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History of Brooklyn, New York

To open the 14th season of Bob Vila's Home Again, Bob greets his viewers from the Brooklyn, N.Y., waterfront. Standing in front of the world famous Brooklyn Bridge, which was completed in 1883, Bob gives a brief history of the bridge's construction, and its subsequent impact on the surrounding neighborhoods along the water's edge. After World War II the neighborhood went into decline as warehouses and factories sat empty. In the early Eighties, pioneer urban developers started the conversion from vacant commercial space to upscale residential. This area, known as DUMBO, Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, is the location of this year's first project. We meet the newest member of the Home Again cast, Chris Vila, who will be joining the show as the project manager. The building the father-and-son team have chosen to rehab is in total disrepair. Once a pepper mill, it has been abandoned and empty for several decades.

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Chapters from this episode

Architectural Plans for Converting the Former Pepper Factory Now Playing

Architectural Plans for Converting the Former Pepper Factory

The Architect's Design for the Warehouse Rehab Now Playing

The Architect's Design for the Warehouse Rehab

History of Brooklyn, New York Now Playing

History of Brooklyn, New York

Clip Transcript For:

History of Brooklyn, New York

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" Where in Brooklyn that is the Brooklyn Bridge just behind me let me give you quick capsule history of Brooklyn going back to the sixteen hundred's. When you have a lot of Dutch settlers from lower Manhattan rowing over here to trade with the Delaware Indian tribes that lived in this region. Eventually they bought land from the Indians and created a settlement which they named Brooklyn. In the seventeen hundred's wars and docks were built around here and by the nineteen hundred's. With the invention of the steam boat by mr. Fulton you had a lot of commerce in this area in fact you had the construction of amazing wharf buildings and factories around here many of which survive. Some of the businesses that were taking place here involved the manufacturing of paints and the making of cardboard boxes. Tin cans soaps and of course lots of products from all over the world which were being brought here like coffee for example. The nickname of the walled city was given to Brooklyn because of the construction of all these big brick buildings but it was primarily in the 1880s when they decided to build the Brooklyn Bridge that things really changed that bridge dates to 1883. Think of it horse power really meant a horse and what we had were trolleys being pulled by horses pedestrians and even if you -- cyclists coming back and forth. And we saw commerce really thrive in this part of greater New York it wasn't until really the mid twentieth century after World War II. That much of this commerce declined and which created really a large inventory. Empty warehouse buildings factory buildings which were ripe for conversion to housing. Twenty years ago is when you first started seeing some of the urban pioneers coming over to Brooklyn to this particular area which today is called dumbo down under the Manhattan Bridge overpass we've got many bridges that connect Manhattan. To Brooklyn and at the two southerly bridges are the Brooklyn bridge and the Manhattan Bridge but let's get closer to water street to have a good look at our little property."

" The dumbo neighborhood today is probably one of the most exciting areas anywhere in greater New York you've got young people artists moving into lofts all over the place. I'm walking on our street which is water street it dates back a couple of centuries and it originally led down to the river to Fulton ferry boat war. But right now let's meet a new member of the crew. My son Christopher who's joining us as clerk of the works. I Chris I. I got you looked at a lot of buildings in dumbo before we decided on this one right yeah well we looked at several bill."

" Things in the waterfront area dumbo vinegar hill. The problem that we had was that many of the buildings here are enormous 1500000 square feet because they were all initially made for huge and heavy industry and a perfect conversion candidates organization -- and -- into trees management they've done some large conversions in the area obviously we wanted to do something much smaller right on and so here we are ago. What exactly. Well it's shot yet and there's not a single aspect of this building that would pass code in New York City today. The facade is entirely in disrepair yeah. It's it would absolutely. Have to be torn down. Well they can be restored though is I know that the buildings across the street are similar vintage. Mid nineteenth century -- that building actually is a before and after this when this building and that building were built around the same time that's been totally repaired and is. Eventually what this is gonna look like right. And what we have here is an interesting commercial decide it's probably 1850s. It's got cast iron window elements -- the lintels and the aprons are actually cast iron. And it's got a shaft way on one side where there's an elevator is. -- commercial use of the property involved a initially a pepper factory pepper that price that's going to take a closer look and."

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Gutter Cleaning Tips

Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. While it s a job many of us would love to ignore, gutter cleaning is an important twice-a-year ritual all homeowners need to adopt. When clogged gutters overflow, they can cause ice dams on the roof that force water inside your house. They can also get so heavy that they ll pull the gutters loose and rot the trim and siding. Even if your gutter doesn t fill to overflowing each season, leaving any decaying debris in there is an invitation to carpenter ants and mosquitoes. If you have a lot of trees around your house, you might want to clean your gutters even more frequently. There are lots of ways to do the cleaning. You can find inventions like tongs on an extension pole, shop vacuums with gutter nozzles or even a remote-controlled gutter-running robot. But most methods eventually involve getting on a ladder. If you have gutters above the first story or aren t comfortable on a ladder, you re better off hiring a pro. To clean your gutters yourself, wear gloves, a dust mask and safety goggles. Make sure your ladder is well-footed at all times and use a ladder stabilizer, or stand-off, to keep from denting and damaging your gutters. Scoop the debris into a garbage bag with a garden trowel, then rinse toward the downspout with a high-pressure nozzle on your hose and scrub it clean. Try to avoid spattering the siding in the process. Next, clear the downspouts with a hose or auger. Installing leaf strainers at the drain tops will cut down on the large clogs. When it rains, check for leaks and mark them with a china marker so you can patch holes or correct pitch problems when it s dry. There s debate about whether gutter caps or screens are worth the investment of up to $7 a running foot. Because nothing keeps all debris out, you still have to have your gutter cleaned every couple of years at least, and screens and caps make it much more difficult and expensive to do it. Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com

Pliers Types

Pliers are a relatively modern invention, and it is hard to imagine what people did without this versatile tool. There are a dozen or more kinds of pliers, and your toolbox should contain at least the big three: slip joint pliers, lock joint pliers, diagonal pliers. Also handy are rib joint, water pump, needle nose, long nose, locking, and lineman's pliers. When it comes to pliers, more is better.

Review of the Home Office Electronics

Bob meets with Tim Woods in the 3rd floor office. Tim shows us the Panasonic PBX phone system which is ideal for a home business with conference call, paging, and intercom capabilities from anywhere in the house. The Web-based cam is another useful feature that allows the homeowner to monitor a room through a Web site accessible from anywhere in the world. Tim also explains that the homeowner's laptop has a wireless networking card from Cisco Systems, allowing wireless in-home internet access. The laptop also has a 64MB Secure Digital (SD) card reader that downloads music onto a card, which can then be played in the homeowner's car. Finally, Tim shows Bob the Panasonic Iris scanner. The Iris scanner interfaces with the homeowner's computer system allowing secure access to computer files.

Working on the Mahogany Deck and Kitchen Appliances

Bob Ryley does some work on the mahogany deck and kitchen appliances, lighting and cabinets are examined.