Skip to main content
Fulltext search
FILTER RESULTS BY:
RECOMMENDED IN RENT
Moving to NYC after college? Here's how to find a rental apartment
RECOMMENDED IN BUY
How buying real estate in NYC is unlike anywhere else
RECOMMENDED IN SELL
A guide to using a no-fee renovation loan from a NYC real estate firm
RECOMMENDED IN IMPROVE
How to make your NYC renovation more pet-friendly
BEST REAL ESTATE WEBSITE!
National Association of Real Estate Editors
BEST REAL ESTATE WEBSITE! National Association of Real Estate Editors
Brick Underground
Social Links
follow:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Flipboard
  • search
Brick Underground
☰ Brick Underground
Brick Underground
Brick Underground
☰
Brick Underground
  • Buy
    • Buy
    • The Market
    • Investing
    • New Construction + Condos
    • Affordable Housing
    • Co-ops
    • Negotiating + Financing
    • How to Buy in NYC Guide
    Haley and JP move to Prospect Lefferts Gardens
    New Construction + Condos
    From Prospect Heights to Prospect Lefferts Garden: We wanted three bedrooms so we could each have a home office
    An image of the top of a brick New York City apartment building, including its parapet.
    Design + Architecture
    Parapet inspections: What NYC boards and building owners need to know about Local Law 126
    one-bedroom condo at 702 Hancock Street
    The Search
    7 reasons why ground-floor apartments are desirable—instead of dealbreakers
  • Rent
    • Rent
    • Affordable Housing
    • Roommates + Landlords
    • The Market
    • The Search
    • How to Rent in NYC Guide
    Midtown Manhattan seen from Roosevelt Island tramway
    The Market
    Manhattan median rent spiked 6 percent to $4,500 in April
    Tenant protest outside Rent Guidelines Board preliminary vote
    Affordable Housing
    Rent Guidelines Board intends to raise stabilized rents for a fourth time
    A beautiful pink flowering cherry tree next to an old brick residential building with a fire escape in Astoria Queens New York during spring
    The Search
    A wet, hot, broker fee-free summer? A major change to rental broker fees is supposed to start in June
  • Sell
    • Sell
    • Staging + Open Houses
    • Negotiations + Closings
    • Getting Ready
    • How to Sell in NYC Guide
    Madison avenue and East 67th Street, Manhattan, New York City
    Sell
    Median sales price for Manhattan co-ops and condos jumps to $1,165,000
    new condo building and older co-op buildings in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
    Sell
    Brooklyn median price nears $1 million but the spring market is a question mark
    View of NYC condo buildings from New Jersey
    Sell
    Private listings: What NYC sellers and buyers need to know about the off-market controversy
  • Live
    • Live
    • Neighbors
    • Kids + Pets
    • Neighborhood Intel
    • Products + Test-drives
    • Troubleshooting
    FlatRate moving brick underground
    Live
    How to troubleshoot your move in advance
    Sponsored By flatrate
    big apple moving NYC
    Troubleshooting
    How can I save money when hiring a moving company in NYC?
    Sponsored By Big Apple Moving
    Houses and apartment buildings in Queens, NYC
    Troubleshooting
    Mayor Adams is bringing the tax lien sale back. Here’s how to get your property off the list
  • Improve
    • Improve
    • Small Spaces
    • Small Projects + DIY
    • Renovations
    • Design + Architecture
    • Products + Services
    • How to Renovate in NYC Guide
    An image of the top of a brick New York City apartment building, including its parapet.
    Design + Architecture
    Parapet inspections: What NYC boards and building owners need to know about Local Law 126
    solar panels on a small house roof
    Design + Architecture
    Simple Yet Powerful Steps To Turn Your Apartment Eco-Friendly
    Sponsored By Ecoflow
    This is a photograph of a street in the Upper West Side in NYC viewed from the Summit in Central Park through bare tree branches.
    Renovation
    Fewer buyers, steeper rents, and costlier renovations: How tariffs could impact NYC real estate
  • Boards & Buildings
    • Boards & Buildings
    • Boards
    • Finance
    • Insurance
    • Legal
    • Property Management
    • Structure & Systems
    • Sustainability
    Burned and Boarded Up Windows
    When should your board hire a public adjuster?
    Manhattan GM
    What should we consider when renewing insurance for our building?
    Facade of NYC buildings
    How much is insurance on a NYC co-op or condo building?
  • Advertise
    • Advertise with us
    • Sponsored Content
    • Experts
    FlatRate moving brick underground
    Live
    How to troubleshoot your move in advance
    Sponsored By flatrate
    Apartment buildings at Grand and Crosby streets in Soho, Manhattan
    Affordable Housing
    Ask Altagracia: My mom is moving out of our rent-stabilized apartment. How do I take over the lease?
    Sponsored By Outerbridge Law P.C.
    big apple moving NYC
    Troubleshooting
    How can I save money when hiring a moving company in NYC?
    Sponsored By Big Apple Moving
  • Brick Report
  • About Us
  • About Us
Email Address
Fulltext search
FILTER RESULTS BY:
New Main menu
  • Buy
    • Buy
    • The Market
    • Investing
    • New Construction + Condos
    • Affordable Housing
    • Co-ops
    • Negotiating + Financing
    • How to Buy in NYC Guide
  • Rent
    • Rent
    • Affordable Housing
    • Roommates + Landlords
    • The Market
    • The Search
    • How to Rent in NYC Guide
  • Sell
    • Sell
    • Staging + Open Houses
    • Negotiations + Closings
    • Getting Ready
    • How to Sell in NYC Guide
  • Live
    • Live
    • Neighbors
    • Kids + Pets
    • Neighborhood Intel
    • Products + Test-drives
    • Troubleshooting
  • Improve
    • Improve
    • Small Spaces
    • Small Projects + DIY
    • Renovations
    • Design + Architecture
    • Products + Services
    • How to Renovate in NYC Guide
  • Boards & Buildings
    • Boards & Buildings
    • Boards
    • Finance
    • Insurance
    • Legal
    • Property Management
    • Structure & Systems
    • Sustainability
  • Advertise
    • Advertise with us
    • Sponsored Content
    • Experts
  • Brick Report
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Advertise
  • About Us
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER →
Social Links Footer
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Search
Improve [ SPONSORED ]

How to renovate a historic Park Slope brownstone

By Bolster  | October 11, 2019 - 2:00PM
image

The brownstone's living room retained its original pier mirror and received new floors, new windows, and a fresh coat of paint. 

Bolster

SHARE:
Share to Facebook
Share to Twitter
Print
More...

When NYC residents Patrick and Julie initially started looking for a place in the city to call home for their young and growing family, they thought back to their own childhoods. Both grew up in family-oriented neighborhoods in major East Coast cities, and wanted a similar experience for their children. 

“My husband and I grew up playing sports and being outside a lot, with lots of neighborhood kids around, so we wanted that for our family,” Julie said. 

Prior to the birth of their son, the couple lived in a prewar studio in Murray Hill. 

“We loved the character of the building, but it was obviously very small,” Julie said. “After having a child, we wanted more space—and somewhere close to a park.” 

When Patrick suggested looking in Park Slope, Julie was apprehensive, but quickly came around to the famously family-friendly neighborhood. 

“My husband lived in Park Slope at the time we met, and always raved about it—but I’d only visited once. When we started walking around, I understood why he wanted to live there,” she added. 

Pro Tip:

Whether you're renovating a two-bedroom prewar co-op or a 4,000-square-foot brownstone, Bolster guarantees a beautifully designed home renovation risk-free and on-budget. "Expect flawless communication, white-glove service, and absolutely no surprise costs," says Bolster's CEO and co-founder Anna Karp. Ready to start your renovation? Learn more >>

An unexpected renovation

When the couple settled on a landmarked brownstone in the Park Slope historic district, it felt serendipitous. They had previously put an offer on a home on a busier street, but the inspection caused them to pull out of the deal. 

The new home, a 3,000-square-foot brownstone in Park Slope bursting with original details, fit the bill.   

“We didn’t want the ultra-new, modern construction look,” Julie said. “We wanted somewhere that reflected the historic nature of the neighborhood. We wanted somewhere you could sit outside and hear the birds chirping.” 

Undertaking a renovation is challenging—and Patrick and Julie had a lot on their plate. 

Aside from being first-time homeowners, they were adjusting to being new parents, starting new jobs, and had recently repatriated to the United States after spending two years working abroad. On top of that, they were about to take on a full gut renovation of their brownstone.

“It was intimidating and kind of scary knowing we’d have to wait close to a year to actually live in the house,” Julie said. “At that point in time—being first-time parents and first-time home renovators—we were flying by the seam of our pants. That’s what appealed to us about Bolster: they understood that we needed our hands held, and had the patience to walk and talk us through the process." 

Bolster is a data-driven design-build firm on a mission to eliminate risk from major home renovations by being radically transparent across everything they do. Bolster’s vertically-integrated team and commitment to resourcing puts them in the unique position of being able to financially guarantee that all renovations are delivered beautifully and on-budget.

image
Caption

The brownstone's renovated dining room features a mix of stunning original details and modern updates.

Credit

Bolster

A modern home for a modern family

Early on in their search, Patrick and Julie decided if they couldn’t find a place that was fully renovated to their liking, they wanted a blank slate—something that had most of its historic character still intact. It also had to be reasonably-priced, so they could update it with modern conveniences while still falling within their budget.

Here is what Patrick and Julie chose to focus on during their renovation: 

Infrastructure: Patrick and Julie cited infrastructure as being the most important thing to address. This included electrical, plumbing, and replacing the water main. 

Compliance: As a young family, one of Patrick and Julie’s top priorities was making sure they felt safe in the home. As the home was constructed at the turn of the 20th century, they encountered challenges unique to older brownstones that had to be addressed. Everything had to be brought up to code. 

“When they started taking things apart, you could see the cloth wiring still in the home and where the gas line would run to a light when they had gas lighting back in the day,” Julie said. “With a young family, you want to make sure that whatever you’re doing, you’re updating it.”

Conveniences: The couple wanted to customize the home for both their personal and professional needs. Central A/C and new floors were installed. The home’s dated dressing rooms with double vanities on each floor were removed to create a walk-in closet for the master suite on the second floor, and a playroom for the kids on the third floor. The home was also wired with Category 5 cable, “so we have fast internet everywhere,” Julie said. (She and Patrick both work in tech). 

Longevity: Many New Yorkers moving from an apartment to a brownstone find it challenging to adjust to vertical living and so much extra space. Patrick and Julie, who moved from a studio in Murray Hill to a 3,000-square-foot brownstone, had to be thoughtful and diligent about how the layout would impact their growing family in the coming decades. 

image
Caption

The galley kitchen's layout remained the same, while updates to cabinets, tile, and appliances were made.

Credit

Bolster

Where they saved

Patrick and Julie focused their budget on their must-have items, so they decided to leave the garden level of their home as it is—for now. 

“Being realistic, we didn’t have a budget for all levels of the home, so we focused on the top triplex,” Julie said. “We knew we didn’t have enough in our budget to combine the two family back into a one family, but we left it in a way where we could always do it in the future.” 

The couple also decided to take a more flexible approach to the galley kitchen. 

“We don’t cook a lot, but we enjoy entertaining and having modern conveniences,” Julie said. “We like having a separate kitchen space that you can use, open up, and see—but at the same time it’s not like we’re going to be gathering in there.” 

image
Caption

The homeowners chose to designate a room on the master suite level for a home office.

Credit

Bolster

Life after renovation

Now that their renovation is complete, Patrick and Julie are looking forward to settling into their new home and neighborhood. 

“Quite honestly, we’re most looking forward to the peace and quiet of the neighborhood,” Julie said. “Sitting out on the stoop and being able to walk my son to school is something I’m looking forward to, as is having the flexibility of getting to know neighbors and getting to know people we’ll know for a long time.”


The Bolster Smart Renovation Zero-Risk Guarantee

How can a design-build firm guarantee a Zero-Risk renovation?

Bolster has pioneered Smart Renovation. We apply quantitative analysis along with our proprietary technology solution to identify and quantify the performance risk on every renovation project. The result is a personalized strategic approach to each renovation that allows us to absorb 100 percent of the homeowner’s risk. Your home will be beautifully designed, and delivered on-time and on-budget. That is our guarantee.

Smart Renovation & Zero-Risk means that Homeowners are now free to dream.

To start your major home renovation project visit bolster.us

The Bolster Promise video

You Might Also Like

image
Renovation How to renovate a classic Brooklyn Heights loft
image
Renovation The smart way to combine apartments in New York City
image
Renovation Here’s how much it costs to renovate a historic Brooklyn Heights loft

 

Brick Underground articles occasionally include the expertise of, or information about, advertising partners when relevant to the story. We will never promote an advertiser's product without making the relationship clear to our readers.

topics:

air conditioning brownstone historic district history kitchen Park Slope prewar Renovation
SHARE
TWEET
BRICK’S PICKS
Historic brick facades of NYC apartment buildings
Getting overcharged by a landlord? Here’s how the Tenant Protection Unit helps rent-stabilized tenants
Apartment buildings in Soho
New Rent Guidelines Board report justifies a rent freeze, tenant advocates claim
Brooklyn apartment buildings
Understanding net effective rent: Here's how to calculate your real monthly rent
image
How much should you renovate your NYC apartment or house before selling?
Council Member Shahana Hanif hold press conference before the City Council vote on Arrow Linen spot rezoning.
City Council signs off on 10-story towers for Arrow Linen site
couple standing close, only jeans-clad legs showing
Can my boyfriend claim ownership of my condo if we break up?
Follow Brick on Instagram
@brickunderground | #brickunderground
Brick UndergroundBRICK UNDERGROUNDREAL LIFE. REAL ESTATE. REAL NEW YORK.
Social Links Footer
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Search
Main menu footer
  • Buy
    • The Market
    • Investing
    • New Construction + Condos
    • Affordable Housing
    • Co-ops
    • Negotiating + Financing
    • How to Buy in NYC Guide
  • Rent
    • Affordable Housing
    • Roommates + Landlords
    • The Market
    • The Search
    • How to Rent in NYC Guide
  • Sell
    • Staging + Open Houses
    • Negotiations + Closings
    • Getting Ready
    • How to Sell in NYC Guide
  • Live
    • Neighbors
    • Kids + Pets
    • Neighborhood Intel
    • Products + Test-drives
    • Troubleshooting
  • Improve
    • Small Spaces
    • Small Projects + DIY
    • Renovations
    • Design + Architecture
    • Products + Services
    • How to Renovate in NYC Guide

Get more news you can actually use...

The subscription service is currently unavailable. Please check again later.

Delivered to your inbox weekly - for free.

*By signing up you agree to receive occasional emails on behalf of our sponsors

Footer Menu
  • About Us
  • Advertise

Copyright 2009-2024 by BND Ventures Inc | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Ad Choices | Login