Creating an apartment in our brownstone
We live in a legal two-family, three floor brownstone (used as a one family now) and want to create an apartment on the top floor. We have no idea where to begin! How does one choose an architect for such a project (and will the architect select a contractor, or is that up to us)? Thank you for any help you can offer!
visit.susan
in General Discussion 9 years and 9 months ago
12
Please log in, in order to post replies!
12 replies
ashlylallen | 9 years and 9 months ago
I echo what murph says, and would add:
Would you rather have a tenant live above you, with all the foot traffic and other soudns above (probably) your bedroom? Or would you prefer their apartment to be below you, where they have to be more concerned of _your_ habits?
A deck to the garden so you can use it is an easier “fix” than 30 years of noisy neighbours.
ashlylallen | 9 years and 9 months ago
I echo what murph says, and would add:
Would you rather have a tenant live above you, with all the foot traffic and other soudns above (probably) your bedroom? Or would you prefer their apartment to be below you, where they have to be more concerned of _your_ habits?
A deck to the garden so you can use it is an easier “fix” than 30 years of noisy neighbours.
murph | 9 years and 9 months ago
First, see original plans to ascertain on what level(s) the 2nd unit was configured. Follow that plan if you’re OK with it.
Putting a tenant on the fourth level(three-flight walk-up) with the tenants going through at least two levels of your space might not be to liking, and a tough sell. Putting them at the ground-level would offer more privacy for all but you might want it for ease of convenience in later life.
Your call. You’re the owner.
streetcat | 9 years and 9 months ago
Other professionals can comment on this, but if it is a legal two and you are adding an apartment you are opening a big can of worms. You are changing the occupancy classification from R3 two family to R2 multi-family, so possibly a more complex Alt 1 filing process AND potential for sprinklers. Also, is all required plumbing in place and in the locations you would want it to remain? If not this would require a DOB filing, and a licensed professional stamp. Contractor and expeditor alone, probably not if you are changing the occupancy or enlarging your plumbing scope.
You can also dig deeper to see if it is indeed a three family, as DOB records are not always right. Look at HPD records, and I-cards. This is some work, but might be preferable to the alternative above. Consult a good expeditor/architect on this, but these are some of the questions to ask.
mmontana.la | 9 years and 9 months ago
Hi, it’s Adam Brown, Project Manager and Site Supervisor with Peter Di Natale & Associates, Inc. The best connection to finding an architect and other renovation pros is word of mouth. Certainly see who your neighbors might have used and also see who’s highly spoken of online. Once you have few candidates in mind then of course view their portfolios of previous work and contact a few of their previous clients. The architect should also be in a position to recommend contractors.
gov-island | 9 years and 9 months ago
Checking the Certificate of Occupancy is helpful but my first step would be to contact an architect who would do that and more for you. The architect is there to be your agent on the project and should have experience to guide you on design, budget and schedule. Also, a contractor should be an early participant in the process since they are an integral part of the team that delivers on the critical items above. I would be happy to discuss the entire process with you. www.danielalter.com
gov-island | 9 years and 9 months ago
Checking the Certificate of Occupancy is helpful but my first step would be to contact an architect who would do that and more for you. The architect is there to be your agent on the project and should have experience to guide you on design, budget and schedule. Also, a contractor should be an early participant in the process since they are an integral part of the team that delivers on the critical items above. I would be happy to discuss the entire process with you. www.danielalter.com
a2chitect | 9 years and 9 months ago
Susan, while you can certainly engage a contractor to help you get the ball rolling and even complete your project, the advantage in using an architect is that they can easily help you explore a few design options while keeping your budget in mind. Once you’ve worked through a solution that you are happy with, the architect can then help you bid out your job to a few different contractors without being locked into one from the get go. Renovation projects such as this require a health balance of professionalism and personality that all need to work in collaboration.
One of the architect’s primary responsibilities is to protect the client through the construction process to ensure their approved design and the client’s expectations are met. Working with a contractor who designs and builds can often result in “cut corners” that don’t always work to your advantage.
Obviously, I’m speaking as a biased professional, so take my words as you want. We have experie nce with renovations as you describe. You can take a look at our website and if you have any questions or would like a free consultation, we’d be happy to meet with you.
www.architect-a2.com
JorgeF | 9 years and 9 months ago
It’s your home you can pick any contractor you want. If you want the architect to handle that let them know, otherwise the client usually picks the contractor. The architect will often advise you in this process.
As for picking an architect just call a couple different architects and see who you like. I always tell people to hire contractors based on who they like and trust. That advice should work for architects too. You are going to work with these people for some time so you want to be comfortable with your team.
visit.susan | 9 years and 9 months ago
Thank you. We do have a CofO as a two family. When we moved in 25 years ago, there was an apartment of sorts on the top floor (broken appliances in the kitchen, etc.), which we removed and used the place as a one family. So it would mostly be a restoration, with some additions. For example, there was no wall to divide the two apartments. I’m interested in using an architect to get ideas as to how to reconfigure the spaces both in the duplex and the floor through. But I’ll look into the contractor route (any to recommend?). I appreciate your input.
visit.susan | 9 years and 9 months ago
Thank you. We do have a CofO as a two family. When we moved in 25 years ago, there was an apartment of sorts on the top floor (broken appliances in the kitchen, etc.), which we removed and used the place as a one family. So it would mostly be a restoration, with some additions. For example, there was no wall to divide the two apartments. I’m interested in using an architect to get ideas as to how to reconfigure the spaces both in the duplex and the floor through. But I’ll look into the contractor route (any to recommend?). I appreciate your input.
resident2 | 9 years and 9 months ago
First check with the DOB that it is actually a legal two family. Do you have a CofO as such? If it is then how was it configured at that time? It will always be easier to “restore a pre-existing condition” than to re-configure and create a new one.
If you do want to restore it to its pre-existing condition, then I would try and find a good local contractor and you may be able to do it with just an expediter.
It all depends on how much you want to be involved and your budget. If you want an architect to design how you are going to live and you walk away to come back to a done space, then it will cost a lot more and the architect will hire the contractor, in which case you may want to speak to one of the “Design Build” firms, a few advertise on this site. If you want to be more involved and you want to design your own space, then you can do it as I said with a good local contractor & a DOB expediter, but this will take more of your time, less money.