From Dungeon to Dream House

Within the coronary heart of Manhattan’s coveted West Village, a mere 320-square-foot studio, as soon as dubbed “The Dungeon” for its gloomy aesthetic, underwent a dramatic transformation. With a eager eye in the direction of future resale and a $70,000 funds, house owner Taylor, guided by Sweeten, infused the petite house with gentle, heat, and a contact of contemporary artistry, proving that even the smallest city dwellings can possess a placing, livable cool.

With resale in thoughts, a 320-square-foot West Village studio finds its internal cool on a $70,000 funds

• Who: Home-owner Taylor, the latest resident in her household’s New York Metropolis condo, posted her studio condo renovation on Sweeten
• The place: West Village, Manhattan, New York
• Main renovation: Renovating a 320-square-foot co-op condo in an in-demand downtown neighborhood with extra space and performance plus an up to date kitchen and bathtub.
• With: Sweeten common contractor
• Home-owner’s quote: “Our contractor was diligent in our communication emailing us progress images each week and scheduling FaceTime walkthroughs.”

Visitor weblog submit by house owner Taylor. “After” images by Miao Jiaxin.

Put up your undertaking on Sweeten totally free and make your dream renovation a actuality. Sweeten simplifies dwelling renovation by connecting householders with top-rated common contractors, dealing with the vetting course of and undertaking administration. To study extra about how we can assist, take a look at our dwelling renovation companies.

Lightening the temper

I may have accomplished lots worse than this hand-me-down—a West Village condo that my mother and pa bought in 2016. My sister, Lindsay, lived within the studio for a few years till she moved in together with her boyfriend in Brooklyn. I’d gotten my profession in fundraising occasions off the bottom, and I made a decision to go away my roommates in Murray Hill and transfer in.

The condo is in a co-op constructing that was in-built 1915. It’s small—roughly 320 sq. toes—and had collected some questionable design touches from way back. Paneled partitions, painted in a reasonably however darkish shade of teal, and distressed wooden trim gave the place a downbeat vibe. It was so darkish that I had at instances referred to it as “The Dungeon.” Brightening the house was my precedence.

Selecting supplies for resale sooner or later

Renovating the studio condo was a household undertaking, deliberate with my mother, Reneé, and my dad, John. This was our first renovation in New York Metropolis and we have been nervous. We didn’t know the place to discover a contractor or what customary pricing could be. The place to begin? So as to add to the problem, we determined to maintain the funds down by not hiring a designer. I’d make many of the design selections myself. We began by posting our undertaking to Sweeten.

It’s finest to know the method and design plan earlier than you begin a undertaking. I wished it to really feel gentle, heat, cozy, and enjoyable. It additionally felt essential to create a house that might attraction to future consumers. As a lot as I really like this place, it’s a studio—it seemingly received’t be my “perpetually dwelling.” So I attempted to select supplies that stored the kitchen present and timeless and the toilet impartial. I created a doc with inspiration images and a supplies checklist for every room and shared it with our Manhattan contractor as quickly as we supplied him the job.

“Our contractor had nice concepts, and one specific staffer was tremendous useful sourcing the merchandise I wished.”

My household and I agreed we might tear out the ugly paneling in hopes of opening up the studio’s important dwelling and sleeping house; white partitions and recessed lighting would brighten the house. In the meantime, portray the window in charcoal frames the pure gentle coming in. Subsequent up was the kitchen, which had newish home equipment, however wanted most all the pieces else, from repainting the cupboards to new ground tile, counter tops, and backsplash. To refresh the toilet, we might paint, exchange wall and ground tiles, replace the bathe, and add a brand new vainness, mirror, and lighting.

Discovering hidden arches

We have been excited when our common contractor received began initially of March 2020. Throughout demolition, we discovered the arched doorways contained in the condo. We’d had no thought about these stunning, curved pass-throughs—they’d been coated up with drywall and paneling. It was nice to discover a little bit of the condo’s authentic appeal nonetheless intact.

To modernize, we targeted on lighting and thought of storage (an arrogance with storage and a wall-mounted shoe rack)—very important points of the undertaking on this tiny house. I gave quite a lot of thought to creating a mixture of open and closed storage. All the beautiful stuff goes on the open shelving, and all the pieces unpleasant or hardly ever used has a spot to cover in.

Renovating throughout COVID-19

As soon as we’d began working, the largest problem we had was coping with COVID-19. A few weeks after our demolition part, New York Metropolis shut down. Our Sweeten contractor was useful in coping with all the brand new health-related legal guidelines, in addition to our co-op’s guidelines. Because the pandemic escalated, just a few employees have been allowed on-site, staying distanced; towards the tip, it was just one employee at a time.

At Sweeten, we’re consultants in any respect issues common contractors. Right here’s how Sweeten works: We pre-screen them for our community, fastidiously choose one of the best ones in your transforming undertaking, and work intently with lots of of common contractors daily.

I ended up leaving Manhattan to quarantine at my household’s dwelling, and because the scenario worsened, most design decisions needed to be mentioned over textual content, electronic mail, or FaceTime. Our contractor had nice concepts, and one specific staffer was tremendous useful in sourcing the merchandise I wished.

After a last-minute determination to vary the flooring, inside a couple of hours, I discovered ground samples, ordered them for curbside pickup, selected, and ordered the boards so our contracting group may choose them up at an NYC location. Our contractor put in them the subsequent day. It was irritating, however I really like what we ended up with!

The challenges of the pandemic pushed our timeline from two months to 3, however we didn’t care—we wished the work to be accomplished safely. Our contractor was diligent in our communication emailing us progress images each week and scheduling FaceTime walkthroughs. He notified our constructing’s administration firm and us if loud work was deliberate in order that neighbors could possibly be warned. This was particularly essential since everybody was working from dwelling!

Reno ideas from the house owner

Even in these lean and unsure instances, my recommendation is so as to add a buffer to the funds—there’s at all times a shock, or a bit undertaking, so as to add. I really like the artistic aspect, selecting out supplies, and deciding what labored finest collectively. We actually didn’t maintain prices below our funds. Not even shut! We ended up spending about $70,000 on this undertaking.

Ultimately, due to my household, luck, and discovering our Sweeten contractor, I’m immensely completely happy! It’s so comforting to return dwelling. I wished to modernize the condo, brighten it, and convey it into this decade—and that’s exactly what we did.

Thanks for sharing your West Village co-op renovation with us, Taylor! We love how your 320-square-foot house turned out.

Prepared to begin your individual renovation journey?

Put up your undertaking on Sweeten totally free and make your dream New York Metropolis condo a actuality. Sweeten places you answerable for your renovation, from discovering the proper contractor and gathering design inspirationto utilizing value guides to plan your funds properly.

Useful resource supplies

LIVING AREA RESOURCES: Partitions painted in Harwood Putty; baseboards in Wrought Iron: Benjamin Moore. Woodland Reserve Montpellier Oak II Distressed Engineered Hardwood flooring and stain: Flooring & Decor. Nightstand gentle fixture: Goal. Desk Mild: All -moderated.