With any renovation, there will be soft costs and hard costs, sunk costs and prospective costs. It pays to have realistic expectations about where your money will go and what you can get for your investment for your remodel. And while it can be helpful to start thinking in terms of average costs per square foot, typical estimates will only get you so far as a NYC apartment and Brooklyn apartments are universally anything but average. Many pre-war units could benefit from layout changes when undertaking a full gut, while post-war units could often benefit from wall furring for additional lighting points, custom vanities to maximize precious inches of available Manhattan real estate, and occasional asbestos abatement. In either case, square footage calculations can miss when major overhauls are needed in portions of your home. Understanding your specific home’s unique needs and being able to manage project costs as they unfold requires a more detailed and realistic understanding of where and how to budget.

Whether you have a brownstone, limestone, wood or brick façade, if you own a townhouse in New York City, you are a steward of an important piece of our city’s built history.  Most townhouses were constructed sometime during the late 19th to early 20th century to accommodate the rapidly expanding population of NYC’s merchant class. This prized real estate — with narrow footprints and deep lots — results in homes with historic character, layers of craftsmanship, signature layouts, and specific structural demands that all inform how these homes are renovated today.

Many New York home renovation projects involve just a single room. Among the most common are the kitchen and bathroom, followed by the nursery or kids’ room. In this article, we get into the nitty-gritty of how to prepare for a single room renovation in your NYC apartment or loft, and what to expect during the renovation process.

Now more than ever, employers in New York City are eager for their workers return to the office, so the work atmosphere, and the comfort and safety of employees are of utmost importance. Office interior design plays a crucial role in worker satisfaction and retention. Check out these considerations before embarking on your next office design project.