albemarle's Profile
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- Victorian Flatbush
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Author's Posts
March 19, 2010
Interior Demo Part 3
The next section of the house to get the sledgehammer treatment was the doctor's suite of exam rooms, which I've labeled Office 1, 2, 3, and Storage on Intrepid Architect's drawings
March 2, 2010
Hex Tile for Pattern Source
Am looking to create a pattern of 4 colors for approx 84sq ft. of floor in 1" hexagonal tiles in a pattern similar to one pictured here:
http://www.restorationtile.com/hexagon.html
and would love to source this locally any recommendations?
Many thanks!
Thank You HBO!
The neighborhoods of the Ditmas Park area have long wooed location scouts for film and tv projects with their Siren songs of spacious layouts and varied architectural details. Audiences 'round the world have had a voyeurs-eye view into Victorian Flatbush homes countless times as they provided a dash of authenticity to period films, or served as a neat double for far-flung locales. Sophie's Choice is a memorable early example of filming in Prospect Park South. A Rugby Road home is essentially type-cast, born to play the eccentric, mysterious rooming house and keeper of its boarders' secrets.
February 9, 2010
Interior Demo Part 2: Kitchen Hearth Uncovered
The interior demolition reveal I was most into seeing lived on the other side of this chimney.
Continue reading "Interior Demo Part 2: Kitchen Hearth Uncovered"
January 27, 2010
Here We Go A-Salvaging...
Given the current state of our house, it's hard to imagine a day when sinks will be installed and light fixtures will be hanging from a freshly painted ceiling. We've been encouraged to start shopping and I've been noodling around on various architectural salvage websites to see if we can get some old stuff to put in our old house.
January 22, 2010
Interior Demo Part 1: Bye-Bye Kitchen
Sometimes it feels like this house is swallowing me whole -- and not always in a bad way. There's been so much going on in and around the joint that there's been little time to blog it.
Much to roll out in the coming weeks so I'll get right to it.
January 6, 2010
Tapestries Revisited
You may remember these tapestries
in our dining room
from an earlier post. The opinions from the Brownstoner community about what to do with them were, as always, plentiful, varied, and informative. Architerrorist mentioned a carpet and textile specialist living in Ditmas Park. That very specialist's husband commented that his wife would be willing to lay her discerning eyeballs on our tapestries and tell us what's what.
Elizabeth Parker is Department Head of Rugs and Tapestries at Christie's and PBS tapped her expertise and telegenic visage for several seasons of their popular The Antiques Roadshow. See her impressive resume by scrolling down to the bottom of this page and passing the mouse over her name. She trudged over in the aftermath of the season's first snowstorm and enlightened us about the age, condition and value of our wall-coverings.
They are early 20th century machine-made tapestries woven on a Jacquard loom that uses a punch card for the design and requires some human oversight to produce. They are likely based on 16th or 17th century Flemish or French tapestries. and were very common wall-coverings in turn of the century houses. Ours are too faded and damaged to bring back to anything resembling their original condition. We told her commenter Brenda From Flatbush's idea about preserving some pieces in frames and she agreed that that would be a nice way to save some of the less damaged parts. Some possibilities:
Elizabeth saw a lot of our type of tapestry on the Roadshow and when it came time for the iconic treasure chest to slide across the tv screen, sparkly bells of valuation a-ringin', Elizabeth would have to break the news that the worth of the tapestries were "less than $100." She told us this is the show's lowest price category and basically a nice way of saying they're worth about $10.
Fantasies of funding the renovation from record-breaking auction spoils aside, this is great information to have. It gives us permission to not be precious about the tapestries and to do whatever we decide best suits the look and feel of the room as it starts to come together. We'll protect them from the dust for now and entertain all options as the reno moves forward. Many thanks Elizabeth!
December 14, 2009
Bids Are In!
Reading the first reno bid felt like being plunged, naked, into an iced-water bath. The enormity of it, both in the scope of work, the time it will take and the cost left me in a cold stupor that gave way to a hot prickling anxiety from my shoulders to the top of my skull.
Why were we so shocked? We're naive first-time home-buyers for one -- but also the scope of work has grown since we first put a number to what we thought the cost of the reno would be. Updating the systems of the house became a top priority when we realized that replacing them over time would be more costly in the long run and more disruptive -- walls would have to be opened up, closed and repaired each time. Taking care of electric, plumbing and a/c now really bumps up the numbers, but will save us money and time down the road.
December 2, 2009
Probe Holes
I had to wipe the smirk off my face when a GC first suggested making "probe holes" in some of our walls, ceilings and floors -- yes, I have the sense of humor of a 14 year-old boy. Turns out, probe holes are useful investigative tools when planning a renovation.
The ceiling of Mr. Albe's office, in the 3rd floor turret, is the site of an active leak.
November 23, 2009
Dining Room Dilemma
Here's our dining room (not our furniture)...Lots more photos, and a question about the tapestries, below.
Author's Comments
Pennies are the round type -- 'bout the size of a penny
pics at the end of this post -- we found pennies under linoleum tile in our vestibule.
http://www.brownstoner.com/albemarle_reno/archives/2009/11/beneath_the_sur.php#more
Posted by: albemarle at March 4, 2010 7:16 PM in response to Hex Tile for Pattern Source
I meant to add this link to my comment:
http://trustworth.com/wallpaper.shtml
Posted by: albemarle at March 4, 2010 5:22 PM in response to Walkabout: Aesthetically Speaking, Part II
Mopar, I'm also researching wallpaper and am thinking about some from Trustworth Studios -- particularly Bats and Poppies for my yarn room and Four and Twenty for the Kitchen. I notice the color palette you write of is reflected in the Bats and Poppies. Any sites or companies you could recommend?
Posted by: albemarle at March 4, 2010 5:04 PM in response to Walkabout: Aesthetically Speaking, Part II
I don't know where that sweet green shade will end up, Mopar. I'm torn between keeping it for myself in my yarn room and putting it where everyone can enjoy it.
Posted by: albemarle at March 3, 2010 7:55 PM in response to Walkabout: Aesthetically Speaking, Part I
Will do, Mopar! Yes, the dust -- I look at it as a sign of progress as the electricians continue their march of rewire from the third floor on down.
Wasder, it seems like Brooklyn will be seeing a lot of BE as DIBS says they're in Bed Stuy now -- so it's in their interest to take care to establish good relations with the locals. Also being a Scorcese-produced venture helps the show attract good people, I'll bet.
FLH -- stripping the wood mantle isn't in the budget time or money-wise at this point -- but is a strong possibility for the future.
joelingowanus, if the reno costs keep climbing, we may well take in boarders a la "Sophie's Choice"! Stay tuned.
Posted by: albemarle at March 2, 2010 2:28 PM in response to Thank You HBO!
Thank you MM -- really helpful insight as I try to sort out the decorative styles in our home, and which influences to draw upon as we restore and decorate. Our electricians found a forest green glass lampshade squirreled away somewhere with frosted patterns of Japanese lanterns on them. I now see the context for it! Keep it coming.
Posted by: albemarle at March 2, 2010 2:15 PM in response to Walkabout: Aesthetically Speaking, Part I
Thank you MM for another great article -- Happy year of the Tiger to all.
Posted by: albemarle at February 14, 2010 11:23 PM in response to The Painter's Corner: Paint Brushes
albemarle wrote a review about Mimi's Hummus on February 10, 2010 4:17 PM
The cauliflower salad is my favorite - i never asked what's in it -- it's so creamy, I'm afraid to ask.
Thank you, chicken! -- Also, let me be a bit more descriptive about what the pictures show. The range is set into a hole that was cut into the *back* of the fireplace. The front part of the hearth, where the arch is, was bricked-up and sheetrocked over for the office wall. The chimney still exists, and if budget allows we'd like to re-line the flu, rebuild the hearth and make it a working fireplace again.
Posted by: albemarle at February 9, 2010 6:03 PM in response to Interior Demo Part 2: Kitchen Hearth Uncovered
We're going to look into the Plain and Fancy line at the Park Slope Kitchen Gallery. We went in and browsed before we were ready to have a real nuts and bolts conversation and the rep there was very helpful. May be out of our $$ range (have to fix a roof leak and boiler is on its last legs!) -- great to know about these other options too.
Posted by: albemarle at February 4, 2010 3:10 PM in response to Kitchen Cabinet Help
albemarle wrote a review about Purple Yam on February 4, 2010 2:48 PM
I vouch for the Kimchi pancake at brunch on Sunday -- and a great spicy seafood soup that was a special. I had dinner there within a couple weeks of its opening and was very happy too. I think they'll find their footing price/portion-wise as they settle into the neighborhood, but I didn't notice anything outrageously out of scale.
You beat me to it DS -- my thoughts exactly!
Posted by: albemarle at February 3, 2010 11:41 AM in response to Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up
Many worthy restaurants that didn't make the list -- but I'm hard pressed to think which of the 10 should be taken off to make room Convivium Osteria is my favorite -- love Taro too -- 10 is too small a number for the tops in PS.
Posted by: albemarle at February 1, 2010 10:21 AM in response to These the Slope's Best Chow Options?
I think we need to live with the tapestries for a time in a room that's been spiffed up with fresh paint, refinished floors, and restored sconces and chandelier -- I think the rest of the room might be bringing the tapestries down as it is now. Thanks to all for giving me pause and lots of possibilities to mull over. There's no need for us to move quickly in any direction on this one.
Posted by: albemarle at January 31, 2010 11:18 AM in response to Tapestries Revisited
I'll chime in with props for Mee Thai -- very fresh -- tasty noodles and decently priced lunch specials. Great friendly service too.
Posted by: albemarle at January 30, 2010 2:35 PM in response to Streetlevel: Joya Expanding to Fulton Street
The "Golden Arches" aren't the kind of bling "BKLYN Gold" is looking for, I guess.
Posted by: albemarle at January 29, 2010 9:46 AM in response to McDonald's on Tillary Closes!
No, tyburg, I was just hiking the Appalachian Trail!
Expert Textpert -- not sure about whether the guys were making room for the stairs or not -- will confab with Mr. Contractor.
Denton, I agree about our expediter -- he's great -- but because he's so great I don't know the answer to nonsense's question -- get thee to a great expediter!
Mopar, yes it seems so.
guywithahouse, I dream of writing the lead paragraph of your comment one day! And thanks for the subfloor advice.
Thanks for the encouragement all!
Posted by: albemarle at January 27, 2010 11:20 PM in response to Interior Demo Part 1: Bye-Bye Kitchen
Thank you all for the encouragement!
FLH -- I knew there must be a way -- the enamel *is* undamaged thankfully.
Mopar -- OGT has a whole room dedicated to making farmhouse tables out of salvaged wood -- we didn't ask about prices as having a table to sit at seems even more remote than hanging lights at this point, but they sure were beauties. Thanks too for the plumbing resources.
Expert Textpert, my son is playing "I Am the Walrus" on on guitar these days and singing along -- does your username come from the lyrics?
Posted by: albemarle at January 27, 2010 10:40 PM in response to Here We Go A-Salvaging...
Various bare-minimum thresholds for living in our under-reno house have been swirling in my head these days. It's reassuring that you and others have adjusted your expectations as you've gone along and made it work with what was on hand at the time. So many things on our "to do" list feel like "must do" and it's important for me to realize that it isn't the case. Thank you for shedding more light on this.
Posted by: albemarle at January 27, 2010 10:32 PM in response to How to Jinx a Reno
Amazing lobster rolls today! Is the scavenger hunt still in play? Didn't see info on the Flea site. I was lucky to nab a nice plate one time.
Posted by: albemarle at January 9, 2010 6:48 PM in response to The Flea: Live from One Hanson
I'l be there 10am, sharp and I'll be hungry!
Posted by: albemarle at January 8, 2010 7:56 PM in response to Closing Bell: The Flea Launches at One Hanson
Great work! I've always relied on guests coming to get anything major done around the house.
Posted by: albemarle at January 8, 2010 3:12 PM in response to Front Parlor Sanding
I dig it! Great use of winter garden space!
Posted by: albemarle at January 4, 2010 11:54 AM in response to Happy Holidays: Jace was here!
I love how these look -- I might have to teach myself how to make a Roman shade! The room looks great.
Posted by: albemarle at December 23, 2009 3:15 PM in response to Kitchen Curtain Collage
I'd love to see DUB pies open on Church Avenue, please. *rob* you made me guffaw, alone in a public place.
Posted by: albemarle at December 23, 2009 2:12 PM in response to Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up
Can't wait to see this beautiful space, and shop and eat too -- congrats!
Posted by: albemarle at December 22, 2009 10:43 PM in response to The Flea Popping Up in Williamsburgh Bank
I think “it will be all worth it in the end” will become a mantra for us, Kensingtonian, thanks.
Right on, slopefarm, re the “unknown unknowns” we just got our interior demo permit and I can’t wait to see the surprises behind those walls -- we want more “knowns!” As some pointed out the importance of, we’ll be sure to have more $$ figured in than we think we’ll need and a sturdy contract.
Thanks for the offer Architerrorist -- we think the numbers we got are actually in the right range -- just digesting it was tough!
Brenda from Flatbush, I can totally see the phenomenon of living with something we don’t like aesthetically receding into the background of our day to day lives as the months and years in the house go by. Not a bad thing from a cash p.o.v., but we’ll have to see how vigilant we can be. LOL on the vomit -- mine stayed in my mouth.
Appreciate the lively vocab discussion -- I welcome expanding my horizons beyond construction terminology, for sure. There will be many grammatical and spelling transgressions to come, no doubt - I know of at least one in this comment!
Posted by: albemarle at December 15, 2009 3:22 PM in response to Bids Are In!
Their salt caramels are among the "few of my favorite things" -- can't imagine the bliss of having them with a glass of wine.
Posted by: albemarle at December 8, 2009 8:55 PM in response to Nunu: It Takes a Flea
For the Albemarle reno, we initially hired an architect to plan out *only* the gut kitchen reno, transforming it from Dr.'s exam rooms back to the kitchen and returning a back staircase to it's original locale. As the scope of the project broadened and got more complicated we hired her to manage the whole house reno, and boy are we relieved we did! The way she organized on paper the details of the work to be done in each room would have taken us many months and we would have made a royal mess of it. Each space in the house has a number and each number has a flow-chart column with every outlet, light switch, wall treatment, floor treatment, etc. accounted for. There have been addendums and changes, of course as each contractor weighs in with recommendations. Everyone bidding is literally on the same page, so we can, as BHS mentions, "compare apples to apples."
We've been in the bidding out process for the past couple of weeks -- perhaps it would be post-worthy on the reno blog?
Posted by: albemarle at December 4, 2009 2:39 PM in response to Proper Etiquette with Contractor
Dag, I already follow.
Posted by: albemarle at December 3, 2009 9:35 PM in response to Who Will Be Number 2,000?
Fascinating MM! Can't wait for more -- a very thorough and interesting read.
Posted by: albemarle at December 3, 2009 4:05 PM in response to Walkabout: Reader's Favorites - The Dutch Masters
Thanks for the attic fan idea, slopefarm and DIBS -- It'd be great to have the a/c run in a more efficient way.
Love the idea of the light fixture, MM -- will do.
BHS, our floorplan from the broker listed that room as a sleeping porch -- I'd never heard of one before -- is it for napping? We'd like to eventually make it an open-air porch again, but it won't make the cut for this reno -- though we might demo it ourselves as a weekend project since uncovering that shingle and beadboard is oh so satisfying.
Posted by: albemarle at December 2, 2009 3:56 PM in response to Probe Holes
might be premature for me, but I'd love to see a pic too.
Posted by: albemarle at November 29, 2009 8:41 PM in response to Original Wainscoting for Sale
Thanks for all the suggestions, links and wonderful leads on experts. We never thought about the framing option, which could work out nicely. In their current condition the tapestries do feel dreary as Brenda from Flatbush points out and wallpaper is definitely something we’re looking at. We also plan to liven up the room with some color on the ceiling -- considering a warm red at the moment. zil, I will look at the old with new concept you describe - very compelling. It never occurred that the tapestries could pre-date the house, but look forward to getting more details, which I will certainly share.
Thanks for the comment about the built-ins, dt, we do indeed feel blessed. One of many things to be thankful for this holiday weekend.
Posted by: albemarle at November 29, 2009 11:08 AM in response to Dining Room Dilemma
Great to see the place hoppin' -- I'll be shopping next week for sure! Nice excuse to get to the island -- Congrats!
Posted by: albemarle at November 27, 2009 10:15 PM in response to Gifted Is Live!
Rutherford, that site is great, and scary. We intend to replace it all, and yes 200 amps is a must. We're doing HVAC on the second and third floors, where all the bedrooms are located so we'll need the power.
Posted by: albemarle at November 22, 2009 10:57 PM in response to All Systems, Go — Away?
Wow, David -- no, we had no idea about the Roosevelt visit!-- thank you so much for getting in touch -- I know we have questions, as does our architect! I'll definitely be in touch. We've met many neighbors who were patients of your grandfather and had such wonderful memories of him and of visits to see him. Thanks again.
Posted by: albemarle at November 22, 2009 10:51 PM in response to Beneath the Surface
What an amazing accomplishment, southslope -- congrats!
Posted by: albemarle at November 19, 2009 10:00 PM in response to Development Watch: Turnaround at 424 Waverly Avenue
That second pic on the google image page looks on the money, Zarathustra. The tiles we took up were very pliable without dust or cracking. As I write, professional asbestos abatement is happening in the house to prep for demolition and renovation. We are staying well the hell out of the way for that, mos’ def.
Glad folks are as excited by the pennies as we are. Thanks for the repro resource, mopar, and HDL that protection advice is well taken. We’ll have the contractor refurbish the tile after the major reno is complete and cover ‘em in the meantime. It'll be nice to re-discover them again in a few months.
Posted by: albemarle at November 18, 2009 1:30 PM in response to Beneath the Surface
Thanks for the tile source and reassurance, BHS. I like the look of the old tiles too, the flat, matte finish of them -- and will definitely opt for sealing them.
Posted by: albemarle at November 13, 2009 10:41 AM in response to All Systems, Go — Away?
An awful lot of P.F. Changs have been planting their flags in cities I've been to lately - Boston, Seattle, perhaps downtown Brooklyn is next?
Posted by: albemarle at November 11, 2009 9:58 PM in response to 'Nationally Known' Restaurants May Land in 345 Adams
Oh, P, thanks so much for the reno to reno reassurance! lalaland, if you don't mind weighing in, what did you do or not do about your systems? We had happy news yesterday that our boiler and radiators are actually working really well, so we'll stick with the steam for now and likely add radiators that use water for the kitchen, which is a from scratch operation.
Also, I'd love to get my eyeballs into see that Albemarle/Marlborough home, too!
Posted by: albemarle at November 11, 2009 10:50 AM in response to All Systems, Go — Away?
Thank you, Schultz, glad you’re enjoying it. BHS -- encouraging to read that your bathroom and plumbing story has a happy ending. I’d be interested in your source for those repro hex tiles too. I love those very flat matte finish ones from back in the day.
Zarathustra, I agree that a rewire is what we need, and that’s what we’re getting, as nk emphasizes, it’s a real priority -- and thanks too for your input on the plumbing --replacing the brass is still something we’re going back and forth on.
You make very interesting points, Yunk, though I will point out that if our purchase was truly emotionally driven, we would have leapt in 2007 at 2.595 mil instead of biding our time until 2009 at 1.6. We are lucky to have the input of professionals who are interested in updating and restoring, a tricky and expensive proposition, as you note.
Posted by: albemarle at November 10, 2009 10:40 PM in response to All Systems, Go — Away?
DIB, I think that's just a loose piece of wood we see at the back of the photo -- this section of floor is opened up so it's a good place to see a bit of plumbing.
Posted by: albemarle at November 10, 2009 2:00 PM in response to All Systems, Go — Away?
Tivo is set! Very exciting for the Flea and for Brooklyn, but something tells me we'll see a spike in huarache wait times.
Posted by: albemarle at November 10, 2009 9:10 AM in response to Martha Show Airs Today
Thanks for the great welcome, all. One of the first properties we saw in the nabe was 1423 Albemarle. I found the layout confusing and the work left to be done completely overwhelming. I think because so much had been started and halted, it was hard to see past the clutter to the potential that clearly exists in that house.
We are planning to file all permits and do all inspections. We are changing the C of O back to a single family residence from it’s current residential/commercial status. Yes, mt_molehill, this will add a lot of time and expense, but I can put my pics up for the world to see and still sleep at night.
Because of the added expense of due diligence, we are leaving the exterior renovation for another time, hopefully the not-too-distant future. My husband has it very high on his priority list. Neighborhood doyenne Mary Kay Gallagher, told me how she and the neighborhood association pleaded with the the doctor and his wife (the owers when the siding went up in the late 70’s, just prior to landmarking) not to put it on. When we do take the aluminum off, we want to make sure we’ve saved up lots of cash to address whatever’s uncovered.
Posted by: albemarle at November 9, 2009 12:48 PM in response to The Albemarle Renovation Blog Launches!
Looks great! I like the diagonal boards, and they cleaned up really well. Gives me hope for our floors.
Posted by: albemarle at November 9, 2009 11:58 AM in response to Back Parlor Sanding
Thanks everyone -- especially guywithahouse for solving the mystery of the "nippley looking thing" -- tybur6, you'll get a peek at the electrics first thing next week.
Posted by: albemarle at November 6, 2009 11:27 AM in response to Welcome to The Albemarle Reno Blog
Architerrorist -- would love the info on the neighborhood tapestry expert. Bklnite, I updated my profile today, and actually changed my user name to albemarle! A new chapter begins!
Posted by: albemarle at October 28, 2009 7:49 PM in response to Last Week's Biggest Sales
Responses to Author's Forum Comments
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Posted by: loanshhfuk at February 25, 2010 4:12 AM in response to Kitchen Cabinet Help
Here is my black and white border hex tile pattern.
http://www.diywithadd.com/2010/03/13/bw-master-bathroom/
Posted by: diywithadd at March 13, 2010 8:23 PM in response to Hex Tile for Pattern Source
Thanks for the great post, MM and for the add'l information. Mopar -- I'm grateful for the extra info -- and a peek into your own research! Thanks.
Posted by: albemarle at March 5, 2010 7:58 AM in response to Walkabout: Aesthetically Speaking, Part II