The NYC Renovation Gauntlet: What Your Broker, Contractor, and Co-op Board Aren’t Telling You
Time is money. But in New York City, both disappear faster than you expect, especially if you’re planning to renovate. If you’ve recently bought a place (or are thinking about it), and someone told you, “Just a quick reno and you’re good,” this guide is your wake-up call.
This post breaks down the real timeline, the bottlenecks, and the frustrations behind the NYC renovation process. No sugarcoating. No sales pitch. Just facts.
Let’s start where the lies usually begin: right before you buy the apartment.
1. “It’ll Be a Quick, Easy Renovation.” (Said Every Broker Ever.)
Ask any broker how long a renovation will take and they’ll shrug: “Six months, tops.” What they don’t tell you is that from design to completion, 18 months is not only normal. It’s often optimistic.
And here’s the thing. They know this. I’ve had brokers tell me directly, “If we told buyers it would take 18 months, they wouldn’t buy the apartment.”
So they don’t. And that lie sets the stage for a year and a half of confusion and frustration.
2. The Real Timeline (And Why You Can’t Skip Steps)
Here’s what most people don’t understand. You’re not just dealing with contractors. You’re dealing with your building, your co-op board, their reviewing architect, the Department of Buildings (DOB), possibly Landmarks, and more.
The 5 stages of every NYC renovation:
Design
Alteration Review
City Approvals and Permits
Pre-Construction
Construction
Each stage can be delayed by backlogs, approvals, revisions, scheduling, or one missing document. Want to see actual timelines? On recent projects, it took:
10 weeks just to get through design and board approval for a kitchen.
80+ weeks for a full apartment combination.
That’s not an anomaly. That’s reality.
3. Co-op Board? Not the Problem.
Everyone fixates on their co-op board: “Oh, our board is easygoing.”
Doesn’t matter. The board only rubber-stamps what the reviewing architect approves.
And that architect? They don’t care what your new kitchen looks like. They care if you’re trying to add a wet space over a dry space. They care if your electrical load exceeds what the building can support. They care if your plan triggers liability for the building.
They are the gatekeeper, and the review process is tedious even for experienced teams.
Only about 20 percent of alteration applications are approved on the first review. If yours isn’t, your architect must revise the plans, resubmit, and wait for another review round. All before you can even apply for construction permits.
3a. The Man Who Can Kill Your Renovation — and Why I Respect Him
If you’re renovating in a top-tier Manhattan co-op, odds are high your plans will cross the desk of Elliott Glass. He’s the reviewing architect for hundreds of buildings, including some of the most exclusive addresses on Fifth and Park Avenues.
He has no email address. No website. Still works on an IBM typewriter. And he’s not just reviewing your layout. He’s guarding the building.
Most people are terrified of him. He’s known for rejecting bathroom expansions, disallowing washer-dryers, and denying anything that might even hint at a code violation or long-term risk. He is blunt, firm, and always right. The New York Times once called him “the god behind the co-op boards” — and that’s exactly how it feels.
But here’s the thing.
I love working with Elliott. We’ve done multiple projects together. I know how to prepare a set of drawings that clears his desk quickly. If he sends comments, I respond point by point. I don’t fight him, and I don’t try to get around him. I respect what he’s protecting and I make sure our work does the same.
And that’s important, because when he says no, it sticks. The board will rarely overrule him. He carries the institutional memory of these buildings. Sometimes more than the board or management company does. He’s seen every mistake, every mess, every neighbor war over noise or leaks. And he remembers them.
If your architect doesn’t know how to work with someone like Elliott Glass, you’re going to lose time. And probably money too. But if your architect does, things move.
4. “It’s Just Interior Work.” Famous Last Words.
Live in a Landmark district? You’ll need approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission even if your entire renovation is inside your unit. West Village, Upper West Side, and much of Manhattan fall into this category.
Did you think your “cosmetic” renovation would fly under the radar?
Think again.
5. Permits Aren’t Optional. And They’re Not Fast.
Skipping permits isn’t a shortcut. It’s a landmine. One neighbor complaint can trigger a $7,000 fine and a stop work order. At that point, you’re legally required to bring in an architect and start the entire permitting process from scratch at an expedited (read: expensive) pace.
Think about it, if you were a co-op owner next door and you saw work done without a permit, you’re seeing someone risk YOUR home’s investment because they want to save money. The likelihood of not getting caught is near zero.
Hiring an expeditor to navigate city approvals will likely cost thousands. The backlog in some boroughs is months long. There are only about 20 plan examiners per borough reviewing every project from bathroom remodels to skyscrapers.
6. NYC Logistics Are Brutal and Make Everything Slower
Even once permits are approved, you’re still in for a grind. Why? Because everything takes longer in NYC.
Construction hours are limited. No early starts. No late finishes. Most co-ops limit work to 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., weekdays only.
Service elevator time must be reserved in advance. Your cabinets might wait a day or two before they’re even allowed upstairs.
Noise restrictions, egress routes, and union rules slow everything down.
City traffic means one missing part can stall a day of work.
7. You Cannot Phase a Renovation in a NYC Apartment (Unless It’s Gigantic)
In a townhouse or a massive Central Park West penthouse, phasing construction might be possible. But in a typical NYC apartment, once the work starts, the entire space becomes a construction zone. There’s no practical way to live through it unless you want to delay the project and make everyone miserable, including yourself.
Living in the space during construction:
Slows the job
Increases cost
Drives you nuts
8. Buying Materials Yourself? You’re Now a Logistics Company
You might think buying materials online will save you money. It won’t.
You’ll be standing in front of your building with 800 lbs of tile, no insurance, no crew, no elevator access. Now it’s your problem.
Contractors handle sourcing for a reason. Let them.
9. “Just Hire a Handyman” Is How People End Up in Lawsuits
Gutting an apartment is not a small job. Hiring a handyman or the lowest bidder can and often does blow up into an expensive, slow-motion disaster.
If that contractor gets sick or disappears (and many do), there’s no one to replace them. If they skip permits or ignore restrictions, you’re the one who pays the fines and suffers the delays.
10. How to Actually Do This Right
If all of this sounds overwhelming, that’s because it is. Renovating in NYC is a gauntlet. But if you go into it with clear eyes and the right team, it can also be transformative.
The first step is a proper Needs Analysis.
Before you buy. Before you start designing. Before you move out.
A Needs Analysis will:
Map out what’s possible in your building
Flag red tape early
Set a realistic timeline and budget
Save you from the fantasy-based planning that derails most projects
Because it’s your apartment, but you’re still playing by the building’s rules.
Ready to cut through the noise and build something worth the wait?