With apartment owners in New York City often underestimating the level of planning, coordination, permitting and funds needed to complete a renovation project, this city has become one of the trickiest places to carry out a successful apartment renovation.
With this in mind, here’s a list of 9 things you should know before planning to renovate an apartment in NYC:
- It’s best to find a construction company specializing in apartment renovations
Your project will always go more smoothly if you choose a construction company who have carried out successful apartment renovations before, and who ideally, have a full team of contractors to prevent delays and keep standards high.
2. The timeframe might not be what you’re expecting
Once you’ve found an experienced construction company to carry out the work, they should help you to understand the renovation timeframe. It’s important that you respect the timeline they give you, as in NYC, there can be a lot of things that need to come together to carry the project off successfully.
3. You might need to find alternative accommodation
Depending upon the scale of your apartment renovation project, you may need to find somewhere else to stay while the major construction work gets underway.
4. Your budget must be big enough
Due to building rules and insurance and regulation costs, an apartment renovation can be costly in NYC, so you must make sure your budget is big enough to complete the project.
5. Different work requires different permits
Work permits typically dictate the timeline of any apartment project in NYC, so make sure you understand what the process looks like, before you get started – provided you choose an experienced construction company, your project manager will be able to advise you on this.
6. An owners association will likely be involved
Regulated as they are by owners associations (with varying degrees of strictness), as an apartment owner you must be prepared for certain restrictions surrounding the renovation work, such as when work can be carried out, and where you can install a washer and dryer, for example.
7. Your neighbors must be considered
Unless the adjacent apartments happen to be unoccupied, you’ll need to consider how your project will impact them. Talking to them before work commences is a sensible idea, and will hopefully mean that they accept the disruption and are less likely to file a complaint.
8. There are often hidden surprises in older buildings
With a building in New York City, you just never know what might be behind the walls, so prepared for an unexpected surprise such as rotted plumbing, frayed electrical wires or sagging wood joists.
9. You should find out who will be responsible should anything go wrong
Make sure that your contractor has appropriate liability insurance and workman’s compensation, just in case something should go wrong during the renovation.
Working with an experienced construction company can help to alleviate much of the stress typically associated with an NYC apartment renovation project, and with their know-how, skills and commitment to quality, you could soon have an incredible new apartment that fits your needs and desires perfectly.