There is a lot of work that goes into renovating an apartment in NYC. Along with all this work there are many decisions and details to be figured out. In this post we will be looking at an apartment gut renovation we completed in Manhattan on the Upper East Side. We have a video walk through for you to watch as well as a written breakdown of some key points.
I am Jorge Fontan, an architect in New York and owner of Manhattan based architecture firm Fontan Architecture. At our office we work on a variety of project types and sizes. One common project type we take on is apartment renovations. I find that many clients consider this process overwhelming, therefore let’s talk a little bit about some of the decisions one needs to make throughout the process of designing an apartment renovation.
Manhattan Apartment Renovation Video Walkthrough
Renovation Quality and Budget
In this apartment we designed what I would describe as a High-End Renovation. The apartment renovation was over one million dollars for a 2,700 square foot apartment. We worked with a top of the line renovation contractor and purchased good quality materials and products. If you want to read a bit more about high-end and luxury budgets I have another post you can check out: High End Apartment Gut Renovation Budgets in NYC.
Renovation Scope of Work
In this project the client purchased two apartments side by side and hired us to combine and design the renovation. They wanted to redo everything including reconfiguring the layout, renovating 5 bathrooms, one kitchen, building a new laundry room and pantry, replacing HVAC units, new lighting, new floors, and basically new everything throughout.
Combining Two Apartments
The client originally owned one apartment and the neighbor put their’s up for sale. He decided to purchase this apartment and enlarge his as opposed to moving. This is a very common practice in NYC. We do lots of projects like this.
At first our client wanted to put a door between the two apartments next to the kitchen in order to combine the units. I advised him to completely open the kitchen on both sides so that you walk through the kitchen and take advantage of all the natural light coming into the space. He agreed and I believe the result came out quite nice. We converted the other kitchen into a laundry room since it already had plumbing.
You can check out another post I wrote on How to Combine Apartments in NYC if you want to learn more about the subject.
Open Kitchen Apartment
Kitchen Design and Renovation
The kitchen has a light and dark color theme. The appliances are stainless steel and black, the cabinets are graphite gray, and the countertops are white with gray veining. The kitchen has wall ovens which are quite popular for convenience and aesthetics. The cooktop is in the counter with the sink, and dishwasher in between the two. There is also a peninsula with bar stool seating. The peninsula has a step up to achieve a higher counter height for the stools. This is an option some people prefer.
One key point on the countertops is that although they may look like marble, they are not. These are porcelain countertops made to look like marble. People often like to use porcelain because real marble is porous and absorbs, making it more likely to discolor. Porcelain also comes in at a much lower price for the material. The installation cost on porcelain will be higher than for marble, so you need to balance those issues with material and labor prices.
Modern Kitchen Design NYC
Bathroom
This apartment has his and his bathrooms. One en suite bathroom off of the master bedroom and the second bathroom off the home office with very different designs to accommodate the tastes of each man.
This first one is made of marble look porcelain slabs. These are large format tiles that are made to look like marble. As we mentioned earlier when discussing the countertops, porcelain is a more affordable material, and marble is more likely to discolor over time. The clients were very concerned with durability, especially with three small children.
UES Bathroom Gut Renovation
Second Bathroom
This bathroom is a little moodier with dark gray large format tiles. This bathroom uses a floating wood vanity to break up the darkness and add a little bit of warmth.
Modern Gray Bathroom in NYC
Children’s Bathroom
We had three bathrooms for the children that were all designed to be the same. Here is one of them.
In this bathroom we used a light gray tile but an alternating pattern between a smooth and textured tile. This makes the bathroom less monolithic and a bit more inviting. Sometimes an all gray bathroom can be a bit cold. Adding texture with a 3D textured tile warms up the feel a little bit.
UES Bathroom Reno
Wide Plank Floors
If there is anywhere in an apartment renovation worth spending a little extra money it is on the floors.
I am a big fan of wide plank floors. These are 8″ wide plank white oak engineered wood floors. Having the wider plank of 8″ adds a little bit to the cost but makes for a fantastic look.
NYC Apartment With Wide Plank Floors
Apartment Renovations
Apartment renovations have countless details to take into consideration. In this post we reviewed just a few, but I hope this helps you visualize some of those key decisions.
Thank You for Reading Our Blog Post on this Manhattan Apartment Gut Renovation.
I hope this was helpful. If you would like to speak with an architect about a potential project, you can contact us at Fontan Architecture directly.
This post was written by Jorge Fontan AIA a Registered Architect and owner of New York City architecture firm Fontan Architecture. Jorge Fontan has earned 3 degrees in the study of architecture including two degrees from the City University of New York and a Masters Degree in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University. Jorge has a background in construction and has been practicing architecture for 20 years where he has designed renovations and new developments of various building types.
