Tale of a Townhouse

moved in and getting settled

2010-09-07T17:05:00.005-04:00

Thanks so much for following construction of the townhouse. It's been a great project!

from the bottom up

2010-05-25T15:20:00.005-04:00

kitchen range and hood installed

last bit of railing installed

pantry shelves getting installed

dining room completed (minus the lights)

library fireplace and cabinets installed and painted

fireplace trim detail

mechanical access doors (bead detail at perimeter to be installed soon)

the lovely stair rail (to be stained soon)

master bedroom hall with sconces installed

her glass shower enclosure

the top floor terrace

the top floor skylight

and an exterior shot of the rails installed along with one light

finishes

2010-05-18T17:42:00.002-04:00

More items are getting wrapped up over at the townhouse. Kitchen appliances are going in,

plumbing is nearing completion (this is at the laundry room),

floors await their final layer of polyurethane,

millwork is complete,

our faux skylight is in,

and the exterior fence is up.

stone work and exteriors

2010-05-05T14:50:00.004-04:00

Over the last few days more stone and tile work has been completed.

The backsplash has gone in at the kitchen and the entry foyer floor has been put down.

The glass shower doors have also been installed in one of the master bathrooms.

All exterior ipe work is just about complete. Here is the upper ipe fence that shields the mechanical units from view.

The areaway fence has also been installed. Next are the railings that lead down the stairs.

stair rail and floors

2010-04-28T10:55:00.006-04:00

Our stair railing is just about all installed and the floors throughout the house have all been stained.

Stairs and Rails:

Floors:

The rear garden is complete.

Lighting fixtures are going up throughout the house as well.

nearing completion

2010-04-13T09:47:00.005-04:00

The house is clean, and empty, and ready for wood floor staining!

They've started from the top floor down- here is the roof room and the first run of stairs.

The last pieces of stone slab are getting installed- here is the library fireplace.

One of the last pieces of millwork is getting installed at the garden floor entry way. There will be a mirror and a bench behind that piece of plywood.

Our last recessed lights are going in at the family room.

The rear yard ipe fences are getting built and going up as well.

bathrooms and stone

2010-03-26T14:05:00.003-04:00

The tub and faucets have been installed at her master bathroom!

Look at that great polished nickel finish! And that tub will be a dream to soak in. The chandelier that will be installed over it just arrived on site yesterday as well.

Vanity tops at the other bathrooms are all in as well

It's especially exciting to see this second stone as we were not that excited about the dark brown stone that originally went in. This one is perfect.

The library onyx hearth is in as well. The surround should be installed next week.

It's a little messy now but in a few days it will be stunning.

And progress throughout the rest of the house...

Walnut columns and stair rails are waiting in the library to be installed.

Our faux skylight frame is in.

The ipe deck at the top floor terrace has been completed (as has the ladder to the hvac roof above which is not visible).

Ipe wood waits to be turned into fencing.

The week after next will mark the beginning of finishing the wood floors throughout the apartment! Then things will really be coming together.

window guards

2010-03-16T11:19:00.003-04:00

Almost all of the window guards have been installed at the house.

And here's what they look like from the inside.

stone and wood

2010-02-26T16:10:00.002-05:00

Interior finishes continue to progress in the townhouse. Look at that walnut column! It's only out for a photo op but it should be installed permanently in another month. You can also see the operable paneled ceiling and mechanical equipment above.

Our dining room plaster ceiling medallion has also arrived on site. This is only half of the oval but you can see it's quite lovely.

The front door is on site and ready to be installed along with it's surround and decorative panels and trim.

The stone slabs are all installed in the kitchen. Next come appliances.

His and her master bath stone slab vanity tops are also in. The veining is so spectacular.

The master bedroom fireplace surround and hearth are going in today. The blue color and the veins are even better in person.

stone slabs

2010-02-10T11:01:00.004-05:00

Work on the townhouse continues despite the crumby weather.

Our kitchen countertops are fabricated and on site. The veining and the colors are absolutely amazing. The stone is a quartzite which means that it is very hard and much more stain resistant than marble.

The master bathroom medicine cabinets are installed and the stone slabs for these rooms will be installed soon as well.

The laundry room millwork is installed too. Look at all that storage!

Soon, we hope to have the rear garden fences built. Here is a little section of the ipe that was put up.

window guards and wood work

2010-02-05T09:44:00.002-05:00

Window guards for the house will be made soon. We have narrowed it down to two options.

The walnut columns have also arrived on site and they are truly amazing.

Look at the size of the library fire place! It stands about 5'-6" tall and will be painted and installed once the stone hearth and surround are installed.

plumbing and finishes

2010-01-28T17:06:00.005-05:00

The bathroom fixtures and fittings are going in throughout the house.

The top floor bathroom has it's shower fittings, toilet, and medicine cabinet in.

The master bath shower fittings are in as well.

The floors have all been sanded at the top floor of the townhouse and the storage closet is even getting its first few coats of stain.

Here is what are window grilles will most likely look like. They are on every floor at the front of the house.

The sprinkler line has also been connected at the house. A huge contraption for such a tiny mechanical room!

details and finishes

2010-01-21T09:36:00.002-05:00

Many of the little things are starting to come together at the townhouse. The finishes and details are starting to make the place feel like a home.

The niche is finished and trimmed at the entryway.

The millwork in the library is almost completely painted.

The kitchen countertops are all being fabricated and we've chosen our last stone for the house which will go in two bathrooms and the laundry room.

The majority of the door hardware is installed.

The final trim and molding details are going up.

The ipe deck on the top floor is just about finished.

Can you believe that there are even area rugs that have been delivered to the house?

millwork and paint

2010-01-15T09:47:00.004-05:00

The whole townhouse is almost completely painted now. When you enter the parlor floor it really feels like a home.

More cabinets have also been installed on the garden floor and the master bedroom floor. The walnut island and hvac cabinets are partially installed.

His and hers vanities are in place as well.

And last but not least, our partial wrought iron fence sample for the front of the house.

stone slab and stone tile work

2010-01-12T17:13:00.003-05:00

As millwork is installed and paint goes up the stone slabs are being installed along with the last of the stone tile work.

Here you can see the slab at one of the third floor bathrooms.

This is the top floor bar (the upper cabinets will have doors on them) with the absolute black slab countertop and backsplash installed.

The family room fireplace has all of it's slate stone tile up. Next the hearth slab will be installed.

More interior photos to follow on Thursday!

more interior work

2009-12-16T17:21:00.002-05:00

The interior of the townhouse continues to progress. Here is a view of the parlor floor foyer all framed out with it's door hung.

The library has all of it's full height millwork installed. The fireplace awaits its mantel and sheet rock.

The garden floor millwork is partially installed. Her you can see a built in desk and the bar cabinet.

The two main rooms on the master bedroom floor both have paint colors up. Here is the sitting room...

... and here is the master bedroom itself.

The master dressing room millwork has also been installed. Look at those shoe drawers towards the door!

The stair risers are also getting their first coat of primer.

Outside the ipe deck has been laid at the rear garden. Plants and debris still need to be removed.

The newly repaired gas line is also in. This means we're not far away from our boiler running.

kitchen installation

2009-12-08T12:13:00.006-05:00

The kitchen arrived on site last Friday and it will be installed over the next week or so.

The cabinets arrive on site primed white but they will be hand painted a warm off-white color which will pull from our travertine floor.

The parlor floor wood floor should also be completed in another week

How beautiful is the simple border strip? And of course, since the stair was uncovered, I had to take some photos of it...

The master bathroom stone tiling continues to be amazing. Here's a shot of her shower.

While I was on site today they laid the very first ipe board at the rear garden deck.

Here are three very bold vibrant color options for one of the top floor rooms.

And just for fun... What the site looked like one year ago today!

No walls, no floors, and the old, recycled stair.

No roof and no doors! We've come a long way.

finishes and exterior work

2009-12-02T14:26:00.003-05:00

The townhouse areaway is just about finished. Soon railings and another stucco color will top off the outside entrance. Aren't the steps and bluestone pavers great?

The rear garden ipe deck is just about ready to be put down as well. Here's a shot from the top floor looking down on the pre-cast footings.

Of course finish work continues on the interior of the house too. Here you can see that they're laying the last of the wood floor. Look at that decorative border!

One of the master bathrooms also has just about all of it's stone tile complete. Next will come fixtures and the vanity. The first image is of the shower and the next is of the bathroom itself.

The top floor bar is also in (although the uppers will be getting doors) and you can see that they've prepared the skylight shaft for it's faux skylight which will be fabricated and installed shortly.

This Friday the kitchen and family room millwork will be delivered along with the master bedroom dressing room cabinets.

goodbye scaffolding

2009-11-17T09:41:00.007-05:00

Almost all of the scaffolding has been removed from the front of the townhouse. The one remaining piece will come down early next week. It's so nice to finally see the new color next to the two existing houses.

Inside the house finish work is progressing quickly.

Our boiler has been installed...

... and plumbing fixtures are arriving on site for installation. Some of the library millwork is also on site and in place.

These have been shop primed and will be hand painted on site. Speaking of paint, we have some colors up on the top two floors. This will eventually be a child's bedroom.

Stone and tile work also continues in the master baths. Here you can see the 3x6 spring white stone tiles that just got put on the walls. Our tile guy is seriously amazing.

Soon they will also install the ipe deck at the rear garden. This is one of the purchased footings that 2x4s will sit on. Then, on top of that is the ipe.

new facade and finish work

2009-11-06T15:29:00.006-05:00

The townhouse has finally received it's new color of stucco! Half of the house is still covered up but the color is really amazing. It actually looks a little lighter than it really is in this photo.

The detail work is still intact and very clear and sharp. This is a view of one of the parlor floor windows.

The parlor floor itself continues to progress and look amazing.

The wood floor in the library is also all in. You can also see there's some laundry millwork in the library waiting to be installed!

There are also bathroom vanities on site as well which will be installed soon too.

We have also chosen our trim and ceiling colors for the entire house: winter white and decorators white.

Although this photo may look like it's of a "no smoking" sign there is, in fact, an installed elevator cab behind that sign. It's currently stopped between floors so that no one can mess with it. It should be fully functioning by next week. You can see the huge rails that it travels on in the second photo.

ceilings and floors

2009-10-27T13:34:00.004-04:00

The coiffured ceiling has just started taking shape on the parlor floor. You can see where they've installed some trim in one of the far portions.

Here is the view from the parlor floor looking up. Isn't the underside of the curved stair amazing?

Tile continues to be installed throughout the house. Here you can see the penny tiles in one of the third floor bathrooms.

Most exciting however is the travertine floor that's almost complete at the garden level family room and kitchen. The color is an amazing green gray.

The kitchen and family room millwork will be installed soon!

garden floor, tile, and lighting

2009-10-16T17:36:00.004-04:00

The progress over the past week on the garden floor has been amazing. The stair landing was built, the windows and doors were installed, the raised fireplace hearth was poured today, and the temporary lighting has been removed throughout the whole house.

Tile installation is just about complete in one of the bathrooms on the third floor. The other third floor bath has it's beige wall tile up as well.

Stone tile installation has also just started in the master bathrooms. Here is a shot of one of the shower floors- spring white stone from Complete Tile.

The travertine stone floor will be put down early next week in the kitchen and family room on the garden floor.

tile, paint, and doors

2009-10-08T17:39:00.004-04:00

The townhouse continues to look a little more finished every week! This week we saw the completion of some bathroom wall tile and some movable paint samples to carry though the house to try in different rooms and lighting.

We've also just about finished our stucco color selection for the brownstone facade. One more go-round and we should have it right. Below you can see the original house color as well as an earlier, lighter option and a darker more likely final choice.

Framing and GWB is just about complete on the garden floor. The new Marvin bi-fold doors also just got installed

How amazing do they look? There are only two more windows in the mechanical room to be installed. Early next week the travertine floor will be put down on the garden level. Kitchen cabinets shouldn't be too far after that.

tile, stucco, and stairs

2009-09-25T13:51:00.002-04:00

Today we were able to see the very last part of the stairway getting framed out for sheetrocking. The curve will be beautiful. Can you see where the metal framing is ever so slightly away from the wooden stair at the end of the run of stairs? That is there to create a perfect meeting between the underside of the stair and the ceiling of the floor below.

Tile is also getting installed in the secondary bathrooms and very soon will be up in the master bathroom as well. This blue-gray wall tile is in one of the third floor baths. The other photo is an image of a test grout we got to look at for the master bath wall stone tiles.

Today was my first trip up the ladder on the fourth floor and into the attic! You can see it's a little dusty but the height up there is really fantastic. The other photo is simply some duct work that needs to be continued to the roof to vent the bathrooms and kitchen range hood.

We are also just about ready to "paint" the front of the townhouse with a special coating from Edison Coatings. The "paint" chemically bonds to the existing stucco making a concrete-like surface with our chosen color on it. Of course it will still have the texture of the existing brownstone stucco as well. Here is a bit of re-stuccoing they're doing along side the parlor floor entry door.

stone and trim work

2009-09-04T16:56:00.004-04:00

All the bluestone work has been completed at our rear garden. The herringbone pattern on the ground, the stairs, and the capping of all the retaining walls really pulls the whole area together.

Ceiling and window trim continues to be installed through out the house. This beam detail was particularly exciting to see today.

Almost all the windows on the top three floors are cased.

We also were able to see the master bathroom walls closed up for the first time. The different colors of GWB perform different jobs (water resistant, fire retardant, etc).

Framing is also just about complete on the garden level. It's going to be such an improvement to walk down the stairs someday soon and see white GWB everywhere. Maybe even next week... !

floors and trims

2009-08-28T14:30:00.004-04:00

The bluestone and brick rear yard terrace is almost completely installed.

It's hard to believe that all of this was done between Tuesday night and Friday morning! That depressing fence in the background will be replaced with a new one soon.

Here's a minor detail at our poured slab:

These two steps up lead you from the kitchen to the entryway. That niche on the left is actually where the refrigerator will sit.

Even more exciting is the amount of trim that's been installed on the top three floors.

It may not look like a lot but in person it's really beautiful- like the icing on a cake. Once the trims are installed paint can go up. But that's really a whole other post...

new doors and floors

2009-08-20T16:08:00.006-04:00

Last week our concrete slab at the garden level floor was poured. What a difference to walk downstairs and see concrete.

We also had all of our doors delivered last week. At 7'-6" tall and usually 3'-0" wide they are truly stunning. Here is a pair of doors that will get installed on the parlor floor.

Work also continues on the parlor floor stair opening which looks down to the kitchen on the garden floor.

Next week a whole team of sheetrockers are scheduled to close the rest of the walls up throughout the townhouse. This means no more visible plumbing in the bathrooms and much more running millwork and trim up in the house.

In preparation the team has added firestopping at all floors around the pipe runs. It's going to be great to see these walls closed up.

An un-glamorous but very important shot of the firestopping.

one last view

2009-08-12T15:12:00.004-04:00

Here's one final image of our radiant floor tubing- they're pouring our slab tomorrow!

You can also see that they've cleared out most of the construction debris in the back yard in preparation for the ipe deck.

The decking will float above the dirt, allowing water to easily reach the roots of the existing tree.

radiant floor heat

2009-08-07T16:32:00.004-04:00

Almost all of the radiant floor tubing has been installed over the last couple of days. After some fine tuning earlier next week the garden floor slab will be poured.

Exterior work at the garden and roof also continues. The retaining walls will be complete by the end of the day.

The view from the upper hvac roof looking down to the new top floor terrace

The new dormer windows look great from the inside and outside. I still can't believe that we were walking on the cornice!

garden brick work

2009-08-04T14:00:00.006-04:00

The retaining walls at the rear garden have been getting bricked over the last couple of days

Soon, the gravel dry well will be covered with bluestone pavers.

Equally as exciting is the drywall that's been installed throughout the parlor floor and the stair way.

Our new dormer windows just got installed last week on the new top floor.

The size of them in person is rather awe inspiring.

garden progress

2009-07-29T09:52:00.005-04:00

Most of the progress over the past week has been in the rear garden. Retaining walls have been cast and even more dirt has been removed to accommodate our dry well.

Our stair will be where the rebar is standing up between retaining walls. Our drawings are a little easier to understand.The interior of the house continues to move forward as well. You can see that they've framed out the curved walls around the new, curved stair.

stair and garden progress

2009-07-17T10:22:00.012-04:00

The stairs at the townhouse are finally complete! Each run has been installed and they truly look amazing. The three images below are of the stair that runs from the parlor floor to the master bedroom floor.

The stair that runs up from the garden floor is equally impressive.

The wood floors are all installed on the top three floors as well. They will be stained in a few weeks and then covered for the remainder of the job.

Work on the rear garden is also underway. This first photo is from the terrace above looking down.

We've also chosen our fence which runs between our stoop, areaway, and tiny front yard. It actually matches our neighbor's house across the street!

Things continue to move along with sheet rock and electrical service as well. Here you can see one of our new top floor rooms. It's nice to have some people in the shot as you can really start to get a feel for the ceiling height.

Here's the understoop areaway that contains our new electric meter and service end box.

Thursday Site Meeting

2009-07-02T14:40:00.006-04:00

We saw lots of small things coming together on site today. Our Audio-Video/ Security guys were on site wiring all of our installed windows into the security system.

Here's a shot of the window sill jamb. Can you believe that tiny little white dot is the security magnet? They're so discrete.

We also chose a final floor stain. It's the darkest sample all the way to the lower right of the above photo. It matches our goal stain perfectly. Wood flooring is already being installed at the new top floor.

Door saddles throughout the house were also discussed. Here you can see the fire-rated door frame at one of the elevator doors. That nasty steel piece will be covered with a slightly raised wooden door saddle in a few more days.

We also got our first on-site peak at the master bathroom tub. Sadly, it was another overcast day for our site meeting which made for bad lighting but I still think you can see the shape and size of the tub are stunning.

They were also constructing a small vertical radiator for the parlor floor entry way. This unit will be hidden in the wall behind a decorative grille.

Work in the garden also continues. Here you can see a trench which has been dug to accommodate the back yard drainage system.

finish details

2009-06-25T11:01:00.006-04:00

Many finish details and framing decisions were furthered on site this week. The most exciting, in my opinion, were the wood floor stains that we got to look at yesterday afternoon.

We are trying to achieve the dark color of the small board on the upper right side of the photo. After adding some ink to the satin finish of the sample in the foreground we should be just about there.

We also got to see more framed soffits and skim coated walls.

Duct work living in a new soffit can be seen here.

Two framing options for the new stair to the new top floor. The option in the foreground was chosen by the client.

The in-floor radiators are also getting installed.

Windows at the north side of the new top floor have also been installed. The room feels really wonderful with the huge terrace outside.

Our refurbished cornice has also been completely installed.

We actually had to hop out the new top floor windows and onto the framing system that attaches the cornice to the house to get out onto the scaffolding!

windows and exteriors

2009-06-16T15:47:00.005-04:00

Yes, windows are still being installed at the north, garden side of the house!

Here you can see that they've installed the four windows on the third, kids' floor of the house. The garden floor windows won't be in for another 3-4 weeks so unfortunately we'll be looking at that tarp for a little longer.

Here are the two, north kid's bedroom windows from the inside.

and the finished parlor floor north windows from the inside.

Over the next few days the subcontractor will install french doors and windows at the new top floor. You can see they're still waiting for a sunny, dry day to complete the stucco here as well.

Our refurbished cornice is also getting installed this week.

Here's a shot of the cornice from above

and another looking at the installation of the cornice from the scaffolding on the house.

This image shows how they install the cornice. If you look to the right side you can see our neighbor's cornice beyond. Ours will be black too once it's painted in place.

stairs and windows part 2

2009-06-05T16:02:00.005-04:00

This past week the installation of new windows and stairs continued.

The parlor floor windows look amazing both from the inside and outside. It's shocking how precise the installation needs to be. The exterior trim pieces do not even allow for a 1/16 of an inch off!

I could look at this exterior photo all day. It's so satisfying to see our rear elevation come to life.

Once the parlor floor windows are all installed they'll start on the double windows at the north bedrooms. You can see the windows are patiently waiting to be installed.

Here you can see the stair that connects the master bedroom floor to the children's floor. Our second run of stair that is just about complete.

The landing and tread details are beautiful.

Next week, along with more windows and stairs going in, we are hoping to have more soffit framing complete as well as the stain selection for the wood floors throughout the house.

new stairs and windows

2009-05-29T14:51:00.006-04:00

Earlier this week another shipment of new windows arrived. You can see that they're preparing the rough opening at the parlor floor for installation:

They just finished installing the windows at the master bedroom...

...which look amazing from the outside.

The first run our new stair was also delivered to the house this week. It's the piece from the third floor to the new top floor.

The landings haven't been installed yet but we made our way to the top floor just fine.

It was a really big week for deliveries as we also have both the new wood floor and all of our custom door hardware on site!

exterior work

2009-05-15T11:38:00.004-04:00

The townhouse is slowly getting stuccoed from the top down. Here you can see the new top floor and attic that rise above the neighboring houses.

The uneven color is due to the fact that the surfaces are still drying. Once the stucco over the cmu joints has dried the lines will no longer be visible.

What you can't see here is that our front cornice isn't installed- that's because about a third of it is sitting in the parlor floor.

It's hard to believe that this is the same holey, painted coated cornice that was sitting on the house about a year ago.

Here's a quick shot of the new exterior decorative tiles in context. They did such a great job setting them into the chimney as well.

And last but not least here is a depressing shot of what our rear garden looks like at the moment (yes, that's an old refrigerator!).

Soon, however, it will be paved and planted and have a floating ipe deck...

In the next few weeks we are expecting the majority of the remaining windows as well as a few runs of new stair.

decorative tile

2009-05-07T11:49:00.005-04:00

More and more finish details are slowly finding their way onto the site. Here are two that I managed to capture quickly during our Monday meeting.

One of many decorative tiles at the top floor terrace. They are set into the walls and chimney face and add so much color.

Another tiled chimney box at the garden floor fireplace. We chose a running bond pattern here for a cleaner, more relaxed feel as opposed to the herringbone pattern at the floor above.

sheet rock

2009-05-01T16:35:00.005-04:00

It was so great to walk into our site meeting yesterday and see nice, clean, white walls. Bathroom and plumbing walls are still open to the studs for their plumbing inspections and many ceilings remain un-sheetrocked but what is up really makes a world of difference.

The gym/ guestroom with it's curved dormer

looking down the elevator shaft

the plywood and temporary joists are where the new top floor skylight will go

the new top floor bar niche

temporary stairs beside a new white ceiling

the third floor south bedroom looking towards a bathroom and closet

the master bedroom with windows looking north

the master bedroom sitting room with windows facing south

The areaway is also really coming along. You can see that they've added plywood to the stairs- that's to protect the amazing nosing and treads that they've prepared for brownstone. Unfortunately you can also see our gas pipes running right over the stairs on the left. They need to be repaired and moved which will hopefully be happening soon.

Next week we'll have our plumbing inspection. Once we are approved and paperwork is passed through the Department of Buildings we will be able to pour the rest of our garden floor slab.

stucco and brick

2009-04-28T17:16:00.005-04:00

This very well may be one of the last photos you see here of un-sheetrocked walls! By our next site meeting this Thursday more than half of the house should have proper gwb partitions. This is just a quick shot from our last meeting showing the extra blocking at the elevator shaft wall.

As sheetrock goes up on the inside, a new brownstone color has been chosen for the outside. We've all agreed on the sample to the far right in the photo below. It's quite different from the existing color but is so warm and stately in person that it's sure to make the house sing.

We're also using this stucco color at the new top floor for the side elevations (which sit above the neighboring houses) and the back elevation that faces the garden. It will be next to the brick terrace wall shown below.

Another exciting piece of work is this amazing herringbone brick pattern at the parlor floor fireplace. The masons are so meticulous with their work.

garden floor progress

2009-03-27T14:33:00.005-04:00

Part of the garden floor slab was poured yesterday! It was so exciting to see a non-dirt floor down there. Soon, after the plumbing inspection, the rest of the slab will be poured as well- probably in the next couple of weeks.

A layer of insulation is laid down before the slab is poured. You can also see the grid of rebar which will give the slab more strength.

The poured slab in all it's glory. Radiant heating and a travertine stone tile floor will eventually be sitting on top of this.

The concrete truck poured concrete right through the front window opening of the garden floor! You can see the new areaway in the background.

There's also a lot of progress being made at the other end of the garden floor: our sump pump pit has been poured and is awaiting installation of the pump and basin.

The blue basin will be set in the poured pit on a bed and surround of sand.

And just because it was such a nice day out I took some shots from the back of the house. You can see the new gutter in the second picture. There will be a fake "extension" gutter to simulate the continuation of the leader.

almost closed up

2009-03-23T09:38:00.005-04:00

The majority of new work continues at the top of the house while we wait for our plumbing inspection and new slab to be poured at the garden floor.

New foam insulation was sprayed just last week at the new top floor and attic. Can you believe it only took them a day to finish both levels?

Our new chimney is also complete at the north side of the house. It looks tall, but by code it has to clear the new, sloped attic roof by quite a bit.

Here's what our elevator shaft looks like at the moment- all framed out and ready to be sheet rocked.

Despite not having a floor at the garden level electrical and plumbing work continues...

Our electrician has moved our service end box (where Con Edison lines meet our house lines) and electrical meter from the inside the house to just beneath our new stoop.

Copper piping is also being installed at the garden floor. In a few more months all these pipes will be covered up behind a new kitchen.

We also continue to select more hardware and finishes for the townhouse. Here you can see two door knob prototypes from SA Baxter, a great hardware company in Manhattan.

The knob on the right was our first prototype and the knob on the left is our final prototype. While the polishes and finishes are not what we'll have in the townhouse (we've chosen an amazing light antique nickel) the style of the knob on the left is correct. Can you tell the difference between the two? We've made one of the rings on the knob smaller.

Soon our contractor will have the elevator and stair subcontractors to the house and any day he will be ordering the plumbing fixtures and fittings. Today is also the very first day that the audio/video subs are on site as well.

floor by floor

2009-03-03T10:25:00.004-05:00

The mechanical and masonry work on the house are advancing quickly floor by floor. As you can see from the pictures, the new north stack of three fireplaces is almost a third of the way complete.

the parlor floor fireplace

the master bedroom fireplace

and the terra cotta flues for all three fireplaces above.

Below you can see the air condensers being installed at the roof above the new floor. They are part of a Daikon HVAC system which allows for smaller, more numerous air handlers throughout the house. The smaller size makes them easier to hide in millwork and ceilings- a must when you have a tall client and don't want to drop ceilings!

And as a final picture, the exterior of the house. Below the tarp you can just make out the lines of the new mansard roof and curved dormer. Our contractor has removed the existing cornice for the time being so as not to damage it during construction. It will most likely be used to create a mold for a new cornice which will match the existing (see house to the right).

brick by brick

2009-01-26T09:43:00.005-05:00

The freezing temperatures of January have really pushed everyone on site to focus their efforts on closing up the townhouse from the elements. This means completion of the new floor and roof as well as the near-completion of a new rear brick wall. The masons have really done a beautiful job of re-using the old brick from the demolished back wall.

even our contractor is in awe of their work!

The two pictures above show one of the two main rooms on the new top floor of the townhouse. The double-height cathedral ceiling will really make this guest room/gym special.

Here you can see our new attic and roof. Trying to make adequate storage for our clients was crucial as the townhouse doesn't have a basement. Just imagine all the boxes that can be stored up here!

You can also see from the images below that the new front area way entry is also complete and awaiting its coat of brownstone stucco. What a difference from what was once there!!

BEFORE

AFTER

The new stair is wider, friendlier, and much more gracious. This will allow the family easy access from the street to the kitchen/ family room floor.

Next up, pouring the new garden level slab...

stone & tile

2008-11-11T10:27:00.006-05:00

With construction going full force over at the townhouse we're now able to start focusing on interior finishes. Over the past week we've been finalizing stone and tile selections throughout the house. These include kitchen counter tops and back splashes, fireplace surrounds, and stone and tile for all the bathrooms. Tackling seven bathrooms alone can seem like a daunting task but with the right team (client, architect, and stone and tile showroom manager in our case) finding the perfect stone is really pretty fun. It's exciting to see the interiors starting to come together at such a human scale.

Here are some of the tiles that we most recently selected.

A- wood floor at the parlor level

B & C- family room fireplace surround and hearth

D- kitchen back splash tile

E- master bedroom fireplace surround

F- parlor bar back splash

G- parlor bar counter top and fireplace surround

H- children and guest bathroom vanity tops and door saddles

I- slate floor at garden level entry

J- possible vanity top at parlor powder room

And here's a closer shot of the family room fireplace slate. The photo really doesn't do it justice.

Here are elevations of the kitchen and family room (click to enlarge) at the garden level to give you a better idea of where the stone is going. In the first drawing tile "D" will be above the range in a 3"x6" size. In the second drawing stone "B" and "C" will make up the full-height fireplace and raised hearth.

This is a close up of the stone and tile being used at the parlor. The antique mirror back splash is amazing in person.

This final drawing is an elevation of the parlor fireplace wall to give you a better idea of where the above stone and tile will go. The section accompanying it reveals a hidden bar (which is behind the doors to the right of the fireplace. Here, stone "G" will be used as the fireplace surround and counter top and tile "F" will be the back splash at the bar. It runs up behind the glass shelves which hold bar ware.

up and down

2008-10-24T15:56:00.010-04:00

Currently the crew on site is focusing on either ends of the townhouse; the garden level and the new top floor. At the garden level excavation is complete (with the exception of the actual garden) and underpinning is underway. The ceiling joists at this floor (aka the floor joists of the parlor floor) are also going in as we speak. You can see just how open the two bottom floors are to each other and I have to say walking over the joists and looking down to the floor below is still a little creepy for me! Our contractor has also closed off the front areaway of the townhouse in prep for some excavation work there as well. We are putting in a new, more spacious stair that leads down to the garden level of the house.

walking on the parlor "floor" (if you can call it that in it's present state!) looking down to where the kitchen will be.

looking up from the garden floor towards the front of the house

looking up from the garden floor to the back of the house

parlor floor joists extending beyond where the back wall of the townhouse use to be

our new temporary wall around the areaway in prep for excavation

an impromptu conference table at the master bedroom floor- soon to house a site office complete with phone, fax, and computer

___

At the other end of the house half of the existing roof has been removed to make way for new fourth floor joists. Workmen are busy building a temporary roof over this structure to keep out the downpours expected tomorrow. Our site foreman even designed a special gutter system which collects rain from the roof and shoots it out through the third floor.

new fourth floor joists where the roof use to be. you can see some of the temporary roof above

the temporary gutter shooting off the roof, through the house, and into the garden

___

I've realized that with so many floors and different names for them things can get a little confusing so here's a run down of the floor names, their locations, and their programs just to make things more clear:

garden floor (halfway below the sidewalk level): this floor contains the kitchen, family room, mechanical room, and powder room. it also opens to the rear garden.

parlor floor (first floor where the main entry is): this floor contains a formal dining room, grand stair hall, study, and powder room)

second floor: we also call this the master bedroom floor. it contains a master bedroom suite and a nursery.

third floor: also referred to as the kids' floor. this floor has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a laundry room.

fourth floor: (completely new floor) this floor has a game room, a gym, storage, a bathroom, and an outdoor terrace that looks out over the back yard.

attic: we've designed the house to have a small attic, primarily for storage, which is accessible through the storage room on the fourth floor.

drawings

2008-10-15T16:56:00.009-04:00

What the site should look like in a little over a year...

sections, plans, and elevations

friday's site visit

2008-10-13T13:59:00.006-04:00

Last Friday's site visit was amazing. Not only did we finalize a design for the rear garden with our client but we also got our first peak at the townhouse with it's rear wall demolished. Next the contractor and his subs will be removing the existing roof to place the steel for the new fifth floor. The whole house will be open to the elements- let's hope there are no downpours in the near future...

standing at the garden floor looking out to the existing garden. look, no rear wall!

a view of the garden as is and some of the existing bricks from the demolished rear wall that we are salvaging for the new rear wall.

the backless townhouse!

looking up at the few remaining floor joists soon to be removed. you can also see where the back wall use to be.

looking towards the front of the house on the new master bedroom floor.

I'm not sure which floor I took this photo from but it illustrates the difference of height from the new joists (on the right) to the old (on the left). That's one of the two existing chimneys in the house. We're abandoning this one, re-using the other one, and also building a new one.

construction

2008-10-08T13:42:00.006-04:00

At last week's meeting we saw a slew of progression on site. Not only was the majority of the interior demolition complete but the second and third floors had almost all of their floor joists in as well as two layers of sub-flooring secured in place. No more jumping from joist to joist to pass through the house! This is a huge plus in my book.

In addition we also observed the initial removal of the rear wall and the new completed rear wall foundation walls. Our meeting this Friday should allow us to see the whole back wall missing with the house completely open to the garden.

Removal of the existing rear wall. To get this close to the edge our contractor had to walk down to the very end of a rather precariously balanced w-flange...

Some shots of the new rear wall foundation wall and its reinforcing bars. See that slight bump out in the first photo where the foundation wall gets thicker at the corner? That's where our steel which is framing out the new rear wall opening will sit. The steel sits in from the facade to allow our re-used bricks to pass in front of it.

Here's the removal of the existing first floor. Those are existing joists to be removed that you can look beyond to see the garden level.

demolition

2008-09-18T23:26:00.016-04:00

The demolition phase is now in full force at the townhouse. Not only have all the interior partition walls been removed but there is substantial excavation at the garden level where the kitchen and family room will be.

Removing all of the existing interior walls, joists, and the exterior rear wall itself though is quite a daunting task. It is of crucial importance that we maintain stability of the existing street facade along with the east and west walls which we share with two other townhouses. We also must allow construction and demolition crews access to all levels of the house, which is of course easier when there are still some existing floor joists for everyone to clamber around on. For these reasons, a well orchestrated balance of demo and construction will be going on in the house for the next few weeks. As new steel and wood joists are put in the existing ones can be removed- as part of the existing rear garden wall is removed a new concrete foundation can be poured and so on.

welcome!

2008-09-06T21:08:00.000-04:00

We couldn't be more excited about sharing one of our current projects with you: the complete gut renovation of an existing townhouse in Manhattan. This blog will attempt to cover all aspects of renovation from demolition to furniture selection and everything else in between.

The scope of work includes making the house suitable for a single family, the addition of a penthouse floor, the expansion of the rear of the house, as well as a sizable amount of excavation of the existing garden level floor to achieve a greater head height. We will also be adding a new rear wall, a new staircase and elevator, and a new garden level entry way.

All that will remain of the existing townhouse is the street facade. All interior finishes, walls, and floors will be removed along with the existing rear garden wall to make room for new structure and a better, more functional design.

the existing street facade to remain (although all doors and windows will be replaced)

the existing garden facade (which will be completely removed in order to build the house out to where the existing "tale" is).