House of the Day: Midwood Diamond in the Rough
The phrase “Diamond in the Rough” has to be one of the most overused, cliched expressions to describe a fixer-upper but in this case it certainly is apt. This freestanding woodframe in Midwood Park looks like it hasn’t had much done to it since was built in 1915–but in a good way. The wood detailing…
The phrase “Diamond in the Rough” has to be one of the most overused, cliched expressions to describe a fixer-upper but in this case it certainly is apt. This freestanding woodframe in Midwood Park looks like it hasn’t had much done to it since was built in 1915–but in a good way. The wood detailing is exquisite and the original floors appear to be in solid shape. If you’re a hard-core traditionalist, the old kitchen will be right up your alley too. That said, this one ain’t for the faint of heart as there is a lot of surface work in addition to the infrastructure like plumbing and electric that will undoubtably need upgrading. Great bones, though, huh?
Diamond in the Rough [Mary Kay Gallagher]
we walked through the house as well. we think it has potential, but it needs A LOT of work. we did not like the kitchen – we thought needed to be completely gutted. the flood damage is very extensive running through the entire left side of the house, into the kitchen, because the bathroom that flooded is on the top floor. not only will flooring need to be replaced, but the structural beams on that side will need to be checked for rot. the layout on the first floor is wierd and doesn’t flow very well. also there is really no room for a driveway. we suspect the neighboring houses on both sides have encroached past the property line with a paved driveway on one side, and house extension on the other. this could be a sticky situation with neighbors later. also the deck with a long winding ramp would need to be taken out, i think, as it takes up more than half the back yard. also possibly another major thing: take a close look at the chimney line on the same side of the house as the flood damage, it has shifted and has caused some interior walls to shift. on the plus side, the original woodwork, moldings, stained glass, hardware is fantastic! there hasn’t been any shoddy post-war renovations that damaged these details as we have seen in other homes in the area. we think it has good potential for someone who has good understanding of the problems, time and money to get into this major fixer-upper. we also estimated $250,000 for the renovations as well. and that’s not including cost for living somewhere else while some of the work is being done. good luck to whoever buys the place — we would love to see how what happens to it!
Anonymous at 2:03 pm… I feel your pain about the tide of red brick slowly rising though Victorian Flatbush’s unlandmarked neighborhood, and for this reason I have started a campaign, with the support of the Brooklyn Borough Historian, to have my own neighborhood, Beverly Square West, landmarked. I understand that Caton Park, Midwood Park and Ditmas Park West all have landmarking applications in progress. I am in the process of creating a website about the architectural history, past and present, of Victorian Flatbush, which should be ready in a few weeks. It also has pages which show particularly insensitive renovations that would be halted by landmarking. Victorian Flatbush is currently the largest neighborhood of freestanding Victorian homes in the entire nation, with about 3000 remaining homes. About one hundred years ago there were twice this many homes, with now destroyed neighborhoods such as Vanderveer Park (huge) and Bay View Terraces which covering most of Flatbush proper and East Flatbush. You can still see the ghosts of these neighborhoods when you drive through. If we don’t landmark all of Victorian Flatbush, more and more neighborhoods are in danger of slipping away, and the ones that are landmarked will be consists of just a few isolated blocks. Just look at the situation with Prospect Park South and neighboring Caton Park. The atrocities going on there with respect to Bobby’s Dept. Store have a direct affect on several PPS blocks. The time to act is now!
I viewed this house a couple of weeks ago and it has some really lovely features. The entry foyer and dining room have some great original detail, including decorative fireplaces. The kitchen looks like something out of Little House on the Prairie–I’d bet the stove could be sold on E-Bay to a collector of early 20th century appliances. It’s pretty small, though there is a butler’s pantry of sorts adjacent to it.
The water damage is extensive, running from a third-floor rear bathroom wall down to the basement, with that nasty black toxic mold coating the walls. My semi-informed guesstimate is that the house would need $200-250K in work (including updating electrical and mechanicals). That’s not far off the mark for these blocks, where nice houses are on the market for just under a million bucks. But the buyer/renovator here would also need to be able to wait quite a while before being able to move in. For me, that was the biggest problem.
The other thing to note, given the car-oriented nature of the neighborhood, is that there’s no driveway. Parking doesn’t look to be tight in this end of the neighborhood (I have seen it pretty impossible in Prospect Park South when soccer is in full swing at the Parade Grounds) so this may not really be much of a problem. But many people looking in this neighborhood seem to want a garage and that just isn’t a realistic possibility at this house. (The broker speculated that the lot would accommodate a driveway flush up against the exterior wall of the house but no room for a garage.)
I also live in Victorian Flatbush and know this block. It is a great, family friendly area and a beautiful tree lined street. This house does look like it needs a lot of work, but for the right price, I think it would be worth it. I lived in Manhattan for many years and then in Park Slope and was a little worried that Victorian Flatbush would be a hard transition, but I have never been happier with any move in my life. I love having a real free standing house with a yard and driveway and living in a true community of open-minded, friendly, inclusive neighbors (all within a 20-30 minute express bus ride to my office on Wall Street or a 15 minute drive to dinner in Tribeca on a weekend night). The amount of young families moving into this neighborhood is also astounding. We meet new people every day and my children have never had more friends.
I actually posted about this before, but I will reiterate based on B’Stoners points. I live nearby and got a look at the interior at a recent Open House. While the house definitely needs a great deal of work, I still think it’s a decent deal. There is some water damage from an upstairs flood, so some of the walls/floors need to be redone, but the original detail is, indeed, intact. As for the kitchen, even the hardest-core traditionalist would have a hard time utilizing what’s there now. Let’s just call the kitchen a great opportunity. In fact, that’s how I’d describe the whole house- as previous poster said, it’s right for the right buyer- someone who has the time and money to spend on it. If I were that person, I would see a great opportunity to pick up a really sweet period house and, while keeping the details, totally upgrade systems (Central Air, Electrical, Kitchen, etc…) Anyway, these Victorian Flatbush houses are great. And this house is on a very nice block with many houses having recently been restored. 2 blocks to B/Q, and Express bus stops just around the corner. One downside is no driveway/garage, but parking around there is really not a problem. I can only hope that whoever buys it doesn’t brick it up before landmarking takes effect.
Sorry, not interested. The place has to be a real piece of shit for me to want to get involved with it… hehe 😛
This house is a great deal, for the right person. It was listed as “in contract” on the MKG site a little while about, so it must have fallen though. Hmmm… We’ve yakked about this house on Brownstoner before.