Condos of the Day: 4 South Portland Avenue
It’s hard to argue with the location of this brownstone condo conversion at 4 South Portland Avenue. Just steps from Fort Greene Park and located on the quintessential brownstone block, the five-unit project just hit the market at the beginning of the month with prices ranging from $700,000 for a 1,012-square-foot floor-through to $890,000 for…
It’s hard to argue with the location of this brownstone condo conversion at 4 South Portland Avenue. Just steps from Fort Greene Park and located on the quintessential brownstone block, the five-unit project just hit the market at the beginning of the month with prices ranging from $700,000 for a 1,012-square-foot floor-through to $890,000 for a 1,543-square-foot duplex. We’re not digging the kitchen cabinets (big mistake) but the bathroom looks okay if a bit glitzy and they’ve otherwise left well enough alone when it comes to crown moldings, fireplaces and the like.
4 South Portland Avenue Listings [StreetEasy] GMAP P*Shark
I love my brown Allen Edmonds wing tips.
You wanna know the real dealbreakers?
Tasseled loafers.
Ick.
ennui baby, I love my beautiful oxblood wingtips.
Y’see now you are really just picking on me!
Are you kidding me? Beautiful brown Ferragamo slip ons?
OK you have no taste, NEXT!
ennui…I think there’s a big difference if they are brown leather or if they are brown suede. The suede ones are definitely a deal breaker.
Perhaps I shouldn’t have mentioned the granite part, because I could care less if the counters were formica or corian.
It’s the dark color that I was going on about, and I was just being silly about a pet peeve. It’s like men with brown shoes, certain things are deal breakers. 😉
I miss the sparkly formica of my youth, but I appreciate being able to put a hot cast iron dutch oven right onto the granite and not think about it.
Anyways, back to the point: the other disadvantage that I see of brownstone conversions is you’re living in something that was designed as a one-family house. That means, at least in my experience, there’s a lot more noise between floors than in any apartment building. How many posts do we see on the parenting boards regarding this very question? I will tell you: many.
It isn’t something that personally bothers me much, but I might think differently, were my downstairs neighbor complaining about my snowflake riding her trike at 7am. It would seem more practical to make these conversions duplexes… but space being the premium it is, that never happens anymore.
Which is sad, because this building would have made two killer duplex apartments.
DIBS, you are a knowledgable gentleman. I second everything you said. The reddish granites harmonize beautifully with honey stained floors and certain cabinets.
The new artificial stones are just beautiful too. I am sorry I am no longer buying and selling places because I want to buy deep blue quartz counters.
You are either into it or not I guess.
I think this kind of stuff is so easy and fun, people get so stressed over it. My advise to people is to forget what you grew up with, forget about the past, look at these things and think about what you like now. It’s about now and the future, forget about Mom’s butcher block or whatever.
I have granite and soapstone. Love them both. I had honed slate once and it stains. You can get the stains out with a few applications of mineral oil but its a pain. I’ve harped on the stain issues of marble (especially white) and the fact that its more “porous” and will harbor bacteria many, many times here. White marble will develop a yellowish stain (the iron from the water) wherever it is constantly exposed to water (near the faucets) in about 4-5 years or so.
There are an almost infinite number of granite colors to choose from. Many of them are really beautiful. The reds go very well with natural light stained cabinets like maple.
why are people such assholes about kitchen counter materials?
I have had granite for years, it is perfect, no problems at all. I know people who have quartz and others who have Corian, all perfect.
Slate is a big mistake as is marble and tile. don’t do it. they are just hard to maintain.
wood counters are just peculiar and unhygenic.
I would like to know what the “trigger” is.
It must be something very deep.
Mother’s Formica? Father’s butcher block?
why do people go nuts over other people’s counters?