Renovating and Combining Apartments in Brooklyn Heights

by | Last updated Jul 7, 2023 | Apartment Renovations, Interior Design, Renovations

I am Jorge Fontan, an architect in New York and owner of Fontan Architecture, an NYC-based architecture firm. At our office, we work on various project types, but apartment renovations are the most common project we do. In this post, we will review one specific project in Brooklyn Heights where we combined two apartments and gut-renovated them into one.
The owner of the apartment had a two-bedroom apartment for several years. The neighbor in the adjacent apartment was moving and put his one-bedroom apartment up for sale. My client purchased the neighbor’s apartment so they could expand their apartment. In doing so, they decided to gut renovate.

 

Brooklyn Apartment Renovation

 

Apartment Combination NYC Logistics

We removed one of the kitchens as is a requirement in NYC; you can’t have two kitchens in a New York City apartment. We also kept both doors, which is a requirement as well, unless you want to go through the process of getting a new Certificate of Occupancy for your building. In most cases, you will not have to get a new C of O when combining apartments. Additionally, your building will most likely not want you to get a new C of O.

We have another blog post covering just about everything you need to know about Combining Apartments in NYC.

 

Combining Apartment Plans Before and After

The image below shows the before plan on the left and the after plan on the right for combining the two apartments. One major concern for combining apartments is the layout, as you want to ensure it does not feel thrown together. We made the living room larger by merging the living room with the adjacent bedroom. We kept the location of one of the open kitchens but gut-renovated the apartment so it would all be new. The new layout for the combined apartments has to flow naturally as if it were always designed to be that way. The challenge lies in the canvas and the existing conditions you must contend with.

Combining Two Apartment into One NYC

Combining Two Apartment into One NYC

 

Gut Renovation

When renovating apartments, you must first figure out what stays and what goes in the apartment. We need to figure out where the risers and utilities are when demolishing walls because this can be an issue. If the wall is a masonry or bearing wall, this will add work and cost to the budget. 

When doing a gut renovation, it is important to have a site meeting after demolition to review the conditions. There are often surprises once we knock down and open up walls. I have found gas pipes in very unusual places and have found empty spaces that can be reclaimed with minimal effort. We once found a 100-year-old stained glass window with a Mahogany frame covered by sheetrock in a landmark townhouse.

As an architect, I even put a note on my drawings that if the contractor does demolition and finds some discrepancies or any surprises, they need to contact us to review. You may think that as architects, we know where everything is, but not always; be cautious of people who give you too much certainty about knowing all the hidden conditions within your walls.

NYC Architect Jorge Fontan Apartment Renovation

NYC Architect Jorge Fontan Apartment Renovation

 

Brooklyn Heights Apartment Renovation

The picture below shows the new apartment after we completed the renovation. The social spaces in the apartment were made in an L shape, with the living room on one end and the dining room and kitchen opening up to the dining space.

Renovating and Combing Apartments in Brooklyn

Renovating and Combing Apartments in Brooklyn

 

Open kitchen and Counter Seating

The kitchen is an open kitchen with a small island. The island has an overhanging countertop with space for two stools for counter seating.

Modern Kitchen Island

Modern Kitchen Island

 

Kitchen Design

The kitchen has dark wood cabinets and a light countertop. The countertop has a waterfall, the side piece that matches the top. The waterfall is a nice detail for modern kitchens. You can see another post we write with more examples of Modern Kitchens

Modern Kitchen Renovation BK

Modern Kitchen Renovation BK

 

The waterfall counter is miter cut to have a minimal seam. Miter cut means that the two pieces are cut at 45-degree angles and then put together to make a corner.

Modern Kitchen Miter Cut Counter Waterfall Detail

Modern Kitchen Miter Cut Counter Waterfall Detail

 

Master Bedroom

Brooklyn Bedroom Design

Brooklyn Bedroom Design

 

Classic NYC Photo for Home Décor

The owner had classic photos of NYC to add to their home décor, which I think was a very nice touch. One thing about New Yorkers is that we really love NY.

Classic NYC Photo Decor

Classic NYC Photo Décor

 

Master Bathroom

The master bathroom was gut renovated with Marble Look Porcelain Tiles and a classic claw foot tub.

Brooklyn Bathroom Renovation NYC

Brooklyn Bathroom Renovation NYC

 

Second Bathroom

This bathroom was completely gut renovated with modern porcelain tiles. The shower door hardware is a barn door style shower which is a great look for a modern bathroom.

Brooklyn Bathroom Renovation

Brooklyn Bathroom Renovation

 

Renovating and Combining Apartments in Brooklyn

The most important thing about renovating an apartment is that you want to work with a good team. Everyone has to work together to bring you the best home possible, which means using good-quality people.

 


Thank you for reading our blog post on this Brooklyn Apartment Renovation and Combination. 

I hope this was helpful. If you want to speak with an architect about a specific project you are planning, you can contact us at Fontan Architecture directly.

 

Contact Fontan Architecture

 

Jorge Fontan

Jorge Fontan

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.