What's the one thing you would change about your apartment if you could? Five New Yorkers dare to dream.
A bedroom with room for my bed: The one thing I'd change is I'd like a wider space in my bedroom so it could actually fit my bed and not stick out into the doorway. The feng shui is all wonky. -- Jess, writer/producer, UES 1BR walk-up, $1,850/mo
Allow weekend work: The one thing I'd change is to have the ability in my co-op to get deliveries and have work done on my apartment on the weekends. Tenants have taken to subversively sneaking workmen in late at night. -- S., communications, Turtle Hill 1BR duplex co-op, $270K
Functional closets: The thing I would love to change about my apartment is the closets. While I have four large closets, I can't fully utilize them because they have no shelves and no real storage. Most of my closet space is unused while at the same time, I have no place to put things. -- Raquel, Forest Hills 2BR Condo, $300K+
Better soundproofing: The thing I would most change is to add sound-proofing insulation to my whole building but, particularly between the floor of the apartment above me and my ceiling, and in my walls. Even dropping a small object on the floor can wake me in the middle of the night. I use two white noise machines and wear earplugs. When my next door neighbor speaks or plays his TV, it's as if he and the TV are in my own apartment. Absolute noisiest building I have ever lived in in NYC! The whole thing needs serious soundproofing, or at a minimum, a carpet policy. -- Tonya, public relations, UWS Studio, $1,800
Nonsmoking neighbors: I wish my neighbor(s) would not smoke in the hallway. Every time I open my door I am greeted with the horrid smell of smoke and I feel like it attaches itself to my hair and clothes. If I could take my pet peeve one step further, I wish I could ban them from smoking in their apartments too. Sometimes if I have my bedroom window open I wake in the middle of the night to the smell of cigarette smoke and can't get back to bed. --Bridget, human resources, Financial District 2BR Condo, $3,900
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].
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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