Crown Heights Reno: March 2007
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March 28, 2007
thank you & buried treasures!!!!!!
inspired by the scary bathroom
the collector in me wishes that i could have sifted through the basement demolition debris to see what was uncovered, especially after finding this bottle (AW BELLS PHARMACY 357 FULTON ST) half buried in the dirt.
what really puzzles me is the large number of shells that are down there...
AND
a huge thanks to all those who have taken the time to share their experiences and suggestions on the previous posts,
it is extremely helpful on many levels and we thank you.
the one big question that has been looming from the beginning is the heating /cooling system:
we currently have forced air and a 50 year old monster of a furnace (with no humidifier & only minimal filtration) & who knows what's lurking in the duct work, but it does heat the house.
we are struggling with:
keeping forced air and adding an a/c system to it, yes the cooling part will be undersized, but we are not "cold" freaks and really only use a/c during the dog days of summer
or
converting to radiant heat and installing a separate a/c system
i know this topic has been discussed elsewhere but if anyone wants to weigh in here with general thoughts on the benefits/drawbacks of
combined forced air heat/cooling
vs
radiation and a separate a/c system
it would be greatly appreciated
March 25, 2007
good morning, mr. phelps...
one of the next big hurdles is appliances.
the reality is that 25 years ago i moved into a loft that had formerly belonged to a caterer. the focal point of the kitchen was a 10 burner commercial garland range with 2 ovens, no salamander, no broiler, a hood that wasn't hooked up and it was a bitch to clean.
the double porcelain sink had come off the street and when i left, the original kitchenaid dishwasher was still running. the only appliance that i replaced was a glass doored restaurant refrigerator and my criteria at that point in time for a new one was to get the largest freezer i could find (i was a photographer and i kept my color paper & film, yes film, in the freezer.)
i cook a lot and i was perfectly happy with this setup...
but now i am agonizing over every appliance
and this confuses me far more than tile.
i am not, at ♥ , a consumer
so,
your mission,
should you choose to accept,
is to weigh in on the previous 4 posts
with any feelings/experiences/wisdom you care to share:
stoves/ovens
refrigerators
laundry
fixtures
what's cookin'
the stove
i suppose it makes sense that the stove and the oven constitute by far my biggest dilemma...
background
since this is a 2 family, the house will have 2 kitchens,
the main kitchen on the parlor floor with a smaller one on the ground floor.
i cook a lot but mostly stove top
i do not make a large amount of roast meats
i have been known to do thanksgiving for 14
i don't bake that often now, but bread making is is an eventual goal
i don't microwave
i do (finally) want a broiler
main kitchen:
i definitely want 6 burners
i can either do a complete stove or a separate cook top & oven
since i will have an additional oven downstairs, i am only putting one in this kitchen
2nd kitchen:
there is an existing gas stove that, if it proves to be functional, i will keep
otherwise i will need to purchase a separate (inexpensive & small) cook top and a 2nd oven
questions
any feelings on separate vs. combined when it comes to the stove/oven?
what are the things you love/hate about your own set-up?
or
what would you do differently if you were starting from scratch?
brands:
i have been looking at the thermadors...
but what about viking or ge or ... ?
ovens:
gas vs electric?
what about dual?
is it the 21st century and i should have convection?
bonus question:
does anyone else covet the cobalt blue enameled interior of the wolf ovens?
lg has this with their complete stove, but it's only 4 burners
i know i am going to have at least one ridiculous splurge, and it will most likely be color related, but considering how often i really use the oven, even i am having a hard time going top of the line solely because of an interior finish
(nb. i did however go one model up on my trek (to get a purple fade) because i felt a red bike just wasn't "me". that was 15 years ago, i still have the bike and have replaced the fork with one that is a completely different color but i've never regretted that decision)
keepin' it chilled
the refrigerator
no, i am not actually going for one of these,
(tho i won't say i wasn't tempted)
i just happen to be a sucker for anything pink & green
background:
i honestly loved the first refrigerator i bought
but it broke on a late summer weekend
and i had a freezer full of freshly frozen soups & sauces;
my winter's supply of summer bounty.
i panicked and bought blindly:
something that was too small, badly laid out, not adequately customizable
and i can honestly say
that i every time i opened the door of that new fridge,
i felt a little stab in my heart, i hated it that much
requirements:
30": so we are talking top freezer, no double doors
maximum fresh food storage (as i'll have extra freezer space in the downstairs fridge)
i was thinking the lg...
i guess reliability is the big issue here...
(there seem to be so many subzero service traumas)
share your cold storage stories here...
fluff 'n fold
laundry
background:
i admit it, i am spoiled in this area
and i am so over the laundromat
2 more appliances that i haven't had to buy in eons...
so some of the finer improvements are probably lost on me
requirements
water/energy efficient
front loading for both washer & dryer (we will be using them side by side)
durable
large load
i put EVERYTHING in the washer
i use lots of garment bags
wash in cold water
and hang stuff up
i need a delicate cycle but i am not a nut about this
i want something that will last and that i don't feel too terrible about running
as far as drying goes...
again efficiency is more important than a myriad of cycles that i will never use
plumbing particulars
the fixtures
do you love your kitchen faucet?
this seems to be a hot topic...
and i can understand why
one of the things i ended up replacing in my last kitchen was the sink
i splurged and got a 3 basin stainless w/drainboard
it required an over sized goose neck faucet (to hit all 3 basins properly)
it wasn't installed properly
and no matter how many times it was fixed it always ended up leaking and wobbling
eventually i began to hate the whole thing...
what about your toilet?
honestly, this is not a place where i need to make a major design statement
there is actually one old toilet in the house that we will probably refurbish because its design is far more appealing to me than any modern interpretations that i have seen
(no pic yet because it's in a little dirty alcove and there is no way i could make it look even remotely appealing)
but if you have a great recommendation, i'd love to hear it
shower heads!!!
big issue: looking for major pummeling power
question:
do you sacrifice power with a rain head?
tub
we will be putting a tub in the guest bathroom which is 6' wide, the tub will sit width wise in front of a window.
(as we have windows in both upstairs bathrooms we are considering selling the viewing rights to help finance the renovation)
we are deliberating between 3 scenarios:
1. free standing claw foot (much like the b's)
2. free standing contemporary
3. built in tub
i guess what i am curious about here is anyone's experience with restoring old tubs...
March 18, 2007
it's a whole new language
parental guidance warning:
if you don't like a bit of personal introspection served up with your reno blog,
skip this post, imho process doesn't come in only one flavor
for me, the hardest thing about this whole endeavor has to do with process.
i might be a visual person, but i am "additive" by nature.
i am a collector and a collagist,
i build paint up, i scrape it off,
and i never have an inkling of how something will resolve itself,
until it does,
i never have a clue of how a painting will look in the end.
(in this way my process is like that of a sculpturer,
whose approach is to reveal the form "hidden" within the material they are working with.
well,
unless you have VERY deep pockets,
nothing resembling this approach works in a renovation...
here the goal is to envision as much as possible in advance.
this means having an understanding of what the relationships between
the various textures, colors and forms you are using will be,
before you actually see them together.
so that you have all the materials that you will need
ready at the precise moment they are required for installation
when this works
you get a 1+1=3 situation;
the beauty of each element separately
and then the additional "aaahhhhhhhhhh" when they are put together.
for me,
this is the moment that tells me a painting is "finished"
sometimes i can't even see it for months
and never until i physically move the work out of the studio
often,
i am as surprised as the next person to see what i have made
so,
this concept of starting from a place of understanding
how it will all fit together at some (very undefined) point in the future,
is not a place where i live:
and it's a place that is scary for me
example: "tile"
a subset of the larger concept known as "floor"
(and to some extent: "wall")
i mean, how do you make sense of all this beauty...
most of these are pure fantasy for me
(as in: glass tile tends to run $40/sq. ft)
fantasy and inspiration
but i have to immerse myself in it
in order to understand what i am looking at,
what i respond to
and what i really want to live with
nb: that white with red is only $4.50/sq. ft, that's definitely one bathroom floor
some of the things we've considered,
(some of which, thankfully, run between $6-9/sq. ft.)
these are mainly being considered for the ground floor entryway & hallway
and the master bath floor & shower enclosure
we were considering some for the kitchen floor,
but i think we have decided on linoleum there
(softer on the feet and things break, as opposed to shatter, when dropped )
getting a bit more practical and thinking about the edges
looking for simple, inexpensive solutions
all in all i believe we have found some beautiful colors and textures to work with
and it will be a matter of choosing the right
(probably expensive) accents in order to create something special.
but i still feel i need another round of "immersion"
before i can decide on final solutions
and
a big shout out to the bed stuy reno blog
i might even attempt to tile the ground floor bathroom myself
(and really go wild)
all in all it's like having another medium to learn to work with
i do find that fun
and i do like a challenge
but doesn't stop with tile;
there's wood
(and the myriad of details involved with moldings & fixtures & finishing)
wrought iron
(who knew that could be so wonderful AND so confusing)
fabric...
that all have to be resolved individually
and then brought together into a
(and this is the operative word)
cohesive unit
March 11, 2007
progress!!!
when we last left the basement, it looked like this.
we had decided that one of the things we could take out of the scope of work defined by the architect's plans would be the basement demo and rebuilding
and g/ figured that when the time came to assess the building's systems, we would be one step ahead of the game if everything was exposed
while g/ had tackled most of the walls and the ceiling,
we had atlantic contracting (who did our pavement rehab) remove the funky (illegal) bathroom
break up the cement
haul the debris
and dig an exploratory hole to see how far down the foundation went
this was a request from our architect and it's at least 3' before the side walls end
sometimes it looked a little creepy down there
and then we decided to bite the bullet and dig down another foot
this will give me double rows of painting racks
and will give g/ a ping pong table (among other things)
March 9, 2007
we are back! :D
(or... omg, we totally lost february)
the past 2 months have been spent
gathering ideas,
drawing plans,
revising ideas
and attending to some personal stuff that was in the way.
but the bid packages went out this week,
(happiness)
and we have been doing a bit of exploratory demo
so it's time to jump back in here;
i'll start with something small & pretty: the living room ceiling
you might remember the dining room ceiling from the previous post:
we were hopeful at first, but it's clearly beyond repair; over ½ of it is down
but we have uncovered 80% of the living room
and except for a patch about 3' x 5'
we seem to be in pretty good shape
so my question is...
who knows a good person for restoring decorative plaster
and how big a job is this (assuming that the whole thing isn't going to get shaken loose by the rough work above)?