bk14's Profile
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April 5, 2008
Is the Marble in this Fireplace Original?
Can anyone speculate as to whether the pink marble insert in this mantel could be original, or whether it might have been added/changed out later? For some reason, I get the impression that the marble doesn't seem to go with the rest of this mantel, and I was wondering if anyone out there might know about mantel styles. The house was built in 1907. Thanks.
January 24, 2008
Am I being unduly paranoid?
I'm thinking of purchasing a brownstone that is part of an estate sale and has been empty for a while--quite abandoned, actually. It has a lot of great detail. A friend told me he had heard that these types of homes are regularly broken into and original architectural elements are stripped. How can I make sure this doesn't happen with this home, if I do indeed purchase it? Do I need to make an inventory of everything I see to make sure it's still there when I do a walk-through?
Author's Comments
Responses to Author's Forum Comments
Yes, you are being unduly paranoid.
Posted by: guest at January 25, 2008 12:04 PM in response to Am I being unduly paranoid?
Buy a unit in The Verdi, and you won't have to worry about this problem.
Posted by: Rehab at January 25, 2008 1:05 PM in response to Am I being unduly paranoid?
Jeezus, the buyer DOES like old houses, Rehab. They're buying one. They just want to know how to protect the detail which is a huge part of the reason they're buying the house in the first place. Give it a rest.
OP, if this worries you go ahead and get an alarm system on the house. If you install a wireless system, the alarm boxes and magnets on the windows are easily removed and reapplied again when you replace the windows with new ones, whenever you do that. Same thing with electric, whenever electric is updated they detach then reattach the wires to the main part of the alarm.
Posted by: guest at January 25, 2008 3:47 PM in response to Am I being unduly paranoid?
Can all the snarky dicks go back to the main blog part of this site, please? Forum is for people who are actually helpful to others.
Another option OP, is the far superior website Gardenweb, where you can find sane people who don't need regular medication to behave in a civil manner. There are a lot of people there renovating old houses and confronting the same issues. Their houses don't have to be specifically a Brooklyn brownstone to give you good advice for your brownstone.
Posted by: guest at January 25, 2008 3:50 PM in response to Am I being unduly paranoid?
ADT, wireless system, get a landline and cellular backup. 2-3k install, 50- monthly fee. Peace of mind-priceless. On several false alarms I have beaten the cops there (passing red lights, stop signs etc) but only by a few minutes, they do come right away if ADT cannot reach you. Also fire protection with smoke detectors and may qualify you for insurance discount.
Posted by: guest at January 31, 2008 12:12 AM in response to Am I being unduly paranoid?
I knew I wasn't being paranoid! Thanks for confirming my fears! This house has so much beautiful woodwork, ornamentation, built-ins and old lighting fixtures that I am certain it will attract looters because it's empty. There are also tons of keys to the place, circulating between like 10 brokers.
Posted by: bk14 at January 25, 2008 12:00 PM in response to Am I being unduly paranoid?