Turning Water into Wine in Eastern Williamsburg
This place took some vision! Overcoming fears of environmental contamination, Wellington Fan and Jennifer Dalton bought this run-down split-level brick house directly from an estate in 2002 for $274,000. Then they embarked on a DIY reno that blew out some walls in the living area and moved the kitchen downstairs. One major sewage back-up and…
This place took some vision! Overcoming fears of environmental contamination, Wellington Fan and Jennifer Dalton bought this run-down split-level brick house directly from an estate in 2002 for $274,000. Then they embarked on a DIY reno that blew out some walls in the living area and moved the kitchen downstairs. One major sewage back-up and $22,000 later, they had a comfortable 1,100-square-foot family home with a clean, mid-century modern feel. Since their purchase, signs of encroaching hipsterdom have begun popping up and the value of the house has roughly doubled.
Worry Triumphs over Fear [NY Times]
I think it depends on what your definition of “a particularly “desirable” neighborhood in Brooklyn” is. We knew we wanted a tree-lined street, in a neighborhood where we felt comfortable as an inter-racial couple. My husband runs, so he wanted to be near a park. I wanted public schools good enough to at least be an option & a 35 commute to my Manhatttan office, since that’s what I already had. Also it had to be doable on less than a 6 figure income. In 2003 we found that in Prospect-Lefferts Garden.
My brother is currently looking for the same minus the commute, since he works in Bklyn. He thinks he’s found it in Kensington. Affordable homes are out there and you just need to find the one for you.
I have never seen a house this cheap in a particularly “desirable” neighborhood in Brooklyn. I’ve seen prices like this only for poorly constructed tin sided boxes out near Coney Island, in the shadow of dozens of housing projects. I think these people got a great deal for Williamsburg, and if their main objective was living in Williamsburg, they won. If they are “settling” for an ugly box because they are priced out of a more aesthetially appealing home, that’s too bad, but them’s the breaks.
Park Sloper, I’m the 11.28 poster and I totally agree with you.
No, but it does mean that, contrary to popular belief, it is possible to purchase relatively affordable homes in Brooklyn. I recall a few weeks ago there was a lengthy thread centered on one house-hunter whose budget was in the $200k-$300k range, and who took umbrage when people suggested she move to Queens or Jersey. What this couple did is a good example of what can be done if you can’t afford $1million+ for a brownstone but want to stay in Brooklyn.
I agree with brownstoner on the price point issue. But even if that is incorrect and the place is bigger than 1,100 square feet (which is just 90 sq. ft. larger than one floor of the brownstone I live in), you are really comparing apples to oranges in the sense that brownstones are historic structures with period details, soaring ceilings large windows etc. The couple has really done a lot with the place they found and good on them, but to say it makes buying a brownstone silly when you can find a small brick house that needs a gut reno for less than $300,000 doesn’t really make sense imo.
Technically you don’t include anything below grade, we think. But if you’ve got a “ground floor” that happens to be a a couple steps down, realistically that should count. But certainly don’t include cellars and unlivable space. Anyway, the way we read the article, we inferred that the entire house was 1,100 square feet, not that each floor was. If we read it wrong, then obviously our earlier calculations don’t hold: “It had only two bedrooms in a three-level, approximately 1,100-square-foot layout.” It looks way too small to be 3,300 square feet, doesn’t it?
Now I’m curious. To calculate $/sf, do you use the building size multiplied by the number of floors? Do you include the basement?
Not really. These guys paid more per square foot in 2002 for this place than we paid in 2004 for our brownstone; after renovations, we’re both in for about the same price per square foot–about $280-290.
This article makes all this ridiculous, (very) over-priced brownstone b-s, seem well, ridiculous. Kudos to this couple.