Get Some Tips and Inspiration Before Tackling a Brownstone Renovation

Has spending so much time indoors started you dreaming of some home renovation projects to spruce up your surroundings?

Whether you are looking to restore your front door, add a bathroom or just get the prime arrangement for your furniture, we’ve got some tips to help you get started on a brownstone or townhouse renovation.

How to Gracefully Add Air Conditioning to a Vintage Brooklyn Townhouse

Figuring out where to squeeze central air conditioning in a century-old brownstone or townhouse can be perplexing even for the most seasoned renovators, especially when the original walls are remaining intact.

Everything You Need to Know Before Installing a Green Roof

It’s hard to miss the soaring three-acre meadow that graces the top of Barclays Center. But green roofs – or living roofs — are also branching into brownstone Brooklyn, where homeowners with sturdy enough roofs can enjoy their environmental and financial benefits.

Here’s What You Need to Know About Repairing or Replacing Historic Brownstone Doors

With their intricate woodwork or simple curved moldings, brownstone front doors have graced many an Instagram post, magazine ad and movie set. They are the focal point of a brownstone or row house facade. But many have been damaged by years of sun exposure or neglect, or replaced altogether with a cheaper alternative.

Here’s What to Do With the Radiators When You Renovate a Brownstone or Townhouse

If you’re buying a Brooklyn townhouse in need of a big renovation, there’s a good chance it has radiators that run on either a hot water or steam heating system. Deciding what to do with the radiators — whether to replace, restore or remove them in favor of a forced-air heating and cooling system — can have a major impact on the look of the house, and on the budget.

Modern or Traditional? How to Light the Exterior of a Brownstone or Historic Townhouse

If you live in a brownstone or townhouse, selecting outdoor light fixtures for a home in some cases as old as the lightbulb itself can be tricky. Should you choose something historically accurate to illuminate the 10-foot-high double doors, or spare and modern to complement the historic facade?

11 Pro Tips for Creative Ways to Fit a Powder Room on the Parlor Floor of a Row House

Squeezing a powder room into the parlor level of a brownstone or townhouse can be one of the trickiest parts of a renovation, especially if you are trying to preserve original details like crown molding and woodwork. But changing lifestyles have turned the parlor level into the main living area for many homeowners, driving up the demand for powder rooms and forcing architects get creative with their location.

What the Pros Know About How to Arrange Furniture in a Brownstone

Figuring out the best layout and furniture placement in the long, narrow parlor of a traditional brownstone or townhouse can be perplexing, even for the most design-savvy homeowner. The parlor level often serves as the kitchen, dining room and main living area, and the layout may be further complicated (or enhanced) by the location of fireplaces or a pier mirror.

Related Stories

• Brownstone Boys: How to Add Character With Recessed Shelves and Niches
• Brooklyn Designers Offer Some Work From Home Inspiration (Photos)
• It’s Just a Heights One-Bedroom Reader Renovation Diary: We Moved In!

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