Adventures in Gastronomy

Well. You know I’m not much for new construction (look where *I* live!). I like charm and character (as long as that doesn’t mean a leaky roof) and this looks like it has them. The pictures make the rooms look a bit boxy, but good decorating can disguise that. The doors in the dining room (and the kitchen cupboards, eventually) need to go, but are those REAL wood floors or Pergola, or whatever that is? If so, WOW.

Would you have access to the gardens? Would you be able to cook out? Sigh. Something I long to do, but no way in my flat.

I like your description, and the looks of the pantry, by the way. Sounds like it could work out! And it’s got the second bedroom, just in case…

When you visited, did you hear anything? How soundproof is it?

Whatever happens remember – although Pangloss was a fool, I truly believe “Tout est pour le mieux dans le meilleur des mondes possibles”, so if this is meant to work out, it will.

Aside from a queer-eye makeover it looks good. Have you googled the others in the building yet?

OH, Mark (the first Mark) – if I could live in a 400+ year old place on the Ile St. Louis in Paris, I’d take that over this condo any day! But the place does have real hardwood floors. And though some rooms are boxy, the living room has a bay window an some decorate touches could make the other spaces nicer.

And I’d have access to the gardens…but wouldn’t do anything with it (I hate gardening). The stuff there now looks quite low maintenance. And there is a private patio for me to grill (or whatever).

And Mark (Veselka Slut) great idea about Googling..what stuff can I find out?

If you’re ready to make the move I’d grab it. Great floors, spacious, wonderful location. The cosmetic stuff is easy and the fact that the walls, etc, are basically bland is fine. That’s all just decorating. This much in your price range in these locations are not common I think.

I like it. The hardwood floors look great. And adding color to the walls helps make everything just that much more comfortable. I’d move forward.

How does the dynamics work in such a small building, one bad apple or even one cheapskate and it would be a nightmare to deal with problems?

Kitchen looks nice.

I think it looks gorgeous.
Have your buyers’ agent check things like what the basement and utilities there are like, whether there are any messes you’d have to clean up, etc. (j had an old oil tank in her new condo’s basement which she was able to negotiate to have the previous owners pay to remove).
Seriously, that place looks really nice, and if you want to make cosmetic changes, you certainly could.
What year was it constructed? That may tell you some about the likelihood of noise. In my current 1905-construction apt we get some noise from upstairs, certainly more than in the previous house which had had an allover renovation, but nothing that’s actually problematic.
That’s a fantastic location. You could walk to work in maybe 35 minutes (depends exactly where off Mass this is). And with the 77 bus right there, there’s no *need* to walk if you don’t want to.

I love it. I think you should do it, if you’re comfortable with it. I would be interested to hear about the price range, other amenities (e.g. condo fee, heat, etc.), and the inspector’s report. Also, do you know why the people are leaving?

I like the interior a lot. With the addition of a gay flair I think it would like quite nice. I have to admit that I’m not a big fan of the exterior. I guess I tend to think of you as a brownstone type of guy.

That being said, get names of others in the building and google them. 🙂

I very much like the inside, it was outside visual I wasn’t expecting. It has much charm, I would snag it!

Me likey. Definitely get a GOOD inspector first, and find out what problems there may be with the property.

Love the floors.
Love the neutral insides.
Love the electric stove (Such a dork).
Love love love love love the bow windows in the LR.

You were pretty insistent on top floor though.
And 900 SF. doesn’t sound like much. We looked at a 600sf apt. and it was like, YOWZA… TINY! But for just you, it is perhaps quite comfortable.

It’s all to you, Snarling. Are you feeling the love?

900 square feet is small? Um, honey, the other places I’ve seen have been between 388 square feet and 540 square feet. This is nearly double the size of all of the previous places I’ve seen. For the city, that’s damn good! 500 feet is comfortable, 900 square feet may actually be too much for me (a concern of mine is filling it up).

The first floor is a concern, though. Isn’t there an insulation I could have sprayed in to buffer the sound a bit?

Just from the couple of pics, I like it. The floors look like they’ve been re-done, too. But enough about how I feel… do you like it, or like-like it?

Well look, my perspective is different because I have three lunatics I drag around with me when I look for homes.

I think it looks nice.

What do YOU think?

I think it is a great condo and has a lot of potential. I would want to check it out and see how noisy it is. I lived in a similiar condo and my upstairs neighbors were very noisy and it make things difficult at times. But that is what you are going to deal with if you live in community living. My experience wasn’t all bad as I lived in the condo for eight years. Good luck!

Thinking more – what are the bedrooms like? Do you like them? I find that the bedroom that’s going to be mind is often my make/break even when I have everything else in the “love love love” box.

I don’t think first floor is bad. I actually prefer it, even though I know it ends up depending some on the quality of the upstairs folk. I *love* being able to step right out into the backyard. I love being able to get home with heavy groceries with only the short set of front steps to navigate. It somehow feels more like a house to me than an apartment due to living on the ground floor.

… aaand, cos I forgot to add this, re filling it up, I think you’ll manage. All it takes is doing up the second bedroom as a library / “office” / guest room. You can get a decent futon or couch, say, for not too much money even if you buy new, and I bet with your current furniture you can fill your living and dining rooms well without needing to keep your desk etc. out there to feel less empty.

Heya Karl –
Well, I think it looks pretty damn good if you think you can afford it and given the location sounds excellent. I’d normally be no fan of a first floor, either, but having a little patio of your own is great, and given that it’s a HIGH first floor, I think that’s quite good. Always better than being the middle person sandwiched between two neighbors. You might be able to blow-in Icynene (which is open-cell foam insulation, waterborne, and really the only such thing you’d want to put into an old wood building), but I’m not sure it will do that much good – if you live under elephants, you’re going to hear the impact through the structure no matter what, but you’re going to face that ANYWHERE that isn’t a brand-new concrete-frame building or the equivalent, and, as noted, in your price range, you’re kinda S.O.L. on that front. Personally, I think old buildings are much better, no matter what (the quality of modern construction is dubious, particularly of the materials involved, which may not show for ten to twenty years….not that you’ll necessarily be there that long, but…and this has genuine character, which new never will, in anything remotely approaching your price range).

Otherwise, it’s an utterly-standard triple-decker, which is a good thing: light and air on all four sides. The first floor location means you lose a LITTLE bit of space compared to the upper units (to the front hall), but you get the garden and are closest to the laundry. I’d make sure the basement was reasonably dry, check to see if there’s anything that looks asbestos-bearing (have the home inspector check all that out – hard-type boiler jackets or pipewrap and the ceiling plaster in the basement are the places most likely to find it, if any; if they find old vinyl-asbestos tiles, don’t sweat it unless they’re breaking up – the stuff isn’t friable, and would only be dangerous if you disturbed it or crumbled it over your Wheaties and inhaled deeply. The A-word is a bit of a scare-tactic/boondoggle (but will affect resale value, etc. – and you should get them to take it out at their expense if found, and not adopt it as your problem), provided it’s stable and not breaking up into airborne-type particles. The other big thing I’d look at is condition on the building sills and other perimeter framing, also that of the window sills and corners, and of the porches and their supports – this is where rot and structural problems happen on buildings like this. Also, are there any masonry (brick) chimneys, and what kind of condition are they in if so – if the brick is crumbly and/or the mortar falling out, that’s bad, also. In-ground or leaky oil storage is, indeed, an issue and one you want them to handle, not you. I disagree with Karyn on the stove – I’d far rather have gas, but so be it. Is the building at least plumbed for gas if you ever wanted it for that or for a gas fireplace, say? I would guess that it was originally, and you have best access, being on the first floor/just above the basement.

As to the roof, I would definitely find out what it is, how old, etc, but I wouldn’t sweat it too much – flat rubber roofs for something like a tripledecker ain’t all that horrible costwise, when spread over three units, even if it needs to be done. I’m WILD-ASS guessing here, but I’d find it hard to believe it would exceed an $18-24K range in today’s market to do – so $6-8K of expense for you in the case of. You also have the advantage of living on the first floor, so leaks won’t make you miserable right off the bat. If the roof is older (like more than ten years), and particularly if it’s a built-up (not membrane) roof, you should use that as a bargaining chip if the price is on the high side, of course. I’d worry more about painting the place (as it appears to still be wood, which is nice aesthetically) – that’s going to be pricey, and it’s going to need doing every 7-12 years at the outside – it looks like it will need it pretty soon from a quick glance at the photos… Not sure on city costs on that these days….but decent paint ain’t cheap, plus staging the building, etc..

Small condo associations are a bitch, but, again, in both your price range and mine, that’s life – my stepmother is in the midst of selling her unit in what is basically a very grand brick tripledecker in a fancy inner suburb, and she’s been pushed to it by the fact that her neighbors are creeps and in cahoots against her (trying to chisel her down to get the place for themselves, among other things). Years ago, one of her neighbors was a coke addict who never paid his condo fees, which eventually got him foreclosed-on, so small buildings DO have their drama, and you should at least try to meet the neighbors and see what you think (what if one of them turns out to be a scary fundamentalist, or just some other kind of homophobic cretin, for example…not that that’s INCREDIBLY likely in greater-Davis-Sq., but it’s possible. It helps, again, that you’re not the middle guy, but you should definitely make an effort to meet the neighbors if you can – they don’t have to be your buddies or anything, but you need to make sure they’re at least benign. In future, of course, anyone could move in, but this is always the danger, and, again, that’s life.

I think it looks great – and 900 square feet is GREAT for the city – I live in 800 net, but really need 1000-1200, given I collect books and stuff like nobody’s business, but you travel far lighter, from what I’ve seen. You’ll do fine. The pantry is great – I would recommend leaving it as a pantry, however – if the world blows up (or there’s a big blizzard) you can be well-stocked with food and such, which is a decided advantage. Use the second bedroom as a study/guestroom with a sofabed or the like, eh?

Good luck – and, provided all is in order on the home inspection – GO for it!! That’s my two bits…

Well, Fred – I can honestly say that you get the honor of having posted the longest comment EVER on my blog! WOO HOO!

Seriously – that was great. I really appreciate the input (and the thought and detail that went into it).

There’s so much to consider. oy vey.

Heh heh…well, I type fast…good luck with it!