Author: Dena driver

New to the market!

October 28, 2024

51 Hicks Street, 1 Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11201
For Rent| Apartment Building| Built 1831

5 Beds | 4 Baths/1 Half Bath | 3500 Approx. Sqft | Outdoor Space | $24,500
Available 11/01/24
The Details

ABOUT 51 HICKS STREET, 1, BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN, NY 11201
MIDDAGH STREET and CRANBERRY STREET

Experience the epitome of brownstone living at 51 Hicks Street, an exquisite full brownstone rental in the heart of Brooklyn Heights. This stunning property features 5-6 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, and a spacious private backyard, all adorned with high-end finishes, top-of-the-line appliances, and central air throughout.
This Brooklyn row house was built in the Federal style with a red brick facade in the 1830s The homes offers beautiful original moldings and many fireplaces, on the lower floor large colonial hearths and the stone wall between these is schist, the bedrock of NYC. On the parlor floor the exposed brick is lovely and has wood inlays as well as lovingly restored wide plank hard wood floors.
The Garden Floor offers a versatile large open room with two fireplaces, perfect for a den, playroom, gym, or guest bedroom suite. This floor also includes a secondary area ideal for an office or study, along with a full bathroom.On the Parlor Floor, you’ll find a large wrap-around kitchen that spans the full width of the house, complete with a kitchen island and all-new appliances. The expansive living room features a fireplace, and there’s a convenient powder room. Step out onto the large deck (24′ by 10′) that leads into a 65-foot-deep back garden, perfect for outdoor entertaining.The 2nd Floor is home to the primary bedroom with an ensuite bathroom, as well as a second bedroom or library. This floor also includes a separate laundry room equipped with a full-size washer and dryer.The 3rd Floor boasts three additional bedrooms and two full bathrooms. Enjoy the charm of beautiful dormer windows and take in the stunning views of Manhattan from the mansard roof.

Parking is available for an additional charge.

Located in the best-of-the-best Brooklyn Heights, this property offers the perfect blend of tranquility and convenience. Just a short stroll to the Promenade, bistros, amenities, and DUMBO, and only1.5 blocks from the A/C train stop, you’ll enjoy quick and easy travel throughout the city. Additionally, a pathway and footbridge provide direct access to Brooklyn Bridge Park and the new deep-water marina.

Discover brownstone living at its finest at 51 Hicks Street!
Call today or send me a message on my contact me page today.

New! 14 Schermerhorn Street

August 8, 2024

Exquisite full Parlor Floor with Huge south facinhg private backyard!
This lovely 2BR 1.5Bth apartment is brand new and available for lease now.
14 Schermerhorn St is a completely re-designed living experience in the heart of Brooklyn Heights. A classic pre-war building with modern finishes allowing residents to enjoy the comforts of modern living without sacrificing the charm and character that has made the neighborhood one of the most sought after destinations in New York. This spacious residence has undergone an elegant transformation to be in sync with modern life including high-end appliances, sleek design, clean lines, oversize windows and split system A/C. While keeping the building’s gorgeous original features and entryway.
The stunning parlor floor has high ceilings with light streaming in from 12 foot high floor to ceiling windows. The chef’s kitchen looks into an airy living room overlooking your own private back yard. The primary bedroom has a large walk in closet.
The home is beautifully remodeled with new kitchen, abundant cabinets, open concept stone countertops and new appliances. Split system A/C – W/D and dishwasher too. New bathrooms complete with gorgeous marble tile and shower.
Garden stairs leading into a huge private yard. An incredibly unique parlor floor, flooded with light.
Nestled on a tree lined street in Brooklyn Heights near all major subway and ferry lines. Heat and hot water included for cozy winters without extra cost.
Fantastic access to transit and all great things Brooklyn like L’ Appartement 4F and Gage and Tollner, along with the Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Brownstone Living at it’s Finest!

Listing Courtesy of Corcoran, Dena Driver, (929) 339-0793, Resource data displayed by Corcoran Group

Red Hook: Brooklyn’s Urban Seaport Village

May 28, 2024

Once you step on its cobblestone streets, glimpse Valentino Pier’s vistas,or even whiff its briny air, Red Hook will reel you in.

BY JEREMY KLEIN

This is Red Hook   The PlaceThe Place

The tale of New York City is countless chapters long, undergoing an ad infinitum cycle of revisions and addendums. As such, there is always time for a rise-and-fall story arc to shoot upward again. In seaside Red Hook, an ethos of getting back off the mat is integral to the area’s perpetual charm, making it more than a mere contender. Down along Brooklyn’s coast — across Buttermilk Channel from Governors Island and within waving distance of the Statue of Liberty — this remarkable neighborhood has cultivated an identity like few others across NYC’s sprawling reach. To know Red Hook is to love it, so let’s waste no more time on the former so we can get right to the latter.

The Place

Time tried to forget Red Hook, but it’s not the neighborhood’s style to go down without a fight. It keeps a low profile, figuratively and literally: the closest thing you’ll find to a tower is the Red Hook Grain Terminal, a 12-story waterfront grain elevator at the foot of Henry Street Pier. Bypassed by subway construction in the 20th century, today’s Red Hook is a last stand of the low-rise industrial waterfront that helped fashion New York as a global economic powerhouse. Its main drag, along Van Brunt Street, feels more like a sleepy New England fishing village than a business district within a global city. The streets here go quiet earlier than most, leaving Red Hook’s cobblestone lanes with a surreal level of tranquility — especially on weeknights. A lack of high-rises affords unobstructed views of the starry night sky, not to mention the lights of bobbing tugboats and Staten Island’s hillsides twinkling off the water. Much of Red Hook resides in buildings that have stood since its heyday and accordingly retain sought-after period details — think exposed brick, woodwork, concrete floors, etc. — that can never be recreated. Among Red Hook’s more distinct vintage structures are its three “stores,” or storehouses, some dating to before the Civil War. The extant brick buildings — the Beard and Robinson Stores, the Merchant Stores, and the Red Hook Stores — are almost hypnotic in design, sporting infinite-seeming rows of extra-large arched windows. Today, this triad has been spun off into numerous functions: loft residences, studio spaces, a winery, and more.

Although the commercial spaces largely share a common brand, Red Hook’s housing stock is eclectic and varied. Townhouses here are often revitalized interpretations of familiar forms, renovations of 19th- and 20th-century builds that bring things into the modern era yet remain aesthetically true. Many of these are Red Hook originals, pleasantly quirky and imbued with nautical themes interwoven into the area’s vernacular. Gleaming modern condos add a further dimension to the offerings, frequently housed in new developments offering many amenities. There are a few certified, capital-H Historic parts of Red Hook. Van Dyke Street is the site of the city-landmarked, c. 1859 Brooklyn Clay Retort and Fire Brick Works Storehouse. If you can’t decipher that mouthful, know that this place was instrumental in manufacturing illuminating gas (pre-Edison developing his electric light bulb) and flame-resistant industrial material (eventually utilized as an architectural component in areas like Ridgewood around the early 20th century). It’s another visually striking edifice, sporting a dark gray schist facade and basilica-inspired elements like a trio of arched entrances and a bull’s-eye window overlooking Van Dyke. Befitting Red Hook’s water-reliant history, the neighborhood’s two landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places are currently asea. The Mary A. Whalen is a c. 1938 bell boat tanker — controlled from its engine room via telegraph signals from the bridge — perma-docked near the Atlantic Basin, a rare find surviving in its original configuration. Meanwhile, the Lehigh Valley Railroad Barge No. 79 is, well, a barge. This flat-bottomed vessel was part of the Erie Canal’s lighter fleet, steered by workers with long oars to transfer goods to and from moored ships.

more “Red Hook: Brooklyn’s Urban Seaport Village” …

New York City Nabs Stretch of Brooklyn Coastline to Redevelop

May 28, 2024
Cargo warehouses at the Red Hook Container Terminal, with Downtown Brooklyn in the background. Photographer: Michael Lee/Moment RF

The city will take control of 120 acres from Brooklyn Bridge Park to Red Hook to develop a neighborhood around a modernized port.

New York City will take control of 120 acres of Brooklyn’s coastline, intending to develop a rugged patch of land into housing, retail, green space, and a modern, environmentally friendly port.

The no-cash deal, which will be announced Tuesday, represents the city government’s biggest real estate transaction in terms of physical size in at least two decades. The redevelopment zone stretches more than a mile, from the southern edge of Brooklyn Bridge Park down to the Red Hook neighborhood, and in some places a block inland. Most of that land is currently controlled by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

As reported by Bloomberg.com

Michael Stern defaults on Brooklyn’s tallest tower

April 3, 2024
MAR 27, 2024 AT 6:41 PM
By Rich Bockmann

 

The 11 Best NYC Christmas Trees

December 15, 2023

One of the most popular traditions in New York in winter is going to see the Christmas trees. Here are some of the most spectacular ones you should not miss, so get your camera out!

As Reported by Hellotickets.com 

At Christmas in New York there are a thousand things to do: this season is celebrated in style with lights, trees, gifts, amazingly decorated shop windows… nothing is too much. And one of the most beautiful traditions is to go, with your family, partner or friends, to visit the main Christmas trees in the city.

If you are a Christmas lover, make a list of the most spectacular and historic fir trees you can’t miss in the city that never sleeps.

1. Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

The iconic Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center| ©Ibrahim Boran

The lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree has been a custom since 1931and marks the beginning of New York’s Christmas season. This 20-meter-tall tree has no less than 50,000 LED bulbs and is crowned by a Swarovski star weighing more than 400 kilos. It is undoubtedly the most popular tree in the city.This tree whose choice is quite exhaustive, as it can come from anywhere in the U.S., has to be at least half a century old.If you have any doubts about the spectacularity of this event, think that it is broadcast on national television, making it a very special moment for both New Yorkers and tourists who choose this date to visit the city.Also, since you are in the area, you should know that Rockefeller Center offers many things to see and do at Christmas, so it should definitely be at the top of the list.Where is it located… Rockefeller Center, in Midtown Manhattan.

2. Madison Square Park Christmas Tree

Madison Square Park Christmas Tree| ©Shinya Suzuki

If you’re wondering where the first Christmas tree was installed in the USA, the answer is Madison Square Park. In 1912, a Christmas tree was installed in this iconic location and this tradition has been maintained to this day. Thus, the Madison Square Park Christmas tree is one of the most popular in the city.

Located in the heart of Manhattan, this park is one of the best parks in New York: it is a true Christmas oasis in the midst of the chaos of the city, so I recommend you stop by and see it when you are on your way through the streets and avenues of Midtown.

Where to findit… 11 Madison Avenue, between 26th and 23rd Street.

3. The Christmas tree at the American Museum of Natural History

Golden Christmas at the Museum| ©Oleg Magni

It is one of the most beautiful Christmas trees in New York City for the originality of its decoration, based on origami creations. In addition, the theme changes every year.

If you are passionate about culture, you can not miss the best museums in New Yorkduring Christmas, as they will also help you to shelter from the cold and low temperatures of New York in December.

To see this tree you will have to go to the Museum of Natural History in New York, a must on your trip. Here is the post Natural History Museum of New York so you can be fully prepared for this visit.

Where is it located… Natural History Museum, 200 Central Park West.

4. Bryant Park Christmas Tree

Christmas in Bryant Park| ©Mike Carey

The Bryant Park Christmas tree is another of New York City’s most popular trees with more than 30,000 lights and 3,500 Christmas balls. In addition, the environment in which it is located between skyscrapers makes it even more special.

And when you go to see this tree, I recommend you take a walk through the park and take into account all the things you can see and do in Bryant Park.

Another great attraction of this park is its beautiful ice skating rink, where you can slide on the ice and travel to your childhood for a while. You will feel like in a movie!

Where is it located… It is located around The Rink, the ice skating rink of Bryant Park.

5. Wall Street Christmas Tree

Wall Street Christmas Tree| ©Sean Marshall

Located next to the New York Stock Exchange building, this is one of the largest trees in the city and was the first to have electric lights in the city. Previously, Christmas trees were lit with candles, but, as you can imagine, this was a very dangerous practice.

In addition, this part of Downtown Manhattan also has a lot to offer, so take advantage of your walk around the area to explore some of the most iconic sites, such as nearby Ground Zero, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, and the One World Observatory.

Where is it located… 1, Wall Street.

see all the rest and more at hellotickets.com

Happy Holidays

Amazing Historic Opportunity Out East.

August 25, 2023
I am spreading my wings out east, and you might want to too. This listing is full of potential.
Come to my Open House on Sunday
August 27 – From 1-3.

24 Woodlawn Avenue East Moriches, NY 11940

FOR SALE | SINGLE FAMILY TOWNHOUSE

 

5 Beds | 3 Baths | 2405 Approx. Sqft | Outdoor Space |$799,000
Annual Tax: $114,528.00 | Available 09/01/23

ABOUT 24 WOODLAWN AVENUE, EAST MORICHES, NY 11940

Historic East Moriches Farmhouse with Legacy Barn: Where Heritage Embraces Modern Comfort Step into the charm of East Moriches in this lovingly updated colonial-era farmhouse. Settled on a generous 1.52-acre plot, the home offers over 2400 sq ft of comfortable living space, blending its historical essence with today’s lifestyle. Key Features: – Eat-in Kitchen – Cozy Formal Dining and Living Rooms – Bright Sunroom with scenic views – Four welcoming bedrooms paired with three full baths – Traditional hardwood detailing: original growth Douglas fir on the ground floor and upstairs, enhanced by hand-nailed knotty white pine wide plank floors – Character-filled entryway with a single-slab American chestnut saddle, leading to a warmly inviting front door with antique door bell – Warm wood-burning fireplace with intriguing hidden panel doors – Historical recognition as the former White Horse Inn, a notable Montauk highway stop from the early 1800s A true East Moriches landmark: the barn, adorned with the signature white horse emblem Surrounded by age-old Black Walnut and Elm trees, this property exudes a peaceful atmosphere. Equestrian lovers will value its proximity to a nearby working horse farm, while those fond of the coast will be pleased to have the shoreline just a short stroll away. Cherished by a single family for three generations, this dwelling isn’t just a place to live-it’s a slice of East Moriches’ story, inviting its next chapter.

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Accepted Offer in 10 Days!

August 25, 2023

This great opportunity was snatched up in 10 Days. If you been thinking about listing, let me help you through the process.

Check at the full details here.

How to Upgrade Your House for Sustainability and Savings

May 16, 2023
Learning thermostats, like Google’s Nest, self-program a home climate control schedule based on your habits. Coupled with a hyper-efficient heat pump system, they’ll help you save big time on your electric bill.

These “green” retrofits benefit your budget and the planet.

The good news: Whether you’re considering an energy-efficient retrofit of your home because you want to save money or because you want to help slow climate change, every improvement you make will help your cause.

The not-so-good news: When you sit down to plan your green retrofit, you won’t find a one-size-fits-all answer. Because your home is unique, you need a customized energy plan that takes into account the building itself, the climate in which you live, and a plan that factors in whatever work you’ve already done to reduce energy needs.

To assess your needs, call in the experts. Through your state’s energy department or local utility, you can request an assessment by a professional energy auditor. The audits will either be free or cost a low fee that will be paid back when you follow through with some of the energy-saving recommendations. (If the state charges for audits or subcontracts private inspectors for the job, the federal government will reimburse you for the fee up to $150.)

Some compelling financial considerations may boost your personal energy to make changes right now: A sizable portion of the money provided to states by the 2022 infrastructure bill is earmarked for homeowners doing this kind of work. Your state’s energy department website will list the incentives offered and help you find what aid you’re eligible for. Energy Star’s website offers a rebate finder where you punch in your zip code to find what federal rebates are available to you, too. That’s a whole other kind of green incentive!

Now that the auditor’s report has indicated which projects to tackle first and you’ve researched what financial boost you can get from the government, it’s time to locate a contractor who is as excited about energy efficiency as you are. Using your energy assessment as a road map, you can make some changes to create a better, more affordable and efficient home.

Even though your long-term action plan will be specific to your house, here’s a list of some essential energy-saving ideas that will probably appear on your energy auditor’s list of recommended steps.

The warm fuzzies 

You know what’s not sexy? Insulation. Telling your friends about some shiny new technology you’re installing may trump bragging about insulation, but the truth is that insulation works. Simply installing insulation in your basement, attic, and inside your walls converts your home into one that requires less cooling and heating. Your energy costs will go down. See? Hot, but not sexy. (If your home is already insulated, hooray, but you may want your contractor to conduct an infrared scan to check for any gaps in your fluff coverage.)

Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), beginning this year, homeowners can claim up to $1,200 in tax credits every year when they make certain energy improvements like insulation and window replacements.

Clear progress

Think of windows as holes punched into your cozy, insulated home: Without proper sealing, cold outside air seeps in through the gaps all winter and your lovely air-conditioned air flows out in the summer. Caulk and weatherstripping can provide a start to climate proofing your home, but to keep your energy — heated or cooled air — from being lost, consider upgrading your old windows and doors to ones with the Energy Starrating that aligns with your location. You could lower your energy bills up to 12% and any cost can be softened by applying that IRA energy tax credit.

Pump it up

The term ‘heat pump’ needs a re-do, the kind of rebranding that transformed crabapples into lady apples. These energy-efficient machines are not just about heat: In fact, they replace both your home’s air conditioner and your furnace, plus they don’t contribute to greenhouse gasses the way the older systems do. On average, heat pumps can save you 30% on your power bill, while keeping you cozy in winter and comfortably cool in summer. And there’s more: The IRA allows for reimbursements of up to $2,000 for installing a heat-pump system (plus up to $4,000 more to upgrade your home’s electrical system to support the heat pump).If you currently use window AC units and baseboard heat, a mini-split heat pump is the answer for your needs. Mini-splits, small units installed high on an outside wall or on the ceiling and linked to a larger unit outside, provide your home with comfortable heated or cooled air, and they free up your windows to provide, you know, light and views. Mini-splits are quiet and easy to control (you can use a phone app to adjust some of them).

If your house has central heat and air conditioning, that existing ductwork can be used to supply the clean warm or cool air generated by a new, super-efficient air source heat pump (ASHP) system. No more fuel deliveries, no more fear of carbon monoxide leaks. Just some serious savings on your energy bill every month.

Big shiny changes

And, finally, something the neighbors (and potential homebuyers) can easily admire: new appliances like washers and dryers, refrigerators, stoves, and dishwashers.Making sure your appliances, those essential domestic workhorses, run as efficiently as they can pays off in energy savings and in reducing greenhouse gasses. You probably have a pretty good hunch about which of your machines need replacing first but a rule of thumb is that the lifespan of a large appliance is 10-15 years — anything older than that may still be running but is probably not running efficiently.To begin the process, check out recommendations from Energy Star, the federally backed consumer rating system. They publish an annual list of the most efficient home appliances available. When you have the info you need to begin shopping, new appliances are marked with their Energy Star ratings, letting you know which models will offer you the greatest savings.

As reported by Inhabit by

more “How to Upgrade Your House for Sustainability and Savings” …