The old mason's house at 139 West 123rd Street between Lenox and ACP/7th Avenue was sold last November for at total of $540K and now it appears that the renovation work is well on its way. Walking by the location just on the outer fringe of the historic district, one might find the current condition of the house to be a little extreme as of late (current photo after the jump).
Permits filed in April pretty much read that interior demolition of a first story extension in the back yard and rear walls would take place but now it looks like most of the roof and the pressed cornice is missing. Apparently this is all an extreme gut
renovation demolition at an estimate cost of $40K but the house will still remain a 4-family building. Read more about the history of this property in our past post:
LINK.
I dunno. I have a bad feeling about this. . .
ReplyDeleteWe're doing a gut renovation down the block. We were told that if the cornice wall is in bad shape then the cornice is a lost cause and pretty much impossible to salvage. Our cornice wall is rather thin but we're lucky 'cause it seems like it's in great condition. Looking at the lower picture it seems their cornice wall was in bad shape. I just hope they spend the money to put the cornice back (typically it's done in fiberglass). Renovations on that block can get huge tax credits if they do things by National Park Service standards. And BTW, cornices are never cast - they're made out of sheet metal.
ReplyDelete40k? That seems way under priced. Thought a gut reno of this nature usually runs 100k+. Costs 20k just to build a roof deck!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your renovation, Beating Upwind.
ReplyDeleteAt 40k they will be cladding the house in cardboard and washing dishes with rain water.
ReplyDeleteI would suume the cornice is a lost cause and hope that they can find the money to even finish this place.
If the owner has the experience, knowledge and creative thinking, this kind of work can be done for a lot less than the traditional combo of first time renovator + architect + contractor + check book + Manhattan pricing, I hope the owner can pull this off.
ReplyDeleteso westside, people are typically ripped off then by renovator + architect + contractor + check book + Manhattan pricing? ;) Unless you know people in the business, I don't know how you can get around spending at least 100k for this sort of thing.
ReplyDeleteChris, an analogy would be to stand on line in Starbucks vs brew your own coffee at home, but a lot more complex, each to their own.
ReplyDeleteDOB Records indicate 880 sq. ft of vertical and horizontal expansion and a laughable cost of $75K. If the owner is sensitive, they may have removed the cornice and retained it for re-installation after an additional floor (or partial floor) is added.
ReplyDeleteOoops, I was looking at the wrong job. Never mind. It looks as though this is a demo filing only. Only demo work is listed. A second filing will follow with construction work shown.
ReplyDeletewestsider, I like the analogy...fair enough!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, but that house did not look in bad enough shape to warrant that kind of gut job. I fear they are in deeeeeeep trouble now.
ReplyDeleteI don't care who you are there is no way that someone can do a renovation of that scale for 40K. Plumbing, electrical,kitchens,baths, flooring, windows and permits.It doesnt matter how cheap you or the finishes are.
ReplyDeleteSurely a new cornice must run upwards of 10k? Considering it costs around 6k just to have the rails remade. Looks like a hatchet job from here.
ReplyDeleteVictoria27, the home owner has to manage the contractor, who if unscrupulous may be tempted to create work by declaring something needs replacing. Also, when you tear back layers of construction, it may reveal other issues that need attention, maybe that is what is going on here. I wish them luck with this renovation.
ReplyDeletewestsider, if that is the case, then the 40k could very easily triple (all hypothetical of course). Fair play to anybody who takes on one of these jobs. So many variables involved.
ReplyDeleteUlysses, any idea where the 40k number came from to begin with?
Peter's comment confirmed that this is a demolition permit ONLY and the 40K reflects the cost of that job. Usually plans are submitted early on with total cost of the project but that apparently is coming later.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the $40K number... You pay a percentage of the cost as a fee to DOB. Typically people under-estimate at the start of the project but then at the end of the project they have to submit a form where they say what the real cost is and pay the difference in fees between estimated and real cost. In the case of our renovation the real cost may be 3 times what we said it would be initially. We just don't want to over-pay - we'll pay the fees, but only after we know the real cost. In addition, the number you report is "cost", NOT PRICE. Apparently there's a little debate about what's included in cost - some say "Cost" is just the cost of materials others say it's the cost of materials + labor. Either way, there's a lot that's not included in cost - shipping charges, contractor profit, etc. So don't get hung up on the $40K - it's literally just a number.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ulysses and Peter, a demo sounds like the correct explanation, just sorry to see this building go.
ReplyDelete