More Waiting....

The seller, her son, and their three dogs still haven't moved out yet. The seller has an apartment, her son is going to live behind a store with one of the dogs. A friend says he'll look after another dog, but the third dog is in real danger of being dropped off in a shelter. Since they are older, vicious, and have not been neutered, these pits don't strike me as easily adoptable. Any budding dog whisperers out there? Oy...

Estimates for the Front of the House and Stoop

The estimates for a complete replacement of the front of the house prove one thing: those who do not shop around for prices can potentially pay twice as much.

So far, I have received four estimates for rebuilding the front of the house, the biggest renovation project that will happen in the renovation. The highest of the estimates is almost double the lowest price estimate. With a large project like this, that means a difference of tens of thousands of dollars.

I decided to do a basic front that matches the brick townhouses to the right of 50 Duffield Street in terms of brick, lintels, and cornice. The only differences between the front of this house and the houses to the right will be (1) I will probably do longer windows on the parlor floor and (2) I'll keep the stoop turned to the side to maximize privacy.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the bricks on the house can be salvaged and reused. They are covered in a red lead-based paint. Brick is a pretty environmentally friendly building material, as the link below suggests,

http://greenbuildingelements.com/2007/10/03/green-building-elements-brick/


So, even though the bricks will probably need to be replaced, the new brick is fairly environmentally friendly.

Finally, 9 energy-efficient windows will be installed. All of this will eat up about half my renovation budget. That's a lot of money for curb appeal, but the work has to be done. At least the front doors, wrought iron gate, and gate around the tree on the sidewalk will be done by my Dad for free.

Art and Tacos

I've started frequenting The Loading Dock, which is about a block away from 50 Duffield. It's an art gallery/taco truck. I wish they'd stay open more hours and have more vegetarian items, but the tacos are definitely worth it and the place has a nice vibe.

http://loadingdock.tumblr.com/

More "BEFORE" Photos

Here are some more "Before" Shots of the house. I had to send contractors to the house to repair the ceilings while it still belonged to the seller. The mortgage wouldn't have been approved with the ceilings like this. The image of the planter dangling from the hole in the ceiling is personal favorite.

Goodbye McDonald's!

http://newyorkblips.dailyradar.com/video/it-is-done/




The McDonald's down the street from 50 Duffield Street was torn down to make way for yet another rental building. At least I won't be tempted to buy those 3 for a dollar cookies.