What is realistic for a timeframe to do a pretty thorough renovation on 2 floors of a brownstone? (New mechanicals, new electrical and plumbing throughout, demolition and reconstruction of interior walls, new kitchen, new baths, etc.

From the moment the work starts, what is a reasonable timeframe for completion, assuming minimal change orders and good/normal weather?

Thank you!


Comments

  1. I did a very similar project, 2 floors (25’x40′ bldg). From the time actual demo/construction work began, it was just over 6 months until I moved-in, and another month of finishing work after that, done by one or two people.

    We had only a few surprises during the reno, certainly nothing out of the ordinary for a project of that scale. We also had very few delays due to labor or materials not arriving on schedule. If anything had been delayed, our 6 month project would’ve become that much longer.

    In a perfect world I would’ve waited until I completed more finishing work before moving-in, because once I was living there, I decided against doing some additional work that I would’ve appreciated, but decided against. After 6+ months, one’s patience wears thin and even a little bit of drywall dust, or whatever, sounds like too much hassle.

  2. You will probably need 6 months prior to work starting for architectural plans to be drawn up, DOB approvals, finding contractors. I would estimate 6 months from the moment the work starts to completion assuming things go smoothly.