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A plan for a whole-home remodel is a short written document, not a folder of pictures. It says what you want in order of importance, how much of the house the work touches, what it may cost with a reserve on top, who will design and build it, and in what order. Write those five things down before anyone lifts a hammer, and most of the decisions that overwhelm people in the middle of construction will already be made.
Write the must-have list
Begin with pictures by all means: magazines, showrooms, houses you have liked. Then test each wish three ways. Does it work with the layout of this house? Does it add to how the house functions? Does it fit the money? Reduce what survives to your five to ten must-haves and rank them. When something has to give later, the list decides, and nobody has to argue.
Fix the size of the job
Are you remodeling the rooms you have, adding a room, or adding a floor? The answer sets the paperwork. In New York City, plans for filed work are submitted by a professional engineer or registered architect, who is the applicant of record (NYC Buildings), and an enlargement also has to fit the zoning for your lot. In a historic district, or for an individual landmark, the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s permit comes on top, even for interior work that needs a Buildings permit (LPC). Find out which of these apply before you settle the scope, because they decide how long the months before construction will be.
Choose a style that will last
Everyone has a style they want at home. Choose one that will stand the test of time. Do not go so far with the fashion of the moment that the house needs redoing in three years, or so far with made-for-you lighting and built-ins that nobody else could ever live there. Put the personality in what is easy to change and keep the bones calm.
Set the budget and the reserve
How much you are willing to spend is the largest decision in the plan. Set the figure first and design to it. If the list is bigger than the figure, scale back or put part of the work off to a later phase. And keep a reserve for what the walls are hiding. Advice on its size usually falls between 10 and 20 percent, and the federal 203(k) renovation loan program writes that range into its rules for a house 30 years old or more (HUD). That is a lender’s rule and not a law, but it is a sensible range for an older house.
Bring in the builder early
A contractor who sees the plan while it is still on paper can tell you what will and will not work in the house you have, and can suggest materials and methods you had not considered. That is the argument for one firm that designs and builds. Our jobs start with a meeting about pricing, demolition, design and scheduling, a project manager stays with the job to the final walk-through, and changes are reported in an itemized list. The design and build page sets it out.
Look twenty years ahead
Ask how the house will serve you as the family grows or the children leave. A good remodel should still fit your life in twenty or thirty years. That may mean a room that can change use, a bathroom on the main floor, wider doorways, or solid blocking in a bathroom wall for a grab bar you do not need yet.
Put the work in order
If the remodel has to be done in phases, do what is behind the walls first: structure, plumbing, wiring. Then the kitchen and the bathrooms, then finishes. Decide where you will live during the dusty part. Even at a private house the city sets working hours: construction is allowed from 7 am to 6 pm on weekdays, and any other time needs after-hours authorization (NYC DEP).
Our pages on house renovation in NYC, home renovation in NYC and townhouse renovation in NYC describe the work for each kind of home. For an apartment, where the building adds a layer of its own, see planning an NYC apartment renovation.
Have a list and want to know what it would take? Call us or send the request form, and we will go through it room by room.
Questions people ask
How much contingency should I plan for a remodel?
A common range is 10 to 20 percent of the cost of the work. The federal 203(k) renovation loan program requires a reserve in that range for a house 30 years old or more. The older the house and the more walls you open, the nearer the top of the range you should be.
Do I need a permit to remodel my house in NYC?
For most construction, yes. The Department of Buildings says most construction in the city requires its approval and permits, with exceptions for minor work such as painting, plastering and new cabinets. An engineer or architect can tell you which parts of your plan are filed work.
Should I remodel all at once or in phases?
All at once is usually less disruptive in total. Phasing spreads the cost. If you phase, do the work behind the walls first, so that finished rooms are never opened up again.