Crown Heights Reno: house
October 24, 2007
saving grace
After what basically amounted to 2 (painful) months of inactivity,
we are back on track again
preparing furring strips for the new installation of the siding
we feel extremely fortunate that the person under whose umbrella said "contractor" was working
has stepped up to the plate to remedy the problems that we are facing.
we feel extremely fortunate that this person is organized, skilled and genuinely trying to help.
we have lost time and money,
he is losing money,
said "contractor" has put a sum of money in his pocket,
(or at least into his own house)
but hopefully without a company behind him,
he will not be working again anytime soon.
obviously there is more to this than can be disclosed here,
yes we had heard all the horror stories,
yes we (mistakenly) believed we were "on top" of things,
yes we were dealing with someone who has the gift of gab,
yes we had both personal (from someone in real estate)
and professional recommendations
and yes, being on the receiving end of the peter principle we got kicked in the proverbial ass.
it's true
sometimes when you are in the middle of something,
you can't see the forest for the trees
in hindsight, i believe we cut our losses just in time.
moving forward,
it is clear that when someone who is skilled takes on a job,
even one with which they had not originally signed up for
even one with which they have had no prior experience
the results can be excellent:
NB: this blog has had a policy against "naming names" (see faq #7)
before a job is completed. Given the sensitive nature of the situation and that we are not fully out of the water, i am going to uphold that.
but i would like to mention that the company that supplied the cement board: CBF really worked with us on replacing the boards that had been damaged by the previous installation
we have decided to treat this project in two sections:
rough work | finished work
once the heating system is in and we have had our rough plumbing inspection,
phase I will be complete
we are still deciding how we will procede with phase II.
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
September 14, 2007
the good, the bad and the ugly
the good: part one
building the studio: a flip book view
in one of my first posts (mary, mary, quite contrary) i talked about where the studio was going and why. the pictures in that post will give you a sense of what the back of the house was like when we bought it.
the back of the house 2 months ago, just before we started building:
the grape arbor and the shack are gone.
while "garden" is extremely important to me,
so is my work
thankfully our house is on a 131' lot which allowed for the option of housing the studio in an extension and still have substantial space left over for planting
(and i will garden as well on the deck that will go on top of the studio)
the view from above, 14 months ago:
the digging has started and so has the rain:
the foundation is dug:
guide lines are put in place, marking the actual boundaries of the building
the form is built to hold the cement
a layer of gravel is put down and the cement is poured:
cinder blocks are laid:
and are filled with rocks and cement for better insulation and to create more of a water barrier
in the end we add another row to what was originally called for
the inside of the wall is painted with a waterproofing material
the structure starts to take shape
and continues to grow:
and grow
the beginnings of a roof:
it's covered with tar paper, those holes will be skylights
and the tapered, rigid insulation is laid:
and then
even though the roof was left exposed to a deluge of 3" of rain
the roof is tarped in case it rains again
because it needs to be dry to put down the rubber
honestly, at this point, i would untarp it...
the rubber gets laid:
now,
it was my intention to continue this series until the skylights were in
(and maybe even the deck was on, )
but things don't always work out as planned,
stay tuned...
August 8, 2007
hot fun in the summer time
can't think of a better way to spend a heat wave than up on a roof melting rubber
but the contractor saw a window between waves of thunderstorms and went for it
or
how could i forget rule #5
and yes
it was an extreme shock to see all the old roofing material in the house
demolition is bad
roof demolition is worse
it's dark and angry and sticky and dirty
and tar is very unforgiving
warning sign:
arriving the first night after they had started
it was clear that this was not going to be pretty
but things were still relatively under control
then all hell broke loose
the master bedroom & closet
truth be told, i did not venture up to the roof during this time period
the stairs to the hatch were covered with tar
and i just couldn't face it
when i finally did go up and looked back
this was what it lay below
the 4th day of roofing
the thunderstorms forecast for every day this week have held off
it's 7:30 at night and we know we can't count on this good luck for much longer
the heat, even at this hour was stifling
these guys did an amazing job
and the next morning it poured
and the roof is perfect
and we are very relieved
the roof wasn't in the original bid; we only had some leaky skylights which we were planning on replacing
but the contractor insisted and in hindsight it is so obvious that it was the right thing to do
it's a rubber roof btw
August 3, 2007
stairway to heaven
ok, that's a bit of a stretch but they are basically level
we decided to straighten the stairs from the parlor to the 3rd floor
and right up front, i must apologize for not having taken a "before" picture
(to say nothing of not documenting the entire process)
2 excuses
first i never thought they were so bad,
i might have even found them "charming"
but they bothered g/ immensely and i'm sure he's right;
once the house is done, they would have appeared totally askew.
second, it was one of those things that happened without too much warning
all of a sudden there was a day when the regular crew wasn't going to be on the 3rd floor so it was possible for the stair guys to come in and do their thing
and that happened to be a day when i couldn't be around...
so all i have to offer are the "after" pix
the top of the stairs,
that gap gives you a good idea of how much they had to be shifted
basically the process is:
- first the panel covering the underside of the steps was removed exposing the the steps from underneath
- next the connection between the top and bottom posts was cut
- and then the connection between the top and bottom of the stairs to the floor was cut
- this left the whole stair virtually hanging off the wall
- two jacks were used, one at the top and one at the bottom, to maneuver the stairs until they were level
- The steps were reattached to the posts and floor
- and shimmed where they had pulled away from the support underneath
another image showing how big an adjustment was made
once the steps were straightened, the banister was bowing
so they had to cut it and reattach it at a higher point
the finished product in a very unfinished state
stairway to heaven
ok, that's a bit of a stretch but they are basically level
we decided to straighten the stairs from the parlor to the 3rd floor
and right up front, i must apologize for not having taken a "before" picture
(to say nothing of not documenting the entire process)
2 excuses
first i never thought they were so bad,
i might have even found them "charming"
but they bothered g/ immensely and i'm sure he's right;
once the house is done, they would have appeared totally askew.
second, it was one of those things that happened without too much warning
all of a sudden there was a day when the regular crew wasn't going to be on the 3rd floor so it was possible for the stair guys to come in and do their thing
and that happened to be a day when i couldn't be around...
so all i have to offer are the "after" pix
the top of the stairs,
that gap gives you a good idea of how much they had to be shifted
basically the process is:
- first the panel covering the underside of the steps was removed exposing the the steps from underneath
- next the connection between the top and bottom posts was cut
- and then the connection between the top and bottom of the stairs to the floor was cut
- this left the whole stair virtually hanging off the wall
- two jacks were used, one at the top and one at the bottom, to maneuver the stairs until they were level
- The steps were reattached to the posts and floor
- and shimmed where they had pulled away from the support underneath
another image showing how big an adjustment was made
once the steps were straightened, the banister was bowing
so they had to cut it and reattach it at a higher point
the finished product in a very unfinished state
July 20, 2007
let it flow
the rough plumbing is in
A
the old sewer line was in bad repair; sagging and quite decrepit. originally the contractor was going to use pvc for running the drain lines but (thankfully) we ended up with cast iron. there is a line running out the back, under the extension, to a drain there as well
B
the front plumbing stack originating in the basement
C
and continuing up through the first floor, this will be concealed in a coat closet
D
running through the parlor floor, they will end up almost completely hidden in the entry way wall
E & F
detail of the pipes going through to the third floor, this is where we had to head off and sister to avoid having to build a soffit in the front hallway
G
terminating in the third floor guest bathroom
H
the back plumbing stack on the ground floor: this connects to the studio bathroom and the little kitchen
I
the lines for the kitchen on the parlor floor
J
detail between the parlor and third floors
K
terminating in the third floor master bath
July 11, 2007
stepping up the pace
we actually don't have too much new framing that has to be done to the original house,
except for the top floor
while we are keeping the same basic configuration of rooms
walls needed to come down to proportion them better.
framing out the ceiling for the master bath
framing the master bath
framing the master bedroom & dressing room
we did end up taking out {gasp} the fireplace in the master bedroom
it was the only way to have enough room to orient the bed to face the garden
and have end tables
July 7, 2007
catch up!!!
OK
I am severely behind with blogging
but june was devoted to planning a couple of community events
and i stopped drinking coffee
(read: i need more sleep)
so i got a bit bogged down
thankfully, renovation is going full steam ahead
(well sometimes not exactly full steam, but that's another story)
so i have a bit of catch up to do
since we did remove walls
and since we wanted to stick as much new plumbing into existing ceilings
we needed some structural reinforcement
that's where these guys came in handy:
LVL for supporting beams & heavy duty hangers to support the new joists
below are two views of the ceiling for what will be the kitchen/dining area.
the LVL was used to create support where a wall was taken out
the ceiling to the left (over the kitchen area) will be dropped to conceal the beam, accommodate venting, a/c etc.
the ceiling in the dining area will be go back up to original height
(that plaster work was too far gone to repair)
exploratory work was done in the ceiling of the parlor floor to see if we could run the plumbing lines from the top floor without creating a soffit in the front hall
we can:
views of the sistering and pocketing of the joists from the top and the bottom
next up: framing
June 2, 2007
from the ground up
the silver lining to all the anguish of the demolition phase was being able to see all the places in the house that had been destroyed by water and shoddy workmanship and watch them being fixed and secured
structural work started in the basement where we shored up the columns of the house by building cement piers at their base after the digout.
this was done first, to ensure that the pounding of the demolition wouldn't cause any damage.
the majority of work to be done was on the 2nd & 3rd floors.
the damage to be repaired was due to 3 things:
this required augmenting and/or replacing the existing support structure
which is where these guys came in handy:
heavy duty hangers to support the new headers
the left wall in the back: details of the construction
when i saw this work being done, it really gave me the confidence that were on the right track and that exposing so much of the structure (or tearing out the walls depending on how you want to phrase that)
was a good decision.
even though i know nothing about this kind of work,
when i saw it done i had a very visceral reaction to it;
it just felt so "solid" in my body
the problem/the solution
the headers above the top floor windows and the joists on the edges of one of the skylights were completed rotted from leaks
an iron bar replaced the window header and the area was rebricked
the joists on either side of the skylight were completely reinforced from end to end: the new beams were pocketed and sistered to the existing ones that were crumbling, this helped with the sag of the roof as well
May 22, 2007
a little place i like to call...
demo hell
a dozen things i've learned about demolition
#1
be very clear and consistent when marking what is to stay and what is to be removed
confusion resulted when the following 3 designations were used:
save
do not touch
remove and save
do
save & do not touch
mean the same thing?
or does
save & remove and save
mean the same?
so in addition to restoring missing molding, some molding will need to be reinstalled
which brings us to #1a:
label the pieces carefully so that they can be put back
#2
if you intend to keep it, protect it
#3
destruction
destruction
destruction
in a word it's awful,
and while some might relish the fact that progress is being made,
i found it terribly disturbing.
even though i love the plans we have for the house,
i hated watching parts of it be destroyed
#4
dirt, dirt, dirt
and more dirt
don't fool yourself,
no amount of tape
and no numbers of layers of plastic sheeting
is going to keep any part of a house under demolition even a tiny bit dust free.
the stuff is incredibly fine and i don't believe it ever stops settling
#5
don't let moments of relative calm fool you
the mess will be back
#6
pipes will get hit
you will have leaks
#7
your garbage cans are no longer yours
they are theirs
your house is no longer yours
it is theirs
#8
some things,
no matter how many times you move them to the top of the heap
so that they will end up in the dumpster,
get rescued and carefully set aside
other things,
that have been deliberately set aside,
keep making a beeline for the trash
#9
it's true
there are plumbers who think nothing of removing a huge section of a supporting beam or joist
it's so obviously wrong when you see it
#10
water rots wood
there are gaping holes where leaky bathtubs once were
#11
some things keep getting moved from place to place
as if they have deep personal significance
this is a crap medicine chest
whose journey i have actually found quite amusing
#12
and there will be endless questions;
like,
what part of the house did this come from?
or
who would have guessed that the weird tin tile on the downstairs kitchen wall could be so interesting
and
the biggest question of all
will this ever end?
May 7, 2007
back to the basement
ok
i know there has been a LOT about the basement so far,
but that's what we've been muckin' around with (literally) for the past week or so.
the first issue was to get some support around the columns,
once we dug out, they looked a little iffy and we called in a structural engineer to take a look.
he recommended building a surrounding form at the base that came out 2 feet in each direction.
they actually have a nice sculptural presence and provide a bit of an impromptu seating area
sidebar:
during this time period we also finalized the whole HVAC question that had been plaguing us.
we are taking out the forced air system and putting in hot water. this decision was not made lightly, we labored over it for months but since we were already adding a boiler into the mix (for the radiant floor in the build out) we decided to go all the way. we will be running new duct work from the roof to carry the a/c creating a zone for the top & for the parlor floor and a zone each for the front & back work spaces on the ground floor. this decsion allowed us to pull out the endless ductwork that covered the basement ceiling.
next came the cement pour,
this was a shocker
turning the corner and seeing this monster pulled up to the basement hatch...
the cement was poured over 2 days
here we are looking towards the back of the house, just before they poured
and from the back to the front after the 2nd pour:
we resolved the two different floor levels with a ramp.
next up: demo days
April 24, 2007
and we're off
there were times when i thought it might never happen
but...
we have a contractor
and
we have approved plans
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
demo plans, :(
elevations, :)
it's a little strange right now
on every surface there is either
an "X"
a "remove & save"
or
a "do not touch"
all those XXXs tug at my heart strings
but this is a little promise of what's to come:
the kitchen:
all bright & airy with glass & aluminum and some really light patterny wood
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)?
January 10, 2007
and let the drawing begin
happy new year all
it's time to look at plans,
we had our 3rd meeting with our architect this week
and things are moving along
there weren't any drawings of the house when we bought it
so here are the basic floor plans:
after our first meeting, this is what he came back with:
starting with the ground floor on the left:
the front 1/2 of this floor is g/s work space which he will be taking on at a later date, so there is not much going on there
the back 1/2 is my studio; this will incorporate what was the ground floor kitchen with the new extension
the stairs that you see on the right wall currently go from the basement to the garden. they will now be inside my studio space allowing easy access to my storage area in the basement
on the left wall in the center, is a simple kitchen and bath; which will serve both our work areas.
the kitchen (aside from being necessary to keep a 2 family designation) will allow us to minimize the size and number of appliances in the main kitchen by giving us a second oven and an extra fridge downstairs.
the parlour floor:
very little is being done to the living room aside from restoring pocket doors and dealing with the ceiling which we still haven't uncovered, but expect to find in similar condition to what we exposed in the dining room
the bathroom that was on the left back wall will be incorporated into the dining room to create an open kitchen/dining area. what you see above is appliances on the left wall, an island and a dining room table
double doors will open to a deck that will be on top of the studio extension.
in order to maximize natural light coming into the studio, there will be skylights on the right and left of the deck and then along the back end.
the top floor:
we are leaving the front (blue) bedroom as is and putting in a guest bath (with tub) where the 2nd kitchen was.
the middle (yellow) room becomes a dressing room/closet that opens into the bedroom (the orange room).
we will take out the tub in the existing bathroom (along the back left wall) and replace it with a large enclosed shower to create the master bath.
after this week's meeting, here is where we are at:
ground floor: no real changes except that there will be an open coat closet along the left wall when you walk in. finding a place for this was kind of difficult, i had originally envisioned it on the parlour floor, but it really doesn't work there.
the parlor floor (detail):
is that flying saucer????
no, that's the new island;
ovoid and able to seat 6 (counter height) on one side,
it will be the primary kitchen counter surface on the other
it will have 2 round shapes incorporated into it:
a little sink at one end (for washing vegetables)
and inserted into the surface will be an ovoid cutting board
i am thinking maybe blue for the counter top (but no one really knows that yet)
after much deliberation, we nixed the idea of having a formal dining situation.
unfortunately, one of the few things that we didn't sell when we moved was a great table (3 leaves) & 8 fabulous chairs and now i am not sure they'll fit in...
but the reality is that we always eat at the counter, and the bulk of our entertaining always seems to be centered in the kitchen.
we will need to have a table that can seat at least 12 for those big dinners, but i am thinking it might be something with a drop leaf that can go against a wall
or hell, my sister-in-law does incredible formal holiday dinners on 2 folding tables
we have also decided to add some sort of light transmitting (to my studio below) detail as a transition between the original house and the new extension, but this is not quite fleshed out yet
the stairs leading down to the garden will be straight, not circular
top floor/bedroom (detail):
in the second round of plans we had the bed centered in the room
(which does not mean centered with respect to the 2 windows)
oriented to be looking out the windows into the garden
it was going to be up against a 3/4 height wall that would act both as the partition between the bedroom and closet area and as a headboard
unfortunately, the room is not wide enough to allow both ample walking space AND end tables. now we are thinking of moving the bed on center with the windows which will create a wide enough passage way on the left side and eliminate the walk-through on the right.
with the next set of drawings, this should be clearer.
we will also have a version with the bathroom moved to where the yellow room is now, creating a bathroom-to-dressing room-to-bedroom flow
and allowing us to open up the bedroom to the full width of the house
December 14, 2006
a job well done
the first bit of renovation has been successfully completed.
"strange"
you might say,
"to start with the pavement work,
why not save that till the end,
after all the demolition, etc is completed.?"
basically (and briefly), 2 reasons:
1. we were on notice from our insurance company to repair our pavement
(yes i have read the threads on the forum about brownstoner, if anyone would like to leave an alternate suggestion here, thank you in advance)
2. we had money in eskrow from the seller to cure a previous sidewalk violation
and no,
it wasn't all that bad
(for some reason i don't have the plethora of "before" pictures that i thought i did, tho if you've seen one crack, you've seen them all)
anyway, there was nothing too dramatic going on
nothing like those sculptural buckling tree roots heaving huge blocks of cement out of the ground.
we started out by getting bids from about 3 companies who we saw doing work around the neighborhood
this was actually kind of a juicy job,
since eventually we will be redoing the entire facade & the steps
as to be expected,
the estimates varied wildly;
not only in price,
but by how many days
and whether or not permits would be applied for.
we ended up going with Atlantic Contracting of NY (718-331-7581),
2 people had recommended them in response to a question i posted on the forum
and all i can say is:
thank you
thank you
thank you
from our initial meeting it was clear how knowledgeable and professional they are
and we were not disappointed in any way;
the job went exactly as planned,
we actually got a bit more than what we had contracted for
in the time expected
and there was always someone on-site who was able to address our concerns.
one of the first things we needed to do was check to see if there was enough play to raise the emergency gas shut off valve to the sidewalk height.
(it was sitting in a depression creating not only a trip hazard but also a place for debris to collect)
keyspan wouldn't come out to do it until we had the sidewalk open,
but alerting them the friday before went a long way towards getting someone on-site on tuesday to take care of this..
even during the breaking up and removal of the old sidewalk,
everything felt well organized,
the dumpster shows up,
it turns out to be exactly the right size
(dashing our hopes of getting rid of a little extra demolition debris that we have accumulated),
and at night it was properly secured to keep people taking advantage of it.
the next step was to trim some of the curbing,
raise some that had become recessed,
remove the wrought iron fence that was in the way of the job
(more on that later)
and lay the wire mesh
every step of the way, it was clear that these guys took a real pride in doing their work carefully and properly, they were a pleasure to watch.
then the ballet started
the dumpster leaves
the cement truck arrives
the boots go on
a bit of antifreeze goes in
(though we REALLY did luck out weather-wise)
the buckets and the wheelbarrows get filled
and the pouring
and the smoothing
and the pouring
and the smoothing
begins
everything is attended to with the utmost care
smooth as glass
how seductive
NOW
the guys stayed until 5 pm, watching over it
and then it was our turn
because WHO can resist virgin cement?
(like the surrounding caution tape is going to stop any mischief makers...)
our neighbor up the block told us he watched his job for 5 hours,
went around the corner to pick up some chinese take-out
came back and...
there was a kid doing the twist in the middle of his new sidewalk
hmmmmmmmmmmmm
g/ did the first watch but had to leave by 7:30
we figured i would need to be on the stoop until 9:30
after that the cement would have cured enough so that no real damage could be done...
so
i called my mom for company
and watched
at about 8:30,
out of the corner of my eye
i see 2 kids
and they start running
full speed down the block
towards the house
about to bust through the tape.
when
at the top of my lungs
from the pit of my stomach
i yelled
"don't F***ING do that"
they stopped on a dime.
didn't even look up
and walked out into the street:
me: "thanks"
them: "wha's that?"
me: "thanks for not doing that"
them: "your welcome"
phew...
but we hadn't made our mark in it
and i felt weird about that
i tried scratching in a date by the entrance way
but it was so ugly & rough that I smoothed it out
2 emails and a phone call on the subject later
i realized i needed to remedy this
i said to one friend:
"i want to embed something in it"
she says:
"like a bone or something"
(this is why we are friends)
we both decided: heart shape rocks
we both collect them
but mine are all in storage
and hers won't travel through the phone lines...
what we each added:
left: 2 chains to lock around the vespa;
embedded in the cement
and connected by a metal bar that runs under the wire mesh & the 6" slab,
they're not going anywhere
right: beach glass and a heart token
December 3, 2006
down under: the basement
having a really usable basement is actually a big deal for us
and in the course of looking at houses,
i had more than one realtor look at me askance as a result of my unbridled enthusiasm on finding a good one.
For me it means painting storage,
i make a lot of work and this is ALWAYS an issue.
high ceilings and dry were a must.
of course the painting racks will be raised and it will need some dehumidification as well.
(my mantra as i am biking the last 15 uphill minutes home is:
"but i can store my work in the basement,
but i can store my work in the basement,
but i can...)
g/ will also need part of the space for his work
and we can't wait to have a little "shop",
a work bench with a table vice figures largely in our dreams
currently the basement is a little chopped up,
this view is at the bottom of the steps looking towards the back of the house
there is a large room that seems to have had clothing closets
but also looks like it was used as a work space
in the back are steps leading up to the garden,
actually right into the space where my studio will be, which will make moving work around much easier than if i had to use the internal stairs.
looking towards the front of the house:
to the left is the boiler room,
the boiler is 50 years old and a monster: probably 6x4x5',
but it works (haven't gotten a gas bill yet)
we replaced the filters but its humidifier is completely gone,
the hot water heater is fairly new.
sidebar
does anyone else ever get a metallic taste in their mouth from forced air ?
i had never been aware of this before,
but as soon as we turned the heat on, it hit me
then i also noticed the same thing while visiting my mom over thanksgiving
to the right is a (rather gnarly) bathroom,
3 fixtures (toilet, sink & stall shower), no not legal,
clearly someone was living down here
and straight ahead are the meters
(and the door to the coal chute)
we have started some excavation demolition
while we haven't found any doors in the pockets upstairs,
we did find a mirror down here:
until we decide if we are going to put walls back up, the studs are staying,
they seem to have been reasonably well executed
but the ceiling was a real patchwork job,
2 great discoveries here however:
the basement is about 8' high and
the beams are thick and in very good condition,
including where they go into the side walls
all in all no surprises so far, with the exception of the floor
it is not a real slab, the concrete was poured over dirt and is about 1" thick,
so we will be pouring a new floor:
November 25, 2006
finally we'll have a guest room: the third floor
warning: non-traditional colorz ahead
i am not sure who painted this house
but i do know that the last people to occupy it were a bunch of students,
my guess is it was them.
while the paint is not super carefully applied, the color choices are actually extremely well thought out,
so while they might not be everyone's "cup o' tea", they really are beautiful and deserve a little light.
the top of the stairs (yes, there is a skylight),
to the right is a fairly narrow bathroom with a window.
to the left is a bedroom:
which leads into a small center room with a skylight:
the plan here is to take down the wall between the back bedroom and the center room to create a master bedroom.
we also plan to make a large opening in the wall between the bedroom and the bathroom so that the bathroom feels less cramped.
There will be a glass enclosed shower (no tub) where the entrance to the bathroom is now, we will be closing that off to make this bathroom only accessible from the bedroom.
at the rear of the bedroom there will be a closet/dressing area which will separated by a partial wall
we plan to treat this area very differently than the rest of the house.
it will have a strong asian influence: low furniture, clean lines (no molding), a sliding screen to close the opening between the bedroom and the bathroom.
the idea is to create a "surprise" with this room and to make it feel very private since the rest of the house will be so open.
beyond the middle room is the front bedroom which will be the guest room/cozy (tv) room:
we are not going to do very much here,
i might even leave the colors and add some stenciling in the panels.
we will be restoring the pocket shutters ourselves,
there is a working pocket door (a single) between this room and the middle room that we will also probably restore but which will not be used.
this will become the guest bathroom, it will have a tub (with shower)
it will also have the washer/dryer and the linen closet.
November 19, 2006
almost like a loft: the parlor floor
we are planning to treat the parlor floor as more or less one open space
since a lot of our life revolves around food, it is important that the kitchen be a part of the living space
(a configuration that has worked well for us in the past).
we also plan to put a deck on top of my studio build out (on the ground floor)
giving this floor its own outdoor space and helping to create a really open, airy feeling as you look from the front of the house to the back and out on to the deck/garden.
( i don't have a shot of this floor from that perspective from before starting some exploratory demo and at the moment it's too cluttered to capture that feeling)
so we continue up the stairs to the "dining room", looking towards the front of the house
while one of the only large pieces of furniture that we have kept from our prior life is a long dining room table and some really great chairs, we tend towards casual and comfortable and i am not sure it's going to work to use this room as it was originally conceived; with a traditional dining table in the center of the border
this will be one of the main design challenges: integrating the new kitchen with the "dining area" in way that respects the formal elements already in place but gives us the flexibility that our life style requires
to create the kitchen, we will be removing this bathroom and the dividing wall which unfortunately contains one of the only remaining pocket doors (the others seem to have been removed).
yes
we will reuse the molding, and the doors if possible, though every entry way that had pockets differs in dimension from any other.
looking from the back of the house to the front on the parlor floor
some of the detail in the house
left: this plaster work runs the length of the hallway on this floor and up the stairs to the 3rd floor
right: we love this interior front door, the exterior ones are cr*p. we have seen a possible replacement for them at eddie's, but they are a little narrow and would require coming in about 3" on each side.
the stairs going up to the third floor
November 16, 2006
a peek inside: the ground floor
originally i thought i would make one big post,
a kind of walking tour of the house as we bought it,
but have decided that you could get bored and i might burn out,
so instead i'll be dividing it in to into a post per floor...
this is the ground floor entry looking out towards the street,
you can see a bit of the gate and the door to the "under the steps" storage area which was a truly gross situation...
g/ did an amazing job clearing it out;
disposing of the debris entailed waiting for sanitation bulk pick up (somewhere around 6:30 am, 2 weeks in a row) and loading it in ourselves.
in the back we also had 2 extra refrigerators and a washing machine, we intended to put those out for recycling but found there was a "junk man" who came around, just ahead of the recycling truck and picked stuff up, so we made arrangements for him to take it away instead
this room (and the one between it and the current kitchen, no pix yet) will be g/'s space, even though it is the ground floor, it gets beautiful light.
there are no set plans for it at the moment and it will probably be one of the last areas completed
one of the kitchens
yes it is ugly, no i didn't style it before i took the picture
g/ actually still finds this the most depressing part of the house
but (one fine day), it will be part of my studio,
there are 2 windows and a door going out into the garden (and what will be the rest of the studio)
at the very least i will open the windows down to the floor, but how much structural support is required (and at what cost) will determine how much of the back wall gets opened up.
the house has no C of O but it is designated as a 2 family and we intend to keep it zoned that way.
the kitchen (which will be shared by our studios) for what can be considered the "second" unit will move to an area to the left of this room
and there is an existing bathroom beyond that which will get a face lift
btw, that big pot on the stove is not some marvelous stew, it's my attempt at getting some moisture back into the air. as i mentioned the boiler is quite old and there is no humidifying system on it, when the heat goes on it is dangerously dry, but this is a whole other topic...
the steps leading up to the parlor floor...
n.b.
if you haven't figured it out already, i take a lot of pictures, and one of the hardest things for me in putting this all together is realizing all the images i am missing. i am keeping notes of what i want to shoot and show you at a later date, but if there is anything you want to see that i've left out, leave a comment and i'll try to accommodate you.