Can You Open a Wall in a NYC Co-op Renovation?

Via Fontan Architecture

Our renovation has hit the wall — figuratively speaking. I've been in a holding pattern these past weeks, uncertain of how to move forward. Every step seems to bring me back to this wall that separates our kitchen from the living room. Scary stories about co-op renovations abound, from restrictive board rules to labyrinthian city permit processes to costly paid expediters, and the like. It's enough to put off even a seasoned renovator. But finally I see my way clear. Yes, you CAN open a wall in a New York City co-op building, with just a few mitigating factors.

Fixer Upper Friday: Roosevelt Terrace 2 BR

Typical terrace at Roosevelt Terrace via RedFin

Hey, I'm back with another installment of Fixer Upper Friday, scouting a 2 BR at 35-31 85th Street, 4h, in Jackson Heights. This home is located in a four-building co-op down the block from where we live, so I get to see quite a bit of it and I can tell you that the outdoor spaces are sweet. I'm going to breeze right over the photos in the ad on StreetEasy and instead show you this of a neighboring home in the same co-op that gives a better taste of how great this home could be. Can't you just see yourself sipping a latte or glass of wine here? Righty-ho, then — let's jump right into the floor plan, where the potential to open the kitchen into something spectacular is pure Renov8or gold.

Mid-Century NYC Apartment: House Tour

The Building

Built in 1946, our building is a classic example of the art deco buildings of the era in New York City. It was designed by architect Philip Birnbaum, who went on in his later years to design hundreds of New York high rises, including Lincoln Center Plaza. Birnbaum was an architect best known for his interiors. Developers applauded his economical use of space. But, inspired by a British urban planning ethos called the Garden City movement, he packed a whole lot of light and air into his designs. 

Having grown up poor in New York City, Birnbaum brought an appreciation for small-space living and public vs. private spaces to his work, resulting in very congenial floor plans.

I love the interior architecture of our home, but I have to say that I quite like the exterior of our building, too, with its compact scale, minimalist marquee entry, and open balconies (despite some of the clumsy enclosures.)

For Mr. Renov8or a major attraction was the underground parking garage, and I've grown to appreciate that too, especially on summer weekends driving back from the North Fork. To swoop right into the "bat cave," unload bags, pets, and gear, and cart it all up the elevator in one fell swoop rather than spend hours circling the neighborhood looking for parking late on a Sunday night, as we used to in Brooklyn, is very hospitable. 

Now, let's have a look inside.

Painting the Old Kitchen Cabinets to Match Kraftmaid Canvas Color

Don't you love our newly painted cream cabinets? They didn't always look this good. We inherited a kitchen that was recently renovated but it was... meh. Just enough had been done to it to allow a seller to list a home as "renovated with granite countertops", but very little design sense went into the choice of fixtures and colors.

Measuring Your Bathroom for Subway Tile

If you are like me, you may have been poring over Pinterest and Houzz for months in preparation for your next home renovation project, but when the time comes to actually place the orders for all the fixtures and supplies, you find yourself scrambling.

When it came time for me to order our bathroom tile, I had some measuring to do.  

What Can Go Wrong at a Real Estate Closing on a Co-op

We're closed!

But we almost weren't. New York real estate closings are highly charged events. Just getting all the lawyers in one room is a challenge. You've got the lawyer for the seller (me) and the lawyer for the buyer and the lawyer for the buyer's lender and a closer for the seller's lender as well as the co-op board's managing agent.

Each person sitting at the table has a checklist. So, there's always a chance that something will turn up missing from someone's checklist. Guess what was missing from mine?


Last Friday I had to race out of work at 4:00pm and rush from Manhattan to Brooklyn to pick up the stock certificate for my apartment.  Over the weekend I had to make the rounds and collect the signatures of two of my co-op board members - the board president and the board secretary.  Luckily I have served on my board and I am friendly with these two people, so I was able to catch them over the weekend and complete my mission.

Is this the job of the seller? No.

Is this the responsibility of the seller? No.

But is there anyone who cares more than the seller that the closing happen forthwith? No.

So I stepped up. Sometimes you just have to break through to get things moving.

At today's closing, the stock certificate was all in order. However, the show stopper became the Aztec Agreement, also referred to as the Recognition Agreement. It is the document that the bank draws up to give its lien the first priority over the co-op's lien in case the shareholder defaults and it must be signed by the buyer, the buyer's lender, and members of the co-op board. It's a document that the mortgage bank sends to the buyer very early in the process, and it is subsequently one that often gets lost.

Note to self: Hang on to the recognition agreements for your purchase. When you have to turn them over to the board, know who has them, and track them.

Yes, You Can Sell Your Own Home FSBO!

I am closing on my sale in a week!

We've met all the major milestones for me to be able to say with confidence that my FSBO has been a complete success. Here is what I did to get the best price for my home. You can do it too.

Real Estate Closings Are Taking Longer Than Ever!

It's been a while since my last post. For once I had a summer without projects. That's right, we spent the summer biking, BBQing, and beach sitting. And it was lovely!

Truth be told, our little cottage could use a new roof, and come next spring it will get one. But what's really keeping me in thrall these days are my Carroll Gardens sale and my Jackson Heights purchase.

The sale is in the home stretch. (Ba-dump-bump.)

The buyer has been approved by the board. The bank has all they need. The subletters are moving out when their lease ends at the end of the month. I wish I could tell you that we have a closing date locked in, but we do not.

The buyer has been trying his best to wrangle all the lawyers since his board approval August 28th. Yes - almost a full month of lawyers comparing calendars and shrugging.

What gives?

And my purchase is going even slower. It took two months from my offer date to get all the due diligence documents in. I still don't know what the hold up was. Was it possible it was all due to August vacations?

Then I went into my lawyers office to sign the contract, check in hand, only to find that the seller's lawyer had never sent it!

So I'm heading back tomorrow a second time on my lunch hour -- hoping this is it.

At this rate I am estimating we won't be in the new place until December -- make that January if we run into holidays.

Bah humbug!

Moving From "Hip" Carroll Gardens to Jackson Heights

Credit: Streeteasy.com

Our offer on an apartment today was accepted! It's a 2 BR in Jackson Heights, where I think Ross and I will be very happy. For half the price, no, one-third the price of a Carroll Gardens 2 BR we're getting 1100 square feet in a full-service building, with a live-in super and porters and a doorman and — yes! — a parking garage!

It's a fixer upper, of course. This photo above is actually the same apartment two floors down, already renovated. But it gives you an idea of how lovely ours will be when I'm through with it. The one we're buying sadly looks like this right now: