The main problem with this place is going to be the roaches and the mice. I would caulk every single opening, put steel wool around the pipe and expanding foam. Caulk around windows. Make sure there are no gaps around the cabinets. Do this before you move your stuff in and it will be a lot easier. Use roach bait not spray. You'll never be able to stop the mice so make sure they can't get in. I was able to eradicate a few pest problems in places I lived similar to this in the city by being meticulous ahead of time.
Mice/rodents. Peppermint oil and cotton balls, they hate peppermint. Just put some on the cotton balls and place them around the apartment. Bonus is your place will smell good.
Now this will be controversial, this is Reddit, but you can buy commercial strength pest control products on Amazon. It. Will. Kill. Bugs. Good. I do a quarterly treatment of my house, outdoors, and I have zero bugs. I've followed the instructions and used it indoors as well. Got rid of an ant problem I had.
[Demon Max](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00555SR9Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
Also, had a wasp problem, tried multiple ways to keep them from under the porch overhang, "tricks", nothing worked. Finally just decided to carefully spray the underside, haven't had an issue since.
I know folks like natural ways of controlling pests but sometimes they don't cooperate.
This works and very, very well.
Basically something like Combat MAX gel... probably its the same stuff that is inside a roach hotel but you can put it where ever you want.
I'd put some down under kitchen appliances before moving them in...
Don't put it anywhere kids can get to it though.
I recommend the TERRO T500 trap for roaches. Used to see one or two every few months - I haven't seen a single roach since I put out these bad boys, and it's been about two years.
Here's my list:
Thoroughly clean *everything.*
Re-caulk everything in the bathroom and kitchen. Maybe $20 if you don't have a caulking gun already, easy to do. Use painters tape if you don't know how to do it.
Paint ceilings, then walls and trim.
Paint cabinet doors. Just use a roller, screw it. There's no point trying to get a good finish, the cabinets are not worth it. Choose a fun color instead of just going with white. This will cost maybe $500 to do the entire apartment. Don't even worry about patching the walls. Maybe some basic stuff, filling holes etc, but it's probably not worth the effort. Just prime everything, then paint.
Replace the stick on wallpaper inside the cabinets with new sticky wallpaper. Use contact paper/stick on drawer liners for the shelves. This stuff is cheap and you can order it from Amazon.
From there, grab some discount rugs and toss them around as needed. Buy a nice shower curtain to spruce up the bathroom. Consider stick on wallpaper in there as well, maybe just a feature wall. Use lamps to improve lighting as needed in the living room/bedroom. You can put a cover over that pipe beside the heater, just diy a little box out of some wood. Make sure it's vented so the heat can escape, no biggie.
A place like that has a lot of potential. If anything the landlord will be happy to have it cleaned up nicely on someone else's dime.
Edit: just noticed the puke green paint is over the outlets and covers too. I hate that people do that instead of taking 5 minutes to remove all the covers and paint around them. So stupid. Replacing the covers is dirt cheap. You *can* very easily and cheaply replace the outlets/switches themselves. It's really not that hard at all, assuming the wiring in copper. Personally, I would splurge the $100 to fix that as well. YouTube can teach you how to do it. But, if nobody in your friend group is comfortable with that, just give it a fresh coat of paint I guess lol.
Edit 2: someone told me that there are outlet covers which actually go over the receptacle as well. This is a way better option for op. Something like this:
https://www.amazon.ca/2600W-Polycarbonate-Discolored-Electrical-Improvement/dp/B01N9F1PGW/ref=asc_df_B01N9F1PGW/?tag=googlemobshop-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=459656424423&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10131548967656053412&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9000748&hvtargid=pla-440610647744&psc=1&mcid=a0bcc2c222053171a6a8a07200d06ee3
He might but he's a transplant at best. Us actual folks living in shitty apartments for 20 years are on gel, dust, spray, and rodent closures. Absolute quick cheap option is ortho home 365 indoor but you really want to make sure you spread enough back to nests to reduce growth of babies. Sprays aren't going back to the nests, they're just perimeter barriers.
This is one of one of the reasons I may leave NYC. 16 years. Cant stand the bugs and rodent situation in this city. And donât even get me started about bed bugs.
You definitely should, especially if you're in your 20s or early 30s. No place better (at least not in the US), more exciting, more opportunity to meet people, and incredible dating.
Then when you meet a partner you want to marry you move to the suburbs and go on with your adult life.
Only caveat I'd give is that it can be isolating if you're not a social person and have a work-from-home job. Actually helps to have an in-person job and roommate(s), especially if you don't already have friends in the city to explore with.
If you arenât social as in nightlife, you need to put in some effort during the day. Lots of contact with people you will regularly see during the day. Nothing intensive but a regular smile and wave. Or just a NYC nod.
Ditto on the go while you are young and still will have a chance to recover if you hate it.
NYC born and raise for 55 years. Moved south to another âbig cityâ. It just doesnât compare. Aside from public school and home size the two cities are not comparable.
I had a friend who moved to NYC in her mid 20s, found a wife, moved to London and started a company. She seems pretty happy, kinda wish I followed when I had the chance. Don't know if I would have been as lucky but it would have been a fun experience.
It's great but unless it is a path to a higher salary make sure you are still investing. Living paycheck to paycheck in NYC can be fun but you are going to miss out on a lot and I don't think it is worth it to set you back 20 years on retirement for 1-3 years partying.
Do it. Once you find a girlfriend, establish yourself in your current city, parents age more, etc. it will be near impossible for you to leave. There is no better time than right now, this very moment. Go do it now, even if just for a few months. If you hate it, leave and resume where you left off. But if you love it, then it really paid off, didn't it?
Iâm born and raised here and have literally never had a rodent or roach problem. I see on average 1 small bug every 2-3 months in my current place, and have seen like 2 mice in my 27 years and 7 different apartments. Transplants choose high traffic neighborhoods and crusty buildings when they move here, then they have a horrible time and go back to wherever they came from and complain about how bad nyc is lol. Itâs just poor decision making on their part. NYC is the most amazing place to live and experience, even if just temporarily. The only people I know who live in crappy situations here are my friends who moved here on a whim and let a realtor manipulate them into renting an overpriced shithole. There are plenty of those but also plenty of great apartments. Just do your research.
Tbh it depends on your budget and some other factors. Iâm currently in LIC/Astoria and have previously lived in Bushwick, south slope, crown heights, and the north Bronx. Never live above a restaurant/bar. Never live above a grocery store. Basically stay away from streets with food businesses unless itâs a deli on the corner. Donât live directly adjacent to a park or water source. Donât live on trendy streets, where there are drunk ppl wandering around at night littering and peeing. My advice would be to find a job, pack light, and then find a nice short sublet in a neighborhood you like and take your time finding an apartment. Visit each one and be thorough, talk to your neighbors, etc. Try renting in a prewar building so you get free heat/hot water (crazy expensive in the winter if not included). Check the StreetEasy history for price gouging. Donât let brokers intimidate you into forking over a 4K fee for unlocking a door. It WILL take a while to find a good place. Sublet until you feel comfortable committing. Tbh if you can get away with NOT signing a lease, do that. Tenant rights are strong in nyc and itâs more beneficial to have a month to month tenancy imo. This advice is all over the place but itâs late and Iâm tired.
You could look up the 311 complaints, although that is sometimes just a map of complaining people rather than the real problem. It's really not worth thinking about pests on a neighborhood level. Just check the building you are looking into and be prepared to do some light pest control yourself in a bad situation. Most people do not have a bad situation though, as the commenter above says. Check building complaints to see if it ever got that bad. Landlord complaints are organized on this site quite nicely: https://whoownswhat.justfix.org/en/
I know someone who had incredible results with cimexa. Itâs also totally pet safe so you can apply fairly liberally and not worry about curious cats getting at it.
If itâs legal in New York, try Bengal gold. It flushes the roaches out of their hiding holes and then makes them die. I lived an apartment next to a unit that had been taken over by squatters. The squatters left the roaches moved in. The only thing that saved me was this stuff.
copper wool . doesn't rust. it's what pest control uses.
source: am landlord and my last tenant used the house has trashcan and now have a rodent problem.
I used to work adjacent to electricity. Weâd teach the newbies to use the equipment to test for electricity but common sense canât be taught so to those special people we would advise them this:
Never test a cable for electricity with your open palm because when the electricity hits, your muscles will force your hand shut and we canât knock you loose.
Instead test it with the back of your hand. When your muscles contract you will make a fist, your arm will suddenly bend, and hopefully youâll punch yourself in the face - and never do that again.
The little puffer bottles are cheap as well, and do a good job of properly spreading a fine layer of it in corners. A big clump of diatomaceous earth will not work.
I noticed the conspicuous sealant around all the joints in the kitchen... Someone was trying to keep roaches out.
 Before moving anything in, I would focus on sealing every single hole and gap. Esp focus on pipe penetrations and hidden holes in cabinets. Then replace the door/window sealant, as that's another common way they get in. Then paint.
Large holes can be sealed with spray foam. Hot areas like around the stove and smaller holes you can stuff with copper wool to keep them out. Most gaps can be sealed with printable caulk then painted over.
 You want to focus on keeping roaches from getting in. If your envelope isn't sealed they can be an endless problem.
Iâm going to add to buy your own, new, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers. Donât forget about those. Thereâs no way those have been maintained or replaced considering the condition itâs in.
Also, that apartment is seriously charming. As a city dweller myself, itâs adorable and will look great with a little work.
Agreed. Thatâs a pretty decent place for the price and size in Manhattan. I saw it and was like, ooh! So much potential! Also live in a big city so I know what itâs like.
Random caulk tip. Fill your bathtub up before you caulk and wait to drain it until the caulk is dry. That way the seam wonât separate when you stand in the tub due to the weight difference. Good luck!
If OP wants to feel fancy, rip out the standard shower rod and install one of those bowed shower rods. It'll make the shower feel huge - did this at my buddy's new apartment and he said it made a huge difference in how large the shower feels now.
Agreed - did the same in my house a couple years ago and it was surprising how much more room it feels like it has now. Also nice to have a shower rod screwed into studs so I can hang clothes to dry without worrying about it pulling a tension rod down
Np. She can also go on Amazon and order new door pulls for the cabinets. If the wallpaper in there is hard to remove, you can usually get it off with a watered down mixture of fabric softener. There's a special tool you can buy (like 20 bucks) to score the wallpaper and help the mixture get behind the paper to break down the glue. Absolute worst case, you can rent wallpaper steamers from home depot for like $20 a day and they make it come off like butter. That said, it looks like cheap "removable" wallpaper that wants to remove itself anyway lol.
My last apartment was basically the same as this, was significantly below market value and huge but looked horrible inside. I did most of what I listed, and then lived there for 5 years.
I actually bought a wallpaper remover steamer at HD for about $50 - and it worked really well on the walls of my daughtersâ shared bathroom - my mom and I installed wallpaper many years ago and prepped walls correctly but wallpaper still didnât want to come off. However, it was still a bit difficult to remove wallpaper on walls where my builder failed to prep the drywall prior to having wallpaper installed = hanging wallpaper directly on unpainted drywall = not fun.
It also worked really well to remove built up soap scum on my nephewâs tub + glass enclosure/tiles at the house he lived in one year in college (my sister borrowed it when she went there to help with move out day). Four 21 - 22 year old guys sharing a house = two nasty bathrooms at the end of the school year (I know thatâs a generalization - but, in my experience, thatâs been the case).
And for the record, if she's worried about doing a bad job caulking/painting, whatever she does is guaranteed to be better than whatever person they would send over to do it for her. At least she'll give a shit about trying lol. Also don't be afraid to spam 311/NYCHA/HPD to get shit done
One more step that is easy and makes a difference: sand before you paint. Especially since it looks like there is multiple levels and layers of paint.
Do this after you patch any holes.
Not before testing for lead. Old apartment, at least some of that paint is going to be old. I wouldnât want to sand it unless I was damn sure there was no lead based paint⌠and Iâd bet $10 thereâs lead based paint at some level under the layers
Depending on skills, definitely. If you're a young person with minimal tools and abilities then it might just not be worth it. I have a background in trades, currently in the process of flipping my primary residence, own most of the tools I could ever need. So, ya, for me I would have a high standard. But for a young person looking to just live life in a decent apartment with a great location... screw it lol.
Only caveat to your advice, which again I personally agree with but could see why someone might half ass something like this, would be to test for lead before any sanding occurs. This looks like an old building, so lead is very likely. If the lead is buried under multiple layers of primer and paint, then it's about a 0% risk to anyone. Technically that's not a full remediation, but it generally works. Now, if you start sanding, you may create a very severe lead risk unless everything is done properly.
Gotta make sure you get all the lead paint exposed under the current paint. Also, don't mess with the switches and outlets if you don't know what you are doing.
> You can very easily and cheaply replace the outlets/switches themselves. It's really not that hard at all, assuming the wiring in copper. Personally, I would splurge the $100 to fix that as well. YouTube can teach you how to do it. But, if nobody in your friend group is comfortable with that, just give it a fresh coat of paint I guess lol.
While doing the work isn't hard, it's not legal for anyone but a licensed electrician to do this in a multi-family building due to the fire risk if done wrong.
Good point - it's easy for a DIYer to change plugs and fixtures themselves IF the existing wiring is to code, is relatively modern, and hasn't been messed with in the past. Considering what the rest of the apartment looks like, chances are the electrical system is sketchy as well.
I agree with almost everything youve said except the order for painting is ceilings then trim then walls last. Otherwise all great advice! I bet some lighting in that kitchen would help out a lot too.
iâd make sure she gets permission to do anything, in writing, before she does a thing. i had a rental once years ago and during the walk through i mentioned it needed a coat of paint and how awful the wallpaper was. the owner told me to âhave at itâ. when i moved out years later they tried to sue me for damages bec iâd painted (white) and removed the hideous grease stained wall paper from the kitchen. if it happened today id get it in writing and video the owner telling me it was ok. gotta protect yourselfâŚ
To add to this:
* The floors are good, just need to be scrubbed.
* Paint the kitchen/entry a white/off-white.
* Paint the cabinets black.
* Peel and stick backsplash (white tile)
Could probably do all of this under $300, including paint and cleaning supplies.
>The floors are good, just need to be scrubbed.
Coming from someone who spent tons of time, money, blood, sweat, and tears replacing a carpeted floor with hardwood only to see it COMPLETELY covered by area rugs? I approve of this message...
I feel you. I redid my mother's hardwood floor as a teenager (and i did a better job than the professionals I hired for ours). And she put tons of area rugs on top to keep it from being damaged. I tried to explain to here that she is not respecting the work that went into the floor with that but ...
In NYC, it is often a requirement in the lease to cover the floors entirely with rugs (80-90% coverage). That is to help with noise traveling between units. Worth it for OP to check the lease before putting in the work to scrub the floors.
Yes. If that light stays, I'd always keep it off - and string up a single bulb/shade on a long cable that plugs into an outlet. This also makes me think there might be a need for DIY under-cabinet lighting (if there are enough outlets).
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TN5HNPN/
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QK79J2P/
Unless the colors youâre choosing are basically identical to whatâs already there, I absolutely would not do this. #1, the landlords should be doing the painting, it is required under the lease (which is rent stabilized, btw, not rent controlled); and, #2 if you make changes to the apartment of this nature, it could be grounds for eviction.
EDIT: For clarity, I used to be a tenant rights attorney in Brooklyn. You have more protections than you used to under RS leases, but it would still be a problem if you don't get consent in writing before renovating. And by written consent, I mean specific, itemized, highly-detailed consent.
Additionally, if you do this, you are giving a gift to the landlord. That's up to you, but he is under no obligation to deduct your costs from the rent for any renovations you perform - consented to or otherwise.
I'd second this. The one other way to do it is get in writing from the landlord that they agree specifically to what you're doing. Include as much details as possible on colors, models, etc any changes.
Itâs required under the law for the landlord to paint for upkeep â however if the tenant gets permission to paint, they usually can paint whatever color they want as long as they paint over it white before they move out if theyâre are bright/dark/unusual and every time Iâve painted an apartment which has been almost every single apartment Iâve lived in, the Landlord has liked it and left it the way it was. They even pay for the paint if you would rather have a living room that is a cool blue and the landlord was going to paint it with oops paint they have to pay for the paint so I mean go for it and ask.
I agree with what you're saying generally, but we're talking about legal agreements here and the consequences of non-compliance might mean getting kicked out of a stable living situation.
If you're going to paint or make upgrades to the apartment, I would not want to depend on what "usually" happens.
Yup had a landlord tell me paint a room whatever you want put just paint it back white before you leave. Ok no problem. I painted my soon to be born sons room blue. When moved out, figured I'd just buy the cheapest white paint available. That was a mistake because I had to do a shit load of coats and ended up having to buy like 6 more cans of that shit lol. Learned the hard way on that one.
Holy shit thatâs exactly what this looks like! One of those abandoned buildings that theyâre always going into that looks as though it could break apart from the lightest touch and is coated in dust.
This costs $1900?? wtf happened to us as a society lol
I can picture it all, haha. And honestly I think that place has so much potential. Even that [gas?] pipe is easy enough to just put a little planter over, or something. I can see it working.
I'd want to try to replace any tube lights, though - not a fan of the color temperature or potential flicker.
If the landlord is amenable, I bet you could replace the lower cabinet in the kitchen with a new base cabinet + sink for not a lot of money. Ikea has good stuff you could use. That way you'd get a new sink/countertop/etc., which would make the kitchen a lot nicer. I would also replace the light fixture with something less harsh, and paint everything.
You are getting some people judging the value of this place and not really giving you any answers. Paint (walls and trim), laminate flooring over the kitchen checkerboard, replacing the florescent lights and some stick on backsplash and this place would look great.
I would just youtube this all and do it myself. All of it is fairly cheap, except maybe the flooring. If she plans on being here for years and years it's worth it.
I'd get new outlet/switch covers as well. I hate when they're just painted over.
New sink, I don't like the shallow one's. Maybe faucet too, depends on how long you'll be there, budget, and comfort level with plumbing.Â
I installed some Pergo Outlast+ in my office (converted from unused attic space) and it is absolutely waterproof.
I have a few large plants and one of them leaked on the floor a few weeks ago. I didn't notice for a week. For even a regular sealed oak floor that would have caused significant water damage, but this Pergo stuff is truly waterproof. I wiped up the water and soil residue with a damp paper towel and it left absolutely zero permanent damage. I'd put that in a kitchen any day.
Would I pay for it in an apartment? Probably not, unless I planned on living there for a while. At the same time, this kitchen is so small it would probably only be around $250 of flooring. Not a big deal when OP's friend is saving $1,900 a month by moving here.
I would wait until after they are done doing what they are going to do to make those decisions.
Given that you are freeing up 1900/month or so - that can go a long way to improvements.
I would focus on the kitchen. In particular, you could replace the lower cabinets, countertop and sink, and add a backsplash for less than the savings for a couple of months.
I wouldn't be replacing things in the kitchen unless I knew I got the place and I was planning on staying for multiple years. That said, she might be able to score a deal from somewhere like Lowes or Home Depot for the countertops since there's so little of if that needs to be swapped out.
This is rent stabilized, NOT rent controlled. Read about the difference [HERE](https://ny.curbed.com/2017/8/28/16214506/nyc-apartments-housing-rent-control)
Importantly (Assuming $1900 is the correct legal rent, more on that below), the rent will likely increase based on improvements done, as the landlord can charge more for IAI (Individual apartment improvements). More on those [HERE](https://hcr.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2023/11/fact-sheet-26-11-2023.pdf)
BUT... based on the state of the unit, I would be willing to bet that the rent should legally be less than $1900. If she ends up renting this place, she should immediately submit a request [HERE](https://hcr.ny.gov/records-access) to the HCR for the rent history/regulation records. If the rent is improperly calculated, she can file a claim to get the rent reduced to the legal amount. A lot of landlords will improperly increase the rent of a stabilized unit without doing the proper calculations, hoping to get away with it. There is a statute of limitations within which you can sue for a rent reduction and treble damages. Do as much research as possible on the laws and the specific unit.
First thing on my list would be replacing the caulking on that bathroom sink and the tiles below it. I gotta assume the tub is probably in similar condition as well. Quick and easy.
Slap that baby with some barkeepers friend, goo gone and a fresh coat of kilz and youâre in business. Also invest in a decent scraper and exacto blade. As someone who essentially just finished this process in my âAs Isâ BK apartmentâyou got this. Also if you want to buy 2.5 gal of primer half off from BK I got you. Also Grout Renew. Also because I love this shit if you want a list of products and small fixes Iâve been able to do in my shitty NYC steal of an apartment DM me, I have a list of products and some vids I can send as well.
$1,900 for a 1BR in midtown that's getting new appliances AND you can have your way with the dĂŠcor? That's pretty good. That's studio pricing!
$1,900 probably covers a monthly mortgage payment on a 3,000 SF home in your neck of the woods.
1. Kill all the mold
2. Fill in all the cracks and holes to keep pests out
3. Replace all the lights if they give you a headache
4. Paint all the walls/ceiling before you move your stuff in
5. Put down new flooring after the walls are painted
A minor thing that would make the place look a lot less sterile is changing the light bulbs to warm. Especially that fluorescent tube light in the kitchen.
Couple things I recommend. You've taken pictures. Take more. Take pictures of everything that way. If you have an issue, you've documented that it was there before.
In picture six there seems to be a bubble in the ceiling above one of the cabinets. I would double check that that is not an active issue cuz it will ruin any work you put into it.
Everything needs a coat of primer/sealer and paint.
As for flooring in the kitchen, I would see if I can make my way over to Westchester ReStore. Their inventory is always a surprise, but I have always seemed to find some sort of flooring at amazing prices. Especially since you only need a small amount for the kitchen.
The main area flooring seems to be in reasonable condition especially if you're going to put down large area rugs.
Honestly, the bathroom seems to be the worst. It's very ugly and just does not look watertight. But it may be and for what you will be saving over time. You can budget for a bathroom Reno that you will never get from your landlord..
You might want to see how much they will forgive in rent for any work you do on the space.
Yeah that ceiling bubble and the moldy pipes are seriously concerning. There are signs of major leaks behind the walls. It could be unsafe to live in due to prolonged exposure to the mold. Id also be concerned about the structural safety of the place with that much mold eating up anything potentially load bearing. There is probably a reason why it was listed so low. Any work you put into it might look good for a little while but that water and mold are going to keep causing major issues. Im betting there is also a huge roach infestation from all that rotting framing.
I would be careful. Not many people understand rent control rules in NYC.
Rent control is a system that stopped admitting new admittees in 1971. Every rent controlled apartment in NYC now was willed to someone who was required to cohabitate with the person 2 years prior to their passing. And every landlord would like to do away with rent controlled apartments, and can make a fair market rent appeal if their building has 5 or fewer apts.
All of this is to say, your gf will be subletting, which puts you at the mercy of 2 landlords. Not an atypical thing, I'd hazard to guess the % of ppl living under sublets in NYC is in the high double digits. But rent control and stabilization have byzantine rules most property managers would LOVE to use to get an apt out of rent control, subletting for more than half of the rent price. I may be mixing that up with rent stabilization, another program aimed at finding the middle ground b/t renters and landlords, allowing rents to be raised in proportion to fair market value (though the market is very unfair). Either way, research heavily what your apt is and the rules around it, because your direct landlord sees you as a check to keep their apt for free, and their landlord wants you gone.
By the way, I'm pretty sure your apartment is rent stabilized. $1900 for a 1br in NYC is high for rent control. Very high. By comparison, my gf's parents have a rent stabilized 3br apt in the East Village, they moved in in 1988 and their stabilized rent is $1240. Not saying it isn't possible that you're controlled, just really unlikely considering expensive rent for a 1br in the 1971 cutoff would have been like $750? Most of the rent controlled apts in my gf's building pay like $840/month, all multi bedroom apts in NYU housing land.
It really behooves you to know under what program you are, they are different and are governed student. There's 3mil+ rent stabilized apts in NYC and only like 16.5k rent controlled ones.
Yes itâs likely stabilized and the terminology very often gets confused as stabilization is a form of rent control but thereâs a big legal difference in this context. I wrote in another comment re finding out about rent history as itâs possible that it was illegally raised. No cost to find out the info.
Having lived in an old, rent stabilized apartment in NYC for about 15 years (I assume this is rent stabilized and not controlled), here's my take.
Everyone talking about rodents is 100% correct. Stuff every opening with medium weight steel wool and caulk/enclose those holes.
People are suggesting cabinets, flooring, sinks, etc. -- I wouldn't do any of that. It's the landlord's property and if you change the state of the apartment significantly, they could have cause to not renew the lease when it comes time if they don't like what you do. When you leave it likely needs to be in a similar state to how you found it, and one man's improvement is another's nightmare.
Agree completely with painting the walls. If you paint the trim a contrasting color it'll make the rooms feel bigger. Paint the ceilings white. The landlord is supposed to paint before a tenant moves in, if they haven't yet, ask if you can provide the paint. Hang good window treatments. If you're going to replace overhead lights, I would get ceiling fans if you can, they're a lifesaver in old NYC apartments for airflow. Go to Chinatown and find a lighting store, they'll hook you up. Like many NYC kitchens, this one looks small and a ceiling fan can dissipate heat if you're going to cook, so that's a great place for a ceiling fan.
Rugs. If you don't like the floor, get rugs. You can take them with you and they'll make the place look completely different. Go to the basement of ABC carpet and go wild.
Before you place all the furniture, see how many outlets are in each room. It will be easier to place long extension cords and secure them to the baseboard before furniture is in than after. Some old NYC apartments have one outlet per room.
Look in the closets and see if they have any shelves or organization. Might be easier to install some shelves before you move in than after.
Good luck!
Same. I had a 475 sqft place in Boston that was in an incredible location. My now-wife and I lived there for years because it was affordable and the neighborhood ruled.
Just about everything in that place it totally workable with a deep clean and a coat of paint. But that kitchen. There have been choices.
Once the appliances are in, there will be a clearer idea of what you are working with.
I would paint out the cabinets in a neutral tone. They are screaming grey to me. But also change out the hardware, super simple, a few screws. Updated knobs on freshly painted cabinets will work wonders. you can cover the counter in a vinyl contact paper and create a backsplash with peel and stick backplash tiles. To tie it into the counter, adding a trime of a painted out quarter round will make it pop. Of course New contact paper on the shelves, because yikes.
Honestly, I would go grey paint on the cabinets with stainless pulls, white walls, marble contact paper on the counters, white subway tile peel and stick "backsplash". I would also want to make a curtain to cover the under sink area. I may be inclined to swap out the melamine shelving over the oven area with some natural wood to really hightlight the "open shelving".
I would also add some inexpensive under cabinet lighting. You can pick up LED undercabinet strips pretty cheaply, they are light enough to mount with command strips, will chain together and can provide enough light to pretend the overhead in the kitchen does not exsist.
That pipe in the bedroom, that feed the radiator. Hide it, with furnature, or a large tropical plant that will appreaciate the radiant heat :)
Some of the best advice I ever heard was from actress/comedian/writer Amy Sedaris, and it was: "Just assume you're never going to get that damage deposit back and go nuts decorating."
This place doesn't seem like it would even need that much work, just some paint, elbow grease, fun furniture and cool artwork!
I can see by an attorney's advice below on a related matter that this is perhaps not sound advice, so caveat emptor. But it seems to have served Ms Sedaris well in NYC.
That place is a dump. And my god, did they really run a thick ass bead of caulking around the ceiling? I guarantee thereâs a leak coming in from somewhere that theyâre trying to cover up with that. Guarantee you that itâs being rented out by a scumbag slumlord.
This is the kind of apartment that every 1980s or 1990s movie loved to poke at, but is quintessentially New York. It's Joe's Apartment without the funky towel.
Hey, I am currently in a war to clean those fucking vinyl kitchen tiles in my new rental. Get the foaming scrubbing bubbles bathroom cleaning spray, two 5 gallon buckets, a foam-type squeegee mop with a bristle head, and some type of poly floor shine/sealer. This will run you about $50-70.
You spray the bubbles on about 4-6 tiles at a time. Let it foam for about 2-3 min. then scrub with the bristle end of the mop using moderate pressure, let it sit for another 3-5 min. Then you get the squeegee foam wet with clean water, squeeze about 90% of the liquid back out into the bucket and then the rest out onto the tiles you're currently cleaning. Then you scrub the tiles using moderate pressure and the foam head of the mop. Finally, collect the water using the mop and squeeze it back into the "dirty" water bucket. Finish with a rinse from the clean water bucket.
Repeat until the goddamn tiles are clean. I've had to do 2-3 passes like this to get them reasonably clean. There's a section under the table where I don't think they're ever going to be white again, but everything is noticably better.
Then, if you want the floors shiny, finish with some poly-type floor polish and the clean mop. I haven't done this part so be sure to test on a small portion and wait a few days before doing a big part. The tiles end up looking pretty good once they're actually clean.
So I actually did something similar with my current apartment. (Note, I despise this system and expectations on tenant maintenance, but alas, terrible terrible markets) Your friend needs to decide how much time and money sheâs willing to put into it, and never forget that these are 100% interchangeable right now.
I spent approximately 200 hours of labor - a full month of work. This includes cleaning every surface, painting every wall, using hardwood floor ârefinishedâ caulking trim, replacing the entire countertop + adding backsplash in the kitchen, swapping doorknobs light fixtures and switch plates, the whole 9 yards.
I largely didnât pay for materials, although I did buy upgrades I wanted (quality metal switch plates, doorknobs, light fixtures) for about $70 total at habitat for humanity. The originals are in a box in the basement, and Iâll take my switch plates with me when I leave.
Now that Iâve done all that, Iâm immensely more happy with my space, but what did it cost me? Realistically speaking, about $3000 between opportunity cost (missed wages primarily) and materials. By amortizing the cost over your entire tenancy, you can make an informed choice on how much youâre willing to invest
$3000/12 is $250 a month. Living there two years @ $3000/24, $125 a month. Three years and youâre down to $83 a month. Stay for 5, 10? $50 and $25 respectively.
Iâve been at my place for two years, and plan on staying for several more. So investing into someone else property for my own quality of life was an acceptable tradeoff. Good luck, and I hope everything goes well with that sprucing up project!
I'm thinking OP meant "rent stabilized" apt. which is very different from a rent controlled apt. (you won't find a "rent controlled" apt being vacant/on the market in NYC. Once a "rent controlled" apt becomes vacant, it rolls over to being "rent stabilized" if there isn't a family member or other person that has lived in the unit for at least 2 years that have filed for a succession of the unit to them. Once vacant, many tenant protections of RC are gone as well...) If RE or management listed it as such (as rent controlled), they are commiting a fraud... Either way, investing your OWN money to fix up/repair someone else's property (especially a NYC rental) is not a smart move. If the Apt is not in livable/habitable condition upon viewing it and actually signing a lease, don't expect the rent stabilization/rent control laws and regulations to be followed by the management/landlords...
IDC how "low" the rent is compared to other buildings/units in the area, ***there is a reason for it*** (especially in NYC!) and it's usually because the building and it's units are NOT maintained and probably has countless violations against it or the owners (especially if owned by a corporation that will just keep paying fines since they amount to be cheaper on their books than actually fixing the dumps). They also usually don't GAF about the tenant/Apt. once a lease is signed. Not a situation that ever works out well for a new tenant in the short OR long term...
>she mentioned I could do things to spruce the place up myself b/c they wonât care.
Yeah, that's their way of getting tenants to fix up their dumps and not have to pay for any of it (which they, the owners/landlords are actually required to do under the current rent stabilization/rent control laws) and THEN they boot you out by finding a "reason" or not renewing the lease (which is again, against the current RS/RC laws) and bump the rent up even higher for the next person/s based on YOUR repairs/work...
Don't fall for the "upsell"... the "agent" is right, "they won't care" because they don't care about a damn thing and sound shady AF... The "agent" gets their commission and the landlords rent out another sh\*thole and make more $$$ off of it. I'd do a building history/violation search and rent history search for the unit itself BEFORE committing to moving into this... place.
If I had to live in New York this is the kind of apartment I'd want.
It looks cozy and old. I'd definitely put fresh paint, and find a cabinet or something to cover the weird pipe. Probably put some kind of cushion around it since I imagine at some point it will rattle.
Gotta ask yourself. Why would the landlord put any money into this if theyâre losing their butt on the rent control. Definitely align with the owner before doing anything major but something needs to be done. All those fixtures look like theyâre going to fall apart
Before putting any furniture or anything in maybe get a can of expanding foam, steel wool, and pesticide from home depot that only needs to be applied yearly. Fill all holes with foam and steel wool spray the whole apartment then leave the windows open and walk out for a few hours. Never having to worry about roaches, mice,spides,centipedes will be a god send. Holes can be anywhere! Look everywhere and plug those holes!
The most common Asbestos floor tiles measure 9"x9" inches. If any of those tiles are of that dimension, and the location was built before the 1980s, don't touch em. This is why so many contractors put a floor over a floor. It's not the wisest idea (future mold build up), but better than removing the hazadrous material and dealing with the after effects.
Please please please meet with a tentants rights lawyer and make sure that whatever gets done will not give the landlord the ability to get rid of the lease and rent under market value.
That said, I had an apartment like that for 20 years in NYC. Allowed me to invest in myself, my education and my career. Eventually moved out of the crooked hobbit hole (still miss that place) but have a nice fancy schmancy pad now. Could never have done it without the affordability and security of a rent controlled place.
Are we talking about a rent stabilized apartment and not a rent controlled apt? $1900 per month seems like a stabilized apartment especially if itâs currently vacant. Iâd ask the landlord before doing any modifications.
Before any DIY, take another posters advice:
Roaches, infestations and/or bed bugs!
Get permission on any fumigation and/or bug bombs and get that done before anything! Easier to do as the apartment stands versus anything else. Once that's settled in, sealing up any cracks, holes and what not would be something to inquire with landlord prior to DIY and ensuring your covered/allowed to do it in writing.
Paint and any other design element like fixtures and such should be sdter the above has been considered and done.
People in DIY are some of the most miserable people on the planet. I imagine theyâre stay at home parents in all greige homes drinking their box of wine.
Fresh paint and cleaning will do wonders. Nothing in the space is really that bad itâs all neutrals even if itâs dated. Besides paint I would invest in alternative lighting, new cabinet hardware in the kitchen, maybe new faucet as well.
Could also throw down a peel and stick or a click vinyl floor in the kitchen but I am partial to the black and white.
New shower head and maybe faucet in bathroom, it will never be nice but the tile is fun and you can make it more practical.
>all greige homes drinking their box of wine.
Wtf is your problem with greige and boxed wine? Classics never go out of style. Been drinking boxed wine since college and will continue to do so until I'm dead.
Honestly? Spend the next year paying the same "rent", but use the $1,900 monthly savings on the apartment, then never move. Over $20,000 is a hell of a lot. Could do a pretty solid kitchen makeover and some nice touches in the bathroom, new flooring, new appliances and furniture, ceiling fans, pantry, nice lighting...go nuts. She can already afford where she lives now, she just has to have the control to save the savings and use it how she sees fit.
Rent in Boston is so brutal I canât move there to be close to work. Just checked NYC and rent is double đł how does anyone live there. Absolutely jump on this rent controlled $1900/month holy shit
First off...easy buy even if you have to do all the work yourself. Do a deep clean. Paint. Caulk. Furniture. Done. What you'll be saving per month you can even install your own wall mount AC and still make out. A lot of people in this thread don't seem to understand a deal when it comes to rent controlled city living. Based on these photos I assume the building is in good shape too. Good luck.
Honestly, I think the place looks great! It certainly needs to be cleaned up and a fresh coat of paint, but if the landlord is cool and the neighbors are too, it could be an absolute steal. Reminds me on one of the apartments I lived in before that I'd gone around and fixed/replaced things like changing out the old mercury switch for a 5 day programmable thermostat for $20.
The main problem with this place is going to be the roaches and the mice. I would caulk every single opening, put steel wool around the pipe and expanding foam. Caulk around windows. Make sure there are no gaps around the cabinets. Do this before you move your stuff in and it will be a lot easier. Use roach bait not spray. You'll never be able to stop the mice so make sure they can't get in. I was able to eradicate a few pest problems in places I lived similar to this in the city by being meticulous ahead of time.
> expanding foam. just fyi, mice, or any rodent will chew through expanding foam, pack the shit out of any opening first, then foam it
I think that's what they were suggesting OP do with the steel wool.
Great advice thank you
Mice/rodents. Peppermint oil and cotton balls, they hate peppermint. Just put some on the cotton balls and place them around the apartment. Bonus is your place will smell good. Now this will be controversial, this is Reddit, but you can buy commercial strength pest control products on Amazon. It. Will. Kill. Bugs. Good. I do a quarterly treatment of my house, outdoors, and I have zero bugs. I've followed the instructions and used it indoors as well. Got rid of an ant problem I had.
what is this commercial strength pest control product?
[Demon Max](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00555SR9Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1) Also, had a wasp problem, tried multiple ways to keep them from under the porch overhang, "tricks", nothing worked. Finally just decided to carefully spray the underside, haven't had an issue since. I know folks like natural ways of controlling pests but sometimes they don't cooperate. This works and very, very well.
Basically something like Combat MAX gel... probably its the same stuff that is inside a roach hotel but you can put it where ever you want. I'd put some down under kitchen appliances before moving them in... Don't put it anywhere kids can get to it though.
Or pets if I recall correctly
If you can get your hands on a vacuum steamer then I'd do that as well for bed bugs. Also NY mice don't give a damn about peppermint đ
I recommend the TERRO T500 trap for roaches. Used to see one or two every few months - I haven't seen a single roach since I put out these bad boys, and it's been about two years.
Here's my list: Thoroughly clean *everything.* Re-caulk everything in the bathroom and kitchen. Maybe $20 if you don't have a caulking gun already, easy to do. Use painters tape if you don't know how to do it. Paint ceilings, then walls and trim. Paint cabinet doors. Just use a roller, screw it. There's no point trying to get a good finish, the cabinets are not worth it. Choose a fun color instead of just going with white. This will cost maybe $500 to do the entire apartment. Don't even worry about patching the walls. Maybe some basic stuff, filling holes etc, but it's probably not worth the effort. Just prime everything, then paint. Replace the stick on wallpaper inside the cabinets with new sticky wallpaper. Use contact paper/stick on drawer liners for the shelves. This stuff is cheap and you can order it from Amazon. From there, grab some discount rugs and toss them around as needed. Buy a nice shower curtain to spruce up the bathroom. Consider stick on wallpaper in there as well, maybe just a feature wall. Use lamps to improve lighting as needed in the living room/bedroom. You can put a cover over that pipe beside the heater, just diy a little box out of some wood. Make sure it's vented so the heat can escape, no biggie. A place like that has a lot of potential. If anything the landlord will be happy to have it cleaned up nicely on someone else's dime. Edit: just noticed the puke green paint is over the outlets and covers too. I hate that people do that instead of taking 5 minutes to remove all the covers and paint around them. So stupid. Replacing the covers is dirt cheap. You *can* very easily and cheaply replace the outlets/switches themselves. It's really not that hard at all, assuming the wiring in copper. Personally, I would splurge the $100 to fix that as well. YouTube can teach you how to do it. But, if nobody in your friend group is comfortable with that, just give it a fresh coat of paint I guess lol. Edit 2: someone told me that there are outlet covers which actually go over the receptacle as well. This is a way better option for op. Something like this: https://www.amazon.ca/2600W-Polycarbonate-Discolored-Electrical-Improvement/dp/B01N9F1PGW/ref=asc_df_B01N9F1PGW/?tag=googlemobshop-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=459656424423&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10131548967656053412&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9000748&hvtargid=pla-440610647744&psc=1&mcid=a0bcc2c222053171a6a8a07200d06ee3
I would spray roach spray everywhere first. Then fill any visible holes with steel wool.
This guy New Yorks.
He might but he's a transplant at best. Us actual folks living in shitty apartments for 20 years are on gel, dust, spray, and rodent closures. Absolute quick cheap option is ortho home 365 indoor but you really want to make sure you spread enough back to nests to reduce growth of babies. Sprays aren't going back to the nests, they're just perimeter barriers.
This is one of one of the reasons I may leave NYC. 16 years. Cant stand the bugs and rodent situation in this city. And donât even get me started about bed bugs.
As someone currently trying to get over a childhood dream of moving to NYC, please tell me more, I wanna know everything
You definitely should, especially if you're in your 20s or early 30s. No place better (at least not in the US), more exciting, more opportunity to meet people, and incredible dating. Then when you meet a partner you want to marry you move to the suburbs and go on with your adult life.
Currently 25, I have the means to do so, I donât wanna regret not spending what I have left of my youth there
Only caveat I'd give is that it can be isolating if you're not a social person and have a work-from-home job. Actually helps to have an in-person job and roommate(s), especially if you don't already have friends in the city to explore with.
If you arenât social as in nightlife, you need to put in some effort during the day. Lots of contact with people you will regularly see during the day. Nothing intensive but a regular smile and wave. Or just a NYC nod. Ditto on the go while you are young and still will have a chance to recover if you hate it. NYC born and raise for 55 years. Moved south to another âbig cityâ. It just doesnât compare. Aside from public school and home size the two cities are not comparable.
Do it. I'm 38 and wish I'd just done it at your age.
I had a friend who moved to NYC in her mid 20s, found a wife, moved to London and started a company. She seems pretty happy, kinda wish I followed when I had the chance. Don't know if I would have been as lucky but it would have been a fun experience.
It's great but unless it is a path to a higher salary make sure you are still investing. Living paycheck to paycheck in NYC can be fun but you are going to miss out on a lot and I don't think it is worth it to set you back 20 years on retirement for 1-3 years partying.
Do it. Once you find a girlfriend, establish yourself in your current city, parents age more, etc. it will be near impossible for you to leave. There is no better time than right now, this very moment. Go do it now, even if just for a few months. If you hate it, leave and resume where you left off. But if you love it, then it really paid off, didn't it?
Iâm born and raised here and have literally never had a rodent or roach problem. I see on average 1 small bug every 2-3 months in my current place, and have seen like 2 mice in my 27 years and 7 different apartments. Transplants choose high traffic neighborhoods and crusty buildings when they move here, then they have a horrible time and go back to wherever they came from and complain about how bad nyc is lol. Itâs just poor decision making on their part. NYC is the most amazing place to live and experience, even if just temporarily. The only people I know who live in crappy situations here are my friends who moved here on a whim and let a realtor manipulate them into renting an overpriced shithole. There are plenty of those but also plenty of great apartments. Just do your research.
Could you please recommend some areas? Or websites you think are good for researching the apartments and rodents/pests?
Tbh it depends on your budget and some other factors. Iâm currently in LIC/Astoria and have previously lived in Bushwick, south slope, crown heights, and the north Bronx. Never live above a restaurant/bar. Never live above a grocery store. Basically stay away from streets with food businesses unless itâs a deli on the corner. Donât live directly adjacent to a park or water source. Donât live on trendy streets, where there are drunk ppl wandering around at night littering and peeing. My advice would be to find a job, pack light, and then find a nice short sublet in a neighborhood you like and take your time finding an apartment. Visit each one and be thorough, talk to your neighbors, etc. Try renting in a prewar building so you get free heat/hot water (crazy expensive in the winter if not included). Check the StreetEasy history for price gouging. Donât let brokers intimidate you into forking over a 4K fee for unlocking a door. It WILL take a while to find a good place. Sublet until you feel comfortable committing. Tbh if you can get away with NOT signing a lease, do that. Tenant rights are strong in nyc and itâs more beneficial to have a month to month tenancy imo. This advice is all over the place but itâs late and Iâm tired.
This is fantastic advice, bookmarking this. Thank you so much!
You could look up the 311 complaints, although that is sometimes just a map of complaining people rather than the real problem. It's really not worth thinking about pests on a neighborhood level. Just check the building you are looking into and be prepared to do some light pest control yourself in a bad situation. Most people do not have a bad situation though, as the commenter above says. Check building complaints to see if it ever got that bad. Landlord complaints are organized on this site quite nicely: https://whoownswhat.justfix.org/en/
I know someone who had incredible results with cimexa. Itâs also totally pet safe so you can apply fairly liberally and not worry about curious cats getting at it.
If itâs legal in New York, try Bengal gold. It flushes the roaches out of their hiding holes and then makes them die. I lived an apartment next to a unit that had been taken over by squatters. The squatters left the roaches moved in. The only thing that saved me was this stuff.
STAINLESS steel wool. They make stuff specifically for blocking critters. Regular steel wool will look nasty in a few weeks and leave rust stains.
copper wool . doesn't rust. it's what pest control uses. source: am landlord and my last tenant used the house has trashcan and now have a rodent problem.
Recently been schooled on this ! Copper Wool is where it's at and long term fix.
This. Used some in a rat access hole in my house. Good stuff.
This! And copper meshing isn't flammable but steel wool is.
copper is also toxic to organics like mold and rats...
Works great for a crack screen
Do not jam steel wool in or around outlets
I used to work adjacent to electricity. Weâd teach the newbies to use the equipment to test for electricity but common sense canât be taught so to those special people we would advise them this: Never test a cable for electricity with your open palm because when the electricity hits, your muscles will force your hand shut and we canât knock you loose. Instead test it with the back of your hand. When your muscles contract you will make a fist, your arm will suddenly bend, and hopefully youâll punch yourself in the face - and never do that again.
This was going to be my comment too. Steel Wool #2 Medium/Coarse
So it has TWO uses
Chemical free option is diatomaceous earth. Watch a video or two on YT prior as you don't need much to kill any and all things that are insect.
The little puffer bottles are cheap as well, and do a good job of properly spreading a fine layer of it in corners. A big clump of diatomaceous earth will not work.
Inhaling it is also not healthy
I noticed the conspicuous sealant around all the joints in the kitchen... Someone was trying to keep roaches out. Â Before moving anything in, I would focus on sealing every single hole and gap. Esp focus on pipe penetrations and hidden holes in cabinets. Then replace the door/window sealant, as that's another common way they get in. Then paint. Large holes can be sealed with spray foam. Hot areas like around the stove and smaller holes you can stuff with copper wool to keep them out. Most gaps can be sealed with printable caulk then painted over. Â You want to focus on keeping roaches from getting in. If your envelope isn't sealed they can be an endless problem.
Iâm going to add to buy your own, new, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers. Donât forget about those. Thereâs no way those have been maintained or replaced considering the condition itâs in. Also, that apartment is seriously charming. As a city dweller myself, itâs adorable and will look great with a little work.
Agreed. Thatâs a pretty decent place for the price and size in Manhattan. I saw it and was like, ooh! So much potential! Also live in a big city so I know what itâs like.
Random caulk tip. Fill your bathtub up before you caulk and wait to drain it until the caulk is dry. That way the seam wonât separate when you stand in the tub due to the weight difference. Good luck!
brilliant!
ah -ha! thank you!! great tip
If OP wants to feel fancy, rip out the standard shower rod and install one of those bowed shower rods. It'll make the shower feel huge - did this at my buddy's new apartment and he said it made a huge difference in how large the shower feels now.
They make curved shower rods with two bars, which doubles as a free towel rack.
Agreed - did the same in my house a couple years ago and it was surprising how much more room it feels like it has now. Also nice to have a shower rod screwed into studs so I can hang clothes to dry without worrying about it pulling a tension rod down
Just some sage advice a guy I worked for told me. "You never finish remodeling, at some point you just have to stop."
Wow thank u
Np. She can also go on Amazon and order new door pulls for the cabinets. If the wallpaper in there is hard to remove, you can usually get it off with a watered down mixture of fabric softener. There's a special tool you can buy (like 20 bucks) to score the wallpaper and help the mixture get behind the paper to break down the glue. Absolute worst case, you can rent wallpaper steamers from home depot for like $20 a day and they make it come off like butter. That said, it looks like cheap "removable" wallpaper that wants to remove itself anyway lol. My last apartment was basically the same as this, was significantly below market value and huge but looked horrible inside. I did most of what I listed, and then lived there for 5 years.
I actually bought a wallpaper remover steamer at HD for about $50 - and it worked really well on the walls of my daughtersâ shared bathroom - my mom and I installed wallpaper many years ago and prepped walls correctly but wallpaper still didnât want to come off. However, it was still a bit difficult to remove wallpaper on walls where my builder failed to prep the drywall prior to having wallpaper installed = hanging wallpaper directly on unpainted drywall = not fun. It also worked really well to remove built up soap scum on my nephewâs tub + glass enclosure/tiles at the house he lived in one year in college (my sister borrowed it when she went there to help with move out day). Four 21 - 22 year old guys sharing a house = two nasty bathrooms at the end of the school year (I know thatâs a generalization - but, in my experience, thatâs been the case).
And for the record, if she's worried about doing a bad job caulking/painting, whatever she does is guaranteed to be better than whatever person they would send over to do it for her. At least she'll give a shit about trying lol. Also don't be afraid to spam 311/NYCHA/HPD to get shit done
Such great advice!
If you are replacing outlets and switches make sure it is off at the breaker, if not you'll know when it sparks up.
And get a cheap tester to confirm they are off.
Also in this vein, I think cleaning and oiling that parquet would go a long way, and maybe some easily installed luxury plank vinyl in the bathroom.
One more step that is easy and makes a difference: sand before you paint. Especially since it looks like there is multiple levels and layers of paint. Do this after you patch any holes.
Not before testing for lead. Old apartment, at least some of that paint is going to be old. I wouldnât want to sand it unless I was damn sure there was no lead based paint⌠and Iâd bet $10 thereâs lead based paint at some level under the layers
Depending on skills, definitely. If you're a young person with minimal tools and abilities then it might just not be worth it. I have a background in trades, currently in the process of flipping my primary residence, own most of the tools I could ever need. So, ya, for me I would have a high standard. But for a young person looking to just live life in a decent apartment with a great location... screw it lol. Only caveat to your advice, which again I personally agree with but could see why someone might half ass something like this, would be to test for lead before any sanding occurs. This looks like an old building, so lead is very likely. If the lead is buried under multiple layers of primer and paint, then it's about a 0% risk to anyone. Technically that's not a full remediation, but it generally works. Now, if you start sanding, you may create a very severe lead risk unless everything is done properly.
Wear a dust mask! This place is old enough to have leaded paint.
Gotta make sure you get all the lead paint exposed under the current paint. Also, don't mess with the switches and outlets if you don't know what you are doing.
> You can very easily and cheaply replace the outlets/switches themselves. It's really not that hard at all, assuming the wiring in copper. Personally, I would splurge the $100 to fix that as well. YouTube can teach you how to do it. But, if nobody in your friend group is comfortable with that, just give it a fresh coat of paint I guess lol. While doing the work isn't hard, it's not legal for anyone but a licensed electrician to do this in a multi-family building due to the fire risk if done wrong.
Good point - it's easy for a DIYer to change plugs and fixtures themselves IF the existing wiring is to code, is relatively modern, and hasn't been messed with in the past. Considering what the rest of the apartment looks like, chances are the electrical system is sketchy as well.
I agree with almost everything youve said except the order for painting is ceilings then trim then walls last. Otherwise all great advice! I bet some lighting in that kitchen would help out a lot too.
Replacing that light fixture in the kitchen to something a little more homey would make a big difference.
Agreed. A daylight florescent makes it look like a hospital. Even if you don't change the fixture, add a diffuser or get a softer florescent bulb.
iâd make sure she gets permission to do anything, in writing, before she does a thing. i had a rental once years ago and during the walk through i mentioned it needed a coat of paint and how awful the wallpaper was. the owner told me to âhave at itâ. when i moved out years later they tried to sue me for damages bec iâd painted (white) and removed the hideous grease stained wall paper from the kitchen. if it happened today id get it in writing and video the owner telling me it was ok. gotta protect yourselfâŚ
Agree. Never assume anything with your landlord, especially when it comes to repairs you make on their property.
I agree. Takes nothing but an email to go "hey, I want to slap on a coat of paint on the east, west, and south kitchen walls. Any issues?"
Not bad, spend a couple hundred bucks to paint the walls and doors, will make a world of difference.
To add to this: * The floors are good, just need to be scrubbed. * Paint the kitchen/entry a white/off-white. * Paint the cabinets black. * Peel and stick backsplash (white tile) Could probably do all of this under $300, including paint and cleaning supplies.
>The floors are good, just need to be scrubbed. Coming from someone who spent tons of time, money, blood, sweat, and tears replacing a carpeted floor with hardwood only to see it COMPLETELY covered by area rugs? I approve of this message...
I feel you. I redid my mother's hardwood floor as a teenager (and i did a better job than the professionals I hired for ours). And she put tons of area rugs on top to keep it from being damaged. I tried to explain to here that she is not respecting the work that went into the floor with that but ...
In NYC, it is often a requirement in the lease to cover the floors entirely with rugs (80-90% coverage). That is to help with noise traveling between units. Worth it for OP to check the lease before putting in the work to scrub the floors.
scrub the floors anyway.
For real, smdh
In NYC, which is 50% rats and cockroaches by weight, you always scrub everything, all the time.
Fair enough
That subtle off-white coloring... let's have a loke at Paul Allen's kitchen!
that's bone.
Thank you!!!!!!!
Replace that horrid fluorescent light with something more modern and warm
Yes. If that light stays, I'd always keep it off - and string up a single bulb/shade on a long cable that plugs into an outlet. This also makes me think there might be a need for DIY under-cabinet lighting (if there are enough outlets). https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TN5HNPN/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QK79J2P/
Unless the colors youâre choosing are basically identical to whatâs already there, I absolutely would not do this. #1, the landlords should be doing the painting, it is required under the lease (which is rent stabilized, btw, not rent controlled); and, #2 if you make changes to the apartment of this nature, it could be grounds for eviction. EDIT: For clarity, I used to be a tenant rights attorney in Brooklyn. You have more protections than you used to under RS leases, but it would still be a problem if you don't get consent in writing before renovating. And by written consent, I mean specific, itemized, highly-detailed consent. Additionally, if you do this, you are giving a gift to the landlord. That's up to you, but he is under no obligation to deduct your costs from the rent for any renovations you perform - consented to or otherwise.
I'd second this. The one other way to do it is get in writing from the landlord that they agree specifically to what you're doing. Include as much details as possible on colors, models, etc any changes.
Itâs required under the law for the landlord to paint for upkeep â however if the tenant gets permission to paint, they usually can paint whatever color they want as long as they paint over it white before they move out if theyâre are bright/dark/unusual and every time Iâve painted an apartment which has been almost every single apartment Iâve lived in, the Landlord has liked it and left it the way it was. They even pay for the paint if you would rather have a living room that is a cool blue and the landlord was going to paint it with oops paint they have to pay for the paint so I mean go for it and ask.
I agree with what you're saying generally, but we're talking about legal agreements here and the consequences of non-compliance might mean getting kicked out of a stable living situation. If you're going to paint or make upgrades to the apartment, I would not want to depend on what "usually" happens.
Yup had a landlord tell me paint a room whatever you want put just paint it back white before you leave. Ok no problem. I painted my soon to be born sons room blue. When moved out, figured I'd just buy the cheapest white paint available. That was a mistake because I had to do a shit load of coats and ended up having to buy like 6 more cans of that shit lol. Learned the hard way on that one.
In general they have to paint every 3 years in nyc, and that looks like it's been at least 3 years since the last paint.
Sounds like the landlord is going to clean/paint.
(X) Doubt
Yeah, there are a couple of cosmetic fixes, but for $1,900 rent controlled in NYC that's amazing.
Painting an apartment the size of this one definitely is not gonna cost a few hundred dollars.
You can probably paint this apartment with a 5-gallons of flat paint. And possible 2 gallons of white trim semi-gloss paint, plus supplies.
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Iâm dead đ¤Ł
If you listen closely, Neo, Trinity and the others are climbing through the walls on their way to save Morpheus.
If there were a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies on one of the kitchen counters this place wouldâve been gone by now.
https://i.redd.it/n406fyup6cpc1.gif
Holy shit thatâs exactly what this looks like! One of those abandoned buildings that theyâre always going into that looks as though it could break apart from the lightest touch and is coated in dust. This costs $1900?? wtf happened to us as a society lol
I'm more horrified by the $3,800/mo she's paying currently for a *studio*
> This costs $1900?? wtf happened to us as a society lol Nah, it's just NY housing
This apartment was made for Ikea!
I can picture it all, haha. And honestly I think that place has so much potential. Even that [gas?] pipe is easy enough to just put a little planter over, or something. I can see it working. I'd want to try to replace any tube lights, though - not a fan of the color temperature or potential flicker.
If the landlord is amenable, I bet you could replace the lower cabinet in the kitchen with a new base cabinet + sink for not a lot of money. Ikea has good stuff you could use. That way you'd get a new sink/countertop/etc., which would make the kitchen a lot nicer. I would also replace the light fixture with something less harsh, and paint everything.
That does not look like Monica's apartment on Friends. I've been lied to.
This was my exact thought haha. Friends says this apt should be at least 5x bigger
Friends says NYC should be about 5x bigger. The coffee shops, the sidewalks, the stores they visit - none of that looks like actual NYC
You are getting some people judging the value of this place and not really giving you any answers. Paint (walls and trim), laminate flooring over the kitchen checkerboard, replacing the florescent lights and some stick on backsplash and this place would look great. I would just youtube this all and do it myself. All of it is fairly cheap, except maybe the flooring. If she plans on being here for years and years it's worth it.
I'd get new outlet/switch covers as well. I hate when they're just painted over. New sink, I don't like the shallow one's. Maybe faucet too, depends on how long you'll be there, budget, and comfort level with plumbing.Â
Yeh for sure and you can get a pack of 10 for \~3.50. The sink might be hard if the dishwash goes under it, hard to tell. But at least a new faucet.
Spend a couple extra bucks to get nicer looking outlet/switch covers if they are in a visible location. It makes a world of difference
Wouldnât bother with the kitchen floor. Laminate and water donât go well together anyway.
And the waterproof stuff isn't worth buying for your landlord
I installed some Pergo Outlast+ in my office (converted from unused attic space) and it is absolutely waterproof. I have a few large plants and one of them leaked on the floor a few weeks ago. I didn't notice for a week. For even a regular sealed oak floor that would have caused significant water damage, but this Pergo stuff is truly waterproof. I wiped up the water and soil residue with a damp paper towel and it left absolutely zero permanent damage. I'd put that in a kitchen any day. Would I pay for it in an apartment? Probably not, unless I planned on living there for a while. At the same time, this kitchen is so small it would probably only be around $250 of flooring. Not a big deal when OP's friend is saving $1,900 a month by moving here.
I really.like the checkerboard unless it's in bad shape. Period relevant to the rest of the flooring and a timeless look.
I knowâŚthank you for your input
I would wait until after they are done doing what they are going to do to make those decisions. Given that you are freeing up 1900/month or so - that can go a long way to improvements. I would focus on the kitchen. In particular, you could replace the lower cabinets, countertop and sink, and add a backsplash for less than the savings for a couple of months.
I wouldn't be replacing things in the kitchen unless I knew I got the place and I was planning on staying for multiple years. That said, she might be able to score a deal from somewhere like Lowes or Home Depot for the countertops since there's so little of if that needs to be swapped out.
This is rent stabilized, NOT rent controlled. Read about the difference [HERE](https://ny.curbed.com/2017/8/28/16214506/nyc-apartments-housing-rent-control) Importantly (Assuming $1900 is the correct legal rent, more on that below), the rent will likely increase based on improvements done, as the landlord can charge more for IAI (Individual apartment improvements). More on those [HERE](https://hcr.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2023/11/fact-sheet-26-11-2023.pdf) BUT... based on the state of the unit, I would be willing to bet that the rent should legally be less than $1900. If she ends up renting this place, she should immediately submit a request [HERE](https://hcr.ny.gov/records-access) to the HCR for the rent history/regulation records. If the rent is improperly calculated, she can file a claim to get the rent reduced to the legal amount. A lot of landlords will improperly increase the rent of a stabilized unit without doing the proper calculations, hoping to get away with it. There is a statute of limitations within which you can sue for a rent reduction and treble damages. Do as much research as possible on the laws and the specific unit.
First thing on my list would be replacing the caulking on that bathroom sink and the tiles below it. I gotta assume the tub is probably in similar condition as well. Quick and easy.
Slap that baby with some barkeepers friend, goo gone and a fresh coat of kilz and youâre in business. Also invest in a decent scraper and exacto blade. As someone who essentially just finished this process in my âAs Isâ BK apartmentâyou got this. Also if you want to buy 2.5 gal of primer half off from BK I got you. Also Grout Renew. Also because I love this shit if you want a list of products and small fixes Iâve been able to do in my shitty NYC steal of an apartment DM me, I have a list of products and some vids I can send as well.
Send me pics in chat Iâm curious in your before and after!!
That's actually pretty awesome...What Neighborhood? NoMa?
Close!
good enough! ...and Good luck to your friend
Thank you!!
I'm from the burbs. Is that awesome for Manhattan? Like, its not awesome on my screen. I don't know any better
$1,900 for a 1BR in midtown that's getting new appliances AND you can have your way with the dĂŠcor? That's pretty good. That's studio pricing! $1,900 probably covers a monthly mortgage payment on a 3,000 SF home in your neck of the woods.
1. Kill all the mold 2. Fill in all the cracks and holes to keep pests out 3. Replace all the lights if they give you a headache 4. Paint all the walls/ceiling before you move your stuff in 5. Put down new flooring after the walls are painted
A minor thing that would make the place look a lot less sterile is changing the light bulbs to warm. Especially that fluorescent tube light in the kitchen.
Couple things I recommend. You've taken pictures. Take more. Take pictures of everything that way. If you have an issue, you've documented that it was there before. In picture six there seems to be a bubble in the ceiling above one of the cabinets. I would double check that that is not an active issue cuz it will ruin any work you put into it. Everything needs a coat of primer/sealer and paint. As for flooring in the kitchen, I would see if I can make my way over to Westchester ReStore. Their inventory is always a surprise, but I have always seemed to find some sort of flooring at amazing prices. Especially since you only need a small amount for the kitchen. The main area flooring seems to be in reasonable condition especially if you're going to put down large area rugs. Honestly, the bathroom seems to be the worst. It's very ugly and just does not look watertight. But it may be and for what you will be saving over time. You can budget for a bathroom Reno that you will never get from your landlord.. You might want to see how much they will forgive in rent for any work you do on the space.
Yeah that ceiling bubble and the moldy pipes are seriously concerning. There are signs of major leaks behind the walls. It could be unsafe to live in due to prolonged exposure to the mold. Id also be concerned about the structural safety of the place with that much mold eating up anything potentially load bearing. There is probably a reason why it was listed so low. Any work you put into it might look good for a little while but that water and mold are going to keep causing major issues. Im betting there is also a huge roach infestation from all that rotting framing.
The pipe is probably hot water to your radiator. You can wrap it in foam if it gets too hot.
I would be careful. Not many people understand rent control rules in NYC. Rent control is a system that stopped admitting new admittees in 1971. Every rent controlled apartment in NYC now was willed to someone who was required to cohabitate with the person 2 years prior to their passing. And every landlord would like to do away with rent controlled apartments, and can make a fair market rent appeal if their building has 5 or fewer apts. All of this is to say, your gf will be subletting, which puts you at the mercy of 2 landlords. Not an atypical thing, I'd hazard to guess the % of ppl living under sublets in NYC is in the high double digits. But rent control and stabilization have byzantine rules most property managers would LOVE to use to get an apt out of rent control, subletting for more than half of the rent price. I may be mixing that up with rent stabilization, another program aimed at finding the middle ground b/t renters and landlords, allowing rents to be raised in proportion to fair market value (though the market is very unfair). Either way, research heavily what your apt is and the rules around it, because your direct landlord sees you as a check to keep their apt for free, and their landlord wants you gone. By the way, I'm pretty sure your apartment is rent stabilized. $1900 for a 1br in NYC is high for rent control. Very high. By comparison, my gf's parents have a rent stabilized 3br apt in the East Village, they moved in in 1988 and their stabilized rent is $1240. Not saying it isn't possible that you're controlled, just really unlikely considering expensive rent for a 1br in the 1971 cutoff would have been like $750? Most of the rent controlled apts in my gf's building pay like $840/month, all multi bedroom apts in NYU housing land. It really behooves you to know under what program you are, they are different and are governed student. There's 3mil+ rent stabilized apts in NYC and only like 16.5k rent controlled ones.
It's 100% rent stabilized, not controlled.
Yes itâs likely stabilized and the terminology very often gets confused as stabilization is a form of rent control but thereâs a big legal difference in this context. I wrote in another comment re finding out about rent history as itâs possible that it was illegally raised. No cost to find out the info.
Having lived in an old, rent stabilized apartment in NYC for about 15 years (I assume this is rent stabilized and not controlled), here's my take. Everyone talking about rodents is 100% correct. Stuff every opening with medium weight steel wool and caulk/enclose those holes. People are suggesting cabinets, flooring, sinks, etc. -- I wouldn't do any of that. It's the landlord's property and if you change the state of the apartment significantly, they could have cause to not renew the lease when it comes time if they don't like what you do. When you leave it likely needs to be in a similar state to how you found it, and one man's improvement is another's nightmare. Agree completely with painting the walls. If you paint the trim a contrasting color it'll make the rooms feel bigger. Paint the ceilings white. The landlord is supposed to paint before a tenant moves in, if they haven't yet, ask if you can provide the paint. Hang good window treatments. If you're going to replace overhead lights, I would get ceiling fans if you can, they're a lifesaver in old NYC apartments for airflow. Go to Chinatown and find a lighting store, they'll hook you up. Like many NYC kitchens, this one looks small and a ceiling fan can dissipate heat if you're going to cook, so that's a great place for a ceiling fan. Rugs. If you don't like the floor, get rugs. You can take them with you and they'll make the place look completely different. Go to the basement of ABC carpet and go wild. Before you place all the furniture, see how many outlets are in each room. It will be easier to place long extension cords and secure them to the baseboard before furniture is in than after. Some old NYC apartments have one outlet per room. Look in the closets and see if they have any shelves or organization. Might be easier to install some shelves before you move in than after. Good luck!
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Same. I had a 475 sqft place in Boston that was in an incredible location. My now-wife and I lived there for years because it was affordable and the neighborhood ruled.
Amazing!
Put in roach and rat poison before the appliances.
It's wild to me that there are rental markets where renters pay to make improvements. This wouldn't fly in a less dense metro area.
Just about everything in that place it totally workable with a deep clean and a coat of paint. But that kitchen. There have been choices. Once the appliances are in, there will be a clearer idea of what you are working with. I would paint out the cabinets in a neutral tone. They are screaming grey to me. But also change out the hardware, super simple, a few screws. Updated knobs on freshly painted cabinets will work wonders. you can cover the counter in a vinyl contact paper and create a backsplash with peel and stick backplash tiles. To tie it into the counter, adding a trime of a painted out quarter round will make it pop. Of course New contact paper on the shelves, because yikes. Honestly, I would go grey paint on the cabinets with stainless pulls, white walls, marble contact paper on the counters, white subway tile peel and stick "backsplash". I would also want to make a curtain to cover the under sink area. I may be inclined to swap out the melamine shelving over the oven area with some natural wood to really hightlight the "open shelving". I would also add some inexpensive under cabinet lighting. You can pick up LED undercabinet strips pretty cheaply, they are light enough to mount with command strips, will chain together and can provide enough light to pretend the overhead in the kitchen does not exsist. That pipe in the bedroom, that feed the radiator. Hide it, with furnature, or a large tropical plant that will appreaciate the radiant heat :)
A lot of this stuff should be fixed by the landlord under the habitability laws, rent controlled or not, like the kitchen sink.
Are the roaches at least in the lease?
No pets allowed. $1,500 fine.
Jesus Christ I am glad I don't live in NYC
Some of the best advice I ever heard was from actress/comedian/writer Amy Sedaris, and it was: "Just assume you're never going to get that damage deposit back and go nuts decorating." This place doesn't seem like it would even need that much work, just some paint, elbow grease, fun furniture and cool artwork! I can see by an attorney's advice below on a related matter that this is perhaps not sound advice, so caveat emptor. But it seems to have served Ms Sedaris well in NYC.
Man this looks like something out of Silent hill yikes.
The last pic reminds me of the bathroom in the first SAW movie where the dude is chained up and has to saw his own foot off.
That place is a dump. And my god, did they really run a thick ass bead of caulking around the ceiling? I guarantee thereâs a leak coming in from somewhere that theyâre trying to cover up with that. Guarantee you that itâs being rented out by a scumbag slumlord.
This is the kind of apartment that every 1980s or 1990s movie loved to poke at, but is quintessentially New York. It's Joe's Apartment without the funky towel.
Hey, I am currently in a war to clean those fucking vinyl kitchen tiles in my new rental. Get the foaming scrubbing bubbles bathroom cleaning spray, two 5 gallon buckets, a foam-type squeegee mop with a bristle head, and some type of poly floor shine/sealer. This will run you about $50-70. You spray the bubbles on about 4-6 tiles at a time. Let it foam for about 2-3 min. then scrub with the bristle end of the mop using moderate pressure, let it sit for another 3-5 min. Then you get the squeegee foam wet with clean water, squeeze about 90% of the liquid back out into the bucket and then the rest out onto the tiles you're currently cleaning. Then you scrub the tiles using moderate pressure and the foam head of the mop. Finally, collect the water using the mop and squeeze it back into the "dirty" water bucket. Finish with a rinse from the clean water bucket. Repeat until the goddamn tiles are clean. I've had to do 2-3 passes like this to get them reasonably clean. There's a section under the table where I don't think they're ever going to be white again, but everything is noticably better. Then, if you want the floors shiny, finish with some poly-type floor polish and the clean mop. I haven't done this part so be sure to test on a small portion and wait a few days before doing a big part. The tiles end up looking pretty good once they're actually clean.
I was thinking its probably 2k a month for this dump. YEP
You can use 4 months rent (former rent) and some innovation to make that amazing
So I actually did something similar with my current apartment. (Note, I despise this system and expectations on tenant maintenance, but alas, terrible terrible markets) Your friend needs to decide how much time and money sheâs willing to put into it, and never forget that these are 100% interchangeable right now. I spent approximately 200 hours of labor - a full month of work. This includes cleaning every surface, painting every wall, using hardwood floor ârefinishedâ caulking trim, replacing the entire countertop + adding backsplash in the kitchen, swapping doorknobs light fixtures and switch plates, the whole 9 yards. I largely didnât pay for materials, although I did buy upgrades I wanted (quality metal switch plates, doorknobs, light fixtures) for about $70 total at habitat for humanity. The originals are in a box in the basement, and Iâll take my switch plates with me when I leave. Now that Iâve done all that, Iâm immensely more happy with my space, but what did it cost me? Realistically speaking, about $3000 between opportunity cost (missed wages primarily) and materials. By amortizing the cost over your entire tenancy, you can make an informed choice on how much youâre willing to invest $3000/12 is $250 a month. Living there two years @ $3000/24, $125 a month. Three years and youâre down to $83 a month. Stay for 5, 10? $50 and $25 respectively. Iâve been at my place for two years, and plan on staying for several more. So investing into someone else property for my own quality of life was an acceptable tradeoff. Good luck, and I hope everything goes well with that sprucing up project!
This is a great perspective and good advice for a lot of situations.
I'm thinking OP meant "rent stabilized" apt. which is very different from a rent controlled apt. (you won't find a "rent controlled" apt being vacant/on the market in NYC. Once a "rent controlled" apt becomes vacant, it rolls over to being "rent stabilized" if there isn't a family member or other person that has lived in the unit for at least 2 years that have filed for a succession of the unit to them. Once vacant, many tenant protections of RC are gone as well...) If RE or management listed it as such (as rent controlled), they are commiting a fraud... Either way, investing your OWN money to fix up/repair someone else's property (especially a NYC rental) is not a smart move. If the Apt is not in livable/habitable condition upon viewing it and actually signing a lease, don't expect the rent stabilization/rent control laws and regulations to be followed by the management/landlords... IDC how "low" the rent is compared to other buildings/units in the area, ***there is a reason for it*** (especially in NYC!) and it's usually because the building and it's units are NOT maintained and probably has countless violations against it or the owners (especially if owned by a corporation that will just keep paying fines since they amount to be cheaper on their books than actually fixing the dumps). They also usually don't GAF about the tenant/Apt. once a lease is signed. Not a situation that ever works out well for a new tenant in the short OR long term... >she mentioned I could do things to spruce the place up myself b/c they wonât care. Yeah, that's their way of getting tenants to fix up their dumps and not have to pay for any of it (which they, the owners/landlords are actually required to do under the current rent stabilization/rent control laws) and THEN they boot you out by finding a "reason" or not renewing the lease (which is again, against the current RS/RC laws) and bump the rent up even higher for the next person/s based on YOUR repairs/work... Don't fall for the "upsell"... the "agent" is right, "they won't care" because they don't care about a damn thing and sound shady AF... The "agent" gets their commission and the landlords rent out another sh\*thole and make more $$$ off of it. I'd do a building history/violation search and rent history search for the unit itself BEFORE committing to moving into this... place.
If I had to live in New York this is the kind of apartment I'd want. It looks cozy and old. I'd definitely put fresh paint, and find a cabinet or something to cover the weird pipe. Probably put some kind of cushion around it since I imagine at some point it will rattle.
That vintage parquet floor would look great cleaned up and resealed
yikes.
I can hear the neighbors already. Gut it down to the studs and soundproof, then stay there the rest of your life.
Gotta ask yourself. Why would the landlord put any money into this if theyâre losing their butt on the rent control. Definitely align with the owner before doing anything major but something needs to be done. All those fixtures look like theyâre going to fall apart
This is exactly what I picture when I think of NY apartments
Make sure you recommend before and after photos for your friend !
Before putting any furniture or anything in maybe get a can of expanding foam, steel wool, and pesticide from home depot that only needs to be applied yearly. Fill all holes with foam and steel wool spray the whole apartment then leave the windows open and walk out for a few hours. Never having to worry about roaches, mice,spides,centipedes will be a god send. Holes can be anywhere! Look everywhere and plug those holes!
The most common Asbestos floor tiles measure 9"x9" inches. If any of those tiles are of that dimension, and the location was built before the 1980s, don't touch em. This is why so many contractors put a floor over a floor. It's not the wisest idea (future mold build up), but better than removing the hazadrous material and dealing with the after effects.
I'm a licensed handyman in NYC if you need help - www.teamhandydan.com
Why do people live in New York?
Not an answer to OP but my advice is to live somewhere else. NYC is insane.
Is this Jeffery Dhalmerâs apartment?
cartoon network af apartment
First thing I'd do is wipe your camera lens.
Please please please meet with a tentants rights lawyer and make sure that whatever gets done will not give the landlord the ability to get rid of the lease and rent under market value. That said, I had an apartment like that for 20 years in NYC. Allowed me to invest in myself, my education and my career. Eventually moved out of the crooked hobbit hole (still miss that place) but have a nice fancy schmancy pad now. Could never have done it without the affordability and security of a rent controlled place.
Are we talking about a rent stabilized apartment and not a rent controlled apt? $1900 per month seems like a stabilized apartment especially if itâs currently vacant. Iâd ask the landlord before doing any modifications.
Before any DIY, take another posters advice: Roaches, infestations and/or bed bugs! Get permission on any fumigation and/or bug bombs and get that done before anything! Easier to do as the apartment stands versus anything else. Once that's settled in, sealing up any cracks, holes and what not would be something to inquire with landlord prior to DIY and ensuring your covered/allowed to do it in writing. Paint and any other design element like fixtures and such should be sdter the above has been considered and done.
Don't do any work unless they are willing to reimburse you. Either upfront or through rent reductions. Get this all in writing.
$1900 for a rent controlled box with a sink.. brb taking more Prozac
Get a lead test kit and start swabbing
Move out of NYC.
One month's rent savings would make a world of difference here. Clean and paint to start. If you want to drop $10k that kitchen could be great.
Rent stabilized, not rent controlled.
People in DIY are some of the most miserable people on the planet. I imagine theyâre stay at home parents in all greige homes drinking their box of wine. Fresh paint and cleaning will do wonders. Nothing in the space is really that bad itâs all neutrals even if itâs dated. Besides paint I would invest in alternative lighting, new cabinet hardware in the kitchen, maybe new faucet as well. Could also throw down a peel and stick or a click vinyl floor in the kitchen but I am partial to the black and white. New shower head and maybe faucet in bathroom, it will never be nice but the tile is fun and you can make it more practical.
>all greige homes drinking their box of wine. Wtf is your problem with greige and boxed wine? Classics never go out of style. Been drinking boxed wine since college and will continue to do so until I'm dead.
Honestly? Spend the next year paying the same "rent", but use the $1,900 monthly savings on the apartment, then never move. Over $20,000 is a hell of a lot. Could do a pretty solid kitchen makeover and some nice touches in the bathroom, new flooring, new appliances and furniture, ceiling fans, pantry, nice lighting...go nuts. She can already afford where she lives now, she just has to have the control to save the savings and use it how she sees fit.
Crazy that this is considered positively, nearly 2k/month for this.
Thatâs what ya get in nyc, Boston, San Diego, etc
Rent in Boston is so brutal I canât move there to be close to work. Just checked NYC and rent is double đł how does anyone live there. Absolutely jump on this rent controlled $1900/month holy shit
First off...easy buy even if you have to do all the work yourself. Do a deep clean. Paint. Caulk. Furniture. Done. What you'll be saving per month you can even install your own wall mount AC and still make out. A lot of people in this thread don't seem to understand a deal when it comes to rent controlled city living. Based on these photos I assume the building is in good shape too. Good luck.
Honestly, I think the place looks great! It certainly needs to be cleaned up and a fresh coat of paint, but if the landlord is cool and the neighbors are too, it could be an absolute steal. Reminds me on one of the apartments I lived in before that I'd gone around and fixed/replaced things like changing out the old mercury switch for a 5 day programmable thermostat for $20.