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September 5, 2017

Types of Stairs

Making one design decision leads to what seems like a million other to-dos; take tile for instance. What color tile? What size tile? What pattern? – The same applies when it comes to your staircase. This goes beyond the style of the steps, the risers or the banister. The first thing you’ll need to consider is the actual shape of the staircase. Here are several popular types of stairs; bring your favorites to your architect and contractor to discuss what makes the most sense for your home.

Straight

This one is straightforward, literally. Straight stairs feature a single linear flight with no change in direction.

L-Shaped – a.k.a. Quarter-Turn

The classic straight style, zhuzhed up a little. In this design, the stairs make a 90-degree turn at some point, going left or right after a landing.

U-Shaped – a.k.a. Half-Turn

If you’ve ever promised yourself you’d take the stairs every day at your office, you’ve seen this back-to-basics style. The bend is taken even further to form a full U shape, and similar to the L-shaped staircase, a landing separates the two parallel flights.

Winder

The slightly more complicated sister to the L-shaped staircase. A set of winders—treads that are wider on one side than the other—takes the place of the landing to save space.

April 7, 2017

Prewar Is So Last Year

Capital Craftsmen Renovation – 1105 Park Avenue – Modernized prewar

Prewar charm in New York City is defined by original details like crown moldings, built-in bookshelves, coffered ceilings and fireplaces, some more decorative than others. But driven by design trends and the need for more space, some apartment buyers are doing what some would consider unthinkable: tearing out traditional finishes.

A prewar specializing broker has said many East Side buyers find prewars a bargain, as they can cost up to 20 percent less than older condos and up to 50 percent less than new condo conversions west of Lexington Avenue with their monthly maintenance is also “notably lower.”

Millenials come into a space and want to make it their own with the aim of keeping everything as light and bright as possible, will typically rip out window casements, tall baseboards, worn hardwood flooring and the “thick, chunky molding” surrounding the doors. Clean lines being key. An apartment that doesn’t remind them of their parents or grandparents focusing on the aesthetics and functions of finishes. Moldings, particularly crown molding is out. The feeling is, crown molding closes the space and in most small NYC apartments, you want as much as a visually open space as you can have. Baseboards are becoming flatter, more modern and linear, which draws the eyes to look up rather than being drawn downward.

1105 Park Avenue – before

1105 Park Avenue – after

Fireplaces, often a showstopper in prewar apartments, are also looking more streamlined these days, thanks to the replacement of bulkier old surrounds with sleek new Carrara marble or granite, creating a simpler design making the overall space more important as opposed to an intricate millwork design or mantel.

Locations of prewar co-ops are prime for buyers; near Central Park, on Park Ave, Fifth Ave, but these buyers also want the finishes of your higher-end new development condos. Finding that rare prewar co-op on Fifth or Park, which is renovated to those standards, is like discovering gold at the end of the rainbow.

March 3, 2017

Renovating in NYC; How to save

1. Hire an interior designer

It may sound counter-intuitive to spend money to save money, but an interior designer/decorator can help create a look for you that is beautiful but will not break the bank. A design professional can also prevent you from making the very common mistake of buying materials and fixtures without understanding the potentially budget-busting installation costs.

Many a situation occurs where a prospective client has purchased tens of thousands of dollars worth of fixtures, tiles, and lighting and has extremely specific design specs that need to be executed with serious precision. But when presented with the labor costs for the plumber, tile contractor, electrician, plasterer, the potential client was shocked. Always consult a designer or contractor before buying materials.

2. Get prices from at least three contractors

Beware of the building super’s recommended contractor. Just about all superintendents get some kind of kickback or gift from contractors. The recommended contractor is sometimes just the guy who tips big. He will ultimately pass these costs on to you. Be sure to get comparable bids from other renovators including the one your super wants you to use.

That said, understand that hiring a contractor who gets along well with your super can be priceless in terms of saving you time and aggravation.

3. Ask your chosen contractor for advice

Don’t be afraid to ask your contractor for recommendations on how to cut costs and still get the end results you desire. For instance, most prewar buildings have masonry walls. When updating the electrical, if you allow the contractor to build out the walls by one inch so he can run electrical wiring, this will cost less than the labor involved in repairing masonry walls.

4. Stick to the scope

Remember that the five most expensive words in any renovation are “While you’re at it….” Be crystal clear about the scope of work and try not to create changes in the middle of a renovation. Change orders dramatically increase the cost of any renovation. Stick to the scope and you have a much better chance of staying within your budget and schedule.

February 3, 2017

$50M Time Warner Center penthouse sells at an $11M loss

One of New York City’s most expensive apartments is no longer: the penthouse atop the Mandarin Oriental Hotel at the Time Warner Center is officially off the market. And unsurprisingly, it sold at a loss—the apartment, listed for $50 million as recently as November, closed for $38.9 million. For those keeping track, that’s a 22 percent discount, punting it pretty far down the list of the city’s priciest homes.

Also not a shocker: the buyer is shielded by an anonymous LLC, with the oh-so-clever name of 80CC77B, INC. The seller was Red Cherry Worldwide Inc., which, as TRD notes, is linked to Zentek Technology founder Shozo Ohtani. It went through a series of price ups and downs over the year, listing first for $35.5 million in 2010; $42.5 million in 2012; and then $50 million in 2015.

As for the apartment itself, it’s a 4,825-square-foot corner unit, with “65 linear feet on Central Park and jetliner views from all rooms.” And since there are no listings photos, those stellar photos are the only thing we have to go by when judging the space—well, that, and the floorplans below.

Capital Craftsmen has recently completed a 2-unit residence combination at the Mandarin Oriental with the same high rise panoramic views of Central Park and The Hudson River.

December 7, 2016

When 2-Become-1

Soaring over 70 stories above New York City’s Upper West Side sits a “Five Star Living™” luxury apartment with panoramic views of Central Park and the Hudson River. By combining two apartments, the renovated space now boast over 5,400 sq. feet along with unparalleled amenities in a much sought-after Manhattan address; 80 Columbus Circle at The Time Warner Center.

To accommodate visiting friends and relatives, a partition was needed to temporarily divide the space into two separate living quarters. The Modernfold Acousti-Seal 932 provided the privacy and acoustic sound barrier required.

Challenge: The challenge was to integrate the panels with the apartment’s existing design and architecture.

Solution: Capital Craftsmen, a New York general contractor specializing in high-end residential construction, built custom mullions and mirror inserts for the Acousti-Seal panels perfectly matching the distinctive window frames. The mirror inserts creates an optical illusion of infinite windows, and extends natural light into the space with stunning cityscape views. The results are quite impressive, and it now serves as a sophisticated room divider with a custom-built recessed side panel that neatly conceals the stacked edges when not in use.