From pre-war classic sixes on Park Avenue to downtown lofts — complete renovations and full-floor transformations, delivered design-build by one accountable firm.
A New York apartment renovation has fixed constraints. The building envelope does not change, the structure is often a century old, the co-op or condo board sets the rules, and the client expects the finish of a private house. Grandeur Hills Group renovates apartments to that standard. We change how the home is laid out and how it works while keeping the original architecture that gives it value.
We work as one design-build firm. The architect who plans your layout and the team that builds it report to the same project lead. There is no handoff between designer and contractor and no dispute over whose drawing was right. One firm is accountable from the first walkthrough to the final styling.
Whether you are combining two units into one residence or updating a pre-war floor, the scope is set by the home and by the building's rules.
Complete top-to-bottom renovations and full-floor combinations — new layouts, new systems, and a complete material story executed to architectural tolerances.
Sensitive restoration of plaster moldings, herringbone floors, and original detailing, quietly upgraded with modern systems and concealed climate, lighting, and AV.
Reworking dated, compartmentalized plans into open, light-filled homes — relocating kitchens and baths, opening sightlines, and engineering the structure to allow it.
Discreet integration of HVAC, radiant heat, smart-home control, filtered water, and rewired electrical — the invisible work that defines a serious renovation.
Most delays in a New York apartment renovation come from paperwork, not construction. We prepare the alteration agreement and the board package, carry the insurance your building requires, file with the Department of Buildings, and manage approvals, inspections, and engineer sign-offs for co-ops and condos.
We have renovated in landmark and pre-war buildings with strict house rules and in new-development condos with short work windows, across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. Every job is run to keep you in good standing with the building.
Every project runs through four phases: discovery, design, build, and delivery. One project manager is responsible for the whole job. A private client portal shows itemized pricing and progress, so you always know what is being built, why, and what it costs.
Our trades are long-standing partners who work to one quality standard. Lobbies and elevators are protected, house rules are followed, and the finished work is built to pass a close inspection.
Most Upper East Side and Upper West Side apartments are in co-ops, and the co-op owns the building. A renovation needs an alteration agreement, a board package with stamped drawings and insurance certificates, and a review by the building's engineer. Many buildings limit work to weekday hours, and some allow demolition only in the summer months. Plaster walls, old plumbing risers, and wet-over-dry rules decide what the new layout can be.
A condo board reviews the same drawings and insurance certificates, and the managing agent sets the work rules. New-development condos usually have shorter work-hour windows, strict freight-elevator booking, and a building-wide finish standard in corridors that the protection and the finished work both have to respect.
Apartments in Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, and Carroll Gardens often sit in historic districts, so any change visible from the street, including windows, goes to the Landmarks Preservation Commission before the Department of Buildings issues a permit. Smaller buildings may have no board at all, which moves the approvals to the Department of Buildings and to access agreements with the neighbors who share the party wall.
Co-ops in Queens and the Bronx follow the same alteration-agreement process as Manhattan. Houses in those boroughs need Department of Buildings permits but no board. In the Hamptons, the village or town building department approves the work, exterior changes may go to an architectural review board, and a septic change involves the county health department. Westchester and Long Island projects go through the local municipal building department.
We talk through what you want to change, how you live in the apartment, and what the building allows. Then we visit the apartment, measure it, and read the alteration agreement and house rules before any design work starts.
Our architects draw the new layout and the team prices it line by line. You review the plans, the finish selections, and the itemized proposal together, so the scope, the materials, and the cost are settled before anything is filed with the building.
We assemble the board package: stamped drawings, insurance certificates, contractor licenses, and the signed alteration agreement. After the board and its engineer approve, we file with the Department of Buildings and book the building's work windows and elevator.
Common areas are protected first. Then demolition, new electrical and plumbing, and framing follow in sequence, with each stage inspected by the building's engineer or the Department of Buildings before the walls close. You follow progress in the client portal.
Stone, millwork, flooring, and fixtures go in last, followed by a joint walkthrough and a punch list. We close out the permits, deliver the drawings and warranties, and confirm the building has every document it needs to sign off.
Ten New York City general contractors that do high-end residential work, listed with what each firm says it does, how it describes itself, and what its website emphasises, plus how to check any of them before you sign.
Read Guide
What the wet-over-dry rule is, why co-op and condo boards enforce it, what counts as a wet area, when a kitchen or bathroom relocation can be approved, and how to plan a layout around it.
Read Guide
How renovation approval really works in NYC co-ops and condos — alteration agreements, board review, DOB permits, timelines, and what drives the cost.
Read GuideEvery project starts with a conversation. Tell us what you're imagining — we'll tell you how we'd build it. Proudly serving New York City since 2019.
