How can a renovation be planned and costs be controlled?
P.S. There is absolutely no need to remove plaster and replace or cover with sheetrock. (Unless you are moving a wall.) That is an unnecessary expense that will also remove all historic detail such as molding from your house and replace high-quality plaster walls with low-quality sheetrock. If your plaster walls are extensively cracked, peeling, etc., the correct way to repair is to skim coat and use a layer of mesh on the first coat. The mesh will prevent cracks from returning. If you just have a crack or two and otherwise the walls are fine, you can just repair those individual cracks without skim coating all the surfaces.
cate
in Brownstoner Renovation 12 years and 8 months ago
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ferney1c | 12 years and 8 months ago
I am so new to the renovation game, I may be asking a very elementary question. I have a four story brownstone to work with. How does one plan a renovation? How does one manage costs? Please tell me what makes renovation costs rise? For instance, does certain kinds and ways of painting, plastering, window installation and plumbing make the cost rise? I don’t want to do the cheapest things but I don’t want to waste any money either. I want the job done correctly but I do not have several million dollars to do it with. I have not even decided what configuration I want. Also I’m not sure I want two one bedroom apartments on each floor or a 2 bedroom apartment on a single floor. Much of my final decision will rest on cost vs. the rental market. Any advice you could give me would be helpful. You guys are go great to share your knowledge.
brucef | 12 years and 8 months ago
An architect is the one who is supposed to help you with this, but there remains the chicken and the egg conundrum, How can the architect help you if you don’t know what you want. The following are large expenses with repurcusions that would in the best of circumstances be avoided. 1\. Change of Cert of Occ (from a 4 to a six, a 6 to a three) Triggers multiple new requirements, multpile additional professionals, a cascade of expenses 2\. Structural changes to Interior – expensive construction trades, additional structural engineering, 3\. Choice of Finishes – High end fixtures and goodies can drive up budgets. The following are renovations that in my mind are surprisingly affordable 1\. Adding Extension – pricey and requires professionals, but you end up with a bigger pie. 2\. Renovating kitchens and baths in place – can be quite nice and doesn’t require big or any permits 3\. Preservation of existing (or salvage) detail. Hope that helps.
esther | 12 years and 8 months ago
I’m in the middle of a renovation myself. It is definitly a LOT of work managing design, construction and budget. At the end of the day you are the boss and you have to have a great team. Cost rise when unexpected situations occur that were not talked about or budgeted in your inital design. I think the best advice to give you is to find a good architect someone who is willing to do the work for 10% of the construction cost is fair. Sit with him or her and decide on what you want and how much you can spend. With the design ALMOST done reach out to a few contractors who can give you estimates so that you have an idea if your design is over your budget or falls within. That way you and the architect can make necessary changes if need be.
elbow | 12 years and 8 months ago
In order to best control costs you should carefully plan everything on paper first and stick to that plan. I work on about 40 or so commercial construction projects per year and the biggest cost upticks have been from clients changing their minds and/or asking for extras after the job has been bid. In older buildings there are usually extra charges for unforeseen field conditions – usually no more than 10% of job price. Based on your post, I think you need to think hard about what it is you want before you start. How many units in the building right now? Are you planning to live there or is it an investment?
housepoor | 12 years and 8 months ago
“The top two floors are “furnished rooms” – 3 on each floor.” That sounds like it might be an SRO. If it is an SRO, do you have a Certificate of Non-Harassment (CNH)? Depending on the circumstances — specifically how long it has been since there were tenants in the SRO — it could take a while to get an Alt 1 permit since it is dependant on a CNH being in place. If you have to start from scratch on the CNH, the City goes back for 3 years and seeks out former tenants, asking if they were harassed. If they can’t find anyone, they could look at the violation history and, if bad, might deem harassment. That starts a 3 year clock before you can apply for a CNH again. You might think about going for an Alt 2, then in 3 years apply to change the CofO. That way the history is clean, the CNH comes easily as will the Alt 1 necessary to get a new CofO. The only fly in the ointment is since the Alt 1 is a change of use, the DofB may ask for house-wide sprinklers. Hopefully they are already there.
ferney1c | 12 years and 8 months ago
Hello Housepoor! In July, I filed for a Certificate of Non Harassment. I definitely handled that part of my plans. No one has lived in the building except myself and my husband for more than 3 years. There is no bad violation history so I’m probably safe in that regard. We do have housewide sprinklers. I hear so many nightmare stories about getting the CHN. If there were no complaints filed, why does the city go out of it’s way to look for trouble? From what I understand, they even put ads in newspapers to search for harassed tenants. They also put a notice on the front of the property. It’s frustrating to think I’m going to have a lot of trouble getting something that I legitimately need. Thank you for your advice.
jackhhampton | 12 years and 8 months ago
I think you need to search general contractoe who can consult free. He will give you all details information about the renovation. As per my knowledge creative construction services Inc. is one general contractor company who will help you or consult you better your visit to this company site – createcsi.com
cate | 12 years and 8 months ago
Hi — Homeowner here. First, it is of the utmost importance to work with a good contractor who is licensed, experienced, and skilled. Check everyone’s license number at the DOB web site. Second, you need a good contract, and never pay in advance of services. There are books on this, you should read them. Cost depends on what you are doing and change orders. For example, moving walls and moving plumbing will add to the cost. These items are expensive in and of themselves, plus they require permits and architects or engineers, which is not only expensive but also the permit process is long, so you are sitting around waiting while paying for two places to live at the same time. Change orders will also add a lot of unecessary expense. Know what you want before you start. It’s also important to do things in the correct order, so you don’t have to do them twice. The correct order is: Pest control (termites, rats, etc.), structural repairs, electrical and plumbing, close up walls and skim coat/plaster, prime, paint, floors. Good luck!