Trouble on the Phone...

Yesterday I received a call from the previous owner of the house, Mrs. F. Mrs. F has until June 30 to leave so the renovations can start. When she called, she said that her son, who has been living on the top floor of the house with his 3 pit bulls, is in the hospital. She seemed to be implying that they want to stay in the house passed June 30. I tried to be sympathetic, but said we were supposed to start work on July 1. If she does not leave by the 30th, I will already be falling behind schedule. Also, according to our post-closing occupancy agreement, she will be charged a hefty sum of money for each day she stays passed the 30th. So, it's no good for either of us if she stays longer than she agreed.

I called the real estate broker who handled the sale of the house to ask about how the hunt for an apartment was going, but she did not return my call.

UGH! This could be trouble.

My Mysterious Future Next Door Neighbor

As of today, my next door neighbor is a very large (1/4 of the block) hole in the ground that extends to Tillary Street. There are many theories as to what will emerge from this hole, but there is no sign of life on the construction site at present.

Originally, the site was meant to be home to something called "The Flatbush Flatiron," a condo building described as looking like "the lovechild of the Flatiron Building and a space ship." Here is a link to what it was supposed to look like:

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2006/08/18/alien_spawn_of_flatiron_building_to_rise_on_flatbush_ave.php

The credit crisis did away with that idea and a more modest plan emerged for a rental building, which looked like this (the 2nd image):

http://21elephants.com/2009/07/best-worst-and-most-indifferen.html

However, there is no construction happening and the rumors are spreading. My real estate agent said that a hotel was considering developing the site, and the former owner of 50 Duffield Street said there would be a 23 story garage. This sounds implausible,though. I wouldn't mind a garage, as my car needs a new home, though the hotel might not be bad if it had a decent restaurant/lounge and room service extended to the building next door!

What I really want to know, though, is how close whatever is going to be built will be to 50 Duffield Street, so I know whether windows can be put on the side of the house. If I put windows in and my next door neighbor decides to build right up to the property line I might be staring right into someone's hotel room. Not that this would always be a bad thing...still, it would be nice to know...

"BEFORE" Shots

These are images from the appraisal report. When I looked at them after I closed on the house I thought, "Am I nuts?!" for buying the place.

Update on LEED Certification

UPDATE: An estimate on LEED Certification came in this afternoon. $10,000-$12,000. OUCH! This would include planning meetings, energy modeling, site visits, performance testing, verification, and documentation.

Getting certified should qualify for $1500 Energy Star reimbursement. Plus, NY State has a program that gives a $7000 incentive for LEED-Silver plus a 30% energy savings relative to code. But, the state may not continue the program given its present financial situation.

I'm going to get another estimate on this to see if I can get a better price. Also, I'm wondering whether this money might be better spent on making the house MORE energy efficient, regardless of certification. On the one hand, that's a lot of money to spend that could be devoted to other more direct means to make the house more efficient. On the other hand, they will help you plan out the renovations, and I'm no expert at this, so it might be better to fork over the money and hope for the best.

To be continued....

To LEED Certify or not?

Right now, I'm debating whether to get 50 Duffield Street LEED Certified. As the video below shows, there are many benefits to certification. I'm waiting for a call back regarding the fees associated with having the home inspected and certified. I'm wondering whether that money might be better spent on the house itself. If it's not very expensive, I think I'll go for it.

Benefits of a LEED Home from U.S. Green Building Council on Vimeo.

New Median on Flatbush Avenue Ext. and Tillary

I'm looking forward to having a more pleasant walk to work on Flatbush Avenue Extension. It looks like construction has started on the new median of the grand entrance to Brooklyn. Here's an article on the construction of the median, which will contain plants and trees.

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2010/06/closing_bell_me.php

And here is a link to a rendering of how it will look. Click on "Flatbush Avenue in 2012."

http://www.dbpartnership.org/lookingahead/improvements/streetscape

"READ" Graffiti

While I appreciate the message, sadly "READ" will have to be removed from the side of my house.

The graffiti artist, known as "Reader," is quite prolific, and did a little stint in New Orleans, where he/she spread the "READ" message. Below is a link to an article about Reader.

http://animalnewyork.com/tag/reader/