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How To Completely Renovate Your NYC Apartment

Everyone dreams of the perfect apartment that balances both beauty and functionality. One with a clean aesthetic that brings peace to your everyday life. If you have an outdated apartment and are looking to bring it back to life, a complete gut renovation is a great option for you! Follow these steps for the best way to accomplish a complete NYC apartment remodel.



Find The Right Design-Build Company

To get your project started on the right foot, consider using a design-build construction and project management company. This company will allocate a designer and a project manager to your remodel project to oversee everything from design to permitting to construction. The beauty of going with this route, rather than directly hiring a contractor yourself, is you have someone advocating for you ensuring you are getting a quality NYC apartment renovation with the correct design and budget you asked for.

Set Your Budget

In order to properly plan for your New York City apartment remodel, you will need to set your overall budget for the project. Project scopes come in all different sizes, so there is no wrong budget, however it is important to be reasonable with what your budget will allow you to change. If you are working with a professional designer, they will be able to show you different design options based on your budget so that you have clear expectations on what you can afford to include in the renovation project.

Dream Up Your Design

Working alongside your professional designer, you will share your needs and wants for your NYC apartment remodel. First, you will focus on the layouts of your rooms for permanent items like cabinets, built-ins and fixtures. Then, you will get into the details like paint colors, tile selections and accessories. It is important to consider how you use your spaces each day to optimize the functionality. For most major renovation projects, you will need to work with an architectural designer to create new drawings of your apartment. These drawings are crucial to move into the next step.

Get All Permits And Approvals

Once you have finalized your designs, they must be submitted to multiple entities for approval. You will have to submit your plan to your building management for them to approve the changes to your apartment along with how the construction will affect other tenants. You will also have to submit your drawings to the NYC Department of Buildings (and possibly the Landmarks Preservation Commission) to obtain the proper building permits. At each of these stages, the proper paperwork will need to be filled out and your design-build consultant can assist you with this.

Finding Your Contractor

When you receive all of the proper approvals and your project is authorized to begin, you will want to have the right building contractor for the job in place. Your project manager will help you with much of the leg work on this task. They will review bids from multiple contractors to ensure you are getting a competitive price for the work. They will confirm that the proposed scope of work is priced accordingly with all the bids. It is important here to find the right balance of cost and quality that the contractor can offer. Read reviews on the construction company and be sure to hire a team that you trust with your New York City apartment remodel.

Construction Begins

Once you hire a contractor, they will put you on their schedule and your construction timeline will begin! Depending on the scale of your apartment renovation, you may need to live elsewhere for a few months while the renovations take place. Your project manager will check in on the project frequently to ensure the installation is meeting quality and design standards. There may be unexpected design or cost changes that come up during the construction and your design-build consultant will help you navigate these.


In the New York City metro, Vergara Homes is your solution to the ultimate apartment renovation project. Vergara Homes offers on-stop-shop turnkey project management solutions for your kitchen, bathroom, or full gut NYC apartment renovation projects.

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