Suburban Living In The Upper Slope
We’ve been a long-time (okay, maybe like two years) admirer of this positively suburban looking Georgian brick house at 234 Eighth Avenue. There are some quite similar ones on the other side of the park in PLG–in fact, we considered buying a decrepit one back when we were house-hunting in 2004. It looks like the…
We’ve been a long-time (okay, maybe like two years) admirer of this positively suburban looking Georgian brick house at 234 Eighth Avenue. There are some quite similar ones on the other side of the park in PLG–in fact, we considered buying a decrepit one back when we were house-hunting in 2004. It looks like the same person has owned this place for the past 12 years with no significant alterations done in that time. Thank God it’s in a landmarked district, as the house has the kind of unused FAR that gets developers drooling. The design doesn’t make the cut in the AIA Guide, but we feel pretty sure there’s some history behind this one. worth knowing. GMAP P*Shark
Miguel, I agree with you 100%. You said what I was circling around much better than I did.
I’m house rich, but bank poor, and wouldn’t pass up my home ownership for anything. I wish I could improve my home more, and also invest in more property, but even in my ‘hood, as seen in today’s openhouse picks, the stuff most people on this site would pass up in a hot minute is well beyond my range, especially for what you are getting.
Well, will continue to read, and read, and read…..
I read this site for a couple of reasons:
I am obsessed with brownstone bklyn, it’s history, it’s architecture. I own a bldg that is actually mentioned in the AIA guide!!! But, I don’t really feel like I “own” it. I feel like I am holding it in trust for (hopefully a family not a developer) future generations. I am it’s caretaker. It has a rich history that we have uncovered gradually and that is very exciting. Finding letters, pictures, newspapers, artifacts, in the walls, behind fireplace mantels, in btwn pocket doors, this is incredibly exciting stuff!
Also, I’ve put a subtantial amount of money into my home. It is my home, but it is also an important investment. And each year it takes more and more money to keep it going. So, absolutely, I am interested in the market and values and such.
Unfortunately, the money, and the beauty, and the homesteading, have to go hand-in-hand.
I agree the obsession with FAR is seems counter to the appreciation of these homes as they were originally designed and built. Very few modern additions have the style of the orignals and the backyards end up as a hodgepodge. And lets no even start on adding floors. I have lived here long enough to see these houses abused by poorer people (boarding houses and such) and now they are abused by the rich. Fortunately there are some who cherish the original spirit and are not trying to squeeze the last dollar out of their investment but they seem fewer and fewer in number. So for us the upside of gentrification(better stores, etc) has a downside too.
For me, no-matter-where-I-live=home, therefore I make sure that it’s an investment (by not renting). I like to be informed on my investments so I appreciate the talk about $.
Agree, Drew. Would like to get more reno as well. Maybe we should buy another fixer-upper!
I don’t think CHProud’s comments/questions were gripes, more a curiousity about whether we all look at houses as investments first and living spaces second.
In reference to Brownstoner’s content, I definitely miss the documentation of B-stoner’s renovation. Maybe once the Cambridge joint really gets underway it willl fill the void. But for now, I feel the blog could use a bit more reno/restoration type stuff and a lil less development…
I don’t read this site for reno / design ideas because I think I have a different aesthetic from most of the readers. I like keeping up on the rapid changes in my nabe and others around me, and the accompanying issues. Those are largely driven by real estate, like it or not.
I also suspect a lott of people read the site who are thinking about buying / trading up, etc. — several friends I know do — and so I think the frank discussions of valuation, what’s worth it, what are the drawbacks of where — for all the flame wars, they are well worth it, because it at least gives these people feedback unfiltered by RE agents or a gaga real-estate press.
I.e., for them it’s not house = home or house = investment. It’s “house = home that I will have to pay a crapload of money for so I want to be well informed.”
If I had to guess, I would say that “house = investment” would be the majority. Nothing wrong with that. Some people are looking to increase their profit margin. Others are looking for a way to cut down on taxes. Others are looking for alternative investments to the stock market (diversifying the portfolio). I think this is what’s driving the market and the readership. I think that eventually, as the market cools off, you’ll see a lot more ‘purely architectural/home & garden’ threads such as this one. I think brownstoner is doing a good job balancing the needs of his audience. Some of us are motivated by affordable housing, others are motivated by FAR and development opportunities, others care about details of the ‘brownstone’ experience. Some of us find something to chew on in every one the thread.
I guess a lot of us are ‘bored at work’ and prefer spending time on brownstoner. Which is not a good thing to admit because pretty soon you’ll seen an article in the nytimes about the blog ‘addicts’ and we’ll all have to wait until we get home to get our fix.
There was a permit to do work on this house a few years back – it’s available on Property Shark.