A remodel in a Jackson Heights co-op delivers an open floor plan, kitchen peninsula, and spa bathroom

“After” photos by Kate Glicksberg for Sweeten

• Homeowners: Dia, a personal trainer, and Alex, a technology executive posted their pre-war co-op remodel on Sweeten
• Where: Jackson Heights in Queens, New York
• Primary renovation: A full-scale remodel of a three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in a 1920s co-op building, including gut remodels of both kitchen and bath
• Sweeten general contractor
• Sweeten’s role: Sweeten matches home renovation projects with vetted general contractors, offering guidance, tools, and support—for free.
  

Written in partnership with homeowner Alex

Keeping their Jackson Heights remodel in view—for years

We purchased our co-op roughly three years before embarking on the renovation. Our goal was to totally revamp the apartment into open-plan spaces, while preserving its period features. Like many pre-war homes, it had a lot of small rooms. I think our result is proof that, even if there’s no perfect moment to remodel, intensive planning pays off.

Keeping historic details

The 1,400-square-foot unit is located in a 1921 historical-district co-op in Jackson Heights, Queens. The place hadn’t been touched since the 1970s and was in rough shape. But there were nice original details, like beautiful wood floors with inlaid borders and a period fireplace. It needed a significant overhaul.

Dia and I didn’t rush it. We’d rented in the neighborhood for a couple of years to make sure we liked the area—and we did. After finding the co-op, we wanted to take our time and put our stamp on it. We spent almost two years planning the remodel. By the time we were ready to proceed, Dia was pregnant with our daughter, Madeleine. We were eager to get the job done, and ready to pick up the pace. 

In-depth research and planning 

We posted our project on Sweeten. We made clear in our overview that we were ready to obtain our co-op board approvals, navigate the permitting, order materials, and get started. By then we’d spent a lot of time planning the layout, materials, and finishes. We had 40 pages of diagrams, renderings, and materials lists. 

Five or six Sweeten contractors came for site visits and gave us estimates. Right away, one stood out. He had printed out our mammoth set of plans (which he jokingly referred to as “the bible”), came armed with excellent questions, spoke knowledgeably about what would and would not be possible given NYC building codes, and gave us a detailed and reasonable estimate. We knew immediately that we wanted to hire him.

A gut remodel with an extensive to-do list 

Going in, we made sure the contractor understood that we had a specific vision, and that we were demanding. We planned to open the kitchen, living, and dining rooms, build a modern kitchen, renovate both bathrooms to spa standards, and add closet space. At the same time, we intended to keep original details, and even increase them by adding period chandeliers and other fixtures that would complement the co-op’s 1920s style.

Our renovation scope was specific. It included replacing and relocating the breaker box, and installing new switches and sockets. We wanted to remove several unnecessary walls, and rebuild two walls and two water-damaged window encasements. We requested new baseboards and crown moldings. In the kitchen, we planned to add a peninsula, a custom pantry, and a sideboard. We wanted to build closets in the bedrooms and entryway, as well as custom cabinets and radiator covers. We’d paint every room and refinish the floors.

Problem solving with the general contractor team

Several miracles occurred in the kitchen. When we removed a wall to make way for the new peninsula, it resulted in a break in the floor inlay, but the floor subcontractor recreated the multi-wood pattern so skillfully that you can’t tell what is original and what is new. Our appliance vendor’s repeated delivery delays caused a need for our countertops to be installed before the appliances. Our Sweeten contractor got them in when they arrived, despite incredible difficulty—installing our refrigerator even required removing the baseboard temporarily.

Our initial instincts about planning carefully were validated, but the process also taught us to always have a Plan B.

When our single-piece sideboard countertop was too big for the elevator, the guys carried them up five flights of stairs. And when the new electrical box occupied the former microwave place, the cabinetmaker came up with a built-in pantry, designed with an interior cutout to fit the oven.

In our bathroom, we had other inspired solutions. We wanted to move the toilet but a steel beam prevented placement in the new rough-in location. Our contractor proposed a wall-hung toilet that freed up space for it to stay in the original location and squeezed in a vanity, which wasn’t possible with the traditional commode. Thanks to supply-chain disruptions during Covid-19, we ended up sourcing bathroom tile other than that from our original wishlist—and the manufacturer offered no coordinating trim. Our general contractor found a trim that matched and drove more than 700 miles to collect every piece they could find.

Homeowners share their renovation advice

As first-time renovators, our biggest questions from the beginning were about how to manage the many subcontractors and aspects of the work happening simultaneously. But our Sweeten contractor pulled it all together. Our initial instincts about planning carefully were validated, but the process also taught us to always have a Plan B. We certainly learned the value of picking the right contractor—one who inspires confidence and keeps your best interests at heart.

We couldn’t have asked for a more professional and dedicated team. At the start, he helped us gather the necessary co-op board sign-offs and connected us with an architect. He managed the permitting process seamlessly, despite NYC Department of Buildings changes during Covid-19. At every step, our general contractor went above and beyond to help us realize our vision.

I’m not sure anyone comes in under budget in a renovation. We didn’t, but we stayed roughly in line with our expectations. There was a payoff, in any case. Our beautiful result! Even having done the project six months after having our baby and during a pandemic, we feel peaceful. We are in love with our home.

Thanks for sharing your Jackson Heights co-op remodel story with us, Dia and Alex.

Renovation Materials

KITCHEN RESOURCES: Wall paint in Cascade White Eggshell, lower cabinet paint in Space Black, and top cabinet paint in Snow White: Benjamin Moore. Kitchen cabinets: Custom through contractor. Julian cabinet pull: Liberty Hardware. Countertops: LX Hausys. Ivy Hill Pacific White Shells Pearl Mosaic backsplash tile: The Home Depot. Signature Hardware Mitzy 36” farmhouse sink and Pfister Mystique kitchen faucet in polished chrome: Build.com. GE Energy Star french-door refrigerator: The Home Depot. Bosch 800 DLX Series dishwasher: AJ Madison. Cafe CGY366P2MS1 36” freestanding all gas range: Appliances Connection. Hadley 12’’ flush mount ceiling light: Antique store purchase. American Lighting LED under-cabinet light: Amazon.

BATHROOM RESOURCES: Daltile bathroom floor tile and Marble Attache Lavish 12” x 24” wall tile: Build.com. Shelf brackets in Aged Brass: Rejuvenation. Delta robe shower hook in Brilliance Stainless: Build.com. Hansgrohe Raindance shower head in chrome, GROHE Chrome Rotaflex 59” hand shower hose, and Hansgrohe Raindance S 100 air 3-jet rain handheld showerhead: Wayfair. Grohe Grohtherm 2000 thermostatic valve in brushed nickel: Plumbers Stock. Kohler Artifacts 30” shower slidebar: Wayfair. Kohler Bancroft bathtub faucet in polished chrome: Ferguson. Shower glass doors: Custom through contractor. Sunroom bathroom sink: Signature Hardware. Paulmier 16” sink: Appliance Connection. Main bathroom sink- Scarabeo 9007 by Nameeks rectangular vessel sink: The Bath Outlet. Vanity: Custom through contractor. Vanity paint in Snow White: Benjamin Moore. Kohler Wellworth toilet: Wayfair. WAC lighting vector LED 4 light fixed rail: Lights Online. Minka George Kovacs 2-light vanity light in gold: Build.com. Greyleigh Weslaco beaded medicine cabinet: Wayfair. 

LIVING ROOM RESOURCES: Minka Aire 54” fan: Wayfair.

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Sweeten handpicks the best general contractors to match each project’s location, budget, scope, and style. Follow the blog, Sweeten Stories, for renovation ideas and inspiration and when you’re ready to renovate, start your renovation with Sweeten.

A remodeled space is a welcome home on the East Coast

• Homeowners: Nellie and Lauren posted their pied-à-terre on Sweeten
• Where: Jackson Heights, Queens, NYC
• Primary renovation: Modernize a 700-square-foot apartment with open sight-lines and storage
• With: Sweeten general contractor
• Homeowner’s quote: “It was our contractor’s idea to add some molding at the bottom and frame it on the sides to make [the closet] look built-in.”

“After” photos by Miao Jiaxin

Nellie, who works in television, and Lauren, a designer, had a nagging thought every time they paid their rent: their hard-earned money could go toward their mortgage rather than paying for someone else’s.

With the looming closure and repair of their main transport artery, the L subway line in Brooklyn, they finally took the plunge and bought an apartment. The 700-square-foot, one-bedroom co-op was built in Jackson Heights, Queens, in 1936. “It’s a peaceful vibrant neighborhood that we’ve come to really enjoy,” Nellie said. (As fate would have it, a job relocation brought the couple to Minnesota following the purchase and renovation, so they maintain their Jackson Heights pad as a pied-à-terre in NYC.)

The apartment’s initial appearance was bland and uninspired, calling for opening up the kitchen, giving the living room more flow, and updating the bathroom. A fire a few years earlier had destroyed much of the original prewar detail, which took the pain out of the couple’s decision to modernize the space. “Our style, in general, is modern, so we like clean lines and black accents,” Nellie said.

In evaluating the whole apartment, it also felt too compartmentalized; opening it up would make a smaller home feel big and airy. To execute their remodel, they posted their project on Sweeten to find a contractor in Queens to create their vision.

“We had heard that living in a space during a reno can be stressful and we knew we wanted to renovate, so we extended our rental lease.”

The original kitchen design had it tucked away from the living space. The contractor began the work in the kitchen opened it up to the living room and added cabinetry that went to the ceiling and wrapped around the new, wider opening. “This afforded us extra storage space,” Nellie said. “We even fit a dishwasher, which we never had in previous apartments, so that was exciting.” The space was also outfitted with semi-custom Italian cabinets and a hidden pullout trash can (a big plus for Lauren and Nellie).

In the bedroom, the first port of call was the closet—there wasn’t any storage in the room. Nellie and Lauren picked out something large, but simple from Ikea. Their general contractor installed it but needed to shift the entrance to the bedroom to accommodate it.  “It was our contractor’s idea to add some molding at the bottom and frame it on the sides to make it look built-in,” Nellie said. Custom knobs also elevated the wardrobe’s appearance.

The bedroom wardrobe, providing both form and function ran power into the closet space giving the couple an out-of-sight space to charge electronics. At the time of the renovation, the couple had three cats. “We turned the bottom of a hallway closet into their food and water area and a little hideout,” Lauren said. There was also a specialized spot to hide the litter box.

When planning the bathroom, Nellie and Lauren originally dreamt of a walk-in shower. Instead, they opted for a sunken tub with a hinged glass door. Although the couple’s aesthetic was modern, they gave a nod to the apartment’s prewar roots by installing classic subway tiles on the walls and black hexagon floor tiles.

Their contractor discovered that much of the shower wall could be pushed back four inches. Where the wall couldn’t be pushed back, he added a handy ledge right next to the shower with a niche shelf to store items. Previously, the bathroom door had swung in. Nellie and Lauren envisioned a pocket door to reclaim some of that space. However, wiring in the walls made this impossible. Instead, they opted for a barn door (they also added a barn door for the bedroom near the apartment entrance).

The couple decided not to live in the apartment during the renovation. “We had heard that living in a space during a reno can be stressful,” Nellie said. “and we knew we wanted to renovate, so we extended our rental lease.” They did move in with an incomplete kitchen. “We set up a makeshift kitchen with a folding table and just ate takeout and food from an air fryer for maybe three months,” Nellie said. “We did dishes in the bathroom sink.”

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The entire apartment was painted white for a bright backdrop. Voice-activated ceiling fans—“I’m kind of a tech junkie,” Nellie said—have proven perfect for both summer and winter. To further open up the apartment, the duo removed a wall that separated the foyer from the living space to allow natural light to flow into that area. Initially, they didn’t know what to do with the space and eventually turned it into a small seating area. “I think where we’ve landed now makes sense, but it took some time to get there,” Nellie said.

Lauren and Nellie loved the whole renovation process, although decision fatigue did set in towards the end. “You don’t realize how many decisions there are to be made,” Nellie said. One bit of advice the couple has for other first renovators is to be prepared for your project to take longer than planned.

In working with their Sweeten contractor, Lauren and Nellie are “thrilled” with the final results of their new home. They see their new-look apartment as an embodiment of who they are as people. “It’s quirky and fun and colorful and modern—all of our favorite things,” Nellie said.

Thank you, Lauren and Nellie, for sharing your New York home!

Material Resources

KITCHEN RESOURCES: Kitchen cabinets: ARAN Cucine. Countertops: Tiles by Kia. Backsplash: Clé. Sink: Kraus. Faucet: Brizo. Refrigerator and dishwasher: Bosch. Stove: Beko. Paint: Benjamin Moore

BATHROOM RESOURCES: Tiles: Tiles by Kia. Hardware: Signature Hardware. Shower fixtures: Brizo. Sink: Build.com. Toilet: Toto. Lighting: Schoolhouse. Mirror and medicine cabinet: Ikea.

LIVING ROOM RESOURCES: Light fixtures: ABC Home. Paint: Benjamin Moore.

BEDROOM RESOURCES: Light fixtures: Urban Outfitters. Paint: Benjamin Moore.

Originally published on July 18, 2019

Updated on June 28, 2023

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Sweeten handpicks the best general contractors to match each project’s location, budget, scope, and style. Follow the blog, Sweeten Stories, for renovation ideas and inspiration and when you’re ready to renovate, start your renovation on Sweeten.