
Cellar Ceiling Damage [Renovation Blog]
October 19, 2005
Day Three: The Dig Continues
The job is proving more difficult than expected since it's turning out that just about every utility on the block has a junction right in front of our house. This means that the digging takes a lot longer, as the workers have to take extra care not to hit any other pipes. It's starting to look like our sprinkler main is leaking underground too. Remind us why we wanted to own a house again?
The Big Dig Is Underway [Brownstoner]
October 18, 2005
The Big Dig Is Underway
Here's what the street in front of our house looks like one day into repairing our collapsed waste line. We've been on restricted water usage (as in thirty second showers and flush-only-when-necessary) for the past ten days and we're ready for a long, hot bath. Evidently the City used to take responsibility for repairing pipes this far out into the street but now the onus and the cost are on the building owners. Sucks for us.
October 10, 2005
Turning Water into Wine in Eastern Williamsburg
This place took some vision! Overcoming fears of environmental contamination, Wellington Fan and Jennifer Dalton bought this run-down split-level brick house directly from an estate in 2002 for $274,000. Then they embarked on a DIY reno that blew out some walls in the living area and moved the kitchen downstairs. One major sewage back-up and $22,000 later, they had a comfortable 1,100-square-foot family home with a clean, mid-century modern feel. Since their purchase, signs of encroaching hipsterdom have begun popping up and the value of the house has roughly doubled.
Worry Triumphs over Fear [NY Times]
September 29, 2005
Today on the Reno Blog: Padding the Carpets
We got our lazy ass over to ABC in Dumbo this weekend to buy rug pads for our carpets. Given that we're hoping to never move again, we decided to spring for something decent. (Actually, they just have one kind of rug pad at ABC, but it's very good.) It ended up costing us about $450 for three very large cuts (over 100 square feet each).
Underneath the Carpet [Renovation Blog]
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