where to start with renovations
my husband and I are considerig purchasing a brownstone in part slope. the house is three stories and a legal two family — owners duplex and rental garden apartment. the entire house needs to be gut renovated — floors, plumbing, electricals, moving kitchen & bathrooms, etc. my question is where do i begin — we…
my husband and I are considerig purchasing a brownstone in part slope. the house is three stories and a legal two family — owners duplex and rental garden apartment. the entire house needs to be gut renovated — floors, plumbing, electricals, moving kitchen & bathrooms, etc. my question is where do i begin — we need to make a decision fast — do i get an architect in there first for a ballpark cost or do i ask a GC to look a the property. we have a modest budget (550K) but i want to make sure that is enough money considering our taste and the type of renovatin we want to do.
sorry for the rambling entry but i honestly don’t know where to start. if anyone out there can offer advice it is most appreciated.
Regarding the May 9th 9:53 PM post, at least half the architects in this city use the AIA contract, and since architects are unqualified to write contracts, they’d have to hire a lawyer to make changes. Lawyers cost a lot more than architects, and all this before the architect has even gotten the job. I’m an architect myself. When I meet a client who wants to significantly alter my contract, I run the other way.
Whatever you do, if you decide to hire an architect to project manage the GC, please do yourself a favor and never ever sign the AIA contract. This contract puts all control in the hands of the architect and leaves the owner virtually powerless in legal & aesthetic matters. And if your architect insists on using this, then RUN from this person. Do NOT hire an inflexible architect or you will be so sorry.
I agree with 2:00 poster. My experience was that the architect was great at plans, details, sketches, and designs but was horrible with budget and estimating costs. We had 3 GC’s in to walk the property and estimate costs before buying. One said “65K per floor” one said “85-100K per floor” and the other said “100 – 115K per floor”… indeed they can’t tell at all unless you show them plans and level of detail you desire. In the end, our construction and materials costs were around $430K, the architect was 15% over and above that, and another cost people neglect to consider is any other experts you may need to hire to assist the architect — this added on 15K to our project (HVAC engineer, Structural engineer, Expediter for DOB). So you see, you are not far off at all from 550K. This job included central HVAC, all new electrical, all new plumbing to 3 new baths (where previously there were none), new kitchen, new windows, lots of wood stripping, but nothing on the outside of the house. If I had to do it all over again, I would hire a design builder and would consult with an interior designer for the finer points of the design (kitchen set up, cabinetry, storage, finishes).
part slope is that a new part of Brooklyn?
Erin and Ari from House by We are great for coordinating big jobs. They have hands on experience and are dedicated to helping homeowners. They will truly guide you.
(718) 399-0116
You should hire somebody to help coordinate the entire process who has lots of experience working with architects, contractors, designers, etc, and renovating townhouses in NYC.
It’s all about finding the right person. If the architect is hands on and reliable, it’s possible he could be your man, but it really depends on the individual. We’re talking about a big project that will last at least a year, probably longer.
I’m tempted to recommend myself but I’d be very expensive. You need somebody who is very highly recommended and super dependable. Otherwise, you’re in for the biggest nightmare of your life.
Some major decision points that affect prices – things to think about:
Central Air.
Other major changes to heating system.
building extensions
Structural work if required.
Also plaster and paint is way more expensive than you might initially think, but there isn’t much you can do about that – you have to do it in an old house.
Some major decision points that affect prices – things to think about:
Central Air.
Other major changes to heating system.
building extensions
Structural work if required.
Also plaster and paint is way more expensive than you might initially think, but there isn’t much you can do about that – you have to do it in an old house.
We are in the midst of renovations. We started with an architect who gave us some ideas and then drew up plans. With the plans in hand, we were able to get some bids from a few different contractors, and went with the one that we felt most comfortable with. So far so good, but you have to be really careful with contractors. If you’re doing a major job, they should be willing to work the contract to protect you — mainly you want to pay as much toward the end of the project as possible. If he/she can’t afford to do that, it’s a big red flag that you may want to look elsewhere. This is not something you want to rush into b/c of time pressure, as most likely it will cost you a lot more and take a lot longer than if you shop around in the beginning