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From Start to Finish Chris Flanders Building a loft is an exciting, creative experience, it fulfills a certain nest-building instinct in some of un and supplies us with a space designed to our needs and a sense of freedom to work in that space. But unless you're a millionaire playboy or a dope dealer, its expensive! Labor is one of the biggest costs and if you can swing a hammer or thread a pipe, with a little planning, you can save a bundle. Mistakes are the bugaboo — a mistake costs 3 times — the first cost is doing it the first time — the second cost is un-doing it — and the third cost is doing it again the second time. The best way to avoid mistakes is to devote a lot of time and energy to the initial plan. Think it all out. Look at lofts that are finished — see what you like and don't like — get advice from people who have gone through it and know what to look for and how much it will cost. Amortize the cost over your lease and figure if it's worth it!! A good designer can save you much more than his fee — check out his work, though. There are a few pitfalls — here are some: 1) Timetable A loft is a commercial building; as such it's on a commercial time table — the heat goes off at 4:30 p.m. — there is no heat on weekends — or holidays. If hot water is supplied, it's on the same schedule — get the heat and hot water changed, in writing, in your lease, to a residential schedule, 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., seven days a week. 2) Hot Water Hot water is not always supplied. If you heat your own water, add a dollar a day cost to your rent, and $400.00 to your plumbing costs. 3) Heat if heat is supplied check that it's not by fan-forced-space-heaters — forget about listening to music — the noise will drive you bats. They also usually are gas heaters that use the air in the loft for combustion, emitting carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons that are injurious to your health, and they create and circulate enormous amounts of dust. Look for steam or hot water central heating systems. If you supply the heat, add $1000.00 per year to your costs for an average 2,000 square foot loft. 4) Access to the Building If your loft is above the second floor, look for a freight elevator — an enormous amount of heavy supplies must be brought to the loft. Usually: 4' x 8' or 4' x 10' sheets of 5/8" sheetrock for walls — lumber 2" x 4"x 12' or longer, 4' x 8' sheets of plywood, flooring and plumbing supplies. So unless the rent is very cheap look for an elevator. If you must use the stairs check that you can get those supplies up the stairs. Remember that if the freight elevator has an operator he works from 8:30 to 4:30, Monday through Friday — no [[image of open living space]] Dan Kahn weekends or holidays. Plumbing Check whatever pipes there are for water pressure and the condition of main risers to the floor. If only the pipes in the loft need replacing, the price is within reasonable limits. (Get references and get 2 or 3 estimates for plumbing jobs.) If, however, the building needs new risers and /or stack pipes (cast iron drainage pipes), the cost is very high and usually shared by all the tenants. If any plumbing is done make sure that it conforms to the NYC code or they can make you remove it! All connections to gas lines must be approved by Con Edison which requires a licensed plumber. Con Ed will not supply gas to a building that does not have an existing supply line! 6) Electricity A loft building usually has a sufficient supply of electricity, particularly if it was used for light manufacturing, but you may need to put in adequate electricity to your floor. Figure on a minimum of 60 to 80 amps supplied to a circuit breaker box on your floor. Cost: $400 to $900 depending on the floor — the higher the floor the higher the cost — and the condition of the main feeder line coming into the building. This work must be done by a licensed electrician or Con Ed will not put in a meter. 7) Floors Floors in lofts are usually in bad shape — oil-spills and badly worn floors are the norm. The cheapest fix is to buy a skid (approx. 60 sheets) of ½" underlayment, a form of chipboard, in 4' x 8' sheets, about $.25 a square foot. Nail down, then paint or tile. Hardwood flooring costs from $1.00 to $2.00 per square foot installed, plus 50¢ a square foot for sanding and 3 coats of polyurethane. 8) Construction Get 2 or 3 competitive bids and references from contractors — go see their work and talk to their clients. A satisfied customer is better than a low initial bid. Unless you are prepared to take an active part in the work and have had experience at it, don't be your own general contractor. You won't save any money. Coordinating the carpenters, the plumbers and the electricians is no job for a novice. The time spent by one waiting for the other to finish, or, for that matter, even to show up on the job on the day promised is wasteful and costly — a good general contractor is worth the 20 per cent he charges because you'll lose more than that in wasted time and inefficiency. Check the building code before you "do it yourself" - partition walls to the ceiling usually require steel studs and 5/8" firegrade sheetrock or gypsum board (cheaper than fire proof lumber). Also find out what the partitions do to the legality of the sprinkler system. (A must if you plan to carry fire insurance.) Design is very important. Your life style, the size of your loft and the window locations are all crucial to the final design and should be the first and most comprehensive planning that you do. Expert help in this area can save a lot of problems later. While it is possible to live in and build a loft at the same time, you have to love the work, have a positive personality, and live with someone you really get along with. And you should know what you're doing or you will eventually flip out . . . If you must do it - section off an area that you can live in first with the necessities. A bathroom and a place to sleep are the most important. Keep it as free of sawdust and debris as you can, and work on the rest of the place, finishing off an area at a time. If you don't you'll be hip-deep in sawdust all the time, and chances are the job will become so monumental you'll never finish! The advantage of living in a place that you're working on is that you can get the feel for how you want things and really build them to your needs. If you can keep all together with a smile, you'll find the secret of just how a caterpillar can turn into a butterfly. Chris Flanders is a Soho designer-contractor with wide experience. [[4 images]] [[image 1 of kitchen area]] [[image 2 of furnished living area]] [[image 3 of vanity mirrors]] [[image 4 of lofted staircase]] Photos by Allan Tannenbaum Family Space "Do it yourself" is more often than not the rule in loft renovation. Of course, if one of you happens to design and build indoor habitats for a living - well, all the better. "When we moved in here, it was absolutely raw, not even a toilet," recalls SWN Style Editor Marcia Flanders, who shares a West Broadway loft with her husband Chris and their six-year-old daughter Rose. "The first day we put in a toilet, the second day a sink. We've been finishing it according to our needs since then." Mind you, with Chris' talent and Marcia's taste, "needs" are satisfied in very special ways. Take the bathroom, just to the right of the second-floor entranceway. Sink your feet into the dark, deep carpet. Check yourself out in the two fill wall mirrors. Now lower yourself into the sunken stainless steel tub - invite some friends, it's big enough for four - turn on the hand-held shower massage and study the tropical fish swimming about in the built-in fish tank. "It's my favorite room," Marcia points out. "I even write in here." The kitchen, now nearly completed, likewise takes necessity to new dimension - literally. The stove is a six-burner commercial hulk, complete with oven and broiler. There are huge custom cabinets in the making, and plenty of counter space. "Chris is 6'4", and he's the cook," Marcia explains, pacing off giant steps from the stove to the refrigerator. "The kitchen is built to his proportions, not mine." Three years ago, the Flanders returned to New York from Ethiopia, where they were in the leather business, and sublet an apartment in Westbeth. When the leaseholder returned, they were forced to give some fast but serious thought to where and how they wanted to live. "We were wondering what was happening, what to do with our lives, where we were going," Marcia says. "We would have to get two spaces - an apartment and a work space for Chris. We also had a daughter to think about. We decided the loft would be ideal - we could have a lovely home, Chris could set us a shop right here, and he could be home days to watch Rose.." Rose, for her part, loves the doll-house bedroom her father has created for her. And after finishing off the living area, Chris plans to convert his shop into two more bedrooms. "It's been slow going," Marcia adds, noting that the floor alone took nine days to scrape. "Looking back, my only refret is that we didn't buy a space. (The Flanders have a ten year lease with a graduating rent now at $425/month.) But the way we like to live, we would have been spending over $1000 a month for an apartment and a work shop. I guess we still have a bargain." --Gerald Marzorati The Soho Weekly News September 8, 1977 17
