House of the Day: 329 Adelphi Street
This listing at 329 Adelphi Street makes us wish we had both the means and the time for a renovation project! The Civil War-era wood house has lots of original detail, according to the listing, but needs a head-to-toe restoration. (Even if the interior is a wreck, we still wish the brokers would include a…
This listing at 329 Adelphi Street makes us wish we had both the means and the time for a renovation project! The Civil War-era wood house has lots of original detail, according to the listing, but needs a head-to-toe restoration. (Even if the interior is a wreck, we still wish the brokers would include a few more photos.) The condition isn’t a huge surprise given that the house hasn’t changed hands in 40 years! We’ve heard from a couple of people who’ve already looked at it and the consensus seems to be that, while an incredible house, the asking price of $950,000 is very high given the amount of dough that will need to be sunk into this place.
329 Adelphi Street [Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP P*Shark
The commision staff can be impossible, depends on who you get. hardyplank should be a-ok. one of the realtors is on the landmarks commission, she would be your key contact to get the children’s desk moving on the permits.
Pete…yes, I noticed the basement windows in the floorplan. When I walked by the house, and as you can see with the front porch, the first floor is about 4′ above grade but I never saw the windows.
This would add greatly to square footage and usability if these are “real rooms” and not just a potential dungeon.
The widget won’t accept my estimate either…950 for a total renovation, with the additional disadvantage of being landmarked, is insane.
BrooklynGreene…thanks for that bit of history. Christ, I sound like I already own it and that’s probably not even going to happen. Funny you should mention the “Scottish brooms.” I have a number of them out on the Cape and I really love them.
Yes, a shingle job in Brooklyn is going to be mighty expensive. I’m assuming LPC would allow them to be replaced with clapboards which would be easier and more durable ( I’d even use Hardie board…it’ll last forever). I suspect it was originally clapboard but who knows.
Woody and Dan were a gay couple, I assume???
This place could be cool but it is small. I think no matter how much money you put into it it will not be worth more then a million dollars under Obama(next 8 years)
I dunno about some family room on 1st floor. I don’t even recall seeing anyor many townhouses with that even well over $1m.
This kind/age of house is expected to have a quirky layout.
Parlor layout looks fine way it is except I don;t see any door to garden from back/kitchen. And 3 1/2 baths is at least 1 bat too many. I know you seem to have a bath fetish but helluca a lot of money – unless you plan on occupying for yourself…and why would you need 3 and a 1/2.
Basement maybe could be used as ‘family room’ – looks like has windows – but who knows what ceiling height is.(it does show a powder room on that level also).
Maybe a 2nd bath on bedroom level – and if top floor is real short – just combine rooms and make like office or sex den.
And now I’m depressed thinking about Woody and Dan. They were very nice people. Sigh, sigh, sigh…sniff…
All is vanity I guess and we’re only here for a brief moment.
I hope someone can make this a happy home again.
David,
A family room? Hhhh…So you can sit in there with the family and watch CSI every night?…
Anyway, it’d be nice if you took this house over. Woody and Dan lived here for 40 years and were a very lovely couple.
And, I agree that you can definitely freshen up the house for a lot less money than some people would lead you to believe. It is not a huge brownstone or brick rowhouse.
The windows may be able to be restored/refurbished to a large extent…and sad to say, but luckily, you can add storm windows, including the new double-glazed ones, without getting approval from Landmarks. If they’re well done (i.e. not the cheapo version), storm windows might be a decent way of saving a lot on the cost of completely new windows, give you the option to have screens in summer and keep the historic windows in place.
Listen, their house is not such a wreck. Yes, it IS cottagy and needs work but still, it’s not falling into the earth that I know of.
It has a nice entry door…and they used to keep the streetside garden all the way around very nice. There was always something blooming. The yellow broom that was still blooming last weekend is VERY sweetly scented…very lovely although a bit too bright, intense yellow for my gardening taste…still though worth leaving. And the poncirus trifolate (“orange”) is a nice specimen.
Frankly, I would redo certain areas of shingling entirely. This would be a much cheaper affair in New England to have done–am not sure who is good for this in Brooklyn–but I think you really would have to do some reshingling done on the extension.
Other than that, the house has and many decades of positive energy and only got a little ramshackly the last couple of years after Woody passed away.
good luck dibs. Looks like a nice place. I like the ad, the most honest we’ve seen in a while!