Where do I even start?? and how much will this cost?
http://cdn.brownstoner.com/518b31c913d2a-.jpg
I’ve recently bought an apt in a co-op building. The apt has a long wall that makes the livingroom a “room” and it has a long hallway outside of it. We thought it doesn’t make much sense, so we’re planning to take down that wall, push the bedroom wall inward, build another wall to create a small office area with a clerestory window on top. We haven’t look at the co-op regulations yet, but the selling agent confidently said the walls are not load-bearing walls so we can move them around, except the left wall of the kitchen. We’re also thinking about taking down the right side of the kitchen wall (left side has pipes in it) to make it an open kitchen. It is our first time doing this and we have no idea where to start. Our architect friend said we have to hire an architect and an expeditor since we’re changing the layout, but I wonder if I could do the design myself since I’m also a 3D artist. What is the budget looking like for this project? We have very limited budget, what would you guys suggest us giving up or compromising looking from the resale value stand point? Thank you!!
shash8
in Construction 12 years and 2 months ago
10
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10 replies
anotherposter | 12 years and 2 months ago
I don’t know how much office space you need or how much time you plan to spend in it, but I’ve seen some cool offices in a closet, like the one on the right off the hallway. Or put one on the right end of the bedroom, use a screen to block it off if you want separation. Personally, I don’t need much space in a bedroom so I could see that working and putting whatever extra storage you need in the hallway. These are all suggestoins for the original floor plan if you want to live with it as it.
shash8 | 12 years and 2 months ago
http://cdn.brownstoner.com/519110579e8a9-processed-FloorMap_REF_v02_brownstoner.jpg
Wow, so much useful info!! Thanks guys! After reading all your comments, i think we’re gonna hire an architect friend of ours, with fixed rate, to see how things go with the DOB and coop board. If the soft cost BEFORE construction is already killing us, then we’ll have to find some other way to compromise, to live with it, like what jeanmarine2 said. Here is a cleaner version of the floor plan… Do you guys see any other way we could create an office space from this map?
jeanmarine2 | 12 years and 2 months ago
If your budget is limited I suggest just moving into the place now and living there/living with it and trying to save and research it. That’s what we did – moved in 6-7 years ago and are just making the space better for us now and it’s a bear. but we have a better sense of what we need and were able to save toward it over the years… The downside is later having to pack up and protect your items but the upside is in a year or 3 you’ll have a better sense of how you want to live in it. We moved into our space 6-7 years ago and did about $15,000 of work just to get in without doing structural stuff (it’s a duplex part of a house so big, bad layout though) and I was so surprised by prices – floor refinishing – $2500, painting $3000 (most quotes were $5000, I learned if 5 quotes are $5K and 1 is $3k – go with the $5k…), electrical $2500, etc. etc. – just to get in. we just did non-structural work getting our other floor ready to move into post-tenant and THAT was over $15,000 alone (!). we’re getting bids for opening up walls etc. and adding a kitchen and deck/stairs and the bids for the whole thing have ranged from $40K to $80K not even including kitchen stuff like cabinets/backsplash/countertops so we have such sticker shock that I’ve been going really slowly and have toyed with playing GC myself, or at least splitting our job into permitted exterior and non-permitted interior, but the permit part keeps serving as checkmate since we already have permit approval for both interior/exterior – now your situation is different but the point being, if you permit the job (and your coop might require you to, homeowners have a bit more discretion), that alone is around $4,000 if you go straight through an expeditor, if we used an engineer that’s about $2,000; and our architect bids for just a DECK were $7000-$13000 with scope limitations. Even ikea cabinets might run $5000 counting the cabinets, assembly and installation (but I could be off about that, we’re not going with IKEA)… If you are still set on doing the work before living in the space for awhile – and you’re a designer – then I suggest designing it yourself initially, hiring an architect CAREFULLY – do NOT hire hourly/no cap (I learned that the hard way), and I don’t suggest doing it as a % of construction since you’re trying to limit construction prices – best to do fixed price or at least fixed by the phase (e.g., what’s the price for the design phase – maybe go hourly for that if you’re doing the initial design – then fixed for design development, fixed for permitting, and perhaps hourly for construction administration or something) – you sound like you want to manage the job and not have the architect take over. But service fees and contractor prices can skyrocket without anyone doing anything wrong, esp when permits are involved…
brucef | 12 years and 2 months ago
My guess is that soft costs will consume 35k, before a single hammer swings. Making a legal one bedroom into an illegal two bedroom (inner bedroom has no window) is an obvious ploy. With enough high paid professionals you can make the DOB agree that the quacking thing is clearly not a duck. But there will be obscene delays, namely whenever a plan reviewer hears quacking. Clearly when the stakes are high emough, it pays to throw money at it. Yes, I do this for a living.
vai | 12 years and 2 months ago
Hi, Some things seem off about the new layout. The door to the bedroom doesn’t work and it’s too narrow around the bed. The study doesn’t have a window to the exterior and is not a minimum of 8 ft wide (looks like only 7 ft), though you may be able to call that a closet or storage room and get it approved. Why not make the entrance to the study from the bedroom with a 5 ft doorway (center on the south wall) and call it a walk-in-closet? 35k will roughly cover demo and construction of walls, relocating electrical and installing new cabinets, countertop and sink. It most likely will not cover material costs of cabinets and new appliances.
shash8 | 12 years and 2 months ago
Thanks so much everyone for your feedbacks! So it seems like it’s unavoidable that we have to hire an architect and an expeditor… So that will blow us at least $8000 already.. I was hoping to get away with it by just hiring an artistic contractor. Do you guys recommend anyone who would do this scope of work and is helpful about the budget (35k)? If I just want to take a wall down, push a wall in, build a simple wall with clerestory window on top, and open up the kitchen with just Ikea kitchen alliances, is 35k really not doable??
coopking | 12 years and 2 months ago
#1 I would not believe a single word a selling agent said. Their one and only motivation is to get you to buy the apartment as quickly as possible so they can get paid. #2 What you have described above will be very expensive and time consuming. You will have to deal with architects, engineers, contractors electricians etc. Not to mention getting approval from the coop board. I would say you are looking at about 50K to do the work you described and about a month of not being able to live in the apartment while it is being worked on. Having said that if you have the money and the time do it all now before you move into the place. trying to do major renovations to an apartment you have been living in for a while is awful.
anotherposter | 12 years and 2 months ago
It’s not just about drawings, any good architect is going to also be or work with an engineer. I wouldn’t count on the agent’s assertion about the walls to be true, especially if it was a seller’s agent–they will tell you all kinds of things you want to hear whether or not they know the truth. I would get expert advice here. Those walls may also have plumbing or electrical going through them that needs to be moved, among other issues. An archetict is going to be able to navigate the DOB regulations and in a co-op, I’m pretty sure there’s no way you’re going to be able to do this without legally going through the DOB, whether it’s from the start or after you get reported by a neighbor for doing unpermitted work.
Putnamdenizen | 12 years and 2 months ago
You can’t rely on what the selling agent says to you. A co-op will want any renovation like this done legally -which means with an architect and building permits. Part of that process will be an engineering report on the walls, etc. It will be more than you think.
sandralouis | 12 years and 2 months ago
You have planned well. But still it needs some more plannings. May be you can ask for an expert advice. http://feelday.com