No matter the surrounding circumstances, Manhattan apartments remain one of the most in demand commodities in the country. Prudent buyers and existing owners in Manhattan can maximize their home value by renovating with an experienced full-service design-build firm who has the know-how to navigate the demanding but rewarding process.
Since striving to exceed the standards for Manhattan apartment renovations and remodels is second nature, we’re quite proud to be a consistent recipient of numerous awards in service and design. We are equally as proud of the reviews our clients have given to both Houzz and Google, resulting in a combined average of 4.9 stars. You won’t find anyone better suited to handle your residential renovation project in Manhattan, whether your home is a co-op or condo in Greenwich Village or a pre-war classic 8 on the Upper West Side. Your vision is preserved and enhanced with our expertise, creating a home as gorgeous as it is comfortable and functional.
The Gallery Way means every aspect of your apartment renovation or remodel is considered and managed from the very beginning of our working relationship.
As a turnkey, full-service design-build firm, we are all-inclusive in our services. From start to finish, we do everything, including: architectural drafting and associated services, interior design, material selection, project management, and all the Manhattan renovation nuances most of our clients never consider, such as permits, inspections, building board approvals, and if necessary, landmark applications.
We work exclusively in Manhattan and Brooklyn and understand how to navigate the complications required to renovate in a city with such rich history. Our proactive planning and due diligence allows us to provide a comprehensive budget and timeline that takes into account all nuances within your desired scope ahead of time to prevent any unforeseen changes down the line. Our proposals encompass the true full cost of the entire renovation from start to finish.
From real-time project updates via our JobTracker app to ad hoc phone calls and site visits, we put extra emphasis on our communication with clients. Our projects have many moving parts, and clear communication is of the utmost importance to keeping your renovation on track.
The apartment renovation and remodeling process is largely determined by the type of contractor chosen for the job. There are two main types of contractors - design-build firms and design-bid-build firms.
While our design-bid approach is a full-service renovation solution, the more traditional design-bid-build renovation method requires contracting a designer or architect to plan and render the project design. They then bid out the construction to a separate build contractor, who may then bid the work out to various subcontractors. Designers and contractors are not always contractually obliged to one another and often require coordination to manage the project. For more information on these main two types of home renovation, read Design-Build Vs Design-Bid-Build: What’s The Difference?
In this section, we’ll be detailing Gallery’s end-to-end design-build process for apartment renovation. Keep in mind every Manhattan renovation has different requirements, and the process below can be flexible to accommodate unique specifications like pre-war or co-op status.
Most Manhattan apartment renovations require architectural plans to be approved by the building board along with the NYC Dept of Buildings. We take on all architectural planning and filings with our award winning in-house design team and architects. Learn more about our architecture services.
When considering interior design, some clients have a highly specific aesthetic in mind, complete with color swatches and a mood board for inspiration. Others might be uncertain, but know mid-century modern has a chic, retro vibe that fits their personality. Some are a total open canvas and welcome direction from the experts. At Gallery, our interior design approach requires accommodating clients however we can. If you have a vision, we bring that to life. If not, we’ll brainstorm and guide you toward the ideal style for your apartment.
Since the average New York City apartment is around 90-years-old, there are often skeletons waiting to be uncovered when renovating. At Gallery, we prioritize all needed tests and inspections before any renovation can begin, in order to ensure no unwelcome surprises arise and delay our agreed-upon timeline. We handle all of the following on behalf of our clients:
The most hands-on aspect of any apartment renovation or remodel is finding materials to bring your chosen interior design style to life. That entails paint color, accent walls, flooring style, mouldings, fixtures, countertops, and more. As a full-service design-build firm we take on the design, sourcing, and procurement of every permanent fixture in your home.
Plus, Gallery is brand-agnostic and vendor-agnostic, meaning we’re not limited in any way with our material selections. Some firms or contractors sell their own materials or have relationships with particular vendors, but our commitment is to our clients. We’ll procure from any vendor, whether international or local. This quality makes our ability to design for both taste and budget fairly flexible.
After materials are sourced, we create life-like digital renderings of the renovated apartment. This includes every aspect of the design, from flooring to fixtures, even showing how renovated rooms will look under different lighting. These high-end renders provide a visual accompaniment to the blueprint that guides construction and helps clients tweak final design decisions like paint color or fixture height. The image you see here is actually a render of the kitchen from our Manhattan condo renovation at The Chelsea Mercantile on 252 Seventh Ave. The following image is from the completed project. We take pride in meeting the renders closely as possible.
Typically, relatively smaller renovations or remodels involve design or interior adjustments, while gut renovations either require taking all rooms being renovated down to their studs and/or touching every inch of the home for a total overhaul of the space. For the full details of what a gut renovation in Manhattan entails read our guide on Gut Renovations In New York City 101.
Every apartment renovation timeline looks different. On average, clients looking for a full home renovation to their two bedroom apartment can expect timelines similar to these:
If the apartment reno doesn’t require building additional rooms or significantly restructuring the apartment, the planning process takes approximately 90-120 days. A common factor that extends the planning phase is whether the proposed renovation requires architectural plans. In this scenario, the plans must first be submitted to the building's reviewing architect or condo/co-op board for approval.
Construction and build timelines are impacted by the scope, site conditions and building rules. Normally, a full renovation of an average-sized two bedroom apartment takes 4-6 months although timelines can vary based on the specific factors. For more information on the renovation timeline, read our breakdown on the typical timelines in full apartment renovations from our extensive NYC Apartment Renovation Guide.
The average cost for an apartment renovation in Manhattan is $250-350 per square foot (including labor and upper mid-range finishes, while more complex gut renovations run around $400 to $500 per square foot and all the way to $600 to 800 per square foot in all custom, ultra luxury renovations. When considering the average size of a two bedroom Manhattan apartment is around 800-1000 feet, expect to pay around $250,000 to $350,00 total to remodel the full space (two bedrooms, two baths, kitchen, living area) with mid-range to upper-mid tier finishes via a full-service design-build contractor.
Many older buildings and apartments that haven’t been renovated in years often don’t have enough electrical capacity to support modern appliances like dual fuel ranges, washer/dryers, speed ovens, central air systems, and induction cooktops. An informal way to determine the electrical capacity of your apartment is to speak with the building super, although performing an electrical load test by a licensed electrician is ideal. This is something we do prior to every renovation. For more heads up reno info, read 6 Ways To De-Risk Your NYC Renovation.
Renovations that disturb asbestos-containing material cannot proceed until the asbestos is remediated by a company that specializes in asbestos removal, so testing prior to demo is essential. Still, just because a property contains asbestos does not necessarily mean the asbestos has to be removed or automatically poses a hazard to your health. If the asbestos will be untouched, we can occasionally work around the issue. However, best practices warrant remediation.
Cloth wiring was typically used in the late 1940's, 1950's and early 1960's. Having been there likely over half-a-century, the potential for problems is high. First, in renovation projects requiring electrical permits, cloth wiring will not pass inspection. Second, and more importantly, old cloth wiring freys over time and becomes increasingly more of a fire hazard if not replaced. We run electrical tests before every renovation to ensure all wiring is up to code.
Wet over dry restrictions dictate whether or not you can physically relocate a bathroom and plumbing stacks dictate whether or not you can open up certain walls in kitchens. If your apartment is a co-op and these stipulations are in place, we will petition your co-op board to make exceptions, if we feel the request is genuine and worthwhile.
Aesthetics can make or break an apartment renovation in Manhattan. Our knowledge of the most timely interior design trends in apartments throughout New York City allows us to compliment or fully drive the interior design goals of clients in each of our renovations.
The demand is high for durable kitchen surfaces, such as quartz, in order to provide a natural balance of beauty and practicality. As you’ll see in this Sky Loft kitchen renovation we did, quartz countertops contain no grout lines, making these surfaces extremely easy to clean and care for.
Clients are continually looking to increase functionality and durability within their kitchen space. This runs the gamut from smart appliances and custom-expanded storage to avoiding temperamental materials that may be beautiful but require a great deal of upkeep.
We’re occasionally asked to implement artistic backsplash options, such as geometric patterns, intriguing tonal choices, and hand-thrown ceramics. The natural variation and one-of-a-kind expression of hand-crafted pieces in particular brings an edge into the apartment’s interior design.
While lighter colors may be optimal throughout homes for various reasons, the exclusivity of bedrooms allow you to push the boundaries of interior design, experimenting with bolder, more moody colors to create depth and inherently relaxing qualities.
When designing a room for children, the key is considering growth. By using a bold, imaginative design that’s cool enough to encourage play time no matter their children’s age, parents can display a practical creativity in their design that doesn’t need to be updated every time the kids change their favorite superhero.
Blend your interiors with exteriors by introducing nature-inspired design styles indoors. House plants have been trending over the last few years, and now we’re seeing demand for floral print wallpapers and accents with natural texture (consider terracotta backsplashes in the kitchen or dried grapewood branches for decoration).
With a sole focus on NYC properties, we’re quite well-versed in what it takes to combine apartments – everything from how to approach the new layout to accounting for building codes, wet over dry restrictions, and communicating with co-op boards. See our expertise for yourself via this apartment combination project in Chelsea, which involved combining an existing one-bedroom apartment with a newly purchased one-bedroom unit next door, along with two outdoor patio spaces.
A common Manhattan housing scenario is to purchase an apartment with the intention to create an additional bedroom. By focusing on residential renovations in New York City, our expertise includes any unique room customization imaginable. Whether you’re in need of additional bedrooms, a room that can serve as an office or a study, or a smaller room that can store your washer and dryer, we are experts in building new rooms in existing apartments.
Our specialty is full-scale gut renovations of residential renovations in NYC. While all renovations are unique and the project requirements are relative to each client's specifications, the average full gut renovation to an Manhattan apartment with Gallery KBNY includes the following:
I purchased a one bedroom apartment with the intention of doing some renovations. As a first time buyer in NYC I was looking for a team that would be able to help me navigate through the process with confidence. I interviewed several design build firms and decided to go with Gallery after speaking with Alex. He seemed to read my mind and understood my vision for the apartment. Going through this process was very frustrating-dealing with a difficult board, architect requirements, the pandemic, and many obstacles and setbacks along the way . They were steadfast in their commitment to completing the project and building the home I dreamed of. The designer, Kate was so lovely to work with as well by putting together such beautiful design options for me to choose. They are a team I felt I could trust to make everything work and they did not disappoint. Thank you so much!
...View moreGallery did exceptional work in a complete redo of a large kitchen and bath/powder room and then a large scale "sprucing up" of the rest of the apartment (paint/skim coat whole apartment, re-did floors, took down a wall, installed some AV and new lighting/electric). Kept to the timeline (even with delays caused by our building), creatively solved problems that come with work in an older building (and NYC in generally) and were very fair on price and change orders we requested. As we found things that were out of scope post living in the apartment (or problems created by other third party vendors involved in our project), they were happy to efficiently complete this additional work and fix others' errors. Work quality was high - if some detail was "below par," they would catch it, call it out on their own and fix on their own dime. For example, after wall papering our bathroom, on their own they decided it was not up to snuff and just re-did it at their expense (incl materials). I think that is a pretty unique approach and experiences like this reduce stress in the otherwise painful process of a full apartment renovation. Highly recommend using them for any remodel/renovation work.
...View moreOur renovation at 1035 5th Avenue found us overlooking Central Park, overhauling a beautiful Italian Renaissance Palazzo co-op located on Fifth and 85th street, just down the street from The Met. When our client purchased this 4,000 square foot pre-war property, the space hadn’t been updated in more than 50 years. The vision for this renovation called for a complete design overhaul of the extensive space, while incorporating many of the prior architectural elements and elegant marble accents, while also creating an additional bathroom and powder room. While the results speak for themselves, the client’s glowing praise for our full-service approach went a long way. View the full apartment renovation via our Before + After portfolio.
A recent project found us renovating a beautiful pre-war co-op apartment at 91 Central Park West. The building, established in 1929, was designed by famed NYC architectural firm Schwartz & Gross, whose work also includes The Mark Hotel and many of the Neo-Renaissance residential buildings along Fifth Avenue, Park Avenue, and Central Park West. Our client purchased the unit in solid shape but the unique layout required quite a bit of ingenuity to meet their specific needs which prioritized a commercial-quality kitchen, enhanced office space, along with various other upgrades that required a fine touch. View the full co-op renovation via our portfolio here.
Considering an apartment renovation or remodel and searching for an experienced residential renovation contractor in NYC? Explore more of our work, or contact us for a consultation to find out how our full-service design-build approach can help your upcoming renovation goals become a reality.