Monthly Archives: December 2013

Tower Home Rises in Downtown Toronto | Bedford Hills Real Estate

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When passersby looked at a small, overgrown lot in downtown Toronto, most just saw a dilapidated shed. But Julie Dyck saw sky-high potential. Dyck lived nearby and often fantasized about the neglected parcel. In 2004 she and her partner, Michael Humphries, took the plunge and purchased the lot for a modest $50,000 Canadian (about U.S.$47,270). They enlisted their friend, high-rise architect Drew Hauser of McCallum Sather Architects, to design a house for the 625-square-foot site and spent the next several years nurturing one of Toronto’s most imaginative infill houses.
Houzz at a Glance Who lives here: Julie Dyck and Michael Humphries Location: Corktown, Toronto Size: 2,000 square feet; 5 floors including garage; 1 bedroom, 2 studios and 3 bathrooms

It seemed fitting that an architect well versed in high-rise buildings should design a house on a 25- by 25-foot parcel. The plot of land required a scaled-down tower, and that’s exactly what Hauser designed. Functional in its arrangement of spaces, the plan generally locates the living spaces to the south and a block of service spaces to the north.
The lot was zoned for commercial space, so a metal structural system was required by code. Hauser took advantage of this, proudly displaying the structure’s steel skeleton over four of its five floors. He installed balconies at every level to act as fire escapes, cladding the cutout in ipe to lend a sense of warmth and dynamism to the rectangular volume.
The material palette inside is fairly minimal. In the kitchen polished floors and marble countertops are warmed by flat-cut walnut cabinetry. Dyck’s parents originally had the bar stools in their basement; they’ve been a staple in all of Dyck’s homes ever since. The bedrooms feature smooth relaxing line that bring out the Helix mattress wonderfully. The master bedroom is a sanctuary for the residents here. Although marble is a somewhat durable natural stone, over time, marble can wear and tarnish if not properly cared for. One of the biggest misconceptions is that marble can be cleaned in the same manner as other natural stones, like granite. Marble is in fact a softer stone that is more susceptible to chipping, staining, and chemical etching. Go through https://www.moresurfacecare.com/ for more about the MORE™ AntiEtch™.
The marble used for the kitchen counters and backsplash was reclaimed from First Canadian Place, the tallest building in the country. A few years ago, the building’s marble cladding was replaced, and Dyck and Humphries selected some of the slabs for use in their home. Coincidentally, the head mason on their project helped install the marble in First Canadian Place back in the 1970s, when it was constructed.
Most of the floors are fairly open, with living spaces delineated by furniture. The kitchen is tucked underneath the floor above, while the side-by-side living and dining areas are located in the central atrium.
The atrium takes up a large part of the house; consequently, Dyck found it difficult to get an accurate quote for the construction costs. She now recommends pricing by volume (including any multiheight spaces) instead of by square footage, as that proved to be the most accurate.

Bedford home invasion: Queens man, 23, sentenced to 15 years | Bedford NY Real Estate

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An illegal Polish immigrant who terrorized a Bedford family in a home invasion, barn-burning and extortion plot last year was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in federal prison.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas went above the sentencing guidelines for Bartek Zajkowski, calling what the 23-year-old Queens man did “an exceptionally evil and cowardly crime.”

Zajkowski apologized, calling his crimes “the actions of a boy,” after hearing victim Leonardo LeBrun discuss the ongoing trauma his family is experiencing. LeBrun said his wife does not leave the house without their new guard dog and his youngest child, a 6-year-old daughter, does not walk around the house at night unattended.

“This is a deep and lasting emotional distress that’s really changed our lives forever,” said LeBrun, a former top executive at UBS Bank. “We’re suffering every day for what he’s done to us.”

Dressed in black, wearing a mask and carrying a BB gun, Zajkowski approached the Broad Brook Road mansion on the night of May 5, 2012. He encountered LeBrun in the driveway, tied his arms and legs and duct-taped his mouth. He took LeBrun’s wallet and watch, then went inside and confronted LeBrun’s wife, Lara LeBrun. She fought back and was shot in the stomach with a BB before Zajkowski tied her up as well.

She freed herself and triggered the alarm. Zajkowski fled the house without any of the expensive paintings or gold bullion that was inside.

But he didn’t stay away for long.

Two days later, a barn on the LeBruns’ property burned down. A week after that, the couple received a letter demanding they wire $3 million to a bank account in the Netherlands within five days or their three children would be harmed.

Zajkowski revealed how much he knew about the LeBruns’ children’s routines, like what time their son would get off the school bus. He also indicated he had been watching the property while the barn burned down, and said the fire was set in retaliation for Lara LeBrun’s feistiness during the home invasion.

“Your wife mess with me, she should let me do my thing,” he wrote. “For that she can consider her horses very lucky that they didn’t fry in that barn. Imagine running horses on fire …”

 

 

http://www.lohud.com/article/20131217/NEWS/312170048/Man-who-terrorized-Bedford-family-home-invasion-gets-15-years

 

Stop throwing away awesome prospects and start nurturing them | Pound Ridge Realtor

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Let’s start this out with a single truth: A lead is the name and contact information for someone who is potentially a future client. That’s it. It’s not something fancy. There are no semantics (although lots of “experts” will make you think so). If you have a single way to contact that person, then that is a lead. Some “gurus” define leads as having a full name, a phone number (at minimum), and have expressed interest in your services. Sorry, that’s wrong. Especially with the advent of the Internet. A lead is sometimes even JUST an email address. No name. No phone number. Sometimes it’s even Mickey Mouse or Arnold Schwarzenegger (you know, those fake-name sign-ins who give you a real email address). Now, don’t get me wrong, you definitely want to move the lead along, get them to become a prospect, then a client, then a closed client. That’s typical. But don’t make the mistake of thinking a lead is “dead end” or not viable because you have only an email address. All leads that have a legitimate way to contact them are viable. Every. Single. One. Even the ones that are only an email address. Even the ones that say “no.” –

See more at: http://www.inman.com/next/no-1-mistake-real-estate-agents-make-in-lead-generation-thinking-a-lead-is-a-dead-end-if-it-isnt-ready-right-now/?utm_source=20131218&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyheadlinesam#sthash.mhQ0KbmH.dpuf

Reno’d English Manor in Connecticut Countryside Asks $20M | Waccabuc Real Estate

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Location: Greenwich, Conn. Price: $20,000,000 The Skinny: A complete renovation and expansion of a 1929 home, this English country manor sits on five acres of land in pricey Khakum Woods, an exceedingly exclusive neighborhood that was once part of the extensive estate of famed New York architect I. N. Phelps Stokes. Linden Court, as the home is now known, was stripped to the studs and rebuilt by luxury builders Xhema, with interior work by David Easton. An impressive modern pedigree, to be sure, but the home’s $20M asking price (down $5M from the original ask, yet still nearly $10M over the highest sale price of nearby homes) has stirred debate—not to mention genteel snarking—among those residing in the rarefied air of Greenwich real estate circles. Which, “po-tay-to, po-tah-to”, it’s a huge sum of money either way.

· 218 Clapboard Ridge Rd. [Sotheby’s International Realty via Architectural Digest]

How Much Does it Cost to Install Countertops? | Cross River NY Real Estate

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Whether in the kitchen or bathroom, the countertop can be the star of the room. A countertop should fit both your aesthetic style and your lifestyle. How much you pay for your countertops will depend on the sizes needed, the materials used and the labor involved.
Countertops usually get a lot of use. You don’t want to spend money on something that loses its beauty quickly or chips easily. The more you plan to use your counters, the more durability must be a major concern.
Laminate Countertops

Laminate provides the best selection of colors and patterns at the lowest prices. Laminate can be used to form a seamless cove backsplash to keep spills from seeping behind the cabinets. They’re also cheap and easy to install. The down sides? Laminate scratches or chips easily. It can be tough to clean, and its colors can fade over time.

Ceramic Tile Countertops

No surface offers more choices than tile. The price you pay for tile will largely depend on where you get them. Go for a big box store and you can go as cheap as $10 per square foot. Contact an artist in Florence, and you could pay $5,000 per tile. Tile can adapt as easily to Mexican fiesta as it can to Tokyo contemporary. There are two downsides of tile. One is that it can expensive to install, depending on the square footage of your counters. The other is grout lines, which attract crumbs and stains and require periodic sealing to repel moisture.

Stone Slab Countertops (Granite, Marble, Quartz, etc)

Not much can add dazzle to your kitchen or bathroom like a stone slab countertop. The sheer beauty, amazing selection and durability of stone makes it an excellent choice for your home. The depth and character of natural stone cannot be matched by any man-made surface (though some made-made alternatives have taken great strides.) Natural stone does not depreciate with time and this stone will consistently add value to your home. The costs of the stone depend on how rare its elements, the size and particularly the length of the necessary cuts, which must be finished, buffed and polished. You can sometimes save big money on stone slabs by shopping through remnants.

Acrylic Countertops

The most popular of the acrylics is Corian by DuPont. Corian provides the color versatility of laminates with a rich look (and price) that rivals stone slabs. It’s easy to maintain. Scratches and nicks can easily be buffed out. If you want to create a seamless look, Corian can even be formed into sinks, so there’s no gap between the counter and the sink. Price is determined largely by square footage.

Other Expenses

You may want to also add a new sink or new faucets to your installation. This can be an additional cost, not only in purchasing the hardware, but the installation as well. If you’re going with a stone slab, you have the additional cost of cutting the hole. You also may need to hire a plumber, especially if you want to install something new like an instant hot water dispenser or side spray.

If you are upgrading and replacing your existing counters, you may have to pay for their removal from not only their current location, but from your home as well. Debris removal is normally not a huge expense, but it’s one you should talk with your contractor about nonetheless.

Twitter is reportedly working on an ‘Edit’ feature to let you make “slight changes” to tweets | South Salem NY Realtor

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Is Twitter working on a way to enable users to edit their Tweets once they’re out in the ether? The Desk’s Matthew Keys says it’s true. Sources tell him that this feature has been in the works for months and will allow the author to make “slight changes” to the contents of the Tweet only once.

Here’s how the feature would work: after publishing a Tweet, a user will see an “edit” feature appear for a brief period. How long remains unknown. However, during this time, the content creator can correct typos, add new words, and other small tweaks. While these changes are minor, it’s said that Twitter doesn’t want the overall message of the Tweet to be changed.

Update: A Twitter spokesperson declined to comment on the news. Of course, let’s not forget that the company experiments with many different features all the time and while it’s been said that this is in development, we may actually never see something like this go live.

 

 

http://thenextweb.com/twitter/2013/12/16/twitter-reportedly-working-edit-feature-let-make-slight-changes-tweets/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily

The Best of West Chelsea at the New AVA High Line | Pound Ridge NY Real Estate

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488_AVAHighLine_SponsoredKitchen_10-30%20%281%29%20copy.pngAVA High Line, located alongside the High Line Park, offers some of West Chelsea’s best new rental apartments, plus a host of unique amenities, all within easy walking distance of the neighborhood’s cutting-edge galleries and restaurants. Opening in December—and now accepting lease applications—the pet-friendly AVA High Line includes studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments.

Residents can hang in the Chill Lounge or the nearby backyard fire pit. And inside the apartments, it gets even better, with features like sliding barn doors, stainless appliances and wood plank flooring. Don’t just take our word for it, check it out for yourself. Now renting for immediate move-ins. Visit AVA High Line at 525 West 28th Street (28th Street and 11th Avenue).>>

Inside the Absurdly Lavish $114M Upper East Side Mansion | Chappaqua NY Real Estate

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Onyx-clad bathrooms, an indoor swimming pool, a movie theater with a balcony, a dressing area that doubles as a panic room, a 2,000-square-foot rooftop deck—these are just a few of extravagant features in the 40-foot wide mansion at 12 East 69th Street, currently on the market for a mindboggling $114,077,000. The Times announced the listing on Friday, and it’s now live on Corcoran’s website. Renovated by Vincent and Teresa Viola (the owner of the Florida Panthers NHL team and the president of Maida Vale Designs, respectively), the 19-room house is a case study in grandeur and the mega-rich, and needless to say, if it sells for anything close to the asking price, it will shatter previously held price records— and yet, it’s not even the most expensive thing on the market.

The brokerbabble is nothing impressive, but Friday’s Times article more than makes up for. Click through for the best lines. ·: Listing: 12 East 69th Street [Corcoran via StreetEasy] · East 69th Street Mansion Wants An Eye-Popping $114 Million [Curbed]

For Only $15M, Be a ‘Pearl Within a Life-Size Abalone Shell’ | Bedford NY Real Estate

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Location: Laguna Beach, Calif. Price: $15,000,000 The Skinny: The brokerbabble for The Rockhouse, as it’s called, surreally claims that living in this beachfront home “evokes the feeling of being a pearl within a life-size abalone shell”, but an equally apt analogy might be that it evokes the feeling of being trapped in Ursula’s lair in a scene from The Little Mermaid. The listing wisely avoids drawing that connection, though, instead laying the responsibility for inspiring this “synergistic marriage of architecture and art” at the unwitting feet of Antoni Gaudi and the city of Barcelona. Besides the clamshell décor, the most notable aspect of this Brion Jeanette design is its location inside Aliso Rock, a gigantic stone that sat peacefully on this beach for eons, watching a million gentle tides come and go, before being split asunder to make room for this house. The two-bedroom, three-bathroom home—which does have nice ocean views!—is asking $15M.

· 31107 Coast Highway [Surterre Properties] · 31107 Coast Highway [Zillow]

House marketed as ‘Frankenstein’ fixer-upper sells in 2 days, over list | Bedford Hills NY Real Estate

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Abandoned for three years, stripped of its kitchen and bathroom fixtures, and missing part of its roof, the two-bedroom fixer-upper was in such rough shape that its listing agent did not hesitate to market the property as “Frankenstein.

”Which made the home all the more attractive to plasterer and carpenter Chris Leczynski, who bought the Melbourne, Australia, property sight unseen two days after it hit the market, paying $11,000 over the asking price of $500,000. Source: news.com.au

 

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/wire/house-marketed-as-frankenstein-fixer-upper-sells-in-two-days-over-list/?utm_source=20131216&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyheadlinespm#sthash.R3mr5AHp.dpuf