Loft Renovation Contractors In New York City

Benefits Of Renovating Your Loft With Gallery

We rely on The Gallery Way, which is our core belief in a full-scale, all-inclusive approach to your renovation project. We hit the ground running as soon as our working relationship begins to ensure that all elements of your loft renovation get the thoughtful care they deserve.

We Oversee And Administer All Aspects Of The ProjecT

First and foremost is our focus on entirely all-inclusive services. The best way to seamlessly plan, design, and execute a loft renovation is to handle every single aspect. As a turnkey, full-service design and build firm, we do it all: architectural drafting, project management, interior design, communicating with co-op/condo boards and building management, permit procurement, material purchasing– everything.

We Value Communication

One of our core principles is to keep an open line of communication at all times. That goes for you, the client, as well as every member of our team working on the project. We do this by offering online project management systems to track all the steps of the job, material selections or questions, and anything else to discuss, as well as good old-fashioned site visits and phone calls.

More Streamlined Than Traditional General Contractors

While searching ‘general contractors in Manhattan’ may be the first route that comes to mind when renovating your loft in NYC, this age-old path to your dream home is not always the straightest. Hiring a traditional design-bid-build general contractor usually requires additional design support you must source and manage yourself, plus complicated permit and approval work most homeowners are unfamiliar with. For more information, read Design-Build Vs General Contractor: What’s The Difference?

More Control And Lower Cost Than Independent Architects

On the opposite end of the spectrum is an independent architect. Hiring an independent architect may result in less work for the client, but this route can also become a burdensome partnership. Since independent architects often act with their own interests in mind, clients get very little input in the design process and wind up paying exorbitant material costs for interior design that may not even suit their style. Plus, since independent architects outsource the construction, you’re often not seeing the full scope of costs until after designs are completed - which could take up to six months in some circumstances. For more information, read What Kind Of Architect Is Best For Your NYC Apartment Renovation?

Design-Build, The Ideal Approach To Loft Renovations In NYC

Working with a full-service design build general contractor is the closest clients get to their initial expectations when renovating in NYC. From the rapport and custom-first approach to the cost and timeline, design-build renovations are specifically meant to manage expectations by delivering a system that delivers them up front and executes every time. Benefits of design-build include:

• Streamlined Communication: Multiple relationships become one with design-build, making Manhattan renovations instantly easier for busy clients - who can now manage updates with one person instead of multiple.
• Welcomed Design Input: This two-way relationship also means clients can have as much or little design input as they prefer, building directly from their mood boards or partnering with their dedicated interior designer for a reinvigorated look fit for their Manhattan surroundings.

• Faster Project Completion: Not only are there less middle-men for clients to deal with in design-build renovations, all needed components being under one roof means every party is working in tandem towards the same goal from day one. This leads to proactive solutions earlier in the process, faster permitting and approvals, quicker response times between parties in pivotal points of the renovation, and ultimately a shorter delivery time for clients. After all, in Manhattan, there’s no time to waste.
• Proactive Risk Management: The design-build umbrella of services not only expedites the move-in date, but having all needed services working in tandem early on in the process results in proactive problem solving and less change orders mid-way through the renovation. Without having these preliminary checks and balances in-house, details may fall through the cracks and issues common in older buildings may rear their ugly heads (IE: insufficient electrical capacity, hidden asbestos, outdated cloth wiring, etc).
• Early Knowledge Of Costs: With all resources accounted for upfront, providing all-inclusive pricing for your full renovation is one of the most convenient benefits of design-build. This is especially beneficial considering most other methods of renovating in Manhattan operate with staggered pricing, which can quickly become difficult to manage as the project proceeds.

Exclusive To New York City

While certain competitors aim to service various areas of the country, Gallery’s goal has always been to deliver the highest quality renovations in New York City. Flat out. We don’t create stock kitchen templates and sell them via big box stores, or cater half our business around part of the country with a totally different climate. We deliver full-service, start-to-finish loft renovations, specifically for New Yorkers, built specifically around the specialized complexities our magnificent city has to offer. After all, why would we go anywhere else? 

Specific Challenges With Renovating NYC Lofts

Lofts are as synonymous with New York City as a certain round red fruit, especially in SoHo, a neighborhood known to this day for its cast-iron commercial residential buildings. Originally a retail hub, SoHo eventually became a manufacturing and commercial zone, in no small part due to the Industrial Revolution. The commercial lofts within these spaces were bursting with laborers creating textiles, fashion accessories, and other goods. This era gave lofts the industrial flair they are still associated with today.

Around the middle of the century, manufacturing slowed down and the lofts were abandoned. Preservationists, architects, artists, and historians saved the lofts and cast-iron buildings from destruction – in 1973 SoHo’s Cast Iron District was designated a historic district by New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission – but they were not necessarily maintained. Throughout the ‘70s, artists began to move in – hence the creative, artistic association that lofts now have.

With the boom in NYC real estate and inevitable changes that further modernity brings, many lofts in SoHo and other prime areas like Chelsea, Tribeca, FiDi, and Hudson Yards are now full-blown residential spaces, and lofts have become a popular format for newly built apartments to mimic as well.

Harkening back to their original industrial usage, lofts are distinguished by very tall ceilings held up by sturdy (often cast iron) columns, industrial-heavy wooden floors, totally open rooms, and exceptionally large windows. They were also quite drafty, didn’t hold sound well, and often lacked basic amenities for living like kitchens or even running water – all of which brings us to our challenges.

The presence of columns

Because many NYC lofts were built with thick columns to support the tall ceilings, their modern vestiges often present challenges. If your kitchen area has a column, you have to consider where to place the appliances and other furnishings so that the column does not get in the way. With limited space for movement, this is an important consideration.

The tall ceilings

Tall ceilings are easily one of the most distinctive loft features. Often quite beautiful, they bring a sense of grandeur and enhance openness. It’s little wonder that many people who are renovating their lofts want to preserve the tall ceilings. But that desire to preserve the original feel can present architectural challenges depending on the other needs of the space.

The history of NYC lofts

As you know by now if you didn’t already, lofts were originally not equipped for residential use. Depending on the situation of your particular loft, there may be certain needs or additions that spaces that have always been residential wouldn’t require. One such potential need is an HVAC system. If your loft is in a historic building that qualifies as a landmark, that also presents another challenge as landmarked renovations must hew very closely to guidelines set forth by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.