Renovation FAQs for New York City homes

These are the questions we hear at first meetings, with the answers we give. Where an answer rests on a city, state or federal rule, we have checked it against the agency’s own page. Rules change, and how one applies to your home is for your building, your architect or the agency to decide, so treat this page as a starting point.

Permits and filings

Does a kitchen or bathroom renovation need a permit in New York City?

Most construction in New York City requires approval and permits from the Department of Buildings. Some minor alterations do not: the department’s own list includes painting, plastering, installing new cabinets, replacing plumbing fixtures and resurfacing floors. Work that goes beyond that list generally needs a filing, and most electrical work needs an electrical permit of its own. A registered architect or a professional engineer can tell you where your project falls, and we go through it with you at the first meeting.

Who files the plans?

When a job needs plans, the owner hires a registered design professional, an architect or an engineer, who submits them to the Department of Buildings. Some work is filed by the licensed trade itself: a master plumber for limited plumbing work, a licensed electrician for an electrical permit. As a design and build firm we guide you through any necessary filings for your renovation.

My apartment is in a co-op or a condo. Does the board have to approve?

Yes, in two ways. Most buildings have their own alteration agreement and house rules, and the board or its managing agent reviews your plans under them before work starts. The city asks for the board too: since February 2, 2026 the Department of Buildings names the board on a job filed for a condo unit owner or a co-op shareholder, and a representative of the board has to attest that it has authorized the application. We take care of the design and the construction and check back with your co-op as the work goes on. More on our co-op renovation page.

Can two apartments be combined into one?

Yes. The Department of Buildings does not require a new or amended certificate of occupancy when an alteration only combines apartments into a larger home, the number of legal dwelling units goes down and the bulk of the building does not grow. The apartments must be on the same floor or on adjacent floors joined by an interior stair, and the second kitchen is removed unless the plans give its plumbing another use. Together with our design firm we provide the planning and the permits. See apartment renovation.

My building is a landmark or in a historic district. Does that matter indoors?

It can. The Landmarks Preservation Commission must approve interior work in three cases: when the work requires a permit from the Department of Buildings, when it affects the exterior of the building (the commission’s examples are HVAC louvers and vents) and when the interior itself is a designated landmark. Manhattan has dozens of historic districts, among them the Upper East Side, Greenwich Village, SoHo-Cast Iron and Tribeca districts. Landmark co-op and condo renovations are on the list of what we do.

Building rules, hours and neighbors

What hours can the work go on?

The city allows construction between 7 am and 6 pm on weekdays. At all other times, weekends included, the work needs an after-hours authorization. Your building may allow less. One of our clients wrote that his co-op had strict rules on construction between 9 am and 5 pm, and that our team was always within that window.

Can I live in the apartment during the renovation?

Some of our clients do. One couple lived in their one-bedroom through a kitchen renovation and then a bathroom renovation, with a piano delivered midway, and described it in their testimonial: the apartment was constantly cleaned, their belongings were covered, and the hallways and elevators were kept clean for the other residents. They also say it is not suitable for everyone. When any home in a building stays occupied during an alteration, the Department of Buildings requires a tenant protection plan that covers exits, fire safety, dust, noise and essential services such as heat and water.

How do you keep dust away from the rest of my home?

Before demolition we isolate the work area and protect the surrounding rooms, lay a protected path to the dumpster, and create negative air pressure to keep dust out of the living area. After demolition the remaining debris is swept and vacuumed to limit the spread of dust during construction. Several clients mention in their testimonials that the apartment was cleaned at the end of every day.

Older buildings: lead, asbestos, gas and wiring

Does lead paint affect a renovation?

In an older building it does. The federal Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule covers homes, child care facilities and preschools built before 1978. It requires anyone paid to do work that disturbs painted surfaces there to be certified and to use lead-safe work practices. New York City’s own lead law, Local Law 1 of 2004, covers buildings built before 1960, and later ones up to 1978 where the owner knows there is lead paint: the owner must presume the paint is lead-based unless it has been tested. Safe work practices are required when more than two square feet of it is disturbed in an apartment or a common area of a building where a child under six lives or routinely spends ten or more hours a week.

What about asbestos?

For a building constructed before April 1, 1987, the Department of Buildings requires an asbestos assessment before it issues a permit. A certified asbestos investigator decides the scope. If the job is not an asbestos project, an assessment report (form ACP-5) is filed with the Department of Environmental Protection. If it is, a notification (form ACP-7) is filed and the material is abated before the renovation goes on. The building owner is responsible for having the survey done.

Who may work on gas, plumbing and wiring?

Licensed trades. Since January 1, 2020 anyone performing gas work in New York City must hold a master plumber license or a gas work qualification, and the work is done under the direct and continuing supervision of a licensed master plumber. Ordinary plumbing work needs no permit but must be performed by a licensed master plumber. Electrical installations must be performed by electrical contractors licensed by the Department of Buildings. So moving a range, a sink or a panel is a job for those trades, coordinated with the rest of the renovation.

Contracts, quotes and money

Does a contractor need a license for home improvement work?

Yes. In New York City a person or business must have a Home Improvement Contractor license from the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to do work that costs more than $200 on a residential building. Golden I Construction Inc holds license number 2019617-DCA. You can check the status of any contractor’s license with the department by calling 311.

What should a renovation contract include?

The city’s consumer agency says the contractor must give you a written contract that both of you sign. It must include the important dates, a description of the work, a description of the materials the contractor will provide, any negotiated schedule of payments and all charges, guarantees and warranties, and it comes with a separate notice of cancellation form. The agency’s advice is to pay no more than 25% of the total up front and never to pay in cash or without a contract. The contractor must also tell you in writing which permits the job requires.

Do you give firm estimates?

Yes. Accurate and firm estimates come first on the list of what we do. During the job you get an itemized report of the work, including any change orders that you approved.

Is a renovation subject to sales tax?

It depends on the work. Under New York State’s rules a capital improvement is work that adds substantially to the value of the property or prolongs its useful life, becomes part of the property and is meant to be permanent. When the customer gives the contractor a properly completed Certificate of Capital Improvement (Form ST-124), the contractor should not collect sales tax on that project. The state’s examples of capital improvements include installing kitchen cabinets. Repairs and maintenance, such as painting existing cabinets, are taxable. Ask your accountant how the rule applies to your project.

Time and planning

How long does a kitchen renovation take?

An average kitchen remodel takes between 6 and 10 weeks, depending on the scope and complexity of the project. The count starts once the approvals and the permit are in hand: a board’s review and the city’s come first and run on their own time. One client was quoted 10 weeks for a kitchen that included removing a 15-foot concrete wall, and wrote that we finished in 10 weeks and 1 day. The stages are on our kitchen remodel timeline.

How long does a bathroom renovation take?

An average bathroom renovation takes between 4 and 8 weeks, depending on its scope and complexity, counted the same way. The same client’s bathroom, with new floor and wall tile, took 4 weeks. The stages are on our bathroom remodel timeline.

What should I decide before the first meeting?

Collect pictures of rooms and cabinets you like: it is easier to read your wishes from pictures than from words. Think about how you use the room, what you need to store and which appliances and amenities must be included. If the new work has to match a floor or a countertop you are keeping, bring samples. If you live in a co-op or a condo, ask the managing agent for the building’s alteration agreement.

Which cabinet woods and appliance brands do you work with?

Oak, cherry, maple, walnut, mahogany and many others, and appliance brands from Bosch and Miele to Sub-Zero, Viking and Wolf. The full lists are on our homepage. You can see door samples in our cabinet showroom, by appointment.

Questions people ask