Smoothing Over the Rough Spots

As the top picture illustrates, the back wall of the house looked pretty bad after the  openings for the sliding doors were made.   To fix this, and provide further support and insulation for the back wall, wire mesh and cement were attached.

The back wall on the upper floors will be smoothed out in a similar way.

Sinking in

The sinks are being installed now.  They come from IKEA and are fairly wide but not deep.  This, hopefully, will give the bathrooms more of a sense of space.   "Water Sense" faucets that reduce water use will also be installed.

Earth Day on Duffield Street: Planning for some Backyard Greenery

Happy Earth Day! It's been a rainy Earth Day here in NYC, but that hasn't stopped me from planning for some summer greenery in the backyard. I'll be picking up my free pear tree from MillionTreesNYC next week, and need a place to put it. As the above picture illustrates, the backyard on Duffield Street needs some serious TLC. The wall on the right in the photo needs painting, the cement needs, well, something, and there is not a single plant in the entire yard. I might pot the pear tree until the backyard is ready for a permanent tree planting. Or, I'll dig out a hole somewhere in that square of earth in the middle of the backyard, add some organic soil, and hope for the best.

Cabinets from IKEA and CURBEA

The kitchen cabinets are now being installed. A good number of them were discarded from a house nearby. These will be installed in the two rental units and in the wet bar on the garden floor. The kitchen cabinets for the parlor floor, however, are from IKEA.

My Big Boob Job

I got a huge boob job this week. 28 new boobs to be exact, of different sizes and colors, and all of them came from Home Depot. Breast-shaped ceiling lights are now the standard light fixtures of budget renovations everywhere. Light giving boobs are all over the country, illuminating houses of people who either didn't notice that the lights resemble breasts and unconsciously are drawn to the feminine imagery, or do notice the similarity and like it. Now I like boobs as much as the next person, but 28 is bit much. Every room in the house has a at least one boob nursing it with light. It's a little overwhelming. And I think there's a sexism somehow involved in this. You never see a penis-shaped light fixture. A torch lamp might come close, but has nothing of the literalness of these lights.

At any rate, some of the boobs are going to be swapped out for chandeliers, or some light that resembles, say a heart, or lips, or even an intestinal tract. Anything but another boob!

White Walls and Waiting for the Light

The internal walls are all painted a crisp white. I think this choice makes the space seem brighter and more cheery.

Next on the agenda is the installation of the electrical fixtures. We are waiting for the electrician and deciding on light fixtures. Each floor needs seven light fixtures and there are four floors, plus there are lights in the entryways and on the back porches. This will make for a grand total of about 35 fixtures. This could be very expensive. Now I know why people opt for the $9 fixtures from Home Depot that look like breasts!

http://www.homedepot.com/Lighting-Fans-Indoor-Lighting-Indoor-Ceiling-Lighting-Ceiling-Mount-Lights/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbvm1Z1z10gov/R-202022624/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051


CFL bulbs will go in each of the fixtures, to save energy.

Paint it White, and Soon Please!

May 26th will mark the 2nd anniversary of the purchase of the house, and I'm anxious to move in! As the above picture illustrates, the walls are up and taped but not painted, and the floors are down but not sanded and polyurethaned. The wiring is done but the fixtures still need to be installed.

I've investigated a number of natural paints, but frankly, at this point, I'm planning to go with a primer/paint combination to save time and money.

My Dad (And Project Manager) Made the NY Times Again

There was an article in the "Habitats" section of the NY Times yesterday that featured a couple who live in the building my Dad renovated. The couple love the apartment and one of the slides attached to the article referred to Dad as a "retired iron worker" whose sculpture garden is in back of the house.

This is second time in five years that my father and his sculptures were discussed in the Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/realestate/red-hook-brooklyn-habitats-where-new-york-comes-up-for-air.html?_r=1&ref=realestate