Ridgewood's brick row houses look the same from the sidewalk and almost never are inside. One has a pristine kitchen from 1986. Another has three generations of linoleum on its floors. A third has a second-floor tenant, a legal question about the basement and a bathroom that has leaked into the ceiling below for years.
This is a neighborhood of long-held family houses and multifamily buildings, many in a historic district, in ZIP code 11385. It rewards careful renovation and punishes guesswork. This guide covers the building stock, the rules that apply, what the most common projects cost in 2026 and how to hire well.
The signature building here is the attached brick row house, typically two or three stories, often built as a pair of apartments or as a one-family home with a rental floor. Rows were built in repeating patterns, so your neighbor's layout often tells you something about yours.
Common features include a stoop or a stepped entry, a deep rear yard, a cellar, shared party walls and original wood floors under later coverings. In the better-preserved rows, cornices, brick patterns and ironwork are part of the street's character.
What that means for renovation:
If you are weighing a full rebuild, our guide to gut renovation contractors in Queens explains how those projects are scoped, and our Queens renovation services page gives the borough overview.
Parts of Ridgewood sit inside a designated historic district, which means the Landmarks Preservation Commission reviews changes that affect the exterior of buildings. The LPC permit application page lists the permit types: a Certificate of No Effect, a Permit for Minor Work and a Certificate of Appropriateness.
| Work | LPC review likely? |
|---|---|
| Interior renovation only | Generally no |
| Replacing front windows | Yes |
| Changing the front door or stoop | Yes |
| Brick cleaning, repointing or repair | Yes |
| Rear addition not visible from the street | Often simpler, but verify |
| Rooftop additions | Often yes |
| Painting already painted trim | Often no, but verify |
If your house is in the district, LPC review is separate from Department of Buildings review, and neither replaces the other. Landmarked buildings often add roughly 15 to 20 percent to time and budget. If you are not sure whether your address is covered, ask the LPC before ordering windows.
Even outside the district, brick masonry deserves respect. Cleaning, repointing and sealing should follow methods suited to old brick. Harsh abrasive cleaning and hard modern mortar can damage historic brick permanently.
A significant share of Ridgewood houses hold more than one household, and that shapes almost every decision.
Check the certificate of occupancy before you plan changes. The approved use and the number of dwelling units may not match the house you see. If you plan to add or remove a kitchen, merge units or finish a cellar for living space, a registered architect or engineer should review it before drawings begin.
Renovate one unit at a time when you can. Complete one apartment fully before opening the next, so the house is never half-built across all floors. Replace shared systems, such as risers and electrical service, in a coordinated pass.
Give written notice of noisy days and utility shutoffs. Keep stairs and exits clear. Contain dust. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development posts tenant and owner information on its HPD website. Speak with an attorney before asking a tenant to relocate.
The Housing Maintenance Code requires owners of multiple dwellings to repaint apartments every three years and between tenancies. If you own a multifamily house, a repaint cycle is a natural time to fix cracks and check for moisture.
Tile and flooring are the finishes owners notice first, and they are the ones most sensitive to what lies beneath.
Floors in century-old houses are rarely flat. Tile needs a stiff, flat substrate, so plan for leveling or reinforcement. Subfloor prep and leveling typically runs $2 to $8 per square foot. Removing old flooring costs roughly $2 to $7 per square foot, and old tile removal runs $4 to $12.
Standard porcelain or ceramic floor tile typically installs at $20 to $45 per square foot, bathroom wall and shower tile at $30 to $80, and backsplashes at $30 to $90. Natural stone, large-format tile and mosaics cost more. A waterproofing membrane adds roughly $3 to $10 per square foot and is essential in a shower. Our page on tile installation in Queens explains local costs and contractor options in more detail.
Original floors under linoleum or carpet can often be refinished at roughly $4 to $10 per square foot, which is far less than replacement. New engineered or solid hardwood installs at roughly $12 to $28 per square foot. Dust containment matters, especially in a house with tenants.
Cutting tile and masonry produces respirable silica. OSHA's silica standard requires dust controls such as wet cutting, vacuum extraction and respirators where needed. Ask any tile contractor how they comply.
An attached house is a shared structure. Mistakes in yours become your neighbor's problem, and then your lawyer's.
A handyman who cuts into a masonry wall without an engineer's drawing may weaken the support for both houses. A tile setter who skips waterproofing leaves a shower that leaks into the apartment below, and a tenant's claim is usually larger than the cost of doing the job right. A contractor who does not file leaves you with an unpermitted kitchen that can block a sale or complicate an insurance claim. Skip lead-safe practices when sanding old paint and you expose children living in the house.
New York City requires a Home Improvement Contractor license from the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection for residential remodeling. A licensed contractor brings insurance and accountability.
N.Y. Renovation Services brings an in-house design-and-build team, so one company handles drawings, permits, demolition, trades, tile, flooring and paint. We are licensed and insured. We sequence the work so tile does not get installed before waterproofing is tested and paint does not go on before the dusty work is done.
Our quotes are itemized and our contracts are detailed, so you can see what is in scope and what is allowance. There are no hidden fees.
These are typical planning ranges for the New York metro area as of October 2026. They are not quotes. Access, hazmat, finishes and scope can move the final price, and a written itemized quote governs.
| Project | Typical 2026 planning range |
|---|---|
| Cosmetic refresh | $100–$250 per sq ft |
| Mid-level renovation, kitchen and bath | $200–$400 per sq ft |
| Full gut renovation | $250–$500+ per sq ft |
| High-end or structural | $500–$1,000 per sq ft |
| Full bathroom | $30,000–$60,000+ |
| Kitchen | $25,000–$85,000+ |
| Interior demolition and haul-away | $8–$30 per sq ft |
| Interior painting, 2BR apartment | $4,000–$8,000 |
| Interior painting, 3BR apartment | $6,000–$12,000 |
| Design, engineering and filing | About 15–25% on top |
Multifamily budgets benefit from planning by unit. A common approach is to renovate the owner's unit first, then renovate rental units as they turn over, spreading cost and keeping income steady. For borough comparisons, see the NYC renovation cost guide for 2026, and test return scenarios in the renovation ROI calculator. Kitchen details are in kitchen remodeling in NYC.
The Department of Buildings explains the basics of obtaining a permit. Most construction requires a permit, filed in DOB NOW: Build by a New York State registered architect or professional engineer.
Work that typically needs a filing includes moving or removing walls, new or relocated plumbing and gas lines, adding bathrooms or kitchens, structural changes and changes in the number of units. Painting and simple finish flooring usually do not need a DOB permit. Use our permit checklist to sort your project and confirm with the DOB.
Some practical points for Ridgewood:
| Phase | Typical duration |
|---|---|
| Testing, design and filing | 4–10 weeks |
| Owner's unit: demolition and rough-in | 2–4 weeks |
| Owner's unit: bath (3–6 weeks), kitchen (6–12 weeks) | Overlapping |
| Floors and tile | 1–3 weeks |
| Interior painting | 2–7 working days |
| Rental unit | After turnover or relocation |
Approvals often take longer than construction. A full gut can take months once permits are included.
N.Y. Renovation Services keeps the process simple and visible.
First, a walk-through and a free estimate. We look at the house from the roof to the cellar, ask about tenants, check legal use and listen to what you want. You receive an itemized quote that separates demolition, rough-in, tile, flooring, millwork and paint, with allowances marked.
Second, the paperwork. The N.Y. Renovation Services design team prepares drawings and works with the registered architect or engineer who files with the Department of Buildings. If you are in the historic district, we assemble materials for the LPC. You can ask us to manage permitting from start to finish.
Third, execution. Hazmat testing comes first. Protection goes down before demolition. Rough plumbing and electrical are inspected before walls close. Waterproofing is tested before tile. Floors follow the dusty trades, and paint comes last.
Finally, a clean home, a punch list and the documents you will need for resale or refinancing. And 5% of your total project cost goes to a nonprofit you choose.
A contractor who answers these clearly is usually a contractor who has done the work before.
We serve Ridgewood and neighborhoods across Queens. This guide covers Ridgewood, ZIP code 11385.
Ridgewood's brick rows differ from the detached homes of Bayside, where lots are larger and landmark review is rare. They also differ from Manhattan co-ops, where the board is the gatekeeper; see gut renovation contractors in Manhattan. Just across the border, Brooklyn gut renovation covers similar masonry stock, and the Bronx guide covers pre-war multifamily buildings.
You have the lay of the land: attached brick, possible landmark review, shared walls and, often, more than one household. The next step is a written number.
Send us your address, the number of units, the work you want and a few photos of the kitchen, bathrooms, floors and any problem areas. We will visit, ask the right questions and return an itemized quote. The estimate is free, and N.Y. Renovation Services can handle permits and landmark paperwork for you. You can start your quote online today.
Prices and rules in this guide are current as of October 2026. Confirm details with the Department of Buildings, the LPC and your insurer before you commit.