What Does a Brooklyn Renovation Really Cost?
SERIES #02, ARTICLE #02
The Decisions That Actually Change Your Budget
Renovations are a little like weddings. They begin with an aspiration, a general direction, and something deeply personal. They can also become quite the money pit if everyone is not dialed in.
A home renovation, in many ways, is the art of asking: how do you want to live?
To sleep,
To bathe,
To eat,
To work,
To be inspired.
How many of those aspects of your home you are touching will naturally affect the scope and budget.
There are many ways firms estimate renovation costs: by square footage, room type, overall construction budget, scope of work, or some combination of these. As a general planning range, I usually tell clients to estimate approximately $300–$500 per square foot for a full renovation, referring primarily to construction costs for labor and materials. Naturally, that range can climb depending on the project, particularly when higher-end fixtures, finishes, appliances, custom millwork, or specialty construction are involved.
But square footage only tells part of the story.
Two apartments with exactly the same square footage can have completely different renovation costs. That is one reason visiting a home in person is so important. Every building has its own eccentricities, and every client is asking something different of the space. Ultimately, the more useful question is:
What am I actually changing?
Editorial concept visualization by From David Designs
Moving Things Costs More Than Replacing Things
Keeping a kitchen where it is and replacing the cabinets is very different from moving the kitchen across the apartment. That second decision may affect plumbing, electrical work, flooring, walls, ceilings, approvals, and several trades (that had previously been minding their own business). Essentially, the question is whether the renovation is primarily cosmetic or whether you are changing the layout. Once the plan changes, there can be a domino effect.
Plumbing fixtures move.
Electrical locations change.
Floors need to be patched or replaced.
Walls and ceilings are opened.
One decision can suddenly involve several different trades. Kitchens, bathrooms, and stairs are generally some of the bigger-ticket areas of a renovation because of the amount of infrastructure involved. Structural walls are particularly good at turning one design decision into six construction decisions.
Existing Conditions Matter
Older Brooklyn homes are wonderful to design, partly because they have already lived several lives.
They have also had several owners.
And several contractors.
And occasionally someone in 1974 who made a very confident decision with no apparent concern for whoever would open the wall fifty years later.
You do not always know what is behind a ceiling, beneath a floor, or inside a wall until work begins. Good planning cannot remove every unknown. But it can make fewer of them surprises.
Where You Spend Matters More Than Spending Everywhere
I rarely think every surface in a home needs to be expensive. I actually am a firm believer that nice things don’t have to be expensive. I would rather spend money where the design depends on it.
Maybe that is the millwork you touch every morning.
The stone that anchors the kitchen.
Restoring an original stair.
Or fixing an awkward layout rather than covering it in beautiful finishes.
A renovation budget is ultimately a list of priorities expressed in dollars. The goal is not simply to make everything nicer. It is to decide which changes actually make the home better, and spend accordingly.
