David and I thought we'd start joining the discussion in the comments section...

We do have fence permits, issued on 8/27, before the fence went up.

As for the demo: we'll be using a combination of sledgehammers, jackhammers, concrete saws and excavators. Excavators are likely to be the biggest piece of machinery. They look similar to Mike Mulligan's Steam Shovel, if you remember the children's book. Of course, ours will be of the modern, gas variety.

We'll also be doing some of the work the old fashioned way -- by hand.

Posted by: Alison at September 6, 2007 5:33 PM in response to Inside Third & Bond: Week 4

Guest 3:04 -- I read through the bill and forwarded it to the demo contractor. Nothing is jumping out at me as a big change, but I'll let you know what he tells me.

Posted by: Alison at September 11, 2007 2:48 PM in response to Inside Third & Bond: Week 4

We haven't come across any tv cable wires, but I did call TimeWarner to come out and check. At first, we thought some of the phone lines might have been cable lines. But TimeWarner confirmed that there aren't any cable lines attached to the buildings.

Posted by: Alison at September 19, 2007 1:06 PM in response to Inside Third & Bond: Week 5

Guest 11:53: Not sure if I know what you're looking at -- the area directly across from the entry? With the closets on the left? We've talked about turning that entire area into a walk-in storage closet. What do you think -- better?

Park Place: We can't have a stoop because the entry for the first floor unit has to be at sidewalk grade. It's a handicap accessibility issue for multi-unit bldgs. And there isn't enough room for a ramp. We would have liked a stoop, too.

What do you think we should be asking for the duplex?

Posted by: Alison at September 20, 2007 12:09 PM in response to Inside Third & Bond: Week 6

Guest 12:07: I don't know if we have room for two bathrooms on the 1st floor. I guess we could lose the storage closet to make room. The master really needs its own bath, and the kitchen/lr also needs a bath.

Hmm.

Overall, how does the storage feel?

Posted by: Alison at September 20, 2007 12:19 PM in response to Inside Third & Bond: Week 6

Wow! So many good questions. Where to start?

Our expeditor took our cellar floor plan to DOB and talked through the cellar bedrooms so that we could feel confident that everything will work. We'll have light and air easements in the rear and 30' back from the windows to the edge of the propery will be clear to the sky. This has been done recently in other projects in Carroll Gardens. The rear yard will be lower than the sidewalk grade, so it won't really feel like being down in a cellar.

On the corner & Bond Street we have different 1st and cellar plans, so we are looking at putting storage for any homeowners who want it down there. Not a done deal yet, but we'd like to offer additional storage if possible.

Posted by: Alison at September 20, 2007 1:53 PM in response to Inside Third & Bond: Week 6

We've talked a lot about water concerns: flooding, sewage backflow, a general damp feeling in the air... These are definitely problems we don't want to have and think we can design/build around. Knowing exactly where the water table is across the site has helped, and we've discussed measures like a waterproof bathtub to encase the foundation, drains, back valves, etc.

Posted by: Alison at September 20, 2007 3:10 PM in response to Inside Third & Bond: Week 6

Hey Guest 12:07: You must not be one of our avid readers (yet)! Last week we said our pricing is $700-800.

A tip to any newbies: at the top of the page, to the right is a pull-down menu marked, "Topics." You can choose "Inside Third and Bond" and read all of our postings from one place.

Posted by: Alison at October 4, 2007 1:41 PM in response to Inside Third & Bond: Week 8

3:31pm
The master bedroom bathroom shown here is a little over 10' long from the entry door to the wall past the toilet. The narrowest width is 3'4" from the edge of the vanity to the wall that is across from the toilet.

Posted by: Alison at October 5, 2007 2:16 PM in response to Inside Third & Bond: Week 8

1:01 PM --
Across the nation, residential projects have been LEED-certified (and better) using the LEED for New Construction program. Now there is a LEED for Homes pilot program that was recently expanded to include multifamily buildings up to 7 stories.

Johnife --
Very interesting! We'd love a tour of the Verdesian... Do you think that being luxury buildings and having a lot of bells and whistles that aren't required for green building were significant contributors to the cost premium? I've heard that just the greywater system at the Solaire had a higher cost premium than making 1212 MLK an Energy Star buildign.

Posted by: Alison at October 11, 2007 1:41 PM in response to Inside Third & Bond: Week 9