a rel=nofollow target=_blank href=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_UKr9URsCkeE/SqkZQWpnXTI/AAAAAAAADik/ODxcxJDccDU/s1600-h/pineAA.jpgimg style=margin:0px auto 10px;display:block;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;width:380px;height:229px; src=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_UKr9URsCkeE/SqkZQWpnXTI/AAAAAAAADik/ODxcxJDccDU/s400/pineAA.jpg alt= id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379858998619495730 border=0//abr /Most of the folks that we see in Harlem who have old pine flooring try to replace it because the contractor deems it cheap and poor quality. It is true that regular pine is a soft wood and should not be used for floors, but what one finds in a 100 year-old building is actually Heart of Pine, which is just as valuable as any Brazilian Cherry Wood or any of today’s designer wood floors. br /br /Heart of Pine was cut from the core of the oldest, tallest pine trees that no longer exist today. Since these trees were the oldest in the forest, the wood was much harder and more durable than any pine wood that one would find on the market. In fact, all Heart of Pine sold today was either salvaged from old houses or fished from old riverbeds where pine mills used to process the wood. The above shows a close up of the tell-tale, long oval knots and tiger stripes that one finds in the wood. So restore that old pine floor and appreciate its character for it is one of a kind.div class=blogger-post-footerimg width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2048034911181517049-5380902978637326832?l=harlembespoke.blogspot.com’//div

a rel=nofollow target=_blank href=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_UKr9URsCkeE/SoAjvnhGe-I/AAAAAAAADAU/YCmCMPS9m2I/s1600-h/shell.jpgimg style=margin:0px auto 10px;display:block;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;width:400px;height:295px; src=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_UKr9URsCkeE/SoAjvnhGe-I/AAAAAAAADAU/YCmCMPS9m2I/s400/shell.jpg alt= id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368330056794274786 border=0//abr /How much is the renovation financing for a shell these days is a big question on people’s minds. Another issue is the financing for renovations loans to folks that are qualified. We have been hearing a lot about banks not giving out loans for total gut renovations if the developer does not have the assets to buy a shell for cash since the $400k-600K renovation cost will basically double any mortgage set up for a home. The best bets for starter buyers seem to be brownstones that are in a habitable state with bathroom and kitchen working and the ceiling, floors and walls intact. Peeling paint, missing chunks of plaster and surface cracks running throughout the walls are okay, just as long as things are in working order. Banks are more willing to finance this type of renovation loan for a first-time brownstone buyer who needs a mortgage since it will be less costly. So unless you can buy the a total shell for such a low price that would equal to a total cash purchase, do not depend on the banks to give out loans to renovate a complete gut renovation. The above photo is that of the shell on Malcolm X/Lenox Avenue’s landmarked block in Mount Morris Park.div class=blogger-post-footerimg width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2048034911181517049-5590311262681724063?l=harlembespoke.blogspot.com’//div

a rel=nofollow target=_blank href=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_UKr9URsCkeE/SntJ6H-SiRI/AAAAAAAAC7I/js8gyBCp_g8/s1600-h/woodbath.jpgimg style=display:block;margin:0px auto 10px;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;cursor:hand;width:380px;height:480px; src=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_UKr9URsCkeE/SntJ6H-SiRI/AAAAAAAAC7I/js8gyBCp_g8/s400/woodbath.jpg border=0 alt= id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366964643863628050//abr /a rel=nofollow target=_blank href=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_UKr9URsCkeE/SntJ5zpYHOI/AAAAAAAAC7A/jWKQCj5bLoY/s1600-h/bathA.jpgimg style=display:block;margin:0px auto 10px;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;cursor:hand;width:380px;height:288px; src=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_UKr9URsCkeE/SntJ5zpYHOI/AAAAAAAAC7A/jWKQCj5bLoY/s400/bathA.jpg border=0 alt= id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366964638407204066//abr /a rel=nofollow target=_blank href=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_UKr9URsCkeE/SntJ5i3e0zI/AAAAAAAAC64/CDZZeIwNtRU/s1600-h/bathC.jpgimg style=display:block;margin:0px auto 10px;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;cursor:hand;width:380px;height:470px; src=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_UKr9URsCkeE/SntJ5i3e0zI/AAAAAAAAC64/CDZZeIwNtRU/s400/bathC.jpg border=0 alt= id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366964633902961458//abr /Many folks are often confused about what makes a bathroom period appropriate and current. Too much of one or the other can throw off the balance of a historic home. The center photo is that of a bath in many of the catalogs in the mid 19th century when indoor plumbing for the middle classes started to catch on. Wood combinations and wood encased cast-iron tubs, marble floors and wallpaper were quite common. Tiles came into play later on in the century when mass manufacturing caught on and the combination of subway tiles, wood and wallpaper can be seen by the 1890’s (last photo). Note the older homes had polished brass fixtures while the newer ones at the turn of century preferred polished nickel-plated brass. The top photo is a great example of having many of these elements together to for a bath appropriate for a 19th century historic home. The striped wall paper is a bit more masculine and an absolute must is that the hardware and fixture look new and not distressed. Wood paneling surrounds the tub and soft elements such as woven carpets and framed art set a more classic mood for a room great for a master bath but maybe not so much for the kids. This kind of bathroom would be great for the Sylvan Terrace row houses for they predate many of the brownstones in Harlem. We will cover other types of baths in future post.div class=blogger-post-footerimg width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2048034911181517049-8651142179371611333?l=harlembespoke.blogspot.com’//div

a rel=nofollow target=_blank href=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_UKr9URsCkeE/SmW0sfCFDCI/AAAAAAAAClU/8cAL1WlR2oE/s1600-h/stoop.jpgimg style=display:block;margin:0px auto 10px;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;cursor:hand;width:400px;height:309px; src=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_UKr9URsCkeE/SmW0sfCFDCI/AAAAAAAAClU/8cAL1WlR2oE/s400/stoop.jpg border=0 alt= id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360889607791905826//abr /a rel=nofollow target=_blank href=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_UKr9URsCkeE/SmW0r9bpxHI/AAAAAAAAClM/gO7xjf3RhiQ/s1600-h/stoopscratch.jpgimg style=display:block;margin:0px auto 10px;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;cursor:hand;width:400px;height:300px; src=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_UKr9URsCkeE/SmW0r9bpxHI/AAAAAAAAClM/gO7xjf3RhiQ/s400/stoopscratch.jpg border=0 alt= id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360889598772364402//abr /Nothing is more Harlem than the brownstone stoop and they often are not in great condition. We occasionally see the tell-tale sign of stoop resurfacing by the scratch coat finish that the restoration entails before applying the final, smoother, brown coat. The stoops on first photos are from our West 132nd Street tour and the lower photo is a stoop in progress from the owner of a NYC brownstone at a rel=nofollow target=_blank href=http://reclaimedhome.com/2009/07/15/the-10700-stoop/reclaimedhome.com/a. The owner paid $10,000 for a responsible contractor but admitted it could cost less if one was willing to take a quality risk. So there you have it. A good chunk of change but worth it in the long run for the those lazy summer conversations on the steps.div class=blogger-post-footerimg width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2048034911181517049-3364336935644432588?l=harlembespoke.blogspot.com’//div

a rel=nofollow target=_blank href=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_UKr9URsCkeE/SmQ7r1TFZrI/AAAAAAAACkE/Cwfufirv4wY/s1600-h/jimmysmith.jpgimg style=display:block;margin:0px auto 10px;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;cursor:hand;width:400px;height:400px; src=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_UKr9URsCkeE/SmQ7r1TFZrI/AAAAAAAACkE/Cwfufirv4wY/s320/jimmysmith.jpg border=0 alt= id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360475080705271474//abr /a rel=nofollow target=_blank href=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_UKr9URsCkeE/SmQ-eAVJQJI/AAAAAAAACkM/vNdpYLHD9Rw/s1600-h/kates.jpgimg style=display:block;margin:0px auto 10px;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;cursor:hand;width:400px;height:300px; src=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_UKr9URsCkeE/SmQ-eAVJQJI/AAAAAAAACkM/vNdpYLHD9Rw/s320/kates.jpg border=0 alt= id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360478141683417234//abr /This jazz great Jimmy Smith’s album cover is also a record of another institution in Harlem. Kate’s Home Cooking was a luncheonette on 2355 8th Avenue (corner of West 126th Street) as one can see in the window sign of the album. Lore has it that because it was on the street closest to the back entrance of the Apollo Theater, all the bands used to drop by Kate’s after performing each night. The Unity Chapel which the same sign references is still their this daydivbut the charming eatery has long since been closed. The now defunct Harlem Fragrance (lower photo) had most recently inhabited the space and maybe someone today can come in and revive this central Harlem favorite. Thanks also to Bespoke reader Jamal on the fantastic tip./divdiv class=blogger-post-footerimg width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2048034911181517049-9154310650644745070?l=harlembespoke.blogspot.com’//div

a rel=nofollow target=_blank href=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6BChCw7WlKo/Si-Ko6wVGAI/AAAAAAAABD0/BgJ4SP-XPEA/s1600-h/Picture+1956-1.JPGimg id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345643718283433986 style=DISPLAY:block;MARGIN:0px auto 10px;WIDTH:400px;CURSOR:hand;HEIGHT:244px;TEXT-ALIGN:center; alt= src=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6BChCw7WlKo/Si-Ko6wVGAI/AAAAAAAABD0/BgJ4SP-XPEA/s400/Picture+1956-1.JPG border=0//a( all sides of the Dk has Entrance holes very common in the north)br /br /br /diva rel=nofollow target=_blank href=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6BChCw7WlKo/Si-KQBNjdNI/AAAAAAAABDs/SmfxDPnsJqU/s1600-h/Picture+1945-1.JPGimg id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345643290519893202 style=DISPLAY:block;MARGIN:0px auto 10px;WIDTH:400px;CURSOR:hand;HEIGHT:300px;TEXT-ALIGN:center; alt= src=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6BChCw7WlKo/Si-KQBNjdNI/AAAAAAAABDs/SmfxDPnsJqU/s400/Picture+1945-1.JPG border=0//a ( beautifully located)br /br /divbr /p class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;I was in A.Setar few days ago. It is very convenience now that FireFly flies direct there. I usually fly to Penang and my readers will pick me there if I visit farms in Kedah./span/pbr /br /p class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;/span/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;I was invited there to revive a Stand alone farm which was located in a greenery area that has plentiful of food for swiftlets. It was a double storey farm. Sadly it was not done properly. The consultant of the farm never takes any consideration of the necessary basic internal /span/pbr /br /p class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;environment when he designed the farm. I guess it more for money making rather than the objective of making a good and successful farm or perhaps lack of skill and knowledge? For sure nobody knows./span/pbr /br /p class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;/span/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;The farm has been operated for 1 yr and it has only 5 nests. Some of them half built and left. How could it be? It was sad to see a farm in good location with poor result./span/pbr /br /p class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;/span/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;The basic requirements were never met. The Rh was constantly 60% even with the all humidifiers switched on. Can you imagine that? /span/pbr /br /p class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;/span/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;The temp was 32C, what if on a hot day? /span/pbr /br /p class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;The inter hole was so small which only good for a person to access. The placement was wrong. I can easily pin point many mistakes. How could someone design a farm like this. The external and internal sound were bad too./span/pbr /br /p class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;/span/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;Best of all the farm has 4 entrace holes of all sizes on the Dk. I asked the owner didn’t you ask the consultant why needed so many entrace holes? Reply was easy for birds to access from all directions. I replied then you should have chosen an open roof./span/pbr /br /p class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;/span/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;The size of the roving is the same size of my house toilet. I think mine is bigger. That is not all there is a slap on the inside middle of the Dk making another hole. I asked the owner didn’t the consultant explain the purpose of this slap? He replied for reducing the light. Oh I see…/span/pbr /br /p class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;/span/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;If the light is the problem then why open so many entrace holes? You see now all these contradict with the consultant’s answer./span/pbr /br /p class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;/span/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;The flying path was never considered when designing the farm. I explained to the owner the reason behind the high tem and Rh, etc. It was very hard to swallow when the owner understand how things worked and discovered all these mistakes. I told the owner just go and grab any Swiftlets book in the market it will tell you that the Rh has to be 75-85% and Temp has to be around 27-30C. The farm can’t even achieve these basic requirements standard how one expect to have a successful farm. The owner said, whenever I ask him he will tell me” don’t worries let me take care of it./span/pbr /br /p class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;/span/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;Yet this consultant is no a small timer there, quite famous there claimed by the owner. /span/pbr /br /p class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;Now the farm has to be revamped in order to have good result. It was lucky to have 5 nests if it located in a poor zone I think to have 1 nest is a problem./span/pbr /br /p class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;/span/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;Everything has been explained to the owner and now it is time for revamp./span/pbr /br /p class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;/span/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;I hope some of you out there won’t face this similar situation. It is not easy to swallow. Money had been paid for works of poor designed building./span/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;If you have such problem call me : 012-3173811/pbr /br /p class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;/span/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;span style=font-family:Georgia;Good Luck! /span/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;./pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;(在北部Dk的所有方向有入口是非常普通的)br /(位置於完美的地方)br /前几天我在AlorSetar前。现在FireFly直接飞行那裡，它是非常方便的。如果我參觀 Kedah的農場, 我通常飛到Penang，然后我的讀者將载我到那裡。br /我被邀請到那边復興位于綠葉區域有豐富燕子的食物的單獨燕屋農場。 它是一個雙層 樓燕屋農場。很可惜它未適當地做。當他設計燕屋農場时, 燕屋農場的顧問從未考慮 所有必要的基本屋內環境。我猜測或許它是为了钱而做更不是为了做好和成功的燕屋農場或缺乏技巧和知識？ 肯定沒人知道。燕屋農場被管理1年，並且它只有5巢。 有些造了一半和離開。 怎麼可能？ 可悲的是看到一個在好地點的燕屋農場有如此 恶劣的結果。 基本的要求曾未符合。虽然开了所有潤濕器Rh經常还是60%。 您能否想像那？温度还是32C，那在熱天呢？相互孔是很小的只有人可以进出的。 安置是錯誤的。 我可以容易地點住許多差錯。 怎麼可能某人設計象這样的一個燕屋農場。 外部和內部聲音也是壞的。最好笑的是燕屋農場有4個一样大小 在Dk的入口。 我問屋主是否有問过顧問為什麼要有許多入口？ 答案是容易让燕子從所有方向进入。 我回復了您應該選擇了一個開放屋頂。旋转的大小是好象我的洗手間的相同大小。 我認為我的是更大的。 那不是全部, 那裡还有另一個入口是做在Dk裡面的中部。 我問屋主是否有問过顧問為什麼要有這個入口的目的？ 他说為減少光线。 噢我看見… 如果光线是個問題為什麼还開放許多入口呢？ 您現在看見所有這些抗辯與顧問的 答復是有差别的。 當設計燕屋農場时，飛行道路未曾被考慮。 我解释了给屋主對所有高温度和Rh之後的原因等等。屋主是非常难瞭解所有的事当他發現了所有這些差錯。 我告诉了屋主在市場上买一些有关燕屋的書它將告诉您所有 的燕屋農場 Rh必須是75-85%，並且温度必須是在27-30C附近。 如果一個燕屋 農場无法達到這些基本的標準要求, 一個人怎麼可以期望有一個成功的燕屋農場。 所有說，每當他問顧問問題, 顧問將告訴他 “不憂慮讓我会照料。 這位顧問 在那裡不是一个无名小卒，屋主說在那裡是相當著名的。為了有好的結果现在燕屋農場必須被修補。幸運的是它还有5个窝， 如果是在1個不好的區域我認為有1个窝 还是成問題。 對屋主解釋了一切，並且現在是修補时间。 我希望你們不会面對這 個相似的情況。是不容易吞下的。付了钱但是的到如此恶劣的大廈設計。 如果您有這樣問題的告诉我： 012-3173811 祝您好运!br //pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;./pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;/pp class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN:0in 0in 0pt;./p/div/divdiv class=blogger-post-footerimg width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2890421321751520784-7136306790965741732?l=swiftletfarmer.blogspot.com’//div

(ready to be delivered)

“a hobby to serve all farmers”

Last year in January, I came home one day in a pouring rainstorm to find that water was seeping into my residence through one of the ceiling light fixtures. We were able to deal with it temporarily by placing a bucket under the drip and hoping the problem wouldn’t get worse, but it was still a very unsettling thing to realize that the place you live in is not waterproof.

A month later, the problem got worse when another heavy rainstorm caused much more damage: water was leaking through the roof, through the walls, and pooling in the upstairs carpeting. I woke up on a Sunday morning in February to find a lake growing in the carpet. Fortunately, I have one of those Bissel carpet shampooers, which just happens to be a great tool for sucking water out of carpets, and it definitely earned its keep on that morning. I was glad I have that shampooer, because without it, I don’t know how I would have kept the rising flood from getting much worse than it did. As it was, there was still enough water to soak through the upstairs floor and into the downstairs.

The leaking roof meant that those early-2008 rains caused a lot of damage both inside and out, and for months afterward, contractors came to replace the roof (which hadn’t been replaced in 25 years, and I was told the roof was only designed for 15-20 years of life, so it was definitely time), repair the drywall, and paint. Now the place looks brand new, and the painted walls are a brighter, more inviting color – the downstairs had been a pale grey and is now what the painters call “sandy beach” (although my kids tease me that it looks pink), and it looks remarkably more welcoming than what had been there before – so all’s well that ends well, even though it was an inconvenience having all those workers around for such a long time.

A month or two after this was all over, another rainfall showed me that the roof repairs had blocked up the drainage off of the roof, causing the roof to flood. Now, you might be wondering how a roof can flood. Well, you see, my roof isn’t an ordinary roof; it’s actually a deck. The following pictures are a little old – in fact they’re from when I first moved here, because I already have these pictures and I’m too lazy to take new ones – but they’ll give you an idea of what the rooftop deck area looks like, more or less:

As you can see, the rooftop is enclosed on all sides by a short wall, which means that if there isn’t adequate drainage, potentially a flood up there could be a very bad thing. So, I had a plumber friend of my neighbor’s repair the drain. (Probably I shouldn’t have needed to, since the guys who did the original contracting job were at fault, but … well, trust me, this way was just easier for lots of reasons.)

I’m extremely glad I did, because it’s now February again, which is heavy-rainfall season in southern California. It’s been raining here for the past several days. A couple of days during that time I went up to look at the roof to make sure everything was okay, and it was, which was reassuring. On Friday – two days ago – the rainfall got especially heavy, but I didn’t think there was anything to be concerned about because I had checked on the roof occasionally to make sure all was well, so I knew I could relax.

Well, I thought I could relax … until water started leaking into the upstairs again. It wasn’t much, just some drips around a door frame, but still!

After all that repair work, I thought, this place still isn’t waterproof??

So I went up to the roof to see what was going on, and that’s when I discovered that the entire deck was six inches deep in cold, cold water. That’s when I really freaked out. In a panic, and in bare feet, I went out with a bucket and started to bail water over the sides – until I realized that there was so much water there that this approach would take all night.

That’s when I went over to the drain to see if I could see why it wasn’t working like I thought it should, only to find that the drain cover had been dislodged and a big pile of leaves was blocking the drain.

Thank god, I thought. I can fix this!

I pulled the leaves out of the drain – and there were a lot of them &ndash and replaced the drain cover, and thank goodness, the water started draining again. Not long afterward, the wading pool that had formed on my roof had subsided, and life was normal again. With the crisis over, I went inside to take a long, hot shower to revive my frozen hands and feet.

The next day, I told this story to my neighbor. He pointed out something I hadn’t thought of at all: with all that extra water weight on the roof, he says I’m lucky the roof didn’t collapse. Yikes!

I have now learned my lesson: I will never again procrastinate clearing the fallen leaves off of that deck area. A drain cover is a good thing to have up to a point, but it can’t do its job when it’s covered in a huge pile of leaves.

Now I know.

A little “candy” for those fighting for the landmarked Corn Exchange Building. We have seen the former Mount Morris Bank Building incomplete and deteriorating in real time and as a fully complete building in sketches but rare is the photo of the building as it once was. Only on Harlem Bespoke will one find the complete collection of photos from circa 1920 and 1930 showing different views of the building from various vantage points. The top three photos provide a great side profile of the building with its stepped, pitched gable roof and chimneys peering from the avenue sides of the building. The last photo is the complete front facade of the building with its bay windows, parapets, miniature gables and multiple chimney stacks in full view on 125th Street.

Today, the roof is completely missing and no eyes have seen the complete building for about three decades. The structure reminds us of the Chelsea Hotel with all of its chimneys, peaks, parapets and red brick facade. And to the Architects who are working on putting it back together, note the original sketch is not true to the final design since the large, stepped pitched gable was added to the side street profile and missing from the original drawings. To read about the battle to save this building, see the original sketch and witness the current state of the building, by following the previous post: LINK