Brooklyn Carriage House Series, #2 – Permits and a Mock-Up

Brooklyn Carriage House Series, #2

Today is the second in a series I am doing on my sister’s Brooklyn Carriage House.

For those who remember, she and Rose purchased the house and plan on doing a full renovation and restoration.  It will become their beautiful family home but until then, wow!  They really have a lot on their plate with this project!

Here are Marie and Rose with the kids.  My gorgeous niece and nephew!

I wish I had a more exciting post to share with gorgeous kitchen and bathroom designs!  However, first things first.  As you recall from my previous post, the Carriage House is historic which is both great and well, challenging.  It isn’t like they can just swoop in and do what they wish with the property.  It all needs to be approved by both the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission and the NYC Department of Buildings.  This requires a lot of paperwork and hearings before they can even dig a hole in their backyard.

The plans have all been drawn up and include a master bedroom/bathroom/sitting room addition that will lead onto a rooftop deck.  The house cannot be bumped out in the back as the historic, existing structure must remain intact as-is.  The only way to go is up.  The addition is not allowed to change the front view and needs to be set back as not to be visible from the front street.  In order to get the permit, they had a mock-up built to show exactly how the addition will look from both the front street level and from behind.  This allowed neighbors to get a better idea of what they plan on doing.  Luckily, only one neighbor voiced a small concern that was addressed.  Once the permit process is complete, the fun stuff can start!

Here are a few pics of what the mock-up looks like and gives you an idea of the extra space it will provide when built.

Facing back:

Facing front street:

Do you see that church?  It is directly across the street from their house.  What a gorgeous view to see every day when walking out the door!  I will share more pics as soon as the permits are finalized and the fun decisions can be made.  It will be great to really get the ball rolling.