nbabylon's Profile

I'd swell with pride on every ascent if I were in your shoes. The melamine is a great idea! It must add some nice reflective pop to that once dark stairwell.

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Houses do not have to meet "code" requirements in order to be sold or resold. In the unlikely event that an appraiser recognized a "banister code violation" it would simply be noted as having a remediation value against the negotiated value of the home.

But hey, way to bring meaningless pseudo-legal opinions into a discussion about an admirable DIY project. I can't wait to read the website you (know who you are) dedicate to the subject; say - http://www.hyperanalpseudolegalsmugnonsequitorsforthebuiltenvironmentanddesigntherapy.com?

Really great example of Philly lofts! We moved here 2 years ago and really enjoy it.

The unofficial story on the loft District is:

The first loft conversion in the area now described as the loft district was in the 1900 block of Shamokin St. (nope, I'm not kiddin'). That conversion was privately done in the late 1970's.

Development did not follow until the late 1980's when the combined effects of the 1980's recession, the savings and loans debacle, and the systematic attack of private equity firms destroyed the textile companies and mills once home to the neighborhoods of Olde City, Northern Liberties, the Art Museum Area, Brewery Town, Chinatown, Fishtown and Kensington.

While these neighborhoods currently represent vast majority of loft conversions in Philadelphia, the Loft District neighborhood only includes the area between Vine St., to the south, Spring Garden St., to the north, 21 St., to the west, and Front St., to the east.

That said, it must be noted that Philadelphia is the oldest city in the country, if you go by continuous residential streets, and the names and natures of its communities have been as fluid, over time, and remain so. The Loft District, Brewery Town, Bella Vista, Graduate Hospital and others are names that have been gradually adopted since the early 1990's as realtors have brought new inventory to market within the existing architectural base.

The loft District is more or less contiguous with the neighborhoods of Chinatown and Olde City, who together represent an area roughly equal in size to the Loft District running west to east respectively.

I really like the way Derek and Jenn's is decorated.