History

I have lived in my two bedroom one bath loft for ten years. It is approximately 1200 square feet and is in a pre war coop, right in the heart of the Village. I must have looked at 30 apartments before I found this one, but as soon as I walked in, I knew it was the place I wanted to be. It has a striking exposed brick wall that made a big statement as you entered. The building has an interesting history. It was built in the early 1900's in what was an industrial area of the village. Wanamakers department store was around the corner. The building served as a the factory home of the S, H & P Skirt Binding Company. My apartment was part of the cafeteria on the sixth and top floor for the employees. After that it has several incarnations including being a home for retired sailors. An anchor can be see on the facade of the carriage house in the back of the building indicating its history.

The only thing I have renovated prior to beginning this massive renovation is the kitchen. I did that only because the cabinets literally fell off the wall, so I took that as a sign that I needed to update it. In the Summer of 2009, the coop decided to sell roof rights to the owners in the building. Those of us residing on the sixth floor (The top floor), has right of first refusal to purchase the space above our apartments. While we can not build an addition to the apartment due to FAR laws, we are allowed to build a wonderful outdoor deck. I purchased the space, giving me access to 974 square feet of deck above my apartment. I knew I wanted to build stairs giving me direct access to the roof from my apartment. Knowing I was doing this, I decided to renovate the entire space. This blog is a way for me to document the renovation and to share my thoughts with you as I go along the way. I had hired a designer to work with, but unfortunately, I realized I could not afford to use his talents and do what I needed to get done. Thanks to the Internet and the hundreds of design blogs out there, I have been able to come up with a design that I am excited about! The contractor I am using already did my kitchen. He is extremely reliable, efficient, honest and reasonable in price. If anyone needs a recommendation for a contractor I will be glad to give you his details. Enjoy the ride!