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Manhattan Remodel and Cape Cod Affordable > Episode 18: Finishing Details in the Manhattan Brownstone

Kitchen and Butler's Pantry, Venetian Blinds, and Luxury Kitchen Appliances, Finishes, and Cabinetry

Project: Manhattan Remodel and Cape Cod Affordable, Episode 18, Part 2

Bob Vila's Home Again wraps up its 15th season on a walk-though of the completed Manhattan Brownstone floor-through apartment. From the exterior facade, where 1890s Brownstone and wrought iron detailing have been cleaned and revitalized, to the grand living room where original cornice molding was uncovered and restored, this project has given 21st-century life to a 19th-century home. Bob looks at how symmetry was restored to choppy spaces that once housed two apartments. Height and space have been restored, with full 12 foot ceilings in the living room and beautiful quarter-sawn Ash floors from Bellawood throughout the space. A new fireplace surround was built on-site by Fort Hill Construction after the original fireplace was revitalized with a flexible steel liner. The kitchen now has a built-in bar and cupboards with the flavor of a butler's pantry, complete with architectural glass fronts from Bendheim. The office space, oversized island, and kitchen counters are all Basaltina stone. The brushed metal drawer pulls and handles blend the stone with the stainless steel appliances from Sub Zero and Wolf. All in all, this is the 21st-century luxury that maintains the legacy of the families who built these proud Brownstones more than 100 years ago.

Part 1: Facade Details and Windows and the Interior's Finished Cornice Molding, Flooring, and Fireplace
Part 2: Kitchen and Butler's Pantry, Venetian Blinds, and Luxury Kitchen Appliances, Finishes, and Cabinetry: The huge space that is the kitchen of the Manhattan Brownstone has received its finishing details. Basaltina stone covers the counters, island, desk area, and built-in bar. There is a large double-door utility closet that houses the washer and dryer, as well as brooms and cleaning supplies. The custom cabinetry has a classic wainscoting profile and an off-white catalyzed finish. There is floor-to-ceiling storage that will need to be accessed, perhaps with a library ladder to traverse the space. Project manager Chris Vila shows Bob the built-in bar space that is designed to look like a butler's pantry, complete with glass-front cupboards and restoration-glass inserts from Bendheim. The Sub Zero 42-bottle capacity wine fridge is compatible with the home's security system to safeguard precious wine collections and block access. Kara Roberts from Smith & Noble joins Bob in the front rooms of the Manhattan Brownstone to show him the Smith & Noble wide-slat blinds that have been installed. The new windows are a full eight feet tall, allowing lots of light and picturesque views of the neighborhood. The blinds can be raised fully, lowered by degrees, and left with open or angled slats to control the light and privacy. These custom blinds were ordered online and shipped within four days, all for under $200. Standard ladder blinds are perfect for the space, but can be ordered with decorative tapes and custom valances for a personalized look. Bob and Chris Vila are in the huge kitchen of the Manhattan Brownstone with floor-to-ceiling cabinets and oversized elements that take advantage of the abundant space. The island is a full 96 inches wide with front-facing deep cabinets and drawers with panel fronts that match the wainscoting throughout the kitchen and living space. The appliances are large-scale, professional quality, and stainless-steel. The 48-inch Wolf range has six burners, a central grill station, and convection and standard ovens. The Wolf range hood is also stainless steel, and functions as a smart appliance, responding to heat by automatically turning on and adjusting its fan speed. The hood vents to the outside and has halogen lighting. A pot-filling faucet sits above the stove for easy filling of large pots. The stainless-steel sink is made by Julien of Canada and features front drawers for sponge and scrubber storage.
Part 3: Finished Brownstone Bathroom, Bedroom, and Patio

This project deals with two very different notions of home. Bob begins on New York City's Upper West Side, where an 1890s Brownstone is revitalized through high-quality craftsmanship and sensitive design. New York's past meets its present, as the entire floor is recaptured and refurbished to create a spacious urban apartment on the doorstep of Central Park.

At the same time, Bob works with a Cape Cod developer to apply Massachusetts land use statute 40B to create affordable housing, and a neighborhood of homes in Mashpee, MA. These Energy Star certified homes show how quality building practices and reasonable asking prices can work together to provide livable, affordable homes and neighborhoods to those who work in our communities.

Also from Manhattan Remodel and Cape Cod Affordable

Episode 1 - A New Lift for a Manhattan Brownstone
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Description:
Bob is on Manhattan's Upper West Side to renew a 2,000-square-foot Brownstone apartment. First, he looks at what made Brownstones significant, including their details and façades.<br> <br> Inside the building, Bob shows how the space was cut up in the 1940s to make a warren of rooms. These walls and finishes will be removed as the space is gutted to prepare for new studs, walls, plumbing, and finishes.<br> <br> Pieces will be salvaged for architectural resale, including the pink sink from the bathroom and the retro cabinets in the kitchen, but everything else will go. Bob also visits Central Park, its caretakers, trees, and monuments.
Episode 2 - Demolition in the Manhattan Brownstone
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Description:
The big story is the cornice molding found in tact when the drop ceiling came down. The molding will set a tone for the main living space, where the bricks have been removed to install a flue liner and drafting fireplace. All of the 40s wall, surface, and ceiling treatments are gone, along with the lath and plaster, leaving the bare brick and exposed joists from the original construction. Remodels have cut into the joist work or damaged it, so some reworking will be necessary to build up for the floors and ceilings. The floor joists are sistered to make a level, solid footing for the Georgia-Pacific Plytanium subflooring that goes under the wood floor. Laser levels allow the carpenters to set level lines throughout the apartment horizontally for the floor and vertically for the new steel studs they are installing. Finally, a flexible flue liner is run through the wall, and up the chimney for the new fireplace.
Episode 3 - Building Affordable Homes on Cape Cod
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Description:
Affordable housing is the story in this project as Bob heads to Mashpee, Massachusetts on Cape Cod, where a state law is helping put higher density, affordable housing in place for four families who live and work in the community. Bob meets Pat Fiero of the Housing Assistance Corporation who explains the hurdles faced by families needing to live near their workplaces in a town where the average home price is $450,000. Bob visits Mashpee Commons and looks at mixed-use development that is providing a town center, housing, commercial property, recreational space, and a new church as a start to this new town development. Bob also meets the developer, Joe Valle, who explains the challenges in developing affordable housing and how this project was made possible by invoking Massachusetts? 40B land use and development law. On site, Bob Bevilaqua moves the earth to prepare the sites, shows the tie-offs for electrical and phone lines, and explains the drainage plan.
Episode 4 - Falmouth's Model for Quality Affordable Housing
Episode 8 - Installing Drop Ceilings, Custom Windows, and Mechanicals
Episode 9 - Paneling the Kitchen, Installing Hot Water, and Hanging Doors
Episode 10 - Cladding, Insulating, and Zoning for an Affordable Home
Episode 13 - Installing Pre-Hung Doors, Hardwood Floors, and Gutters
Episode 14 - Affordable HVAC, Painting, Kitchen Cabinets and Counters
Episode 15 - Installing Glazed Wall Tile and a Pedestal Sink
Episode 16 - Refurbishing Wrought Iron, Custom Kitchen Cabinets, Profile Molding
Episode 17 - Kitchens, Feng Shui, and Energy Star Homes

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