Rowhouse Reno

I am about to renovate a brick rowhouse in Brooklyn. It’s a gut job, so floorplan is pretty much anything we can imagine. Its 16.75 wide and hope to end up at 50 feet deep. Does anyone have any opinions re parlor floor (which will be kitchen, dining, powder room, living room) layout? Also, any opinions on the staircase location? Open concept is paramount. thanks!

sqhaexgkh

in Roofers 10 years and 4 months ago

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JPDA | 10 years and 4 months ago

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If you are gut renovating and the stairs will be new, then you have a number of great options for layout. First thing to check out will be the condition of the existing joists – if they need to be sistered or replaced you can look at adding some additional beams to create floor openings adjacent to the stairs to bring light down through the house from a skylight above. As far as position within the house, the new stairs should generally be aligned with the entry doors to minimize circulation space, and pushed back far enough that you can have a “landing strip” or vestibule when entering in off the street. Most people prefer having their kitchens at the back of the house, so they can look out over the garden. Opening up the rear wall to maximize light and air and access to a deck can create a great space, while still preserving a traditional streetfront facade. Modern and traditional elements can blend quite effectively in a renovation. If there is any historic detail that’s worth preserving, it can frequently be made even more impressive in juxtaposition to clean, elegant minimalism. I’d be happy to discuss your project and answer any questions you might have. You can check out pictures of some of our townhouse renovations on our Brownstoner profile page for more ideas: http://pages.blankslate.com/business/page/d5399da756c88e/?pid=brownstoner Jordan Parnass AIA, Certified Passive House Designer Principal, JPDA

workisfun | 10 years and 4 months ago

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yeah- that staircase at 300 may not be for everyone, but it is good nor light and because it turns, you’re not necessarily locking yourself into narrower rooms for the length of a straight staircase. have fun!

carmenf | 10 years and 4 months ago

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Also keep in mind that the floorplan might be virtually anything you can imagine, however you’ll probably have to replace the load-baring walls with two steel beams running front-back and you may need to add posts/columns that may be strategically hidden in walls, even on an open floorplan. At 17′ you might not need support on the joists, but we do at 21′ and we will have a few beams on the parlor floor that will be exposed due to the nature of the floorplan (the top and bottom floor columns will be concealed in walls.)

carmenf | 10 years and 4 months ago

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We’re doing a gut and have the same layout, but ours is 21 wide by 42 deep. The kitchen is 21×16 on the back of the house then the rest of the floor is an open living/dining space plus a powder room and a few closets. We’re maintaining the original parlor floor stairs but moving the garden–>parlor and cellar–>garden stairs back about a foot to get more headroom. Where you put your bathroom is largely dependent on where your plumbing stack is, unless you want to spend a small fortune to move it. We’re maintaining the bathrooms in the same spot on each floor, which puts them towards the middle/back of the house after we add the extension. Stairs can really change the aesthetic of the whole house- if you go with modern stairs, its almost impossible to not go with modern everything else, imho. We’re sticking with traditional stairs and making them the focal point of that floor, which is an option but not for everyone.

sqhaexgkh | 10 years and 4 months ago

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yea, I saw that. I’m not sure I like the staircase placement. In that floorplan, at 300, the owners unit entrance is on the garden level and there is ani nterior staircase to get to the initial living space. That to me is strange and a waste fo space for the garden rental (makes it uncessarily narrow).

workisfun | 10 years and 4 months ago

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Check out the staircase in 300 Prospect Place. It was house of the day earlier this week. It’s very nice and you’re less likely to see such a design as you peruse options.