HOTD: A Little "Rock Lobster" at 202 Clermont
“Down, down, down…” The latest $150,000 price cut at 202 Clermont brings the total reduction over the last six months to a whopping $500,000. The house started at $2.2 million last Summer, was dropped to $2 million in October, was cut again to $1.85 million in December and now is listed $1.699 million. We went…
“Down, down, down…” The latest $150,000 price cut at 202 Clermont brings the total reduction over the last six months to a whopping $500,000. The house started at $2.2 million last Summer, was dropped to $2 million in October, was cut again to $1.85 million in December and now is listed $1.699 million. We went back to try to figure out why this thing wasn’t selling and, lo and behold, realized that this is the same house whose overly glossy makeover we criticized last week. At that point, we hadn’t put 2 and 2 together to realize that this was listed at Brooklyn Properties as well as Douglas Elliman. No need to rehash our aesthetic criticisms here but the reductions certainly do suggest that the market in this area craves authenticity.
WEB# 723400 [Prudential Douglas Elliman] GMAP
I worked on selling this brownstone since the fall.
The current price truly reflects its value in a price-per-square-foot neighborhood and building condition analysis. It is 17.5′ wide afterall.
In terms of the work done by the current owner, much is on the positive side: converting from a 3-family to a 2-family (no “broken up” single-family feel), new plumbing, new electric, new sewage, ALL plaster cieling mouldings intact, the front fireplace now safely a functioning wood-burning fireplace.
The only major feature that is not original now are the new floors, which the originals were beyond restoration.
The kitchens and baths are modern–and may fit more of a “taste specific”, but are easily changable. this also goes for lighting fixtures, etc.
When buying a townhouse, the initial emotional aesthetic impact is important (original detail, taste, etc.). But the AFTER-purchase priority becomes the guts of the building–of which this building definitely has.
JPD, DE
I went to the open house at 202 clermont ave on sunday the job they did is magnificant i have gone to about 15 open houses nothing compares to 202 clermont all the restoration work is great.the high end appliances are beautiful the wide plank floors are more expensive than any other floor so it was not a cheap job it was a very expensive reno job at least 500,000 i do this kind of work
Hey I was reading all this back and forth stuff. I am curious to the true cost of doing the whole plank floor thing. I am about to get a beat up brownstone from my family and I was thinking of restoring but I only have 100,000 -150,000 to spend. I want to do it right. And then maybe sell it. I was reading what Brian and some other people wrote. I think that they should all be applauded for being themselves. I have actually went to the 202 clermont open house as well as 2 others on that avenue. 202 is actually the best out of all of them, not my cup of tea, but the best out all of them. If my memory serves me right I met Brenton and A & H on clermont. I thought both companies where professional in their manner not as knowledged in the actually restoration process of home. I did think that team at 202 has more to work with so they should sell it if they know what they are doing. The other open house was Foxtons not what I was looking for. Once again I am curious as to the true price of doing wood plank floors. Maybe I should refinance?
Speaking of My Brownstone, the login problems should be fixed in the next couple of days…
I’m not sure what the previous poster(s) meant by echo chamber. There’s been a lot of variety of opinion. The commonality has been that the reno job on 202 Clermont was not that great and people aren’t just latching on to that idea.
Sometimes I hear posters on this site (mostly in the forum) criticizing someone’s plans to create a more open floorplan, or trying to dissuade someone who is thinking about exposing brick. A smart reader however, knows how to differentiate between when someone is just projecting in order to defend choices they themselves have made or when they are actually providing valuable insight through personal experience.
A brownstone that successfully merges new design with old is brilliant! I doubt many people here would disagree. It can be really hard to do right and to find the right balance though. I wish more people would use “my brownstone” particularly if they have “modernized” successfully.
Unfortunate that I was moved to rant on this thread because it was not spurred on by or intended to be in defence of the renovation of 202 Claremont. Although I do wonder what the condition of the property was before the flipper went to work. I agree that renovating with the Preservation for Dummies Handbook can reap rewards when it comes time to sell, but I am also frustrated by this mentality, particularly when this handbook is thrown around with out consideration of the reality of the building. When the building does not warrant preservation, why not consider, for example, renovating towards better energy efficiency, or using renewable material. Why not consider making the building serve you in the best way possible while you’re living there rather than trying to preserve what made sense 100 years ago. I have no problem with Brownstoner’s choices. I think they did a beautiful renovation and found lots of hidden treasures in the process. I am also a fan of the website, but I am frightened by any echo chamber or feedback loop that starts reverberating louder and louder because then it just becomes noise and it is when people stop thinking.
Even though things may seem to the contrary, we’re not anti-modern design in any way. We are pro-preservation in general and we’re anti- BAD modern design. We love modern interiors in old buildings, but tend to prefer that approach for lofts–though we’ve definitely seen some beautiful very modern renos of brownstones. The worst thing, in our mind, is a bad attempt to recreate an “old” look or a cheap modern reno. A lame hack-job that just removes old moldings is not made any better by slapping the label “modern” on it.
anon 10:16–
I’m with you in support of modern brownstone renovations. The current issue of Dwell is all about modernist interiors in older buildings. It would probably give many of the readers of this site heart attacks.
That said, I don’t think the FG house is a good example of such a reno — nor is it the monstrosity it’s been portrayed as here. When I look at it, I think, Home Depot Expo catalog. Not my taste, but I’ve seen way, way worse.
As for snobbery, I think it’s less sinister. This is Brownstoner’s site, and, let’s face it, many of the posts are, probably unconsciously, devoted to rationalizing Bstoner’s life decisions. Hence, “most people” prefer preservationist renovations, renovating with authenticity in mind is the shrewdest real-estate move one can make, and Clinton Hill is the “runaway” hottest neighborhood in Brooklyn. To live one’s life exactly as Brownstoner has is to achieve the best of all possible worlds!
And there’s a certain echo-chamber effect because of course the blog attracts those who agree with him. But — whatever. He’s the one who actually bothered to start the blog, so it’s his prerogative. I just take the various biases as a given and find the site otherwise really useful.
My palms are literally bleeding from scrubing and restoring the details in my home, but I still don’t turn my nose up at people who don’t want to do this. It’s THEIR homes..and THEIR time…and THEIR money. I’m taking great pains to restore every detail, but not everybody can do this. Some of it is in bad shape or has been taken out already. Does anyone actually know if 202 Clermont had more detail prior to this investor?