Room for Improvement

Room for Improvement: Wishing for walk-in closets, better windows, a shorter commute and more

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By Kelly Kreth  |
September 26, 2012 - 8:46AM
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Everyone's got something they'd like to change in their NYC apartment (and in some cases people have myriad things they'd like to see go/added). Here's what five Gothamites told us they'd like in their apartments:

  • A shorter trek to the subway, or money to take a cab there: "Living by East End Avenue, the one thing I'd change is to be closer to the subway. In a way it's safer because we know it's mostly people from the neighborhood who hang out here.  Most folks can afford to take cabs, limos or they have cars themselves. I, however, have to walk or take the crosstown bus to the subway, so maybe the one thing I'd change about my apartment is the income of the renter (me)." - Morgan, UES
  • New windows, kitchen, floor...:"I have a huge two-bedroom space for an unheard of price, but just one or two things that I’d fix? Ugh! The list could go on and on. The number one on my list would be to fix the windows up because the paint is chipping like crazy and many are broken and screen-less, but I'm too lazy to get the super up here. See also: complete kitchen renovation, wood floors refinished, and new bathroom." - Beth, Astoria
  • Room for my shoes/clothes: "If you were to look at the floorplan of my unit you'd see that although this is a brand new apartment in a luxe boutique building, the closets are just average. I would die for a walk-in closet so I can be super organized with my wardrobe and shoes." -Dawn, Tribeca
  • A heating system that keeps me just right: "The one thing I’d change in my three-bedroom condo is to be able to have a central heating system. The steam heating is totally uncontrollable. On a 50-degree day, the apartment is about 80, and I have to open all the windows. On a 20-degree day, it can't keep up, and I have to supplement it with a space heater and wear double layers of sweaters. There's maybe a 15-degree window (30 to 45 degrees outside) in which it works perfectly." -Marc, Hudson Heights
  • A wider doorframe, stairs: "I'd like to change the side of the apartment doorframe-- I need it to be wider to let furniture in (I had a nightmare of a situation getting a couch in). I'd also like to widen the stairwells in my walk-up building. They are too narrow to allow units to have said couches." - Holly, Chelsea

See all Room for Improvement

Related:

Then & Now: I still love the location but it's time to to head toward the light

How to buy a NYC apartment

BrickUnderground's Renter's Survival Kit

The 7 worst places to live in a building

 

 

 

 

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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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