My First Rodeo
I wouldn’t be tackling a townhouse renovation if I hadn’t cut my teeth on a more manageable project. My first renovation was a one-bedroom prewar coop apartment. I lived in it for about a year before renovating which gave me time to figure out exactly what to do. The main core was reconfigured with walls coming down to open up the space. I adapted the existing floor plan from one I downloaded from Streeteasy, adjusted it in Photoshop and my contractor did the rest. I’ll talk more about my contractor in later posts, but I was very lucky to find a good one my first time round. It took about four months to make the transformation you see below.
When I was ready to sell, my real estate broker pitched it to Curbed, and they made it one of their daily features. Click through to see the fancy professional photos: Rustic-chic Kensington co-op wants $550,000
Before: A kitchen so narrow there was only room for counter space on one side, contained a fridge that plugged into a living room electric socket. A narrow hallway to the bathroom was like a scene from The Shining when I had to get up in the night.
After: No more walls and halls. Loft-like open spaces make it easier to have friends over.
