How to Prevent a Historic Hassle During Your Brooklyn Renovation

So, you’ve decided to buy that beautiful brownstone, but you’ve hit a wall. The exterior looks great, but the interior doesn’t fit your family’s needs. Renovating a historic home here in Brooklyn can be a hassle, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right approach, and a few helpful tips from Petri, you’ll be on the fast track to borough living in no time.

1. You Need an Architect. And a Plumber.

As of 2019, plumbing drawings have to be filed separately from the rest of the architectural plans before any renovation can begin. If you’re installing a bathroom, or need to put in a new wet wall for a kitchen or laundry space, consulting with a Brooklyn plumber as part of the planning process can help keep unnecessary plumbing costs to a minimum. When it’s time to start installing things, we can do that, too.

2. Get your Permits in Order

Some of the great homes in our borough are designated landmarks, and renovating one of these can be tricky. The best way to move forward with a renovation on one of these properties is to familiarize yourself with the historical permitting process and understand what needs to be filed to start work.

3. Plan Better Living Spaces

Let’s be honest, as much as we love these historic homes, some things just aren’t designed with the comforts of the modern age. Brooklyn bathrooms and kitchens can be particularly tricky, as they haven’t always been the grand focal points of a home that they are now.

4. Consider a Whole-Home Repiping

Finally, it’s important to consider the parts of your home you can’t see. The walls can hide nasty surprises that you won’t know about until your living room’s flooded and the drywall needs to be replaced. Depending on the age of your Brooklyn plumbing, lead pipes can also be a serious concern. When planning a renovation, consider having your home’s plumbing inspected or replaced, and save yourself a headache down the road.

Helping Preserve Brooklyn’s Homes for a New Generation

At Petri Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Drain Cleaning, we’ve been Brooklyn plumbers for more than a century, which means this borough’s homes are our specialty. When it’s time to start your renovation, give us a call at 718-748-1254 or schedule an appointment with Petri online, and we can help you find the best solutions to any plumbing problems that stand in your way.