benson, your feelings towards historic preservation remind me of my feelings about ice hockey. I just don't get it. I don't think it's interseting or enjoyable. I'm missing the ice hockey gene. However I fully accept that a lot of people get a lot of pleasure out of it. Even though to me it seems kind of violent and boring at the same time.
However, in my case, I have never felt any desire to visit ice hockey blogs.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 20, 2009 3:12 PM in response to New Cafe for The Heights

The Ditmas House is a standard little woodframe house that you find in every suburb for half the price.
The fact that it only has one bathroom seals the deal as overpriced POS of the day.

The Garfield House is a mess too. Chopped up poorly and yet rather expensively. A shame.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 20, 2009 2:15 PM in response to Open House Picks

I think it looks really charming.
How could it be cuter for pete's sake?
Are people grumpy this morning? benson?

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 20, 2009 10:44 AM in response to New Cafe for The Heights

There are three or four distinguished buildings in Williamsburg but most of the neighborhood is very unattractive.

.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 19, 2009 7:16 PM in response to Closing Bell: Crash Time in Williamsburg

photos of Williamsburg always make my eyes hurt.
what a hideous place.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 19, 2009 5:00 PM in response to Closing Bell: Crash Time in Williamsburg

Way to go Thompson!
Push back hard.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 19, 2009 11:23 AM in response to Thompson Dissing Bloomie on HOD Again

She must be gutting the interior because otherwise I don't see how she could put that many new windows in the sidewall.
She will also need to install sprinklers above the new windows as they are lot-line windows. They will also need to be fire-rated sash. That is probably why more people don't do this.
It reminds me of the scene from Mommy Dearest when Faye Dunaway in her Crawford shoulder pads and eyeborws says to her architect who is remodeling her new Park Avenue apartment: "damn the cost! put the windows there where they should be"

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 19, 2009 11:15 AM in response to LPC Will Not Reconsider Norah Jones Decision

It is interesting how the style changed from the dour dark red and brown colors to the white-on-white of the classical revival after the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition.
Too bad all the great mansions were lost on St. Mark's Ave.
The apartment buildings that replaced them are pretty blah.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 19, 2009 11:01 AM in response to Walkabout: Montrose Morris - Full Circle

She better have a good structural engineer figuring our how to cut that many holes in her house's bearing wall. These houses are pretty fragile, you can't take too many bricks out from under too many other bricks.

I think four or five new windows on the sidewall should be enough to let in plenty of light, if that is what she is after.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 19, 2009 10:40 AM in response to LPC Will Not Reconsider Norah Jones Decision

environmental studies are usually pretty meaningless. They are payed for by the developer and the consultants who prepare them are unlikely to bite the hand that pays them. The most successful environmental review firms are usually the ones who cater best to the needs of the developer. Is that really such a mystery? Lawsuits brought by consortiums of "concerned citizens" are equally bogus. No matter what the enviroenmental report says or doesn't say, these folks don't want to see this project happen. Period. It is all about density and keeping more people out because we already have enough people here. New Yorkers have been thinking this way since the days when Greenwich Village was considered uptown.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 19, 2009 10:12 AM in response to Brooklyn Speaks to File Its First AY Lawsuit

you can't compare Fort Greene to Brooklyn Heights. Sorry you just can't.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 18, 2009 7:56 PM in response to House of the Day: 22 Sidney Place

650 is a lot with that maintenance.
I say 620.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 18, 2009 4:14 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 85 8th Avenue, #3R

supers and handymen rarely if ever get along. Supers are supposed to supervise handymen and of course prefer to do odd jobs themselves for the extra tips. If you have a good super, you don't need a handyman. Better to put in an extra doorman shift or some such. But first you have to get him to agree to retire. $6,000 should do it.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 18, 2009 2:30 PM in response to Faucet-Installing Mom Update

we used to have an unhandy handyman -that is so old brooklyn. If he has worked that long he should be ready to retire with a handsome pension. Maybe the board should give hin a cash incentive to retire this year and promise to throw a big potluck party in his honor. Really, try it.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 18, 2009 2:12 PM in response to Faucet-Installing Mom Update

Rob, Sophia sends her love anyway.
Says she is sending you a couple of cans of your favorite -chefboyardee ravioli.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 18, 2009 2:08 PM in response to House of the Day: 22 Sidney Place

Rob, I just spoke with Sophia Petrillo, she says you should get a full-time job and stop drinking so much beer.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 18, 2009 2:02 PM in response to House of the Day: 22 Sidney Place

I didn't think there were inexpesive bathrooms in the 1890's other thn outhouses or pots with lids under the bed.
Bathrooms of any kind then were swank. And no, I don't believe you that they used linoleum tiles. Sorry.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 18, 2009 1:59 PM in response to Beneath the Surface

The other big problem with half floor units is that there is no cross-ventilation. Plus the half-bath is tucked back in the center of the building directly off the living room. Its just a poor floorplan.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 18, 2009 1:53 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 85 8th Avenue, #3R

I don't like the layout. Too chopped-up. Tight little winding stair. Forget it, this is for elves. A floor-through apartmen would be much much nicer in this handome and well-located building.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 18, 2009 1:37 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 85 8th Avenue, #3R

Very nice.
With a little painting, it is in move-in condition.
Definitely a realistic asking price given the location.
It's not for someone who needs rental income to cover their monthly costs because the layout does not lend itself to that. But it is for someone who wants a genteel single-family home in Brooklyn Heights.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 18, 2009 1:31 PM in response to House of the Day: 22 Sidney Place

Don't worry about the asbestos in these tiles. I'm sorry I brought it up. You would have to pulverize them in a grinder and then inhale them for them to be bad for you. Normal caution and of course thorough mopping is what is called for.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 18, 2009 12:22 PM in response to Beneath the Surface

I have never heard of linoleum in tile form. It sort of defeats the purpose of linoleum which I thought was seamless flooring. But one learns something new every day.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 18, 2009 11:59 AM in response to Beneath the Surface

just to be clear linoleum is a broadsheet product that is flexible and is shipped rolled like a carpet. It can be glued down or nailed down. Vinyl tile, which almost always contained asbestos fiber prior to 1965 or so, is a modular product, a tile, that was shipped in boxes and always glued down.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 18, 2009 11:16 AM in response to Beneath the Surface

Sorta Art Deco.
Dirigible terminal in Berlin circa 1934?

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 18, 2009 10:56 AM in response to Atlantic Terminal Station: So Close!

Very nice. The checkerboard tiles were truly egregious. I don't blame you for starting in on them right away. They looked like asbestos tiles, oh well, hopefully you didn't breathe in while removing them.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 18, 2009 10:45 AM in response to Beneath the Surface

Brooklyn, the land of hookers.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 17, 2009 9:20 PM in response to Closing Bell: Yellow Hook?

the word is "criminal".

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 17, 2009 5:04 PM in response to Development Watch: Grandma's House No More

hooky:
which outstanding nurseries are you referring to?

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 17, 2009 3:29 PM in response to StreetLevel: Gardening Supply Store Opening on Hicks

denton, look at the windows. Look at their odd sizes and haphazard placement; they don't even line up. Look at the front door barely the width of a bathroom door. Do you think this will look good when they cover up the cinderblock with stucco or synthetic siding?

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 17, 2009 3:12 PM in response to Development Watch: Grandma's House No More

These sorts of buildings are worse than ugly, they are brainless. People say they looks third-world but many third world countries have charming vernacular architecture. This makes most prisons look gracious.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 17, 2009 3:04 PM in response to Development Watch: Grandma's House No More

If you don't want squirrels to dig up your bulbs you should wear garden gloves when you plant them. The squirrels can't smell the burried bulbs, but they smell your scent on the soil.
This is a good spot for a garden store, although the mesh on the windows make it look more like prison supplies. They need to green up the look a little.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 17, 2009 2:56 PM in response to StreetLevel: Gardening Supply Store Opening on Hicks

I like the papa-bear, mama-bear, baby-bear fenestration pattern.
very whimsical. :-/

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 17, 2009 2:48 PM in response to Development Watch: Grandma's House No More

The area is nice, not a slum, but it is kind of, um, blue-collar -is that term used any more? It just doesn't seem like one would get a lot of value for one's 1.3 million dollars. It isn't pretty and it doesn't have social cachet, it's really best as an investment property. I know people say "if I had a million dollars I would buy this tomorrow" but you know what? If they really had a million dollars they would be in a position to look at options and demand more.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 17, 2009 2:45 PM in response to House of the Day: 121 Rapelye Street

jester, don't daydream too much, the mom-zillas all over Brooklyn drive SUV's and they're not happy.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 17, 2009 1:55 PM in response to House of the Day: 121 Rapelye Street

Not even a quarter of the original plan for the Brooklyn Museum was built. People used to think BIG then. We used to be the China of the Victorian period.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 17, 2009 1:50 PM in response to Walkabout: Part 3, MM - Park Slope and Big Business

This is an income-producing property, someone will buy it and rent out the units. One or two per floor probably. The style is Grungde-revival.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 17, 2009 1:45 PM in response to House of the Day: 121 Rapelye Street

Caton Avenue is a racetrack. I have only been there twice and have had near-accidents both times. I don't like it there.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 17, 2009 1:43 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 1110 Caton Avenue, #6C

no silly, the Hulbert mansions are now the Poly Prep Lower School where the truly privileged send their children who will no doubt eventually run the country.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 17, 2009 11:35 AM in response to Walkabout: Part 3, MM - Park Slope and Big Business

location is the primary cost of real estate. more so in an iffy market. Some locations are golden and some have negative value. Talking about 150K prime neighborhood tax is truly ridiculous. It sounds like something that may have been dreamed up in the central planning department of the old Kremlin.
In a free market people will do anything to live in the very nicest location they can.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 16, 2009 5:04 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 130 8th Avenue, #7C

It is possible that I may be od'ing on too many ordinary little old Victorian houses. I feel no thrill anymore.
I need brownstone viagra.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 16, 2009 4:21 PM in response to House of the Day: 685 St. Johns Place

wow, this is real survivalist architecture. I wonder if there is space inside for a well and goat.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 16, 2009 4:19 PM in response to Development Watch: S#!tbox on Underhill

this is a quality apartment. They will get ask or very close. Who wants to live in the Upper West Side? Yuk.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 16, 2009 1:21 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 130 8th Avenue, #7C

This is not a corner house. It is a house with an exposed sidewwall abutting a private garden. That is the problem. The neighbor's garden will be a lot less private with windows looking down on it. No more nude sunbathing. Not that anyone would do such a thing in Cobble Hill.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 16, 2009 12:38 PM in response to Cobble Hill Neighbors Irked by Norah Jones' Windows

dave,
stevie,
are you like ex-lovers or rivals or something?
what is this all about?

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 13, 2009 7:56 PM in response to Open House Picks: Six Months Later

I agree that unless the employment situation improves house prices will tank especially in the newly gentrified areas. The truth is that Brooklyn real estate collapses if new investors don't keep buying old houses with new dollars. If the flow of new money dries up, we're back in the 1980's. It's all kind of like a Madoff scheme isn't it? It's a depressing scenario so I will think about somehing else. I know, Happy Hour Friday!!
Cheerio everyone!

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 13, 2009 4:53 PM in response to Open House Picks

buy randomly? Well, buy when you need to, buy when you feel you have found something special. Yes. I guess that is my advise. I have not made millions and millions don't get me wrong. But I have made as much on real estate as at my job. I'm keeping both.
On another note, I want to say how much more pleasant it is around here without the zip code poster. So nice not to be called names or told you have a missing chromosome by some dullard who can't find another way to express his thoughts.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 13, 2009 2:44 PM in response to Big Turnout for 437 Waverly Auction

The secret is to buy and weather the down cycles. It's what separates the kids from the grownups. At one point I was half a million under water. Fortunately I did not have to sell or declare bankrupcy, I held on. I didn't rely on my home for income. Once out of that dark cycle, it became all roses and lollipops.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 13, 2009 1:59 PM in response to Big Turnout for 437 Waverly Auction

BHO, It's not so simple.
There are huge advantages to owning as opposed to renting. Of course that's just me. I was brought up believeing that real estate and securities are purchased for the long haul. You sound more like a speculator who wants to make sure his money grows instantly so he can sell and then buy again. That sort of thing is very tricky and as an individual investor the cards are stacked against you. I have made a great deal of money on Brooklyn real estate and I have never thought like you.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 13, 2009 1:31 PM in response to Big Turnout for 437 Waverly Auction

Another reason why full-serve buildings are expensive. In my building I call the super the night before and say: I need this done tomorrow by the time I get home from work. Boom, done.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 13, 2009 1:21 PM in response to Installing Faucet - No Brainer?

The Montgomery Place house is an interesting case. It is huge, has an A-plus location but is a wreck, inside and out.
This is a case where I could definitely see a million dollars needed to bring the place up to modern luxury standards. 3.3 million plus a million in repairs. I don't know if this location, good as it is, can support those numbers. The house is a major two-year restoration project.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 13, 2009 1:15 PM in response to Open House Picks: Six Months Later