2 BR Brownstone Apt. Configuration
The basement apartment in my 20 x 45 brownstone is currently a 1 bedroom. I sometimes see 2 bedroom floor-through rental units in brownstones advertised. I’m guessing that the only way to reconfigure the layout to achieve this without the second bedroom being a closet is to remove the load-bearing hallway wall and the stair…
The basement apartment in my 20 x 45 brownstone is currently a 1 bedroom. I sometimes see 2 bedroom floor-through rental units in brownstones advertised. I’m guessing that the only way to reconfigure the layout to achieve this without the second bedroom being a closet is to remove the load-bearing hallway wall and the stair up to the parlor level of the main portion of the house. Has anyone in the forum done this and, if so, would they be willing to show me, “in the flesh”, the resulting configuration?
Thanks,
John Ife
Mine’s like that – stairwell is removed so parlor floor is functionally, but not legally a 2 bed two bath, if you use the finished basement as a living room – has a window so gets a modicum of light. I didn’t do the reno. Came like that.
It’s a marginal bummer not having basement access from my duplex but the tradeoff for lots of extra space (for me and tenants) makes it a net plus . . . to me.
I think it’s a good idea. If you take the ground floor for yourself you could rent the rest of the house for a nice sum. If you say that your house lacks original detail, why not make the space work for you. All brownstones are not diamonds in the rough.
Just to clarify the points brought up in the 12:51 and 1:14 posts:
The top three floors of the house (which we occupy) already have an entrance at the top of the stoop that is separate from the garden apartment entry (under the stoop). The stairs from the garden to the parlor level are by no stretch of the imagination beautiful. The stairs from the garden apartment to the cellar would have to be removed (or at least closed in) also but I already exclusively use the hatch outside the back of the house for accessing the cellar for storage etc., so losing the stair access is no big deal.
The idea would not be so much to maximize the rent from the apartment, although I do think Peter underestimates the realizable extra income from a 2 bed unit. It’s more about the fact that the kids are leaving the roost, we’re getting older, and we need less space. Even though we hope to spend long portions of our retirement years in warmer climes, we still would like a base in Brooklyn and having the apartment as that base while renting out the house above (for mucho bucks!) is an option we’d like have open to us
Remember brownstones come in all widths and depths. The ones that are two bedrooms are probably the ones with a larger footprint. I don’t think most people would go to that much expense to get one more bedroom in the rental. What’s another bedroom worth a month? And how long would it take to get back the cost of removing the wall, adding the header and removing what is probably a beautiful staircase? Add to that the need to go through the tenants apartment to get to the basement for storage, repairs, etc. and it sounds like a losing idea to me.
I’ve seen the staircase removed from the garden floor to the parlor too. This makes a really big space, making two private entrances. If you already are going through that much trouble, you may want to consider it.
Yes, I’m talking about the garden level apartment, not the cellar.
When you say “basement” you’re really talking about the ground floor, right? The law states that you can’t have bedrooms in a basement that’s underground. ( however , many people do that anyway ). I have seen the layout that you’re talking about. A header is put in and upright support is spaced out but left open. The hall outside of the apartment becomes part of the apartment. If you have a real basement, one would have to go through the apartment to get there.