Complete interior renovations
Renovate rooms, utilities, and finishes across several floors.
Brownstone & Townhouse Remodeling
Preserve the Character, Improve the Home
Original stairs, fireplaces, woodwork, and floors can be worth keeping while kitchens, bathrooms, and building systems are renewed. We review what you want to retain, repair, and change.
We coordinate with your architect or preservation professional so new walls, utilities, and finishes work with the original construction.
Brownstone and Townhouse Remodeling
We renovate rooms and systems across the home, including:
Original features
Protect or repair stairs, fireplaces, trim, doors, floors, and woodwork.
Layouts and stairs
Change rooms, openings, and stairs to improve connections through the home.
Kitchens and bathrooms
Install new rooms with the plumbing, wiring, ventilation, and finishes they need.
Building systems
Upgrade plumbing, electrical, heating, and cooling for the renovated layout.
Structural repairs
Build framing, modify openings and stairs, and carry out repairs to the engineer’s design.
Masonry, roofs, windows, and doors
Repair the facade and roof and repair or replace windows and doors to suit the property.
Lower-level and cellar work
Review moisture, height, access, utilities, and the proposed use with the design team.
How We Renovate an Older Home
We plan the new work around the structure and features you want to keep.
- 01
Discuss Your Home
We discuss the rooms you want to improve, original features to retain, and budget expectations.
- 02
Review Conditions and Records
We visit the property and review visible framing, utilities, moisture, and access. We identify questions for your architect, engineer, or preservation specialist.
- 03
Scope, Budget, and Agreement
We develop the scope and estimate with your design team, explain allowances and exclusions, and agree on milestones. We sign the construction agreement.
- 04
Design and Preparation
We submit permit applications and coordinate preservation review with your design team. Before construction begins, we obtain the necessary approvals and arrange material orders and protection for retained features.
- 05
Construction and Updates
We coordinate new construction with the original structure and inspect the work as it progresses. We send regular photo updates and review any concealed damage with you, including the cost and timing of additional repairs, before they proceed.
- 06
Walkthrough and Closeout
We review the finished spaces and preserved features with you and prepare a punch list of any requested changes. We resolve them and organize applicable closeout documents.
Planning for the Existing Building
Older walls and floors can conceal repairs. We discuss new findings and the options before adding work.
- 01
Concealed damage
Opening walls and floors can reveal damaged framing, pipes, or wiring. We review the repair options with the design team and explain the cost and timing before proceeding.
- 02
Old and new materials
We assess what can stay, what needs repair, and how new materials will join the original construction.
- 03
Access across several floors
Stairs may serve both the work area and occupied rooms. We plan deliveries, debris removal, protection, and utility shutdowns around those shared routes.
Brownstone and Townhouse Remodeling Questions
Does every NYC brownstone need Landmarks approval?
No. The property’s designation and proposed work determine whether review is required. We coordinate that question with your architect or preservation professional.
Can I keep original floors, fireplaces, moldings, or stairs?
Often. We assess their condition and plan protection or repairs around the new work.
Can an older home have modern building systems?
Many can. We review existing services and utility routes with the appropriate professionals and coordinate upgrades with the renovated layout.
What happens if construction uncovers a problem?
We document the condition and review the repair options, cost, and schedule with you before changed work proceeds.
Can I live at home during a complete renovation?
Sometimes. A full renovation can interrupt rooms and essential utilities, so living elsewhere may be needed for part of the work. We discuss those arrangements during planning.
Does Bau handle permit applications?
Yes. We coordinate design documents with licensed professionals, submit permit applications, and follow up with the reviewing agencies. For designated properties, we also coordinate applicable preservation review.
How do you help develop a renovation budget?
We discuss the rooms you want to change, features to retain, and repairs the property needs. We compare design and finish options and explain how preservation work or system replacements affect the estimate. We identify repairs that need investigation and refine the price as the design develops.
Where do you renovate brownstones and townhouses?
We work in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, the Lower Hudson Valley, and northern New Jersey.
