Buying Across from Empty Lot

You all have been very helpful - thank you!!!

Posted by: nervous at January 31, 2009 11:32 AM in response to Buying Across from Empty Lot

Ah...good point! :) I guess I'm worried in particular about the prospect of facing a brick wall, and the lack of daylight (if not sunlight).

Posted by: nervous at January 29, 2009 3:06 PM in response to Buying Across from Empty Lot

I'm going into contract for an apartment in the "limestone colored building" in the rear: the windows face out onto the lot, and thus, will face out onto the new building. It is unclear to me from the drawing or the plans to what extent this new building will affect the light the apartment gets (or whether I'll be looking out directly onto a wall, for that matter). Does anyone know any more about this?

Posted by: nervous at January 29, 2009 10:18 AM in response to Development Watch: 314 12th Street

What color will the new building be? My windows with Northern exposure actually benefit from reflected light from the building across the street, which has a lot of white/cream colored stonework and facades.

Posted by: arches at January 29, 2009 3:45 PM in response to Buying Across from Empty Lot

Man says to a surgeon who is about to perform an emergency operation on his hand:

"Doc, Doc, will I be able to play the piano after this operation?"

Doctor says "Why of course you will!"

Patient says "Thanks great, because I never could before."

Posted by: phripley at January 29, 2009 4:02 PM in response to Buying Across from Empty Lot

I would be more concerned with the empty lot itself and how long (given current economic reality) it will remain empty.

Northern exposure is still northern exposure. Youʻll be living in relative darkness either way.

Posted by: vanburenproud at January 30, 2009 7:59 AM in response to Buying Across from Empty Lot

Actually, you should consider whether you want to live across from a construction site for an indefinite amount of time. I moved into my place as the foundation was being laid in the lot across the street. That turned out to mean two years of construction noise, large truck traffic, dirt and garbage, and many many calls to 311 because of late night and weekend work.

Posted by: lemur11215 at January 30, 2009 10:09 AM in response to Buying Across from Empty Lot

Don't worry. You'll forget all about the potential of lost light or facing a brick wall after you live through the construction noise....

Posted by: Iris at January 30, 2009 10:13 AM in response to Buying Across from Empty Lot

If its a glass (or glassy) building, your sunlight will probably increase, though your view may get worse. Our north-facing windows get "direct" sunlight as a result of new buildings that have been constructed blocks away.

Posted by: WBer at January 30, 2009 1:01 PM in response to Buying Across from Empty Lot

I'm with lemur11215. It is the construction site you want to be worrying about. We've lived across from one for three years, and they aren't done yet. That is three years of construction worker heckling every time I leave the house, vacuuming daily to keep the grit at bay, jackhammers at 7:00 am.

Thankfully, the present crew is pretty nice, so the real heckling has stopped, but there were stretches where it was really bad, to the point of being downright stressful on some days. Walk outside and there's a whistle from somewhere, and another one from somewhere else and if you flinch or turn or indicate at all that you heard them the whole site erupts in laughter. I found it of frightening. The one-off "hey mami" shit was just irritating and not usually directed at me, but this whole building full of anonymous men mocking me did get to me after a while. You realize that you're completely alone and it doesn't matter that it is 10 am.

The heckling has died off but there is still scaffolding, dumpsters and a trailer which combine to make a really isolated stretch of the block across the street (not safe, I don't care what neighborhood you're in) and shit blowing off the site.

Meanwhile, up the street at the other construction site (points to any readers who can figure out what block I live on!) they ran into all kinds of trouble and stopped work altogether for almost a year. That meant there was no one to fix the construction fence when it blew down, no one picking up garbage. Yadda yadda yadda.

I've suffered far worse miseries in my life but I wouldn't take living across from a construction site lightly.

Maybe this is all irrelevant because you're a) male or b) not going to be coming and going past the construction, in which case the noise & dirt is the only real issue.

Posted by: serpentor at January 30, 2009 1:06 PM in response to Buying Across from Empty Lot

You will have very little light, maybe three hours at noon in the summer. Your backyard, if you have one, will be in shade most of the day.

Posted by: mopar at January 30, 2009 4:54 PM in response to Buying Across from Empty Lot

serpentor -

Only two new buildings going up on your block? Clearly you don't live in Williamsburg.

Posted by: WBer at January 30, 2009 5:58 PM in response to Buying Across from Empty Lot

Nervous--the construction issue cant be overemphasized. You will have to deal with not only sound issues at all and early hours of the day, but most likely dust issues as well. Be sure to check out renderings for the new building if you can as well--it will be your view of the world outside your home once it's built.

Posted by: housebywe at January 31, 2009 10:02 AM in response to Buying Across from Empty Lot