Crown Heights Reno

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September 30, 2007

the good: part two

building the extension: views from the inside

since the ground floor only has 8' ceilings,
one of the issues in building the studio was how to acheive the ceiling height i need (about 9' which turns quickly into 10' once you add a roof, insulation & a deck)
without creating a deck that would end up being way above the level of the parlor floor.
basically we split the difference by digging down a foot for the studio and coming up a foot for the deck.
of course, doing this opened up all sorts of concerns about building below grade and keeping the water out of the studio,
it's the reason why we added an extra row of cinderblock to the foundation.

treasures found while digging out the back

and a newspaper, used for insulation in the walls of the shed: 1897!!!
the property shark date on the house was 1901, but i had always thought it was older

all the dirt from the back had to be removed through the house,
so we took out the front window & bars and set up a ramp

i found the form that was built to hold the cement pour fascinating
it had a sculptural quality and a certain elegance

before we could open up the back,
a supporting steel beam had to be put in place to hold up the rear of the building, even though the opening is not that much bigger than the windows that were there before

cutting the studs

building the structure

clearly, i am not going to be the first person to draw in the studio

this felt-like material with a plastic webbing is designed to help water flow away from the building,
it encircles the foundation

torching the roof

i don't have a good shot of it right now,
but the back wall is primarily glass: a large sliding door and a fixed window that is creating the reflection here.
you can tell how much the work has slowed by the fact that vines have had time to start invading through the open skylight holes

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Comments

Impressive progress and I love your backyard finds. Weve found a lot of newspaper in our walls as well but we can't seem to find a sheet that has the year intact! Its very frustrating.

Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at October 1, 2007 8:02 AM

I hate to be the person to tell you this, but torching down a rubber roof is illegal. I wouldn't advertise the fact that you broke the law to everyone in the blogosphere. You might want to take that photo and caption down before it gets you in trouble.

Posted by: Shahn Andersen at October 1, 2007 3:53 PM

i believe it is actually asphalt
is that illegal?

Posted by: neene at October 2, 2007 11:08 PM

Really impressive project taking shape! This is a new construction project as much as it is a renovation project! That studio extension looks like it will be a sweet space.

- Peter from BedStuy reno

Posted by: guest at October 3, 2007 6:07 PM