Brick Underground

There are four things to consider in every brownstone renovation: Timeframe, design, compliance, and build costs, says Anna Karp, CEO and co-founder of Bolster, a New York City-based design-build firm that has created a seamless renovation experience by delivering industry-leading expertise and a radically transparent process.

“Before you begin, you should know that renovating a brownstone is a very ambitious project. It’s like climbing the Mount Everest of renovations,” says Anna Karp, COO and co-founder of Bolster, a New York City-based design-build firm that has created a seamless renovation experience.

An analysis by the Community Service Society shows that evictions declined over five times faster in NYC zip codes where the Right to Counsel law is in effect compared to zip codes without Right to Counsel that have comparable rates of poverty, eviction, and rental units.

A couple, who had been living in the ground-floor one-bedroom apartment of their Harlem brownstone, hoped to move into the building's upper triplex, but an accessibility issue required the reconstruction of the main stairwell. They worked with Bolster to transform the brownstone’s upper triplex into a home in which they could grow old together.

1425 Hudson Street at Hudson Tea is a waterfront condominium developed by Toll Brothers City Living with 99 spacious condominiums in a dozen different open-layout floor plans. When it officially opens, it will be the crown jewel of Hudson Tea, a master planned community.

Gut renovations (Bolster’s bread and butter) require a lot more heavy lifting—both literally and figuratively. Gut renovations typically include a major layout change to the apartment such as building a second bedroom or opening a fairly subdivided space for a roomier layout.