New York March NYC Meet-Up

Saul said:
Augie,

Did you end up purchasing this house from the other bidders?
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Saul,

There was no bidding war.

Originally we wanted to Live further north in the Hudson Valley in Beacon, and there the market is way overheated. We saw one run down house that needed work everywhere that was a neglected rental in Beacon. The yard needed a cubic yard dumpster to get rid of refuse in the yard.

So this dive home we went to see to just get out of the city for a day and there already was a bidding war going on.

It was evident that any home that was a turnkey home became a bidding war, then this trickled down to reasonable homes, and then finally people were willing to overpay and bypass appraisals to buy some marginal home that normally you shouldn't or wouldn't buy.

So we abandoned Beacon. Also know as a photographer that a city sewer outside of town was kinda remote. The commute which I was willing to do for 4 more years until I retire I decided was too long after a few train rides to Beacon doing exploration.

So we decided to play the other end of the market and not get into or avoid any bidding wars.

The home where we have an accepted offer we have been watching for a long-long time, but we seemed to always come back to it. This 1912 Victorian in not what most people expect because oddly it has a stucco siding that is called "pebble dash" for the small pebbles that are part of the stucco. Kinda odd and so unusual that I bet unless you are an old hippie like me it likely turns some people's stomachs.

So this home was kinda at our upper range and after a month of languishing the price dropped down $20K. Usually I noticed a pattern where initial listings are mighty high, and then there is a $10K price drop after 2-3 weeks because sellers believe the might hook a crazy buyer. A $20K price drop is a pretty big one, but I understand why such a high initial listing.

The home right across street which was built in 1910 sold for the listing price offered by my Victorian. Know that these two homes are the two oldest homes on the street (Avenue), but the home across the street is 3 bedroom instead of 4, there are 1 1/2 bths instead of two full baths, the garage is one car instead of two, and the lot is slightly smaller by 1000 square feet.

So I believe the real deal killer for many is the wonky kitchen layout that has to deal with all these doorways and a radiator that made for a crazy kitchen with an odd and strange layout.

Anyways Maggie and I figured out how to remedie the kichen with an Island with a sink. Also know there was no dishwasher, and that one will be ncluded in the new farm sinked Island. No kitchen demo required, but Maggie wants this botique gas stove made in Italy that is kinda beautiful.

So to me this home that nobody seemed to love that languished on the market we got for slightly less than the listed price with no bidding war.

I just printed out the 1967 survey, and according to the 40 foot lot width the two car stucco'ed two car garage is a 20x20, so figure 400 extra square feet on top of 1525 square feet.

Also being a centurian, 4 bedrooms and two baths does not translate into a large house, but building out the garage as a studio space surrounded by gardens and possibly a lap pool or some other Calzone monster.

Anyways I see great value in the mucho expensive designer roof, the about $11K invested in the 24 windows, and even though they should of changed/converted to the furnace to natural gas, at least I know it is fresh and won't be a surprise expense.

I think we are getting a great property (two full building lots) and the taxes are low, especially considering Westchester County. Then I'm only an hour's train ride to NYC.

In our case were were careful and patient buyers.

Augie
 
MrFujicaman said:
Cal, I have a degree in HVAC. There is no way to get a oil furnace as efficient as a gas furnace. When I was in school for it we'd work on the oil furnaces-we'd get one up to 80% efficient or a bit higher, and the next morning it'd be back down to 60% or lower.

Think of it as having a Italian sportscar in your basement-you have to tune it every weekend.

We had one bad oil spill in the basement at Dad's house across the street-trust me, you REALLY don't want to deal with that!

The cheapest gas furnace you can buy, is by law, at least 85% efficient. We replaced Dad's with a cheap one ( we were going to sell the house anyway, and nobody around here likes oil heat) was 92% efficient My kid sister was up here after we replaced the oil furnace and said " This is the first time this house has ever really been warm."

Getting rid of the oil & oil tank might be easier than you think. We offered the 300 gallons of oil we had to a local guy who had a diesel tractor-IF he took all the oil and took the tanks out. If you have farmers in the area, they might just snap it up.

The oil furnace is most likely located where it is to feed the exhaust from the furnace into a chimney that was perhaps left over from an earlier coal burning furnace.

If you get a high efficiency gas furnace, the exhaust is now a piece of 2" PVC pipe routed out thru the foundation-you might be able to relocate the gas furnace to more favorable location. You'll have to rearrange the hot air ducts, but that shouldn't be too hard.

I'd look into ground water heat pumps where the heat exchanger is buried in trenches-that is the most efficient type of heat pump

Trust me, switching to gas will save on fuel and repairs on the heating system. If they don't have natural gas there, see if they have a propane dealer or two in town. I have propane and I like it because I can buy my propane in July or August when the price is at it's lowest and "stock up".
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MFM,

I'm aware that natural gas furnaces are more efficient and typically save about $1K per year in energy costs. Replacing the oil furnace with another oil furnace is a bone headed move.

Also there is no ductwork. We have radiators. I already have dry skin, that's why I require all that orgy oils and creams. Steam heating will keep me pretty. LOL.

Cal
 
Calzone said:
MFM,

I'm aware that natural gas furnaces are more efficient and typically save about $1K per year in energy costs. Replacing the oil furnace with another oil furnace is a bone headed move.

Also there is no ductwork. We have radiators. I already have dry skin, that's why I require all that orgy oils and creams. Steam heating will keep me pretty. LOL.

Cal
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Steam or hot water? most home up there are hot water...
Joe
 
jszokoli said:
Steam or hot water? most home up there are hot water...
Joe
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It has a "boiler I believe. It also has radiators.

I rented a home that was steam and remember the relief valves and clanking pipes.

So good point Joe, I don't know, but likely what you said: hot water.

Cal
 
MFM,

Napolean said, "Geography is destiny."

I'm perhaps a half mile inland from the mighty Hudson River. Obviously Blue Mountain Preserve is a mountain, well really two mountains, and my property is really the edge of Peekskill. Just north on the first street that allows one to pass under Route 9A are all these signs saying "Welcome to Peekskill." My home is well below that.

Dickey Brook (funny name) drains and connects a series of lakes and ponds within Blue Mountain Preserve (1500 acres plus 200 acres Depre Park). So somewhere in this valley behind my back-backyard that is pretty extensive and vast is this one-way-in-on-way-out Renold's Street where the "Hot Rod Hotel" is, whatever that is???

The point I'm getting to is that the neighborhood that I live in seems to be a bluff at the base of a mountain that is kinda flat, but directly behind me is a rather vast valley. Renold's Street meanders and curves this way and that and is perhaps a mile or more. I yet do not know what is down there, but there seems to be some quam-set hut on the street view about a quarter mile down into the valley.

Could this be the Hot Rod Hotel? Yet I can't identify any homes or further development.

I know to use groundwater as the thermal anchor for a refrigeration cycle that they say that hydrology and geography are strong factors whether tapping into the ground water if it is cost feasible. If it is then pretty much one could have one of the most cost effective and green HVAC system around.

The end of my street effectively at the corner stop sign changes names and becomes Renold's. It passes my corner neighbor's house and then hooks around past his back yard. A ltlle further down Renolds I see a marsh of cat tails and a watershed of sorts, but no stream or brook, but I can see my house and garage that seem to be high on a bluff.

The corner neighbor has a lot that has retaining walls so the grade on Renold's is kinda high and steady and seems to have length. We are not talking rolling hills, but more like a ramp that heads steadily and consistently down a smooth road.

This is why I think the not so far away Dickey Brook is not a problem, and I know I'm on the high ground, if not the highest ground with the second oldest house on my street. Right across the street is the oldest house built in 1910.

So in my neighborhood I did see one house that had an interesting granite rock that was terraced into a front yard. Pretty much it was built atop a granite out cropping, likely had no basement.

The excavation to tap into the groundwater in my property might hopefully be cost feasible. Of course since this requires some serious drilling for the tap and the return this has to be done/performed on new construction, like say before laying the foundation for a barn.

So I wonder if feasible to scale up a system so I could use one tap and return into the ground water to do both homes. If I could this would be ideal. I will be looking into this...

Anyways this is coming from a 62 1/2 year old man who has an expected life expectancy of 106 years by one measure. If I didn't have 40-45 years in me it would not be worth the bother, but here I am. How crazy is that and am I that lucky? First a "free" second building lot, next is low taxes, and then putting in an offer and getting a unique home for under listing price in a time of bidding wars.

Peekskill is at a point that Beacon was that any turnkey ome turns into a bidding war. Interesting to note that Beacon and Peekskill have a similar past of being post-industrial cities that fell into decay. It is just that Beacon is further along in its gentrification and more established as an art community. Peekskill is just behind.

Then there is this crazy low interest rate mortgage...

I certainly will be looking into the water table, and hopefully there is not granite to drill through.

Calvin-August
 
MrFujicaman said:
What, no titanium cameras?
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MFM,

My Nikon F3P has a Titanium Prism. LOL.

I have some titanium cut-offs that were off the "box-beam" of a F14 somewhere. This structure is a fuel tank and has the pivots for the F14's swing wings. The wings are titanium also.

I once worked in and maintained the largest electron beam welding facility in the world. 10 amp electron beams, 60 KV high voltage, vacuum chambers bigger than a long garage.

This was one of my first jobs at Grumman. The supervisor of this area loved me and called me Carl. He was mucho German, and in fact in WWII he was a U-boat Captain.

I would take off from work and when I came back my lead man would tell me D-trick called and asked for me, but when I asked if he could send someone else, D-trick said, I wait till tomorrow. Evidently he did not want anyone else to touch his machines.

Anyways this led me into the world of particle beam accelerators, Ronald Ray-Gun Star Wars projects, a Super Collidor, and finally to cyclotrons.

Don't tell anyone but I had an antitank shoulder held weapon only without the projectile. Frankie the tool and die maker took home the bigger version. Funny story is that Frankie was a body builder and could likely squeeze and pop my head like a pimple. I told him one day that if he stopped working out that he would need a bra.

Why do people love me. LOL.

My anti tank weapon I brough into NYC over 20 years ago when I was a performance artist. A guy in my troop needed a shoulder held missile for a skit he was doing. I hid it in a green garbage bag and was walking around with this all before 9-11. How crazy is that?

Cal
 
slowbicycle said:
Just checking in on this thread... Hey Cal are congrats in order? Sounds exciting!
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Dunstan,

First I get a "free" complete building lot when I buy a house that "Maggie" and I call the "Back-Backyard" or to annoy people the "Second-Backyard." No-lie, we have two backyards. How crazy is that? I never planned it that way. "i was just minding my own business..."

Maggie tells us that her agent is working on a deal where we might get a free car. Now this is mucho crazy.

BTW Maggie has not driven in over twenty years, also when she renewed her license she had to take the vision test three times before passing.

So somehow I might get a free car. My hope is that it is the newly announced electric version of a popular SUV that this brand makes.

Did you know that in Sweden they provide free electric car hookups in public parking areas. It strengthens their grid because the car's batteries work like a battery back-up.

This would go along with what I'm trying to do. Cheap-cheap-cheap and as an outdoorsman and fisherman protecting the planet is mucho important to me. I can imagine an electric SUV being my battery back-up.

Cal
 
Sounds like you have a great location which can become outdoor studio. You can manicure it for different times of the year, a friend of mine does that.

Congrats. How's the ceiling height in the basement? You can work around the furnace or replace it
 
Nokton48 said:
Sounds like you have a great location which can become outdoor studio. You can manicure it for different times of the year, a friend of mine does that.

Congrats. How's the ceiling height in the basement? You can work around the furnace or replace it
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Dan,

Not only do I have two backyards, two full building lots (one already with a house on it, a 1912 Victorian), but you made me think that I can do the "Calzone" bragging and exaggeration of saying I also have two basements.

The "Front-Basement" has a slightly lower ceiling height and is 6.74 feet in the width on the 1967 survey. The length might be 16-18 feet. This front-basement is under the now closed in porch that was not closed in in 1967. The "full" basement is a 25x30 with a monster oil tank and a small crawl space under the bathroom which looks to be a "kick-out" addition to add the bathroom off the kitchen.

Just because of the $1K savings a year in energy savings I say some year soon that oil furnace will be a goner as well as the oil tank. I have Bilco doors, but the tank likely would need to be cut up.

Somehow some painters at work asked me if I wanted two gallons of this two part epoxy paint that they utilized for the Cyclotron floor. I have this stuff in storage and it is ideal to make a concrete floor smooth and waterproof. This is the real deal commercial industrial stuff. I might have enough for the 25x30 floor.

The ceiling height is perhaps a 7 foot height. So with a new furnace and getting rid of the oil tank I actually could do a "Crazy Dan." Thank God for a City Sewer hookup. There are at least 2 basement windows: one is under the porch; and the other in the full basement. I scoped this out for ventilation.

The only "Maggie" factor is the washer and drier. There is a slop sink. There is no low duct work or things to smash my head on. So this is great.

Another thing I have to explore is that this Victorian is considered 2 1/2 stories, and the 1/2 story is an attic. I have seen homes that have full attics and other that have half attics that can't be built into living space that have a ceiling pull down set of stairs. Maggie reports seeing one of these.

So anyways don't tell Maggie about all these ideas. I'm still keen on a lap pool, the longer the better to build a garden around, but then again I don't want to kill the idea of a building on the second "free" building lot.

Don't tell Maggie, but I could squeeze in on the opposite side of the garage a 30 foot lap pool and still be contained on the first building lot.

Tomorrow is another big day. Last Friday we went to view the house, and this Friday we are doing the house inspection by a P.E.

Dan you should know that Devil Christian has some useful training for me to exploit. Not only is he crazy, but he is an architect.

Cal
 
Although I am a 1.3 mile walk to the Metro North in Peekskill, I'm right on the edge of the town.

Reynolds Street actually is the one way in and one way out that leads into a valley that has Dickey Brook, and about a quarter mile from my Victorian is the "Hot Rod Hotel" where you can store your vintage or collectble care for $250.00 a month. The also do custom and restoration work.

Part of their business is renting vintage cars to the film and video industry.
Hmmm.

Whatever you do "Don't tell Maggie."

The Hot Rod Hotel i in the neighboring town called Buchanan. The site is 20 acres which is about 4 city blocks.

Cal
 
Cal, oil tanks as a rule are sized to go in/out a standard doorway. Unless you have a odd size tank, it should go out the door. However, you'll want to remove the legs on it first after draining it

Since that boiler is only 4 years old, you might be able to sell it and get some of the money towards a gas boiler. You might also be able to sell the oil tank.

Have fun this week end!
 
MrFujicaman said:
Cal, oil tanks as a rule are sized to go in/out a standard doorway. Unless you have a odd size tank, it should go out the door. However, you'll want to remove the legs on it first after draining it

Since that boiler is only 4 years old, you might be able to sell it and get some of the money towards a gas boiler. You might also be able to sell the oil tank.

Have fun this week end!
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MFM,

I can't believe all this is happening: two backyards; a free building lot; two basements...

Then there is Blue Mountain for mountain biking; Bear Mountain for road riding across the Bear Mountain Bridge; the Hot Rod Hotel...

Next thing you know is some famous guitar builder is one of my neighbors.

Peekskill has a population of only 20K.

Maggie is also mucho happy.

Now I have to figure out how to get a free lap pool.

Calvin-August
 
Keep the oil tank, keep the oil and get an old Mercedes-Benz, BMW, or Volvo diesel vehicle to burn it in. THOSE are future proof. As long as they get somewhat regular oil changes, they will outlive us all.
Phil Forrest
 
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