Licensed NYC general contractor for gut renovations, kitchens, baths, tile, flooring and painting in all five boroughs, LI and NJ. Get a free estimate.
Renovating in New York City takes more than good carpentry. You are working inside buildings that are 100 years old, behind boards that want paperwork before the first hammer swings, and through freight elevators that run on someone else's calendar. The best result comes from a contractor who plans for those constraints on day one, not one who discovers them in week three.
N.Y. Renovation Services LLC is a licensed and insured design-and-build general contractor based on Staten Island. We work across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Staten Island, Long Island and nearby New Jersey, and we handle the whole job: drawings, permits, board packages, demolition, rough-ins, tile, flooring, painting and final cleaning. This page is a map of what we do, what it typically costs, and how to start.
A renovation here is three projects running at once: the construction itself, the approvals, and the logistics.
Construction is the part everyone pictures. Demolition, framing, plumbing and electrical rough-ins, waterproofing, tile, flooring, cabinetry and paint, each trade needing its predecessor to finish and cure.
Approvals are where timelines slip. In New York City, most construction work needs a Department of Buildings permit. Alterations are filed through DOB NOW: Build by a New York State registered design professional, meaning a licensed Professional Engineer or Registered Architect acting as Applicant of Record. Co-ops and condos add their own layer: an alteration agreement, proof of insurance, a schedule, sometimes drawings stamped by an architect of the building's choosing. Industry reports indicate that DOB reinstated a board-approval attestation inside DOB NOW: Build in January 2026, so confirm the current process with the DOB and your managing agent. The NYC Department of Buildings explains how permits are obtained.
Logistics are the hidden multiplier. Walk-up tenements mean carrying drywall up four flights. Doorman buildings mean a certificate of insurance on file before any worker enters the lobby. Noise rules generally limit construction to weekdays from about 7 AM to 6 PM, and many co-ops and condos allow only roughly 9 AM to 5 PM on weekdays. Confirm your building's rules in writing.
A contractor who has handled these three tracks together can tell you in the first meeting which of them will set your schedule. Cosmetic work like painting rarely needs a DOB permit, but it still needs a board sign-off in most co-ops.
Everything below is performed by our in-house team or by trades we coordinate directly, under one contract and one project lead.
Full-apartment and whole-house renovations: demolition to the studs, hazmat testing where required, new framing, mechanical rough-ins, insulation, drywall, finishes. Read the complete NYC gut renovation guide for scope, sequence and cost.
Layout changes, cabinetry, counters, backsplash, lighting and appliance coordination. See our kitchen remodeling page for what drives the price and schedule.
Full gut baths, tub-to-shower conversions, spa showers, vanities and waterproofing. Details are on the bathroom remodeling page.
Porcelain, ceramic, stone and mosaic tile with proper membranes, plus hardwood, engineered wood, vinyl plank and refinishing. Start with the tile installation guide or the flooring installation guide.
Interior work with real prep, skim coating and plaster repair, plus exterior painting for houses, brownstones and facades. See the interior painting guide and the exterior painting guide.
Bump-outs, finished basements, cellar conversions, millwork, closets and commercial fit-outs. Learn more about additions and remodels. We also offer post-construction cleaning, and we coordinate plumbing, electrical and roofing trades when a project needs them.
Most renovation horror stories come from handoffs. The designer draws something the contractor cannot build in a 1930s wall. The contractor orders tile the board will not allow. The plumber finishes a day before the inspector can see the rough-in and the wall has to be reopened. Each handoff is a place where cost and delay hide.
Our model removes most of them. At N.Y. Renovation Services, we design and build in-house, "from blueprints to the final coat of paint," which means the person pricing your project is thinking about how it will be built, and the person building it has seen the drawings from the start. If your building needs an architect or engineer of record for the DOB filing, we coordinate that professional and keep the filing aligned with the work in the field.
What that means for you in practice:
Doing it yourself, or hiring a handyman for work that needs a permit, can look cheaper on paper. The risks are real: an unpermitted bathroom can block a sale or a refinance, a leaking shower can damage the unit below and trigger a claim under your building's policy, and a missed asbestos survey can stop a job and cost far more than the survey would have. We would rather price it correctly the first time, and you can start with a free estimate request.
These are typical 2026 planning ranges for the New York metro area as of October 2026. They are not quotes. Building rules, access, hazmat, finishes and scope all move prices, and a written, itemized quote governs.
| Project | Typical 2026 planning range | Typical construction time |
|---|---|---|
| Full bathroom renovation | $30,000-$60,000+ | 3-6 weeks |
| Kitchen renovation | $25,000-$85,000+ | 6-12 weeks |
| Cosmetic refresh (per sq ft) | $100-$250 | varies by scope |
| Mid-range renovation with kitchen and bath (per sq ft) | $200-$400 | 3-6 months |
| Full gut renovation (per sq ft) | $250-$500+ | 4-9 months incl. approvals |
| High-end or structural (per sq ft) | $500-$1,000 | longer |
| Interior painting, 1-3 bedroom apartment | $2,500-$12,000 | 2-7 working days |
| Tile installed, floors (per sq ft) | $20-$45 | varies |
| Hardwood installed (per sq ft) | $12-$28 | 3-7 days + finish cure |
Design, engineering, expediting and permit fees often add roughly 15 to 25 percent on top of construction. Landmarked buildings often add about 15 to 20 percent to time and budget, because Landmarks Preservation Commission review adds steps.
Want to see what a project might return at resale? The renovation ROI calculator lets you test scenarios, and the timeline planner helps you see how approvals and construction stack up. For a deeper breakdown, read what a renovation costs in NYC in 2026.
Three layers of rules can apply to the same project.
The city. Alterations that change plumbing, layout, egress or structure generally need a DOB permit. The Department of Buildings is moving toward a new Existing Building Code: Local Law 33 of 2026 enacts it, and DOB says it takes effect July 17, 2027 for all alteration applications. Until then, current rules apply. For the baseline, our NYC renovation permits guide walks through filing types, and the short do I need a permit page gives a quick screen.
The building. Co-ops and condos typically require an alteration agreement, a certificate of insurance naming the building, and approved work hours. Rental landlords set their own rules. Moving a bathroom or kitchen may be limited by "wet-over-dry" policies that bar new wet areas above a neighbor's bedroom or living room.
Landmarks. Buildings in historic districts need a Landmarks Preservation Commission permit before exterior changes, and sometimes interior ones. The commission issues Certificates of No Effect, Permits for Minor Work and Certificates of Appropriateness. The LPC permit application page lists what applies to which work.
Licensing. Residential remodeling in NYC requires a Home Improvement Contractor license from the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. The city's HIC license checklist shows what to ask any contractor for before you sign.
Older housing stock hides older materials. Before demolition, an NYC pre-war building typically needs a conversation about three things.
These steps cost time and money, but they cost far less than a stop-work order, a sickened crew or a neighbor's complaint. We build them into the schedule and the quote rather than treat them as surprises.
Every project is different, but the path looks like this.
You can preview the sequencing with the renovation timeline planner.
You do not need to commit to anything to get a sense of scale. Our planning tools are free on this site.
Use them as starting points, then request a quote when you are ready for real numbers. Calculators cannot see your building's riser, the condition of your subfloor, or what your board will demand. Treat the outputs as conversation starters for a site visit. If you are comparing contractors, our hiring checklist lists the questions to ask: license numbers, insurance, written scope, payment schedule and who files with the city.
We donate 5 percent of the total project cost to a nonprofit of your choice. You pick the organization; we make the donation. It is a simple way to make a big spend do some good beyond your own four walls.
Beyond the pledge, here is what N.Y. Renovation Services asks of ourselves on every job: respect your time, respect your neighbors and respect your building. That means protected hallways, daily cleanup, honest updates when something changes and no surprise line items. Learn more about the people behind the company on the about us page, or browse the blog for field notes and planning guides.
N.Y. Renovation Services serves all five boroughs plus nearby counties. Each area has its own building stock and its own approval quirks.
Projects beyond that radius are considered by arrangement for larger scopes. Our office is at 1 Teleport Dr, Staten Island, NY 10311, open Monday through Saturday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
The first step costs nothing. Tell us about the project, and we will come see it. We measure the space, look at the building conditions, ask about your board and describe what a realistic scope, schedule and budget look like. You then receive a written quote that spells out the work line by line.
Here is what helps us give you a faster, more accurate estimate:
Request your estimate on the quote page, reach us through the contact page, or call or text (347) 455-1741. If you would like to see whether a bigger project fits your property, take a look at our additions and remodels page too. Whichever way you reach out, N.Y. Renovation Services replies during business hours.