I just received word from Loretta that closing letters for floors 3 – 6 will be sent out tomorrow, May 31st.  That’s very exciting news for us low-floor owners (and everyone else too – the ball is now rolling)!

According to Loretta, the temporary Certificate Of Occupancy for the first six floors was issued today.  They will shortly be sending out the first written notices for closings.   That means that the first six floors should be on track for closings in very early July. 

 I will know more details tomorrow.  Stay tuned…

We figure that all 10 WEA owners must be thinking about decorating just a little bit by now, so we’ve compiled a list of decorating tips based on our own research. 

From what we’ve learned, there are two types of interior decorators.  The first is the kind that takes care of everything – who runs certain decisions by you but ultimately perceives your taste and implements all necessary plans.  The second kind is sort of an interior “organizer” that helps you to match colors, pick out furniture, and organize the objects in your home, but otherwise leaves the leg work to you.  For those of you who are employing the first kind of interior decorator, there is probably no need to read further.  But for those who will be taking an active role in hiring workmen for your new home and picking out fabrics, furniture, and materials, here are our thoughts on how to best use your decorating budget:

1. Drapes, Curtains, Silk Walls, etc.: There is a “fabric district” on the lower east side where you can purchase many fine European fabrics at deeply discounted rates. Just bring a picture of the window treatments or wall upholstering you want, and the fabric store will take measurements if you don’t have them, and make your drapes/curtains for you. They also have lots of catalogs with pictures. This process can take a month or more. Negotiate the final price!

2. Electric / Lighting: There is also a lighting district in Manhattan with dozens of stores where you can negotiate a great price on magnificent lighting fixtures. You have to use a licensed electrician and that’s going to be costly, but you can make it up on the savings you negotiate for the fixture(s).

3. Marble / Granite: If you have any desire to purchase marble or granite, figuring out how much you need to buy is really easy. You just measure the actual square footage, and then order 10% to 15% more than that (to account for cut tile and breakage, since they discontinue tile after 4 years, max). You can go to any marble store and find the stone you like, and order it from an online marble distributor. The cool thing about this is that if you want really big tiles so that you have a “seamless” floor or wall, you can order any size tiles you want, up to a theoretical 10 feet by 5 feet by an inch and a quarter.  Any mason can lay the tile once it has been delivered.

4. Woodwork: Most top woodworkers in NYC buy crown moulding, wall panels and wainscoting from Dykes Lumber, on 44th between 8th and 9th. You bring them pictures of what you want and then they find it in their catalog, or custom-build it for you. If all you need is moulding, nice panels, or perhaps a fireplace mantle for your flueless fireplace, just have Dykes build and ship it to you. Some of the guys who work there can do the installation, or refer someone. We want to have custom closets as well so for that we’re going to hire a good craftsman, but we want to keep his work to a minimum.

5. Carpets and Rugs: If price is no object, you could buy your carpet or rug at ABC Carpet and Home.  Or, you could go there and find out what you want and then order it online. All the carpet/rug dealers in the city are very expensive because of the cost of maintaining the huge showrooms that are required. Of course, you would need someone to come take measurements for you.

6. Fake and real foliage: There is a foliage district in Manhattan along 6th avenue and between 6th and 7th, in the low thirties near Penn Station. It feels like the Amazon over there. You can buy any type of foliage – fake or real – for great prices. If you want a foliage expert to come and consult for you at your apartment, the cost averages $40 per hour. I was quoted $100 per hour from dealers with nicer showrooms but certainly not nicer foliage.

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That is the extent of our research so far.  We invite questions, suggestions, and corrections either in the comment section of this post or in the discussion forum.

Presenting our new Air Hockey game!

Check it out here.

Now that we’ve taken on the responsibility of blogging about 10 WEA, the questions have come pouring in.  Rather than simply e-mailing back individuals, we decided to post the questions and their answers in this blog.  Here they are:

Q: When are we closing? 
A: Next week we will in all likelihood have some information on that.  It is related to every unit being assessed, which is a prerequisite to closing.  I believe next week we should know more about the assessments, which will allow us to draw conclusions about the closing.

Q: In what order are the initial floors closing?
A: Floors 3-6 will be first, followed by floors 6-12.

Q: Will any lines be delayed?
A: Yes, but only one – the “A” line.  And for all you “A” owners, rest assured progress is being made.  The glass has been installed all the way to floors in the upper twenties as of today.

Q: What is the procedure to reserve a parking space?
A: Call the sales office and asked to be put on the priority parking list.  This list will be submitted to the garage when the garage is ready to accept cars.

Q: Do we know who will be occupying the commercial space?
A: Not yet.  The building is being extremely picky about who they choose to partner with for the first floor space.

Q: How do I hang curtains / drapes when I have floor-to-ceiling windows?
A: There are undoubtedly many people who would be more prepared to answer this question than me, but I believe you can hang drapes from the ceiling or by installing a simple rod.  Both, when done correctly, are elegant solutions. 

Q: What kind of jacks are in the apartments?
A: Every apartment has a CAT5E, phone line, and cable line.

More questions to come…

If you would like to ask a question, do so on the discussion forum or by e-mailing Evan at eb [at] pegr.com.