Renovating on the Cheap in New York City
The House & Home section today uses the quest of the former editor and chief of Dwell magazine to find the perfect house for $100 a foot as a jumping off point to investigate whether in New York City it was possible to do a gut renovation for that number. They look at six renovations…
The House & Home section today uses the quest of the former editor and chief of Dwell magazine to find the perfect house for $100 a foot as a jumping off point to investigate whether in New York City it was possible to do a gut renovation for that number. They look at six renovations across the city that ranged from the Red Hook house above for $67 a foot to a Tribeca loft for $180 a foot. We know first hand that it’s possible: We did our house for about $75 a foot. We could have easily spent double that and close inspection quickly reveals numerous imperfections. Certain things don’t bother us, like the layers and layers of accumlated paint on the door moldings; others, like way the contractor mounted the old marble sink in the guest bathroom too close to the side wall, will bother us for the next twenty years. But the way we look at it is that an old house like ours is a lifelong project and, plus, we couldn’t have afforded to buy it if a “perfect” renovation was the only option. And, like most things, it looks great by candlelight!
We’d love to hear what readers have spent on their “on the cheap” renovations.
The Cheap Fix [NY Times]
The article makes no sense at all. The whole premise of the article is that the journalist wishes to buy a home for $100,000. But the article appears to be about renovating a house for that amount. It really is badly conceived as a premise.
i did a mid-high end reno in a 3 fl townhouse roughly 2700sf, 80% gut job, all new plumbing, heating, electric, hw floors , custom kitchen with mid range appliances, 2.5 baths, 5 bedrooms, finished english basement..for 55psf…if I exclude the basement, and deduct some sf it would come to 63sf.. all I did was project manage and take care of some of garbage (courtesy of NYC’s strongest)
Gary, Where did you get your windows? we are researching replacing the windows in our landmark area house.
Gary who is doing the woodwork. I would love to have mine done? Are you happy with the work so far?
I’m about to start a reno on a center slope 3-story TH. I decided to work with an architect (young guy, seems very trustworth — but who knows?) despite the added cost. I figure I’ll make it up in the headaches that become his, rather than mine. What do you think? Also — why are people like the people in this article so obsessed with things like backsplashes, countertops and appliances?
We are in the middle of a total reno (all new plumbing, electric, central air – 4 systems, 2 kitchens, 4 baths) landmark windows front and back, 2 decks, brick patio, stripping all of the very extensive woodwork, etc – about $100 sqft.
we own a 3-story TH plus basement in one of the better BS nabes. we are currently renovating our basement – near completion through a popular, but high-priced contractor working the hood exclusively. We received an estimate of approximately $45 bucks per feet but our running tab suggests much higher. by the time we finish i think we’ll be looking at $60 to $70 per feet–easily. But we’re happy in knowing that we’ll have a first-rate space when completed.
12:48, I don’t even have 2820 sq ft. Mine is 2600+. It’s one of those hidden 4th stories that you can’t see from the street. The 4th floor is smaller sq footage than the other floors. My price also includes 8 months of mortgage without tenants while also paying mortgage on our primary residence upstate. Like the architect, it does not include my time (took a year off to do this) or my husband’s (structural engineer-works on house weekends,etc). And like anon 11:17 (whom I would think is my husband posting if we had Kraftmaid cabinets), I’m too tired now to fix things I don’t like.
11:47, are you sure your contractors are trying to rip you off? There is always some underlying problem you don’t see until you rip the house apart. Your contractors may just be trying to do the right thing. Not that I’m a contractor advocate.
Who do you folks find are usually cheaper, the Mexicans, Russians, or Chinese?
Which ones do the best work and are the most reliable?