Tier Options
Renovation
Room-level structural reconfiguration. Full design and build oversight. Licensed professional coordination when required.
Gut kitchen renovation, full bathroom renovation, non-structural wall reconfiguration, complete electrical upgrade, full smart home integration, and co-op board submission managed by the studio. Construction documentation, bidding, contractor selection, and construction administration are all within scope.
Remodeling
Major structural reconfiguration: combining units, full system replacement, complete spatial reimagining. Licensed professional coordination throughout.
Full structural modification, unit combination where applicable, complete electrical and plumbing system replacement, HVAC design where the building permits, DOB permit coordination, and architect of record managed by the studio. Custom millwork in every room is standard. LPC coordination in landmarked buildings is within scope.
Investment
Timeline varies by program. Renovation runs 12–18 months from audit to completion certificate. Remodeling runs 18–24 months or longer, reflecting the additional complexity of structural alterations, unit combination, full system replacement, and the extended board approval process these projects require.
In Detail
Every Build project in a co-op building requires a full alteration agreement submission: contractor insurance, architectural drawings, engineer sign-off, and managing agent review. We manage this process — the submission, the timing relative to the board's monthly meeting cycle, and any conditions the board attaches. In pre-war buildings, this typically runs 8–14 weeks. In condo buildings, 4–8 weeks.
What's Included
Overview: Build is the tier that addresses the structure and systems of a residence — walls, layout, mechanical infrastructure, and the complete reconception of how a space is organized at its foundation. This is not a material refresh or a systems upgrade. It is the work that changes what the residence is, not only how it looks.
Scope Details:
- Pre-renovation audit: structural, mechanical, and administrative assessment before design begins
- Schematic design developed with board approval in mind from the first drawing
- Structural reconfiguration: non-load-bearing wall removal and addition, room repositioning within the unit footprint
- Kitchen and bathroom relocation within the unit — not only replacement in the existing position
- Primary suite expansion and reconfiguration
- Full MEP replacement: electrical, plumbing, HVAC where the building permits
- Smart home infrastructure specified and installed before walls close
- Full millwork program throughout: kitchen, bathrooms, storage, library, home office
- Complete material specification at every surface
- Board approval management: documentation, alteration agreement, managing agent relationship, board meeting preparation where required
- Full construction oversight: contractor management, weekly site visits, all trade coordination throughout
- Completion certificate management
- Where projects require architectural drawings, structural engineering, permit procurement, or Department of Buildings liaison, we collaborate with New York State licensed architects, engineers, and registered professionals. We coordinate this process on the client's behalf as part of the service.
Build is offered at two levels: Renovation and Remodeling. Renovation addresses structural reconfiguration within a single unit. Remodeling addresses the most complex residential work we undertake — unit combination, complete system replacement, major structural alteration, and Department of Buildings coordination with a licensed architect of record.
The Process
Process Methodology
- Pre-renovation audit: Every Build project begins with a pre-renovation audit before design work starts. Structural conditions, existing MEP systems, board requirements, and building-specific constraints are assessed and documented. The audit determines the feasibility of the intended scope before any design investment is made. Constraints discovered at audit are design parameters. Constraints discovered during construction are budget problems.
- Design for approval: Schematic design is developed with the co-op board's alteration agreement requirements in mind from the first drawing. We know which building types permit what work, where the line is between approvable and non-approvable scope, and how to prepare a submission that moves through the process without a revision cycle. The design and the approval process are not sequential — they are parallel.
- Licensed professional coordination: Any project that touches load-bearing structure, requires permit filing, or involves Department of Buildings coordination requires a New York State licensed architect and/or structural engineer. We engage and coordinate these professionals as part of the service. The architect of record files permits. We manage the full coordination between the design intent and the licensed professional's drawings. We do not substitute for licensed professionals. We ensure that the design is executed through them correctly.
- Construction management: We coordinate all trades throughout the construction phase — architect of record where required, general contractor, electrician, plumber, tile installer, cabinetmaker, AV contractor, painter. Weekly site visits. Change orders managed. The coordination is the service, not only the design.
- Smart home timing: Smart home infrastructure is specified before walls close. The correct sequence is: scope confirmed at design development, rough-in during construction, programming and commissioning at handover. There is no correct way to do this after the fact at comparable cost or capability.
- Board management: We prepare and submit all board documentation. The client's time commitment is signing documents. Not preparing them. In co-op buildings with monthly board meeting cycles, timing the submission is as important as the content of the submission. Missing the meeting date by one day costs a full month.
Process by Subservice
The right subservice depends on the current state of the residence and what you want it to become.
Renovation
Remodeling
Structural assessment. MEP system review. Board requirements mapped. Alteration agreement template reviewed. Budget framework established.
Structural feasibility assessment for any combination or load-bearing work. Building rule review specific to combination projects. Board consultation (informal, before formal submission). Budget framework established.
Floor plan options developed with board approval in mind. Layout alternatives presented. Scope confirmed. Structural engineer engaged for any bearing wall work.
Floor plan options developed with structural engineer from the start. MEP coordination mapped. Combination plan developed if applicable.
Full material specification, millwork design, lighting program, smart home scope. Construction documents prepared.
Complete construction documents including architectural, structural, MEP, and interior design. Smart home infrastructure fully specified.
Complete board submission prepared and submitted. We manage this process — the client's time commitment is signing documents, not preparing them.
Board submission for combination and alteration. DOB permits filed. LPC coordination if applicable. We manage this process in full.
Construction with weekly site visits and full trade coordination. Smart home rough-in before walls close. Punch list at practical completion.
Full construction management with weekly site coordination across all trades. Structural, MEP, and systems work sequenced and managed.
Completion certificate process managed. Systems commissioning. Client training. Final punch list resolved.
Smart home programming and commissioning. Systems testing. Completion certificate process. Punch list. Client training and handover.
Ideal For
The Client
A client who owns or has acquired a residence where the existing layout does not match how they live — and where the gap cannot be closed by replacing finishes alone. Common situations: a pre-war co-op with a closed kitchen that needs to be opened, a primary suite that needs to absorb an adjacent room, bathrooms that need to be repositioned rather than replaced in place. A client who has purchased two adjacent apartments and wants a single residence. A Bespoke Decoration client who recognizes that the build quality of the space needs to match the collection quality before the decoration program begins.
The Build client understands that the project will take twelve to twenty-four months, that the co-op board process is a real constraint that must be designed around from the first drawing, and that the result — a residence reconceived at its structural foundation — is not achievable through any shorter path.
What This Addresses
The Build Standard
Every Build project begins with a pre-renovation audit conducted before any design work starts. We assess structural conditions, existing MEP systems, board requirements, and building-specific constraints. This audit is the most important investment in the project. It is significantly less expensive to discover a constraint before design than to redesign around it after construction documents are complete. Board approval is managed as part of the service from the first schematic drawing. The design is prepared with the board's requirements in mind — not completed first and then submitted for approval. In pre-war co-op buildings, this distinction determines whether a project proceeds smoothly or stalls at submission. Incomplete submissions are returned without review, losing the full monthly board cycle. We submit once, complete.
Smart home infrastructure is specified before walls close. This is the only moment when it can be done at full capability and reasonable cost. Rough-in conduit, outlet placement, and network infrastructure are construction-phase decisions, not finish decisions. A smart home specified after walls close costs more and delivers less.
What Build Is Not:
Build does not address only the surface of a residence. If the layout is acceptable and the work required is kitchen and bathroom renovation without wall relocation, material replacement, and systems upgrade — the correct scope is Design, specifically Home Upgrade or Home Improvement. Build also does not mean the client manages a contractor. The studio is the design authority and the coordination point for the licensed team. The client has one relationship for the design outcome.
Not A Fit If
The layout is acceptable and the work required is kitchen and bathroom renovation, material replacement, and systems upgrade without wall relocation. That is Home Upgrade or Home Improvement under the Design tier, at lower cost and shorter timeline.
If the project does not involve structural alteration, wall relocation, or systems replacement as a primary objective — and the residence simply needs to be furnished and decorated — the correct scope is Decor.
If the project involves structural modifications but the client's timeline cannot accommodate a twelve-month minimum — Build is not compressible. The board approval process in a co-op building alone runs six to twelve weeks. The construction phase that follows cannot be shortened without compromising quality and creating risk.
Tier Evolution
Build clients most naturally move into Bespoke Decoration on the same property once construction is complete. The Remodeling program, in particular, produces a residence whose architectural quality requires a decoration program at the same level — and the Bespoke program is typically engaged during the final phase of construction so that the decoration is ready at handover. The full sequence — Remodeling followed by Bespoke Decoration — represents the studio's highest engagement and the most complete expression of what a Manhattan residence can be.
Building Requirements
Applicable Architecture
Build applies to all building types, but the constraints vary significantly by type. Pre-war co-ops carry the most demanding approval process: the alteration agreement is detailed, incomplete submissions are returned without review, HVAC installation is frequently prohibited, and the board meets monthly — missing the submission date by one day loses a full cycle. We have managed this process in Park Avenue pre-war buildings, Upper East Side co-ops, and West Village landmarks. The design is prepared for the board process from the first schematic. Glass towers and new construction condominiums have the most permissive process — no board interview, faster approval, modern infrastructure that supports full system replacement and smart home integration without constraint. Lofts carry structural complexity not visible from the open plan: original post-and-beam construction, cast-iron columns that cannot be removed, plumbing stacks in unexpected locations, and floor assemblies that require acoustic treatment as part of any renovation. Townhouses are the most complex building type for Build work — floor-by-floor structural conditions, independent systems on each floor, and whole-building MEP replacement that is more involved than a single-apartment renovation.
The Renovation program is active across all building types. The Remodeling program is most concentrated in pre-war co-op buildings where unit combination is the primary objective, and in townhouses where whole-building reconfiguration requires the full licensed professional team.