Fabulous Refab

It had been bothering me for a while that the stained glass windows on this house could only be seen from the outside. The previous owners wanted to put a circular curtain rod in, and they decided to cover the windows with sheetrock, and bring the windows down. Terrible. I couldn't quite figure out whether the windows were intact on the side that was inside the house, but I had to try. Hey, you never know.

Unfortunately, by knocking down the wall, I created two new jobs for myself. One, I had to strip the wood mouldings and two, I had to rebuild the mouldings that were missing. I kept thinking, How the hell would I go about doing this? The easiest thing to do would have been to replace the original mouldings with stuff from Home Depot. But I decided to go to Dykes Lumber and refabricate the missing mouldings. Since lumber yards no longer make these mouldings, we had to replicate them as best as possible using 3 or 4 different mouldings.
The finished product? Priceless.

Sterling Street Stoop Sale: Saturday July 19th

The Sterling Street-100 Block Association is having a multiple home stoop sale this Saturday, July 19th from 10AM to 3PM.

The stoop sale will be on Sterling Street between Bedford and Rogers Avenues in Prospect-Lefferts Garden. Proceeds will go towards funding their first annual block party.

Visit their stoop sale and see what treasures you may find. Furniture, Clothing, books, bric-a-bracs, etc. Hope you all can make it.

Please click here or on picture to view flyer.

New Condos Come to PLG

Formerly an abandoned building, 411 Rogers Avenue in Prospect-Lefferts Garden has been turned into a six-unit condo building. When I spoke to Alyssa Morris, a Corcoran agent, she said that only three of the six units were available for showing.

For $375, 000 (common charge: $269), you can get Unit 2, a two bedroom, one bathroom duplex with access to your half of the manicured private garden. Unit 4, a two bedroom, is going for $350,000 (common charge: $227). Unit 6, a 2 bedroom, is going for $365,000 (common charge: $269) and includes access to the roof deck.

According to Corcoran's website, "There are six new residential homes set up as duplexes with private gardens for entertaining and outdoor leisure, as well as 2-bedroom floor-through apartments-- some with private roof decks for those ring-side firework views."

When I visited 411 Rogers Avenue last weekend, I saw two duplex apartments that share the backyard. The first level of the duplexes is in the cellar, which is small and kind of cramped. The other four apartments are relaid single units. Also, don't get your hopes up about the roof deck. The roof deck is just an asphalt roof that is not fit to walk on. From the roof you have a nice view of a huge tree in my backyard; so much for seeing fireworks. But with the right plants, and some railings for those evenings you have a couple too many beers with your friends, it could be a cool chill-out space.

Still, in today's market, these units are reasonably priced. The common charges are almost too good to be true. I’d definitely negotiate them down on the asking price of the condo, because there are a few things that will need work.

In general, I thought the rehab was a bit shoddy and they really didn't put too much money into the bathroom or kitchen materials. There was another downside too--the duplexes have one bathroom. Anyway, I'm sure that to someone looking to buy the pros will outweigh the cons. The building is in a great location--just a block and a half from the 2 and 5 trains, and two blocks from Prospect Park and the Botanical Gardens.

Related articles:
1) Condo Conversion on Rogers Ave.
2) Corcoran's listing for 411 Rogers Ave.

PLG Bathroom: Part II

Since we were already doing work in our bathroom in Prospect-Lefferts Garden, we decided to change the tiles, sink, showerhead and add a new vanity.

1.) 5 Durock 5/16 3x5 Cement Board: $10.77 each
Tiles: $100
2.) AquaSource White Windsor Pedestal Lavatory: $87.73
3.) AquaSource White Windsor Pedestal Base: $46.02
4.) Showerhead: $16.98
5.) Vanity: $99

PLG Bathroom: The Work Never Ends

Three years ago I put a window in this cramped Prospect-Lefferts Garden bathroom. The bathroom had an ugly grey vent, with open storage space below. The vent was replaced with a small window; I kept the storage space, but added mirrored sliding doors.

Originally, in that space, there was a window about 45" X 32" wide. The original owners must have removed it, to create storage space in a house with only 3 closets on the first floor. After a long discussion about what to do with this storage, we decided to eliminate it and put a window back in that space. A window would allow for better circulation of air and light into the bathroom. We purchased the window from Windows We Are for $160.

Adding the right size mouldings around the window frame is just as important as the window itself. On this frame we used a 4" wide moulding which gives it a classic original look.

Should We Get Tree Guards?

Tree Guards or No Tree Guards That Is the Question

Yesterday at our block association meeting we were trying to decide whether we should fill out the application for tree guards being offered by the city for free.

The cons highlighted by a couple of our members, is the fact that people will use the area inside the tree guard as a trash can and it will be harder to sweep around the tree. They also stated that the city sometimes cuts too much of the curb (sometimes unevenlly). I highlighted the fact that there is an advantage to having a tree guard, it will keep people from letting there dogs $h!t around the base of the tree.

While walking around downtown Brooklyn, I snapped a few shots, and noticed how nice the tree guards look in Brooklyn Heights. I think I'm going to fill out that application.

There's more information on the Neighborhood Beautification Fund Application. The deadline is June 6, 2008... and you can only include trees located on residential blocks as of May 15, 2008.

PLG Kitchen Renovation

PLG Stoop Sale (Sterling Street)

Come support Sterling Street at the last stoop sale of the year. Drinks will be served.

100 Sterling Block Association Stoop Sale

Location: Sterling Street

Btwn: Bedford and Rogers Aves

Time: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Condo Conversion On Rogers Ave.

While browsing through the NY Post's archives on Prospect-Lefferts Garden, I found an article titled "Lefferts All Right." It describes the buzz surrounding the neighborhood, its charm, and its proximity to Manhattan and Prospect Park.

"If you've been listening to the buzz, chances are you've heard that Prospect Lefferts Gardens (or PLG) is the next "it" neighborhood. While not as trendy as nearby Park Slope or Prospect Heights, the area does have its unique charms, including grand Victorian homes and well-tended yards."

What was most interesting about the article was its assertion that "what has truly been missing from this beautiful 'hood is housing stock." It went on to describe how the call for condos has been answered by a huge development called Lefferts South, at 2233 Caton Ave. (Which is technically not in Prospect Gardens.)

"Another condo that has people talking is a six-family house on Rogers Avenue near Lefferts Avenue. Developer Joe Schwartz thinks it has the old-world charm people love about Lefferts Gardens but offers more value than older properties in the area.

The two-bedroom units are 850 square feet with high ceilings, roof and backyard access and hardwood floors, and will be priced around $350,000 to $400,000. The building will open for sales in three to five months."

I blogged about this building last year. They completely gutted this building, which was basically a shell, and restored it back to its original charm. The owner had to restore all the original details on the facade because this six family building sits in the Prospect-Lefferts historical district. He even reconstructed the original front door.

I think this condo conversion is a great addition to that stretch of Rogers Ave. It's busy, but it has a lot of potential.