No matter the surrounding circumstances, Manhattan apartments remain one of the most in demand commodities in the country. Prudent buyers and existing owners in Manhattan can maximize their home value by renovating with an experienced full-service design-build firm who has the know-how to navigate the demanding but rewarding process.
Since striving to exceed the standards for Manhattan apartment renovations and remodels is second nature, we’re quite proud to be a consistent recipient of numerous awards in service and design. We are equally as proud of the reviews our clients have given us over the years. You won’t find anyone better suited to handle your residential renovation project in Manhattan, whether your home is a co-op or condo in Greenwich Village or a pre-war classic 8 on the Upper West Side. Your vision is preserved and enhanced with our expertise, creating a home as gorgeous as it is comfortable and functional.
The Gallery Way means every aspect of your apartment renovation or remodel is considered and managed from the very beginning of our working relationship.
As a turnkey, full-service design-build firm, we are all-inclusive in our services. From start to finish, we do everything, including: architectural drafting and associated services, interior design, material selection, project management, and all the Manhattan renovation nuances most of our clients never consider, such as permits, inspections, building board approvals, and if necessary, landmark applications.
We work exclusively in Manhattan and Brooklyn and understand how to navigate the complications required to renovate in a city with such rich history. Our proactive planning and due diligence allows us to provide a comprehensive budget and timeline that takes into account all nuances within your desired scope ahead of time to prevent any unforeseen changes down the line. Our proposals encompass the true full cost of the entire renovation from start to finish.
From real-time project updates via our JobTracker app to ad hoc phone calls and site visits, we put extra emphasis on our communication with clients. Our projects have many moving parts, and clear communication is of the utmost importance to keeping your renovation on track.
How a Manhattan apartment renovation actually unfolds depends almost entirely on the structure of the team you hire. There are two delivery models in this market: integrated design-build firms, where one team owns design, permitting, and construction under a single contract, and the traditional design-bid-build model, where you hire an architect, then take their drawings out to bid with a separate general contractor.
The traditional path is workable for some projects, but it puts the homeowner in the middle, coordinating between firms that aren't contractually obligated to one another. In a Manhattan building with a co-op board, a managing agent, a building engineer, and a DOB filing all in play, that coordination burden is substantial. Our design-build approach consolidates all of it under one contract and one accountable team. For a deeper comparison of the two models, see Design-Build Vs Design-Bid-Build: What's The Difference?
In this section, we’ll be detailing Gallery’s end-to-end design-build process for apartment renovation. Keep in mind every Manhattan renovation has different requirements, and the process below can be flexible to accommodate unique specifications like pre-war or co-op status.
Six Stages, Manhattan-Specific
Every Manhattan renovation has its own constraints, from pre-war board cultures to co-op alteration agreements and Landmarks-affected sub-districts. The end-to-end design-build sequence below adapts to your building's particular requirements without losing pace.
Stage 01
Manhattan apartment renovations almost always require approved architectural plans, typically reviewed by both the building's retained architect and the NYC Department of Buildings. Our in-house architects produce the drawings, manage the filings, and coordinate every approval window from start to permit.
You Receive
Stamped drawings and approved DOB filings, with no homework on your end.
Stage 02
Some clients arrive with mood boards and color palettes already locked in. Others want a starting point and a guide. Our interior design team meets you wherever you are, building the aesthetic from scratch when needed or executing an existing vision down to the detail.
You Receive
A finalized design direction tuned to how you actually live, not a stylist's portfolio shot.
Stage 03
The typical Manhattan apartment is roughly 90 years old, which means hidden conditions are the norm rather than the exception. We run all required diagnostics before construction so the budget and timeline reflect the building's actual condition.
Stage 04
Material decisions are where renovations become real, paint, flooring, mouldings, fixtures, countertops, hardware. Our team curates every permanent finish in the home and handles the sourcing, vendor coordination, and procurement on your behalf. Because we are brand-agnostic and vendor-agnostic, our selections are not limited to a particular catalog or supplier. We procure from local artisans and international suppliers alike, choosing whatever genuinely fits your design and budget.
You Receive
A curated material palette sourced from anywhere in the world, with our trade discounts passed directly to you.
Stage 05
Once materials are locked, we produce photorealistic renderings of every room, accurate to the flooring grain, fixture finish, cabinet hardware, even how the light shifts at different times of day. Renderings let you walk the finished apartment before construction starts, and they give the build team a precise visual target to match.
You Receive
Photorealistic renderings that let you tour your apartment before a single wall comes down.
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Render compared to built reality: Chelsea Mercantile, 252 Seventh Avenue.
Stage 06
With permits, plans, and pre-construction diligence in place, the build moves through six defined phases. Each phase has its own scope and inspection points, all coordinated by a single project manager who stays with your project from demolition to walk-through.
Typically, relatively smaller renovations or remodels involve design or interior adjustments, while gut renovations either require taking all rooms being renovated down to their studs and/or touching every inch of the home for a total overhaul of the space. For the full details of what a gut renovation in Manhattan entails read our guide on Gut Renovations In New York City 101.
Every Manhattan apartment renovation runs on its own clock, shaped by building approval timelines, the scope of structural work, and whether Landmarks review applies. For a typical full renovation of a two-bedroom apartment, the planning and construction phases generally fall into the ranges below.
Planning and pre-construction typically takes 90 to 120 days for renovations that don't restructure the apartment's layout. The most common reason this phase extends is the building's review and approval process: any renovation requiring architectural plans must clear the building's reviewing architect, the condo board or co-op board, and DOB permitting before construction can begin. In rigorous pre-war co-ops, that review cycle alone can add 30 to 60 days.
Construction itself typically runs 4 to 6 months for an average-sized two-bedroom Manhattan apartment, though scope, site conditions, and building work-window restrictions can shift that range meaningfully. Buildings with strict weekday-only work hours or summer-rule shutdowns extend the build phase; condos with permissive rules tend to compress it. For a more detailed breakdown of what each phase looks like, see our full apartment renovation timeline guide and our broader NYC Apartment Renovation Guide.
The average cost for a Manhattan apartment renovation is $400 to $550 per square foot for upper mid-tier projects, inclusive of all labor and materials. Luxury renovations start around $550 per square foot and can reach $850 or more depending on finish level, site conditions, and scope. For full-custom, ultra-luxury work in pre-war co-ops or landmarked buildings, expect $700 per square foot and up, often with significant layout changes and bespoke millwork throughout. With the average two-bedroom Manhattan apartment falling between 800 and 1,200 square feet, expect to pay roughly $440,000 to $780,000 total to remodel the full space (two bedrooms, two baths, kitchen, and living area) with mid-range to upper-mid-tier finishes via a full-service Manhattan design-build firm. For a deeper breakdown by tier, scope, and hidden costs, see our complete guide to NYC apartment renovation costs per square foot.
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Aesthetics can make or break an apartment renovation in Manhattan. Our knowledge of the most timely interior design trends in apartments throughout New York City allows us to compliment or fully drive the interior design goals of clients in each of our renovations.
The demand is high for durable kitchen surfaces, such as quartz, in order to provide a natural balance of beauty and practicality. As you’ll see in this Sky Loft kitchen renovation we did, quartz countertops contain no grout lines, making these surfaces extremely easy to clean and care for.
Clients are continually looking to increase functionality and durability within their kitchen space. This runs the gamut from smart appliances and custom-expanded storage to avoiding temperamental materials that may be beautiful but require a great deal of upkeep.
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We’re occasionally asked to implement artistic backsplash options, such as geometric patterns, intriguing tonal choices, and hand-thrown ceramics. The natural variation and one-of-a-kind expression of hand-crafted pieces in particular brings an edge into the apartment’s interior design.
While lighter colors may be optimal throughout homes for various reasons, the exclusivity of bedrooms allow you to push the boundaries of interior design, experimenting with bolder, more moody colors to create depth and inherently relaxing qualities.
When designing a room for children, the key is considering growth. By using a bold, imaginative design that’s cool enough to encourage play time no matter their children’s age, parents can display a practical creativity in their design that doesn’t need to be updated every time the kids change their favorite superhero.
Blend your interiors with exteriors by introducing nature-inspired design styles indoors. House plants have been trending over the last few years, and now we’re seeing demand for floral print wallpapers and accents with natural texture (consider terracotta backsplashes in the kitchen or dried grapewood branches for decoration).
With a sole focus on NYC properties, we’re quite well-versed in what it takes to combine apartments – everything from how to approach the new layout to accounting for building codes, wet over dry restrictions, and communicating with co-op boards. See our expertise for yourself via this apartment combination project in Chelsea, which involved combining an existing one-bedroom apartment with a newly purchased one-bedroom unit next door, along with two outdoor patio spaces.
A common Manhattan housing scenario is to purchase an apartment with the intention to create an additional bedroom. By focusing on residential renovations in New York City, our expertise includes any unique room customization imaginable. Whether you’re in need of additional bedrooms, a room that can serve as an office or a study, or a smaller room that can store your washer and dryer, we are experts in building new rooms in existing apartments.
Our specialty is full-scale gut renovations of residential renovations in NYC. While all renovations are unique and the project requirements are relative to each client's specifications, the average full gut renovation to an Manhattan apartment with Gallery KBNY includes the following:
We did an up/down apartment combo with Avi and his team and could not be happier. Their work was on time, on budget and very high quality. Having one firm handle everything was seamless and took so much of the stress surrounding logistics out of the process. We have done construction several times over the years and this was BY FAR the best experience we’ve had. Highly recommend. Our project manager, Miguel, was special. View The Project: https://www.gallerykbny.com/our-work/battery-park-townhouse-apartment-vertical-combination-328-albany-st
...View moreWe loved working with Avi and the whole team at Gallery Kitchen and Bath. From our very first meeting, we felt like we were in great hands. Avi is so responsive—always available, quick to come up with solutions, and he and his team helped us pivot whenever needed without losing momentum. Renovating in NYC is complicated, but they handled all the logistics seamlessly and made the process so much less stressful. They do everything—design, architectural work, and managing every detail and skilled trade needed for a full gut renovation of our loft apartment —so we never had to worry. They are in full control of their workers, which allows them to stay on track and adapt quickly. They were creative and helpful when we needed to pivot on design unexpectedly. We felt like we had true partners that genuinely cared about our project and our well being! The finished space truly exceeds our expectations—we are so proud of our beautiful new home. It’s hard to put into words how positive our experience was overall. We would not hesitate for a moment to recommend Avi and the entire team at Gallery. They will be our very first call if we ever need to renovate again in the future… and you should call right now if you’re considering a renovation! View The Renovation: https://www.gallerykbny.com/our-work/chelsea-co-op-renovation-107-w-25th-st
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Our renovation at 1035 5th Avenue found us overlooking Central Park, overhauling a beautiful Italian Renaissance Palazzo co-op located on Fifth and 85th street, just down the street from The Met. When our client purchased this 4,000 square foot pre-war property, the space hadn’t been updated in more than 50 years. The vision for this renovation called for a complete design overhaul of the extensive space, while incorporating many of the prior architectural elements and elegant marble accents, while also creating an additional bathroom and powder room. While the results speak for themselves, the client’s glowing praise for our full-service approach went a long way. View the full apartment renovation via our Before + After portfolio.
A recent project found us renovating a beautiful pre-war co-op apartment at 91 Central Park West. The building, established in 1929, was designed by famed NYC architectural firm Schwartz & Gross, whose work also includes The Mark Hotel and many of the Neo-Renaissance residential buildings along Fifth Avenue, Park Avenue, and Central Park West. Our client purchased the unit in solid shape but the unique layout required quite a bit of ingenuity to meet their specific needs which prioritized a commercial-quality kitchen, enhanced office space, along with various other upgrades that required a fine touch. View the full co-op renovation via our portfolio here.
Need more in-depth information on apartment renovation topics? Our Design & Reno blog offers a massive collection of thoughtfully curated content from our designers & project managers. However, here are a few relevant articles to help aide your Manhattan renovation:
Schedule a consultation with one of Gallery's founding partners. We'll listen to your renovation plans, walk through your building's particular constraints, and tell you honestly what makes sense for your project, whether or not we end up working together.
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