Room for Improvement

Room for Improvement: Heat control, a soundproof door, and an elevator

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By Kelly Kreth  |
January 7, 2011 - 6:38AM
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What’s the one thing you would change about your apartment if you could? Here’s what these five New Yorkers would do…

  • Bye-bye popcorn ceilings:I'd change the popcorn ceilings because they are cheap and tacky. I'd change this by finally being able to sell this unit. Or maybe I'd finally sell the unit if it didn't have popcorn ceilings... Then I wouldn't have to worry about these ugly ceilings again. -- Janice, reporter, East Harlem 3BR condo, $550K
  • Temperature control: It would be the ability to control the heat! Our apartment is SO hot that even having every single window in the apartment open does not cool it down in the winter. My two roommates and I can only sleep at night by running our air conditioning. The walls and floor are even warm to the touch. -- Allison, public relations, Gramercy, 3BR/2Bath doorman rental, $3695
  • Soundproof the front door: A tighter seal under the front door so neighbors (with kids) don't bang on the door when we're having noisy sex! -- Reid, consultant, Yorkville, 1BR luxury elevator rental, $3000
  • An elevator, stat. If I could change one thing about our apartment I would give our building an elevator.  We live on the fourth floor with three dogs, two of whom are elderly, and it’s really hard to carry them both up and down the stairs and deal with the third rambunctious puppy several times a day. And given that it’s a loft building, the flights of stairs are a little longer than a normal walk-up. -- Jeannette, stylist/social media consultant, Bed Stuy, loft rental, $1900
  • Hello bedroom closet: I'd love more storage space. I had to remove the one big closet I had to renovate my kitchen from teensy to normal size and in lieu of a bedroom closet I have an armoire. I also have a very small hallway closets. I've had to stash things everywhere---under the bed, sofa, bedside and dining tables. I do freelance work from home so I have stored my business paperwork in kitchen cabinets. -- Michele, author, Midtown East, 1BR co-op in elevator building, $460k

If you would like to tell Kelly the one thing you'd change about your apartment, and possibly appear in a future Room for Improvement, please email her at [email protected].

 

 

 

 

 

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Kelly Kreth

Contributing writer

Contributing writer Kelly Kreth has been a freelance journalist, essayist, and columnist for more than two decades. Her real estate articles have appeared in The Real Deal, Luxury Listings, Our Town, and amNewYork. A long-time New York City renter who loves a good deal, Kreth currently lives in a coveted rent-stabilized apartment in a luxury building on the Upper East Side.

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