NEW YORK CITY — Finding three haunted homes with open houses to feature this Halloween weekend was near impossible, so instead we're featuring apartments with basement levels. Only these units, unlike basements often found in houses, are far from creepy.
Considering an apartment with a subterranean level is one way to maximize your price per square foot. While less light could be an issue for some, these units offer flexibility for families and those who work from home, and they often come with private outdoor spaces.
Open House Insider wrote about one such unit on East 54th Street last year, and it’s on the market again with an open house this Sunday. Here are three additional multi-level basement apartments to check out.
226 E. 27th St., Apt. 1A, Kips Bay
3 Bedroom/2 Baths
Co-op
Approximately 1,460 square feet
$1.2 million
Maintenance: $1,185 per month
Open House: Sunday, Nov. 2, noon to 2 p.m.
Lowdown: The seller purchased three separate units and combined two to create this Kips Bay duplex about seven years ago, said Justin McCarthy of Smart City Real Estate.
Though the seller installed a staircase and new kitchen and bath, “it definitely needs updating,” McCarthy noted.
The back bedroom downstairs has a “nice window,” while the other one overlooks a shaft. “It is dark," he said, "but it’s really big."
The main-floor bedroom opens onto a private outdoor space, which includes an outlet for an electric grill.
The apartment is approved for live/work use — uncommon for co-ops — allowing for a lower-level office with employees.
“Most of the apartment isn’t structural, so you can reconfigure it a lot of ways,” McCarthy said. “The board is one of the easiest as far as getting things approved."
The space is currently being rented out on a month-to-month lease, but will be delivered vacant.
Location: The building sits between the bustling Second and Third avenues. Fairway is three blocks away. A lounge serving organic liquor, Raw, is slated to open this fall on Third near 29th. The 6 train is at Park Avenue South and 28th Street.
Why put it on your open house calendar? “Size, investment opportunity and location,” McCarthy said. “If you don’t live there, you’re going to get such high rent. And with the live/work approval, you have a lot of options.”
95 Lexington Ave., Apt. 1D, Bedford-Stuyvesant/Clinton Hill
2 Bedrooms/3 Baths
Condo
Approximately 2,525 square feet
$1.265 million
Common Charges: $645 per month
Taxes: $141 (abated for 14 more years)
Open House: Sunday, Nov. 2, 12:30-2 p.m.
Lowdown: This duplex in the Lofts at Lex — formerly the Trolley Museum of New York — had two bedrooms carved out of its lower level with temporary walls, but they’ve been removed, so it’s now just one big raw loft space, said owner Bram Daly.
“It’s got the one thing you want in New York: a ton of space. And the light is so strong on first floor it looks bigger than it is,” Daly said. The lower level has two large skylights giving it “plenty of light on the first third of the floor.”
An alternative floor plan would be to use the lower level as a rec room and carve out two bedrooms on the top floor, where there are two bathrooms. But “a benefit of sleeping downstairs is it’s always the perfect temperature — between 60 and 70 degrees,” Daly noted.
The 28-foot-wide space has a balcony that runs the length of the apartment, exposed brick walls and several green touches: reclaimed wood floors, energy-efficient appliances and HVAC systems, and countertops made of recycled glass and concrete.
There’s a common roof deck with city views, and the maintenance is "incredible," especially for the square footage.
Location: The Lofts on Lex are in Bed-Stuy near the Clinton Hill border with several grocery stores and restaurants nearby. Daly recommends Dough Brooklyn's donuts, Speedy Romeo for pizza and Bedford Hill for “perfect coffee.” There’s also a Home Depot “about a 15-minute walk away.”
The G train at Classon is three blocks away; it’s half a mile to the A and C at Franklin Avenue and Fulton Street. There’s a Citi Bike stand down the block.
Why put it on your open house calendar? “You’re getting a huge loft space across two floors that is move-in ready, plus outdoor space,” Daly said. “And at $500 per square foot, it’s at a great price point. Smaller units in the building are going for more than $750."
536 W. 43rd St., Apt. Triplex G, Hell's Kitchen
2 Bedrooms/1 Bath
Co-op
Approximately 2,300 square feet
$1.925 million
Maintenance: $3,427 per month
Open House: Sunday, Nov. 2, noon to 1:30 p.m.
Lowdown: This renovated triplex is in The Armory, built for the U.S. Army in the early 1920s and converted to co-ops in the 1980s. Most of the apartments use the main entrance with a doorman on 42nd Street, but Triplex G is one of eight with entry on 43rd Street, “giving it more of a private, boutique feeling when you walk in,” said Stephen Larkin of Corcoran Group.
The “quiet” unit has 17-foot ceilings on its main and basement floors and is also approved for live/work use.
“Someone who has a startup or small fashion company with [less than 10] employees could work downstairs and could live on the top two floors, using the loft area above the kitchen as the bedroom,” Larkin noted.
The lower level is currently set up as an open one-bedroom. A “giant cutout” with a spiral staircase is “almost like a skylight” allowing light and air to filter down, Larkin said.
The seller added new blond-wood floors, skim-coated the walls, and put in a new kitchen, bathroom and lighting — using high-end brands and finishes — after purchasing the space six years ago, Larkin said. “It feels like an art gallery.”
Though the maintenance seems a bit high, Larkin said it’s “about average” for a unit of that size in a doorman building.
Location: This area of Hell’s Kitchen has seen much development in recent years, bringing new hotels, restaurants and shops, including the year-old “Eataly-like” Gotham West Market at 45th Street. The Hudson Yards development a few blocks south will bring 1 million square feet of retail space. The Armory is steps away from Hudson River Park and around the corner from a hub of Off-Broadway theater companies along 42nd Street. The new Beacon High School, due to open in 2015, will be across the street.
Transit includes the Port Authority Bus Terminal and A, C and E trains at Eighth Avenue, with underground access to eight more trains at Times Square. Buses include the crosstown M42, the uptown M11 and the downtown M12.
Why put it on your open house calendar? “It’s an incredible space for an incredible value in a market and neighborhood that is totally appreciating,” Larkin said. “Especially for someone looking for a live/work situation. Buildings don’t favor that at all these days."
