Garden access

If it was built as a one-family brownstone, then the garden is usually only accessible by the garden floor (unless there’s a deck from the floor above with stairs and shared usage.)

If it is one of the ones originally built as a four-story rental building, the ones where the first living floor is slightly higher than ground level (up a small stoop – and no garden apartment at all), then the garden was accessed through the basement originally. In these buildings, the garden is sometimes exclusive to the 1st floor, which often also has a portion of the basement as well, with an internal stair to the basement level so they can access that floor and the garden. Though I suppose the garden could be accessed from the 1st floor, with a deck, without them having part of the basement floor.

Sometimes the basements in these sorts of buildings is left as common storage area, with the access to the backyard through the basement, and shared by all the building residents. I suppose there could be some that were originally single family homes with only basement access to the garden as well and a garden shared by all – but I have only seen one of these types.

The possiblities are endless, and there is much variation. It depends on what was done to the buildings with respect to garden access over the past 100 years.

I share the garden with my downstairs tenants. Building a deck on the parlor floor was the way to go. If you have 3-4 apartments, I think a roof deck would be a great idea to give those tenants outside space to enjoy.

Garden floor has exclusive use.