An Ominous Start

BrooklynCoots
in ,

One February 6, 2015 I became the proud new owner of a Brooklyn Brownstone in serous need of some TLC. I had big plans for this property and an intention to hit the ground running as soon as I closed.

On February 4th, a particularly cold winter night, two pipes in the ground floor Garden Apartment burst, sending 11,000 gallons of water into the apartment, my cellar and the cellars of the neighbors. The house was empty, in anticipation of our closing — so it was up to fire department to respond. Water and heat was shut off and pumping began. 

At first I wasn't too troubled. I had known I would be gutting the garden apartment, just not so fast. Nothing could have prepared me for the devastation a little water can do. Everything was so wet and so old that it was literally dissolving before my eyes. Drywall, wood floors, cabinetry and of course carpet.

As the smell and black mold spores set in on day 3, I determined that in the middle of winter it would never dry out - everything would have to go and go fast. After a quick call to 311, I was confident that I could proceed to make the apartment secure and safe. We took it back to the brick foundations, which according to the citation I got from the DOB two weeks later, IS NOT  allowed without a permit.

Now I have a stop work permit on the Garden Apartment door, until my hearing on April 20.