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Finished Brownstone Bedroom and Patio

Bob and Chris Vila are in the back spaces of the Manhattan Brownstone floor-through apartment to check on finish details. The refurbished bedroom space has cove molding at the high ceiling, finished with bed and picture molding for visual interest. The boxy closets and enclosed daybed space have been removed to make a large, open bedroom, with symmetrical boxes at the back end to hide pipes and create a visual frame for the view through the French doors to the balcony patio beyond. Architectural details like the moldings, window framing and apron, and the custom radiator covers from Thomas Bump recall the grandeur of 1890s Brownstone living. Bob and Chris Vila step through the custom nine-foot Pella full-pane French doors onto the balcony patio of the apartment. The doors are hinged in five places, making them extremely secure. The masonry around the doors has been rebuilt and repointed, and will be painted come spring to match the surrounding brickwork. Old concrete and brick has been removed from the patio floor and replaced with frost-proof, Durango Stone for a clean, soft-green look. Bendheim's Satin Tech tempered, etched glass is used as a privacy screen for the patio, and will be supported by a stainless-steel railing that is invisible from the patio side. The installation is designed to look like floating glass. Alternating etched lines give an opaque look and provide visual privacy for the residents, who will enjoy stepping outside without leaving their city home. The patio is completed by Frontgate with a stainless steel grill, iron table and chairs, and a decorative planter to give a winter-garden feel to a year-round space.
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Clip Transcript For:

Finished Brownstone Bedroom and Patio

  computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" The bedroom the bedroom we've got a great scale in here yeah this is fourteen by sixteen with almost thirteen foot ceilings in here. We've put in a beautiful cove moldings and remember what this looked like at the beginning of this is pretty different about it when we walked in here initially. You had a solid there it was dropped and had two large closets and dividends and yet -- it was on the carpet and by adding those big boxy closets the proportions of the space had really been ruined credit but now removing that it's been opened up completely. -- the only -- things that we had to work with in here were on the sides we had a couple of pipes that were coming down that we couldn't remove so we've built out. Here we've built out exactly we've built that out and we mirrored it on this side so it's symmetrical yeah. So that that this again these are architectural touches which make a big difference because when you look at as you enter the room. You've got you know symmetry on both sides and -- and then you've got the coal molding the cornice molding above with. A bed molding and a little picture molding below it which again gives it a lot of interest and then we've got these beautiful radiator covers that were made by Thomas bump our hot. So he put these together for -- this beautiful grid on top and you know works perfectly. Yeah -- bringing space is -- it's so important to it to make sure that you got architects who can specify. Detailing like this right well this -- at this nice apron here isn't it really solid antique look but if you look at the entire width of it. It's a good 66 and a half inches below this yeah a lot of scrolling right yes it's. And then not only do have a good substantial win the silver -- got a very elaborate apron. And again unifying the whole thing are these beautiful. Florists these ash floors yeah now quarter sawn ash is not a wood that's very commonly used anymore but. Again at the turn of the century quarter sawn oak was very very calm. But anyway let's take a look at the balcony outside. "

" French doors from Pella which are about a little over nine feet tall and they're hinged in five different points which means that you've got a very very security. Installation here and of course we had to redo the masonry will leave the weather's too cold to paint it but eventually we'll paint all this to match so that is bright and cheery back here. And boy is that an improvement and this is an improvement so this is a big improvement and if you notice we've taken up the old. -- layer here of brick and cement and chipped it all away which took a little with a time -- and we've installed these porcelanosa visit -- the Durango stones we've actually used in the bathroom as well these -- frost proof so we should be able to be in place for years yeah then the other major element for our design back here. Is the glass screen but unfortunately we just tell mock -- that there we put a mockup of this privacy screen because we're actually waiting for the stainless steel railing system and it's Italian and is actually held up in customs right now. But it's a railing system that won't be visible from the inside all you'll see from the inside is the floating glass and then you'll see the glass clips little semi circular glass clips that keep it altogether the glass itself is interest thing is if you look at it straight none. You can't see through it totally totally opaque. But if you look at it at an angle than you can see through it right and the etching is done on alternating sides of the glass right this has been times it's called satin tech. And it's a tempered glass -- and it's not a sandblasted product which is -- think -- from the maintenance perspective it's a lot easier to keep it clean you don't have to worry about budgeting or or funny marks on it and a user friendly you can use it inside as well attention they can be used -- yes. Well we're getting snow on it quick and need. It is set up kind of as a winter garden back here but it's a little bit to the Senate so that somebody could come out in -- frontgate has provided this sort of mockup of the of the winter garden with a barbecue that can be used you know all four seasons -- a little table it's also frost proof from. No one of their planters that you could really you know on a warmer winter day come out and you know maybe barbecue for dinner -- the advantage is that you've got enough space here that you can furnish it you can use it. And you can get some privacy from all the surround and in New York City it's really nice feel to step outdoors without stepping out your front."

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Bob starts on the balcony of the Manhattan Brownstone where open space was standard for these urbsan town homes. The balcony of this floor-through apartment is actually large enough to be outdoor living space. Bob shows the custom Pella French doors that match the character and era of the Brownstone, tall to bring in the northern light and clad in black metal as was the trim of the 1890s. It was necessary to build up the masonry around the new door, which now matches the original facade. The painted brick on the back wall will be power washed or sanded to remove the paint. Bob also points out the weep holes that have been installed in the header above the doors. These weep holes will allow water that has penetrated the brick to exit without doing damage. Inside, Bob looks at the custom Pella double-hung one-over-one windows that mirror the original windows of the building.

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Bob and Chris Vila work their way to the back of the apartment, through the hallway with its Victorian wallpaper, past the closet with original built-ins, and into the bedroom with high ceilings and a door to the back balcony. They are joined by architect Brian O'Keefe who shows the plans for the remodel. To take advantage of the light in the front of the building, O'Keefe has designed a live-in and eat-in kitchen that will move family space to the most desireable spot in the apartment, which is how people like to live today. The dining room is the next room toward the interior of the apartment and has the elevator that separates it from the large, open living area in the middle of the apartment. O'Keefe is looking for high ceilings and hardwood floors in this main living space. The master suite will remain in the back, with a reconfigured closet area, an updated bath, and French doors to the balcony.

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