Last Year's Work the Lower Apartment
New Construction included a new stone-surfaced deck for the apartment, which gives tenants the maximum access to the western view at rooftop level. Work continues on the rest of the outdoor area, complete by the next spring, 2010.
First renovation of the Lower Apartment
The lower survived almost entirely in its original style. The design decision was made to wholly renovate the Lower Apartment, but to take all pains to make it appear as though nothing was done. To begin, all the original woodwork was pulled from the apartment, and put into storage. The walls were then stripped to the studs and rebuilt from the wood up to modern specifications. When this work was completed, the woodwork was put back in place and refinished to a 1915 deep red-brown. The floor plan was radically altered to reflect modern lifestyles, but every effort was made to disguise this as well. The kitchen was finished with all new, custom designed cabinets and trim, matched to the original style, but in a light wood.In detail, this is the work that has been done to the Lower Apartment: work on house
- Walls firred out to 6-inches thickness and reinsulated to modern code.
- Modern wiring & electrical service, incl. intercom and entry buzzer.
- Top-grade copper plumbing installed to steel pipe in basement mechanical room.
- Floors leveled, framing strengthened.
- Ceiling sheetrock suspended to dampen noise transmission.
- Double-paned, energy-saver windows installed.
- Original woodwork replaced and refinished.
- Bathroom moved to north side of house, and panelled in the style.
- Livingroom enlarged.
- Bedroom reworked with new closets, sound-dampened to livingroom.
- Modern fixtures, heating installed.
- Entryway made private, repositioned and fitted with a full closet.
- "Maid stairs" (backstairs) removed and area added to kitchen.
- New custom kitchen cabinets and trim to match original craftsman woodwork.
- New stairway to basement added, with laundry area & storeroom.
- Single oil-fired furnace removed, replaced with unit-dedicated natural gas furnaces.
