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Streamlined Communication
Multiple relationships become one with design-build, making Manhattan renovations instantly easier for busy clients, who can now manage updates with one person instead of multiple.
Apartment Renovation General Contractors New York City
No matter the circumstances, New York City apartments remain one of the most in demand commodities in the country. Prudent buyers and existing owners in NYC can maximize peak home value by renovating with an experienced full-service design-build general contractor with the know-how to navigate the demanding but rewarding process.
Award-Winning
Apartment Renovations In NYC
As New York City’s leading apartment renovation general contractor, we strive to exceed standards for NYC apartment renovations and remodels. As a result, we’re a consistent recipient of numerous awards in service and design. We are equally as proud of the reviews our clients have given us over the years. You won’t find anyone better suited to handle your apartment renovation in Manhattan or Brooklyn, whether the job requires gut renovating a pre-war apartment you’re planning to purchase, renovating a full apartment you already own, or even turning two apartments into one. Whatever the request, your vision comes to life with our expertise as we aim to create you a home that is as gorgeous as it is functional.
Why Choose Gallery as a NYC Apartment Renovation Contractor?
The Gallery Way means every aspect of your apartment renovation or remodel is considered and managed from the very beginning of our working relationship. Whether you’re about to purchase a pre-war apartment on the UES requiring a full gut renovation or living in a post-war Tribeca loft that needs a more preferable lay-out, design-build allows clients to get exactly what they want, without the extra headaches that comes with more fragmented methods that conventional renovation methods deliver.
The NYC Apartment Renovation Process: What to Expect
The shape of an NYC apartment renovation, from how decisions get made to how change orders get handled, depends on the contractor model behind the project. Across Manhattan and BK, two delivery models dominate residential work: integrated design-build firms that own the entire process under one contract, and the traditional design-bid-build path where a separate architect, designer, and general contractor handle their own piece.
Design-bid-build can produce excellent work, but it places the homeowner in the role of project coordinator across firms with no contractual obligation to each other. In an NYC building, where every renovation involves board approvals, DOB filings, building engineer reviews, and tightly choreographed work-window restrictions, that coordination role is more demanding than most owners anticipate. Our design-build approach consolidates architecture, interior design, permitting, and construction under one roof and one contract. For a full breakdown of the two models, read Design-Build Vs Design-Bid-Build: What's The Difference?
Six Stages, Start To Finish
The Gallery Apartment Renovation Process
Every renovation has different requirements, and our process flexes to accommodate unique specifications like pre-war or co-op status. Below is the end-to-end design-build sequence we follow on every project.
Stage 01
Architectural Drawing & DOB Filings
Most apartment renovations require architectural plans approved by the building board along with the NYC Department of Buildings. We take on all architectural planning and filings with our award-winning in-house design team and architects.
You Receive
Stamped architectural drawings and approved DOB filings, with no work for you.
Stage 02
Interior Design
Some clients have a highly specific aesthetic with color swatches and a mood board. Others welcome direction from the experts. Whatever your starting point, our interior design approach accommodates your vision, or builds one with you from scratch.
You Receive
A finalized design direction tailored to how you actually live, not how a designer wants to display.
Stage 03
Inspections & Testing
The average NYC apartment is around 90 years old, which means there are often skeletons waiting to be uncovered. We run the diagnostics upfront to ensure no surprises delay the agreed-upon timeline.
- Asbestos Test
- Electrical Test
- Plumbing Inspection
Stage 04
Material Selection & Procurement
The most hands-on aspect of any apartment renovation is finding materials to bring your 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. Gallery is brand-agnostic and vendor-agnostic, meaning we are 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 will procure from any vendor, whether international or local.
You Receive
A curated material palette sourced anywhere in the world, with our trade discounts passed directly to you.
Stage 05
Design Renderings
After materials are sourced, we create life-like digital renderings of the renovated apartment, every aspect of the design from flooring to fixtures, even showing how rooms will look under different lighting settings. These high-end renderings provide a visual accompaniment to the blueprint that guides construction and helps clients tweak final design decisions.
You Receive
Photorealistic renderings that let you walk your finished apartment before construction begins.
Render
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Built
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From rendering to reality: Chelsea Mercantile, 252 Seventh Avenue.
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NEW YORK CITY NEIGHBORHOODS WE SERVICE
At Gallery, our NYC-centric focus finds us renovating all flavors of Manhattan and Brooklyn. While we work in most neighborhoods in those two boroughs, below are some of the areas we’re in most often:
ADDITIONAL NYC APARTMENT RENOVATION SERVICES
Pre-War Apartment Renovations
As experienced pre-war renovation contractors in New York City, Gallery KBNY helps clients turn their pre-war homes into masterpieces. We also know how much work is needed before each unveiling. Thanks to scattered ownership and inevitable decay, pre-war properties often require significant planning and renovation before they can meet their full and pristine potential. View our full portfolio of pre-war apartment renovations in NYC.
Apartment Combinations
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 Columbus Circle, which involved combining an existing one-bedroom apartment with a newly purchased one-bedroom unit next door. View our full portfolio of apartment combinations in NYC.
Room Creation
A common New York 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.
Full Gut Renovations
Our specialty is full-scale gut renovations of the various styles of residential homes that make up New York City. While full details on this extensive overhaul of your home are noted in our guide on Gut Renovations In New York City 101, the average full gut renovation to an NYC apartment with Gallery KBNY includes:
Client Testimonials & Reviews
Job description
Battery Park Townhouse & Apartment Vertical Combination | 328 Albany St
PROJECT DATE
August 1, 2025
RATING
RELATIONSHIP
Client
We did an up/down apartment combo with Avi and his team and could not be happier. Their work was on time, on budget and very high quality. Having one firm handle everything was seamless and took so much of the stress surrounding logistics out of the process. We have done construction several times over the years and this was BY FAR the best experience we’ve had. Highly recommend. Our project manager, Miguel, was special. View The Project: https://www.gallerykbny.com/our-work/battery-park-townhouse-apartment-vertical-combination-328-albany-st
...View moreJob description
Chelsea Co-Op Renovation | 107 W 25th St.
PROJECT DATE
July 31, 2025
RATING
RELATIONSHIP
Client
We loved working with Avi and the whole team at Gallery Kitchen and Bath. From our very first meeting, we felt like we were in great hands. Avi is so responsive—always available, quick to come up with solutions, and he and his team helped us pivot whenever needed without losing momentum. Renovating in NYC is complicated, but they handled all the logistics seamlessly and made the process so much less stressful. They do everything—design, architectural work, and managing every detail and skilled trade needed for a full gut renovation of our loft apartment —so we never had to worry. They are in full control of their workers, which allows them to stay on track and adapt quickly. They were creative and helpful when we needed to pivot on design unexpectedly. We felt like we had true partners that genuinely cared about our project and our well being! The finished space truly exceeds our expectations—we are so proud of our beautiful new home. It’s hard to put into words how positive our experience was overall. We would not hesitate for a moment to recommend Avi and the entire team at Gallery. They will be our very first call if we ever need to renovate again in the future… and you should call right now if you’re considering a renovation! View The Renovation: https://www.gallerykbny.com/our-work/chelsea-co-op-renovation-107-w-25th-st
...View moreVIEW OUR COMPLETED NYC Apartment RENOVATIONS
Full Renovation Of Pre-War Co-Op In Manhattan | 1035 5th Avenue
Our 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.
Upper West Side Pre-war Co-op Renovation | 801 West End Ave
When we were enlisted for this co-op renovation on the Upper West Side, the dated pre-war space needed some work. The family recently purchased the Manhattan home near Broadway with the intention of reinvigorating the spacious property without losing the historic charm. With a speciality in pre-war renovations in NYC, we were happily up for the challenge. View the full co-op renovation via our Before + After portfolio.
COMMON APARTMENT RENOVATION FAQS
What Is The Difference Between A Renovation And A Gut Renovation?
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 NYC entails read our guide on Gut Renovations In New York City 101.
How Long Does It Take To Renovate An Apartment?
Renovation timelines vary widely across NYC, shaped by the building's approval culture, the scope of structural work, and where the apartment sits within the boroughs. The ranges below are typical for a full renovation of a two-bedroom apartment in either Manhattan or Brooklyn.
For renovations that don't require restructuring the apartment, planning and pre-construction generally runs 90 to 120 days. The biggest variable extending this phase is the building's review process. Any project requiring architectural plans must clear the building's reviewing architect, the condo or co-op board, and DOB permitting before construction can begin. Buildings with rigorous review boards add weeks to this phase; condos with simpler approval processes compress it.
Construction itself typically runs 4 to 6 months for an average two-bedroom NYC apartment, but the building's rules around when work can happen often have more impact on schedule than the scope itself. Brooklyn buildings tend to permit longer daily work windows than Manhattan co-ops; landmarked buildings frequently restrict exterior-affecting work to specific seasons. For a more detailed phase-by-phase breakdown, see our full apartment renovation timeline guide and our broader NYC Apartment Renovation Guide.
How Much Does It Cost To Renovate An Apartment?
The average cost for an apartment renovation in NYC is $400 to $550 per square foot for upper mid-tier projects, inclusive of all labor and materials. Luxury renovations start around $550 per square foot and can reach $850 or more depending on the level of finishes, site conditions, and scope. For full-custom, ultra-luxury work, expect $700 per square foot and up, often with significant layout changes and bespoke millwork throughout. With the average two-bedroom NYC apartment falling between 800 and 1,200 square feet, expect to pay roughly $440,000 to $780,000 total to remodel the full space (two bedrooms, two baths, kitchen, and living area) with mid-range to upper-mid-tier finishes via a full-service design-build firm. For a deeper breakdown by tier, scope, and hidden costs, see our complete guide to NYC apartment renovation costs per square foot.
Apartment Renovation General Contractors In New York City
Talk to a Gallery founding partner. We'll work through your project scope, your building's specific approval realities, and the path that actually makes sense, and we'll be candid about whether we're the right fit.
No pressure either way.
let’s
Design-Build
together
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