Looking at some of the top Brooklyn listings, we always notice that the brownstones mostly have loads of original details, contextual modern finishes in kitchen and baths but often have a basic window air conditioner in many of the rooms. This is no surprise to us because the majority of brownstone buyers want to actually live in a brownstone and not a modern condo. Too often we see renovators of intact historic Harlem interiors gut the entire building because the contractor has convinced the new owner that doing a million dollar renovation with new HVAC system would somehow be better than just polishing up what is was originally beautiful in the first place for less than half that amount.
In the past, uptown property owners were desperate to make something old look expensive and that somehow translated into adding a bunch of modern bells and whistles inside. At the end, those HVAC ducts either add extra bulk and lower the ceiling heights or have vents that appear at odd, obvious places within an interior. Doing a total gut renovation also destroys original moulding or plasterwork which often are too expensive to replace or add back. The above $6.25 million townhouse in Brooklyn Heights and the Brooklyn brownstone market in general proves that expensive HVAC systems really are not as important as having something that looks authentic in the interior:
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Bulky AC ducting is a problem in brownstones, but that can be overcome with the Mitsubishi Mr. Slim system that relies on a cooling unit on the roof and small pipes delivering the cooling fluid to lower floors.
ReplyDeleteExactly! These modern systems are perfect for brownstones and can solve so many problems. The condensers can be placed on the roof or mounted on the back or side of the building, there are no ducts and you can hub all the interior mechanicals in your laundry room. In addition these systems are reasonably priced, low maintenance and can also provide much needed extra heat in drafty old buildings. Honestly there is just no reason to use anything else in brownstone.
DeleteI think it is well worth looking at Brooklyn brownstones as model for what works in Harlem. Certain neighborhoods in Brooklyn are many years ahead of Harlem in terms of restoration and the most desirable homes in Brooklyn have as much original detail as possible, many of them being truly stunning.
ReplyDeleteAnother advantage of Brownstones over apartments is they have true cross ventilation along with high ceilings that allow these homes to be naturally cooler in the summer months.
ReplyDeleteAnybody doing a renovation should get a contractor who specializes in working with brownstones and preserving original detail as there are a unique set of skills required. Our was extremely thoughtful and helped us re-use original details such as doors even if we were moving the location. No experienced contractor who does brownstones will always recommend central a/c; dropping the ceilings in brownstones is often impractical. You may not notice if the ceilings are 11 feet vs 12 feet, but you certainly don't want to rip out plasterwork, curved ceilings, and carved wood around the windows. Westsider is spot on on mini split systems; we have these throughout our brownstone and didn't have to drop ceilings at all (we hid them in closets, etc.). You get the functionality of central a/c without dropping ceilings or unsightly window boxes.
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