The New York Mock Up
Tuesday, February 25th, 2025 11:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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30F tonight, and clear.
It was an absolutely gorgeous 50F today, with songbirds all over the place, and melting snow piles.
Very springly!
Last night I decided to try imposing a square footage grid over the drawing of, The New York, from the Armada website.
They offer no 3D interface for that style of unit, and hence, no virtual tape measure to use.
But I do know for a fact that I share a wall with a, New York, and... double checking out in the hall, and outside from the ground... confirmed that it's exactly the same depth, from front door to window, as my unit.
So using that, as my tape measure I was able to superimpose a grid...
If The drawing is accurate, then this is the square footage we're looking at.
Bedroom space: 10X13, and Living space: 12X12... plus that extra triangular wing of space.
The kitchennette floor space is, 4.5X7ish, and the bathroom's about the same as mine now.
Probably the same amount of storage space, overall, as the 05-Bentons, as well.
So this is all great!.. but the big advantage here, is the 12X12+ livingroom space, which is a li'l bigger than the master bedroom upstairs at Melody Manor, all by itself, not counting the kitchennette & vestibule... and the three windows in that room!
A couple things to note here... the drawing said that the bedroom space was nine feet wide... but they put the wall squarely at the 10 foot mark!.. if we're trusting my own calculation that, front to back, the unit is 21 feet.
So, the real life, New York, could have less square footage than calculated here, or that bedroom wall could simply be in a different spot... but even so... my stuff can all fit in here pretty nicely.
And... why wouldn't it?.. since it all fits into a studio right now?
Okay, so here's the mock up with my furniture & rugs...
I was surprised to find that the runner rug wound up going from the front door into the bedroom, but I like it!
And then, of course the livingroom was kind of a challenge to, Feng Shui, so does speak!.. thanks to the highly angular north wall, and the three windows with their radiators...
I tried the desk in every orientation, but it really only works in the SE corner, in this configuration.
I oriented the rug with the north wall, because the office chair will roll better on the bare floor... and the rug then defines a living space that is separate from the office space.
That kitchen table does fit perfectly between the two east windows, BUT...
I need space for my mike stand to live, and for me to stand in while recording vocals... so if the table were there, it'd really interfere with that.
It works a lot better to the right of the north window, both as a work table, and an altar... and then I have one of my small round stands in that acute corner... where I'll probably feature the sauerkraut crock and some other little things.
The rocker, with it's round stand, are placed where they are so I can get a view out all three windows, while I sit and rock... talking on the phone, or listening to music.
But this orientation for the rocker does mandate a large mirror be placed on that wall between the two east windows!
A mirror there, actually gives me a view of the front door from both the rocker, and the office chair... which is mandatory, to maintain, Feng Shui!
Feng Shui also demands free flow of movement, and as you can see here, there is a pathway of 2'8" around the office space, livingroom space, and island space, which has cabinets I'll need to access.
And I can access all three windows as well, to manipulate the blinds and sashes, easily.
The bedroom configurations's also far less awkward than in the 05 Benton... thanks partly to the fact that the window in here is so close to the corner.
The bed & night stand fit nicely in the NE corner, facing the door, and the dresser fit's nicely beside the closet on the opposite wall!.. with easy access to the bathroom.
And then there's room in here for one or two more armchairs, to catch clothes or whatever, but which could be brought out to the livingroom if there were ever guests.
So, The New York is THE ideal unit-style for me!..
- Large livingroom with reasonable bedroom.
- Only 1 neighbor, with my bedroom as a sound buffer... on the dead end of the hallway with no traffic, bordering the stairwell nobody uses.
- Angular wall & irregular shaped vestibule/kitchenette help to dampen room reverb.
- Three windows offer not only best view in the house, but great ventillation options!.. and they're facing away from the summer sun all afternoon!
- Bed's far away from the window & radiator, so... no drafts, or burned fingers... or head hitting the corner of the window sill.
- Kitchennette, bathroom, and storage space are all comperable to any other unit in the building.
- Plenty of places to put a litter box or a cat climber, should I decide to get a cat.
- The right unit would be as affordable as, The Benton!
I don't talk about, manifesting much, but... this is something I'm definitely gonna try to make happen!
The question's really, how popular are the New Yorks, and what's the turnover on them?
I know the studios are in huge demand with college students, and after that, I think the Galenas are the most sought after, because they're deeper, front to back, and have large bedrooms.
The East facing Downers & Bentons are probably next, followed by their west facing counterparts, which get back into the college student range of compact size.
The New York is the only style without a 3D view available online, which tells me that not enough of them have been updated with the modern flooring & fixtures to feature them as such!
This could be due to the weirdness of the floor plan.
- Few people are looking for a 1BR with a small bedroom, but a large livingroom.
Couples want the larger bedroom!
And the only single people who want a large, strangely shaped livingroom, with three windows, and that unique east/south view, are swingin' bachelors who entertain guests all the time... which have gone extinct!
So if you are the weird kind of person who still wants, The New York, for some weird reason... you're probably gonna stay there for a LONG time... cuz there's nothing else like it. - When one finally does come vacant, it's probably easier to rent it out to the next weirdo as a vintage unit, than to renovate it.
Because it's gonna be a nightmare to cut vynil for that livingroom floor! - That livingroom's probably also cold in the winter!
I know from living in the studio unit, the windows are drafty... and they don't run the radiators much if it's over 20F outside... but it's also a big space to try and heat with a space heater.
And the livingrooms also have that big exposure on two sides!
So it's probably a classic complaint?.. that the, New Yorks, are cold all fall, winter, & spring?.. and maybe hard to cool in the summer too!
At least that's what I imagine might be the case with these units!
As for the cold... I've lived my whole life in drafty old spaces, and I'm a handyman, so I also know how to draft-proof the windows effectively.
If draftiness is the downfall of, The New York, then it's to my benefit!
But the price range shown on the website, together with the lack of any 3D interface tell me I'm probably right that they're hard to sell.
I'm guessing most of them are still vintage units.
But I'll find out more from Fernando at some point this week.
°¦}
