Reasonable prices to renovate a frame house in brooklyn (psf)
I have a 2500 square foot 25 foot wide frame house with a lot of original detailing, but that needs a pretty extensive overhaul. Not a gut job, not many major moves to the layout, but a lot of work. Good mechanicals roof etc. I have been speaking with architects, lots of them and have been surprised at a $300-$500 square estimates which seems so high to me and making me rethink the entire project. What is reasonable, and for that money we are talking mercedes quality right? Any architects with history of how to be thoughtful, rather than throw money at the problem please offer help. Or is that just what it costs. Thank you Mike
happymike
in About Brooklyn 11 years and 7 months ago
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17 replies
japmom55 | 10 years and 10 months ago
we spent about 200k and did new stucco, hvac splits, bathrooms, new kitchen…about 3000 sq feet, so this seems high. we used jbj renovations mainly because he knows the job, speaks perfect english (italian american) has decades of experience, recently started up so his prices are still not a rip off…he does high end work, highly recommend, really honest and a nice guy to boot!!! james 917-217-6142 jbjrenovations@gmail.com, i hope this helps u!!!
joeclinton | 10 years and 11 months ago
Renovation of house in a low budget is difficult to get. Consulting an experienced and licensed structural engineer then the renovation cost will be high.The cost of renovating the house will depend upon the size of the house.I also renovated by house from [denver structural engineer](http://www.danteengineering.com) and my house was around 3000 square foot in total 2 floors and it cost me around $200,000.It covered all the things including new plumbing,electric etc.
yurigmusha71 | 11 years and 6 months ago
call mr Luis luisenrique0571_62@hotmail.com
strinter123 | 11 years and 7 months ago
maintaing the detail work is a big part of the cost. A cost per square foot isnt, i dont think, the best way to look at it since which rooms you are remodleing and the materials you choose makes all the difference. I suggest getting a rough estimate for each room since a kitchen will be different than a bathroom than the living room. for rough estimates new hvac around $10k, new plumbing around $2 0k, a new kitchen can be $30k to $100k depetonding on what you choose for appliances and materials and who does the work – i use this online cost calculator to get an estimate [http://www.remodelormove.com/kitchen-remodelling](http://www.remodelormove.com/kitchen-remodelling) bathrooms small for $10k each – big $20k and up. For the other rooms – new floor $15/square foot – new trim and doors $1k per room, If you take some of these approximates and list out yoru rooms and $ per room i think you can do a lot for $100 to $200k. try to visit neighbors homes and open houses to get idea and take photos of what you want. Once you have a bunch of photos and these estimates start interviewing contractors and give them your photos and your budget estimates and see what they can do for you
evperry | 11 years and 7 months ago
At $300-$500 they are making $100-$150 a sq ft. Some people don’t mind that because all they do is sit back and cut checks and the project gets done. Keep in mind Im a GC so Im wholesale but 400k is PLENTY to get that job done and I mean plenty. Hire your architect and then shop it around. It might take you while to find someone you like but be patient. Your plans should cost under 10k for that type of job. -ev
joegc | 11 years and 7 months ago
AS a contractor, I can say that pricing depends. The truth is the building materials used for a high end and low end renovation are basically the same. It comes down to finishes, design and organization. I have seen jobs where the person spent 200sqft and achieved a better outcome than the person who spent $400 If you are renovating on a budget, it is best to use a contractor you trust who can give guidance. Architects are great for drawing and collecting bids. Only someone who is actually doing the work can truly help you save money. Give me a call and I will try to help. Joe Lewis www.crjhome.com 347-715-5956
slopefarm | 11 years and 7 months ago
FWIW, here’s what went down with our oversize frame reno. 3150 sf (2-fam, 22′ wide, south slope italianate frame, incl. one story extension). $520k approx spent by time job was done, incl. change orders, architect, stuff we paid for out of pocket. Date: 2006-ish Complex mix of gut and preservation, total overhaul of mechanicals (except heat), total rebuild of extension, total re-framing of front and back exterior walls, added 2-zone mini duct central a/ c, replaced water and sewer lines from street, etc.). Job was underbid and we have had to re-do some cut corners. Added another $30-40k. These old frame houses reveal problems the more you open or try to relocate walls, so estimates may be hedging against likely surprises. You really can’t get a good estimate without a close look at the house and a detailed scope of work. Every job is different.
curated | 11 years and 7 months ago
400k may be more than enough or may be short. It all depends on exact scope. We just finished a 3,000 sf, 3 story renovation on a brownstone that came in under 400k. That was with new electric, plumbing, baths, kitchen and floors. But layouts all stayed the same, original stairs remained, original plaster all remained etc. There is no way to say what your renovation will cost you sight unseen. http://brownstoner.staging.wpengine.com/curated
happymike | 11 years and 7 months ago
I have 400k total.
cate | 11 years and 7 months ago
Love the two tone newel post, operadiva. Incredible! I think some of our woodwork may have been two tone also — faux painted, not the real thing. I can’t believe anyone would paint over such beauty. Re Roark’s suggestion, low-end flippers do redo entire houses for $30,000 to $80,000 but they are not paying retail and the guys who work for them are unskilled laborers who are paid very very little. Also, anyone who replaces plaster with sheetrock is a fool.
theoperadiva | 11 years and 7 months ago
Hi Mike, We did a very high end gut renovation of our home with full HVAC, new structural opening, deck, the works…you can see before and after pictures on our blog www.wandernesting.com. The work came in at about $260 psf, and that includes commercial grade appliances, custom vanities, walnut wide plank flooring, fully custom kitchen, etc. We were very organized throughout the renovation, priced and purchased every single item ourselves, haggled, cajoled, did a great deal of the design work ourselves, etc. It can be done if you put in the work and if you assemble the right team. Good luck!
Roark | 11 years and 7 months ago
bewarre this website is really just a marketing tool for architects and contractors. if you shopped much at all before you bought you noticed the foreclosed buildings go foe 300 at auction all cash those developers put them back on the market 8 months later for less than 200 over that. , and trust me that includes a profit sure theres a lot of exposed brick and home depot fixtures but it all new MEP. so if you have more money than I can imagine and want a museum quality restoration give these guys your checkbook.now look at the other side un renovated houses in CH BS are close to a million now at even 300sf x 3000ft thats a million to renovate an average house ARE THEY INSANE,Oh sure these skells will do that to you but theyre raping you.Of course NYC DOB is how they get away with it they are AA incompetents that dont understand their own code so make arbitrary capricious wasteful contradictory rulings but these architects don’t understand it either but don’t mind experimenting with your money. pay contractors who understand up front they will never get the job to inspect your plumbing and electric if its ok then just hire contractors to do the jobs piecemeal and always get three bids with references minimum and the contract must be very very very very specific it it isnt written its extra if the plumb and elec are 100 years old you have to decide is the old plaster worth keeping if theres a lot of detail probably but if not its a thousand times easier to gut it and then not only can you run new systems quickly and easily but you can insulate and replace sagging and cracked joists. i gutted my place with two hardworking guys at $15 an hour ea it took us about three days a floor and a 40 yard dumpster a floor with overload charges about $1300 per dumpster and $200 in supplies like 6mil bags twine duct tape large zip ties and pizza.
joearchitect | 11 years and 7 months ago
The people who have actually seen your house should be able to give a more accurate estimate, but based on the work you have described the estimates you are getting do seem high. I recently completed a $2400 sf gut renovation with new a/c, new electrical, three baths, kitchen with custom cabinetry, custom radiator covers, mud room and laundry cabinetry, replaced most of the windows, built a new stone fireplace surround, and it was all for $360/sf including every change order. We didn’t need to do any exterior or significant structural work and no historic details so that helped. Your architect could do a preliminary design and budget exercise to figure out the scope of work that meets your budget, and then get some preliminary bids to double check that the project will be affordable, since it is the contractors that ultimately determine the cost. Good luck!
majorhints | 11 years and 7 months ago
restoration vs renovation can make a big difference on top of the type of materials used (example being carrara marble is about 1/3rd the cost of calcatta typically) so the range can be anywhere from $100-$1000 psf.
cate | 11 years and 7 months ago
Strange. Maybe these figures are for gut renovation? I know someone with a brownstone in Bed Stuy, probably about 3,000 square feet in total with three floors, who put in all new plumbing and electric, moved a kitchen and at least one bathroom, stripped and refinished wood, and definitely had extremely high quality finishes and materials (including marble kitchen counters), used an architect and of course a licensed, experienced contractor, and spent about $300,000\. I don’t know if HVAC, new windows, or any facade work was done — those items would surely increase the price. We probably could have done all our stuff with an architect up front for less than $200,000\. (Mechanicals, some structure, didn’t move anything, some carpentry, wood stripping and refinishing, skim coating, painting, floor refinishing, new boiler, new roof, new windows.) Maybe even $150,000. You could also say here is what we want to do, here is our budget, can you do it?
metalwork | 11 years and 7 months ago
curated you said it best. no need for my comment.
curated | 11 years and 7 months ago
Pricing will of course depend on finishes and overall scope but typical good quality finishes and quality labor will end up costing between 250-350/sf. You can easily go much higher than that and get to the 500/sf range if you start adding a lot of custom details, whole house AV etc.