When they started looking to buy an apartment a few years ago, Brooklyn residents Graci Mills and Andrew Keck knew a space that required a renovation would help them get their dream home within their budget. “We wanted something that we could tear into pieces,” Graci says. This led them to a dated two-bedroom railroad apartment in a pre-war building in Bed-Stuy. It became an exercise in updating a fairly typical plan into something more livable and distinct for about $175 per square foot.

The 725-square-foot apartment’s layout—a fourth-story, floor-through unit with bedrooms on either end and a dimly-lit kitchen and living area in the heart of the plan—is typical for older multifamily buildings in New York. While it was a generic space most recently renovated around 2010 with low-cost finishes, it had redeeming details including arched windows and nine-foot-tall ceilings plus its top-floor location with northern and southern exposures meant good natural light and cross ventilation.

The challenge for Graci, who is the founder of the architecture firm Go Bang Architecture & Urban Design, was making the whole space feel bright and cohesive without sacrificing privacy. What she didn’t want to do was turn it into a studio; walls were a must. “We needed the space to be super flexible for different uses, and that includes hosting, working from home, having an argument—whatever,” she says. The apartment is around 45 feet long and Graci conceived of it as one continuous space that transitions from a public zone toward the street-facing side to private quarters in the back.

While Graci didn’t reroute any plumbing, which is expensive, she did remove some walls. Most consequently, one between the living room and kitchen. Because of this, most of the budget went toward semi-custom cabinets finished in natural materials like oak, walnut, and handmade bronze pulls. “There’s not that much you can compromise on unless you're willing to just go to cheap vinyl,” Graci says. Fluted walnut detailing wrapping newly fashioned peninsulas make them feel like fine furniture. Built-in Fisher & Paykel appliances help with the streamlined look. “Everything had to be smooth and integrated because there’s no end to the kitchen and the beginning to the living room.”

$4,500 Flooring	$1,700 Hardware	$7,650 Electrical (includes labor)
$7,900 Plumbing (includes labor)	$2,660 Kitchen & Bath Fixtures	$950 Lighting
$36,150 Cabinetry	$9,800 Countertops	$9,800 Appliances
$200 Windows & Glazing	$800 Doors	$750 Millwork
$3,050 Tilework	$1,700 Permitting	$29,440 Labor
$7,360 General Contractor Fee (includes wall finishes)	$3,000 Demolition
Grand Total: $127,410

Moving toward the private zone, Graci rebuilt the wall between the dining area and bedroom to include a four-foot-wide pocket door, which Andrew, an Saturday Night Live prop master, built at The Fabrication Shop, his custom furniture and set building operation. The space-efficient door is usually open for light, but even when closed its porthole window lets some brightness shine through.

Elsewhere in the apartment, Graci removed closets, which irritated her for their small doors and inaccessible upper sections. Andrew designed and built a workstation in what was once the living room closet, and a storage and display cabinet in the former bedroom closet.

Little touches made the rest of the apartment feel more distinct for not a lot of money: new baseboards and trim; new metal heater covers (a “very cheap, basic solution, but really just makes things feel a little more modern and clean,” Graci says); and using contact paper on the kitchen window facing a light well for privacy instead of blinds (a trick Andrew learned working on film and television sets). Aptly placed mirrors bounce light around and help open up spaces.

In order to save on the bottom line, Graci took on some of the general contracting responsibilities, like purchasing, coordination, and making shop drawings. Being closely involved with construction also led to more successful problem solving. As the contractors were rebuilding the bedroom wall, Graci noticed how much extra light came in through the framing and so they left a reveal. Now the dining area is bright enough to keep plants healthy. “The lesson here is just find opportunities when you’re in construction that you maybe didn’t realize before,” Graci says.

More Budget Breakdown stories:

For $31K, a Brooklyn Family Makes Room for All in an 850-Square-Foot Apartment

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Go Bang Architecture & Urban Design / @go_bang_studio

Builder/General Contractor: Joseph Diconimakis of Paint Masters NYC

Custom Furniture, Shelving, and Pocket Door: The Fabrication Shop

Kitchen Fabrication: 360 Kitchen / @360kitchendesign