chuck's Profile
- c. huck
- 2001
- 2004
- Brooklyn
- Boerum Hill
- House
- advertising
- Male
- 35
Author's Posts
July 27, 2008
What have our neighbors excavated?
Our Boerum Hill neighbors are building a parlor floor deck and digging out their garden for a foundation.
Their contractor unearthed some circular, "well"-looking thing (see picture) about ten feet from their back wall, and about ten feet below current grade. They unearthed the outside of a similar circular brick wall along our shared property line (meaning there's one under our patio as well).
Is this:
a) an ancient well,
b) a recent septic tank,
c) an old outhouse, or
d) part of George Washington's original 18th century fortifications against the British in the Battle of Brooklyn
I have also dug up rows of vertically placed flagstones in our back yard while putting in swings. So any tips on what that could be, would also be appreciated.
It's so cool to see what's under the ground!
October 4, 2007
Underpinning - how to tell a good job?
I'm buying an old brick/brownstone (circa 1899) mid-block 4-story townhouse. The place was completely gutted in the 1980s, including excavating out about 2/3 of the basement - down an extra foot or two and pouring an 18" concrete "retaining" wall along the perimeter along with the new concrete floor.
My inspector called this little retaining wall by a nickname -- a 'knee'-something. He said that it wasn't the best way to underpin, but that it was very common, and that it can be perfectly fine. However, there's no way to tell if it was done properly, and he can't guarantee that the foundation wasn't compromised. A couple days later, over the phone, he told me that since the underpinning was done twenty years ago, any problems would have surfaced by now and that there's nothing to worry about. (He was also impressed by the quality of the plumbing and electrical work, so he said it was a solid building.)
I went to the DOB and pulled all the records anyway. Everything looks like it was done right - permits and plans filed and approved for plumbing, mechanical ventilation, etc., over a few years - except there was no specific "underpinning" work described anywhere.
What do you think? Is this kind of underpinning common? Your experience would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
September 17, 2007
$1.1M in BH - "should I buy?"
Yup, it's another "Should I buy this brownstone?" post. But I sincerely need your opinion -- and I know you love this question -- so here are the details:
4-story, 3-family brick townhouse near the Atlantic-Pacific station in Boerum Hill. Top floor is rent controlled 55-year-old guy paying $160/mo. Middle floor is market 1bd paying $1900. Owner's duplex is parlor floor (2.5 bd, 1ba), garden floor (K, LR, 1ba) and partially finished rec room in basement. 20x35 bldg on 20x100 lot. No original details, livable 80s renovation. Asking: $1.1M
Do I buy it? Please advise!
Author's Comments
fwiw, they'd have to split that lunchtime business crowd with the Morton's steakhouse now.
Posted by: chuck at August 25, 2008 10:44 AM in response to Amy Ruth's? Maybe Not. Gage & Tollner? Maybe
somebody should get "homage" involved, that skate shop on smith. that would be perfect.
Posted by: chuck at January 17, 2008 4:46 PM in response to Closing Bell: A Skate Park For Gowanus
keep in mind that it is an inspector's job to tell you the absolute WORST thing possible (mainly so you can't sue them).
our inspector told us the boilers were at the end of their life. my boiler came and looked after we moved in to say that they were fine and couldn't recommend anything to improve them.
our inspector told us all the building's windows needed to be replaced. park slope glass came and did $500 worth of fixes and they're fine.
same goes for basement underpinning, replacement joists, electrical and plumbing systems, roof, etc. the inspector is trying to make you worried, and then you really have to get a professional's opinion on replace cost and hassle.
good luck!
Posted by: chuck at January 10, 2008 3:46 PM in response to Walk away of work it out?
I gotta say something nice about the "architecture" of The Smith:
There's a piece of terracotta trim above the fourth story, where the brick color also changes. This trim pretty much matches the building height of most of the rest of Atlantic Avenue, and whether it was intentional or not, is a subtle tip of the hat, methinks.
As for retail space, there's much open on Atlantic these days. Boerum Heights (toward 4th Ave) has half a ground floor, as does The Atlantic (near Nevins) and there's all the old-tyme shoppes of Atlantic Gardens with rear courtyard (across from Post Office).
Tell all your food/grocery store-owning friends: There's much less competition on Atlantic toward 4th, and much more foot traffic from the subway.
Posted by: chuck at December 19, 2007 11:33 AM in response to Update on the Smith: Retail, Move-Ins Coming
right on, brenda.
i'm just glad that every spoiled, childish brat quoted in that NYT article was from Manhattan.
Posted by: chuck at December 10, 2007 9:51 AM in response to Why Townhouses Are Priced at a Discount
i was in there a couple months ago for their open houses.
those AC are pretty bad, yes.
but I saw a few units which made us briefly consider buying (but we're not condo people). the units that come with private courtyards in the back (2nd and 3rd floors, A & B, I think) had some great outdoor space. and there was a unit on 6 that entirely faced south that was enormous with great views and a 100sqft terrace for like $740,000.
i liked that the units weren't all cookie-cutter. and the kitchens were nice.
Posted by: chuck at October 31, 2007 10:38 PM in response to The Atlantic
Bonsavant brings up the percentages. Most (if not all?) co-ops are only allowed to have 20% or less of their total revenues/operating budget come from non-shareholders. Meaning, if your co-op has a commercial space, the rent the co-op collects from it cannot contribute more than 20% of the co-op's operating budget. It's called the 80/20 rule, I believe.
So there's a limit to how much outside income a co-op can bring in from commercial rents and cell-towers.
And, of course, the brain tumors.
Posted by: chuck at October 23, 2007 8:08 PM in response to Wireless towers on top of co-ops?
check out the website. the amount of work they did.
wow.
maybe if they had opened it earlier, heath wouldn't be leaving.
Posted by: chuck at October 5, 2007 10:14 AM in response to StreetLevel: Heaven or Hell at New Atlantic Ave. Bar?
that's a shame. i only got to eat twice at the st. claire, and it was great diner food both times. isn't the "carroll gardens classic diner" that one with all the chrome and flourescent lights -- and it has another name underneath it, like "salonike" or something?
Posted by: chuck at October 5, 2007 9:57 AM in response to Smith Street Diner Getting 'Trendy' Makeover
not only are they inaccurate, if they're really inaccurate, it means they haven't gotten around to adjusting the assessments upwards, which means the taxes have no where to go but up.
Posted by: chuck at October 4, 2007 10:31 PM in response to Property Tax Assessment - Accurate?
I refinanced our co-op building's underlying mortgage two years ago with NCB - National Cooperative Bank. As the name implies, they do co-ops. They were really great service-wise, and part of their schtick is that you have to invest in some of their shares as a savings account, but that pays pretty good dividends.
Posted by: chuck at October 4, 2007 10:29 PM in response to Finding a Lender to Refinance Coop Building
thanks, johnife! you explained it better than the inspector. very much appreciated.
Posted by: chuck at October 4, 2007 9:30 PM in response to Underpinning - how to tell a good job?
Hi poiuy -
I'm probably not saying anything you haven't already realized, but the other thing to consider is where you're looking. You can read almost daily about the softness of the housing market in Bed Stuy and Bushwick and more fringe or up-and-coming neighborhoods. Some of those same articles will tout the stable or rising prices in neighborhoods like Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights (and my own Boerum Hill). Point being that there's a reason they say "location, location, location." Brownstone Brooklyn is a very limited commodity. I'm not saying it won't go down. I'm just saying you'll have lower risk buying (and then re-selling) in those areas. Good luck!
Posted by: chuck at September 21, 2007 10:23 PM in response to Prices will go down?
Right - the RC guy is a huge liability.
But isn't that factored into the price of the house? I've been trying to think of it as a 2-family in Boerum Hill for $1.1M.
Isn't that still a good deal?
And thanks to everyone for advice. Especially 11:13! Where did you move to, btw?
Posted by: chuck at September 18, 2007 2:50 PM in response to $1.1M in BH - "should I buy?"
If you'd like to learn more about Thomas Greene Park Renovation Discussion, please visit:
http://www.friendsofdouglassgreenepark.org/
Hope to see you there!
Posted by: chuck at September 29, 2008 11:47 AM in response to Weekday Events