Tier Options
Design
Space planning, material specification, and systems integration. Everything fixed to the building that is not structural.
Investment Range: Starting at 10% of the property value
Project Duration: 6 - 12 months
Scope: Complete home design with enhanced functionality without major structural changes
Perfect for:
- Homes requiring comprehensive space optimization
- Properties needing layout improvements and flow enhancement
- Investment properties requiring strategic positioning for maximum market appeal
Improvement
Complete design layer for new construction and high-end properties requiring full system integration.
Full smart home design and integration, bespoke built-in library, bar, and storage solutions, home gym, home theater, outdoor garden and terrace, and complete personalization of kitchen and primary batch over develop specification. Every system designed under one specification.
Investment
Timeline includes board approval where required (4–8 weeks) plus construction phase. Material lead times for custom cabinetry and stone are typically 10–14 weeks.
In Detail
We begin with a full space planning review. In our experience, apartments that have been lived in for years frequently contain layout improvements that require no structural work — a wall removed, a doorway shifted, a galley kitchen opened to the living room. These are design decisions, not construction decisions, and they belong at the start of the process, not as afterthoughts.
What's Included
Overview: Comprehensive space planning, material selection, and installation for existing spaces that need upgrading rather than reconfiguring. Kitchen and bathroom renovation, flooring, lighting, built-in storage — without moving walls or relocating plumbing stacks.
Scope Details:
- Space planning: layout and flow resolved before any material selection begins
- Kitchen renovation: new cabinetry, countertops, appliances, fixtures — within existing footprint
- Bathroom renovation: new tile, fixtures, vanity, lighting — within existing footprint
- Flooring: refinishing existing hardwood or full replacement
- Lighting design as a complete system: ambient, task, accent, and controls — not individual fixtures
- Built-in storage designed to the specific life of the household
- Smart home integration as infrastructure (optional at this tier)
- Material specification: stone, tile, paint, hardware throughout
- Board approval management where required
- Construction oversight and trade coordination
The Process
Process Methodology
- Space First: We resolve layout and flow before any material is selected. The single most common design failure in renovation is selecting beautiful materials for a floor plan that doesn't work. Space planning is not decorating — it is the structural logic of how a home functions.
- Lighting System: Lighting design at this tier is a complete system specification: ambient layers, task layers, accent layers, and a control system that manages them. We do not specify light fixtures — we specify a light program. The fixture selection happens within the program framework.
- Storage Intelligence: Built-in storage is designed to the specific household: the number of people, the nature of their collections, the actual dimensions of what gets stored. Standard cabinetry dimensions exist for manufacturing convenience, not for how anyone actually lives.
- Board Management: Where board approval is required, we manage the full process: documentation, alteration agreement, managing agent relationship, and board meeting preparation if required.
Process by Subservice
Design
Improvement
Smart home scope confirmed. AV requirements mapped. Outdoor and specialty space requirements defined. Contractor and trade team assembled before design begins.
All systems designed together: interior design, lighting, smart home, AV, outdoor. The coordination happens in design, not during construction.
Complete construction documents including all system specifications. Trade coordination to ensure systems are compatible before rough-in begins.
Phased construction with weekly coordination across all trades. Smart home rough-in and infrastructure before finish work. Systems commissioning and programming at completion.
Systems commissioned and tested. Client training on smart home, AV, and specialty systems. Punch list resolved. Documentation package delivered.
Ideal For
The Client
A client in an existing residence who wants to upgrade quality and functionality without the cost or disruption of structural work. Common situations: new purchase of a unit with dated finishes, existing resident who wants to modernize without moving, investment property being prepared for sale or rental.
Active Neighborhoods: All 10 neighborhoods — active across entire Manhattan portfolio
Not A Fit If
If you need to move walls, combine spaces, or reconfigure the structural relationship of rooms, this is Home Renovation territory.
Tier Evolution
Home Upgrade clients often expand scope to Home Improvement when they realize the value of integrating smart home, outdoor, or entertainment systems. We typically present both tiers during the initial brief.
Building Requirements
Applicable Architecture
Pre-war co-ops: board approval required, HVAC often prohibited, plumbing relocation requires structural drawings. Glass towers and new condominiums: more permissive process, modern systems ready for integration. Lofts: plumbing chase planning is critical before layout is confirmed.