Best of Brooklyn: Renovating in Park Slope

A few of our favorite projects in the neighborhood

On the northwest side of Brooklyn’s famous Prospect Park lies the family-friendly neighborhood Park Slope. The enclave offers the best of both worlds: commercial streets of boutiques, casual restaurants, and bars, plus quiet pockets of greenery, brownstones, and apartment buildings. Its inventory of older homes and popularity among young professionals and families has also made it one of Sweeten’s top renovating neighborhoods. See how homeowners reimagined their spaces in the area with the help of their Sweeten Park Slope general contractors.

A one-wall kitchen

Sweeten homeowners Tiffany and Chad adore Brooklyn, especially Park Slope. Wanting to design their dream home, they decided to manage their own kitchen renovation project to save money. The original cookspace occupied a corner spot, but the new kitchen plan entailed a single-wall layout opening up to the living area. Dual-color blue and white cabinets and reclaimed floating shelves gave them the country and industrial vibes they were looking for.

Through Sweeten, they found a contractor in Park Slope who fit their budget. The bidding and estimating process was made seamless and easy. The decision to transform their space was definitely the right one and their first apartment feels much more like home.

A functional railroad-style floorplan

Lavanya and Regis persisted in their home search before discovering the Park Slope condo with a railroad-style layout. The long, skinny apartment provided a private office space for Lavanya, while still maintaining the boundaries between WFH and home life. They enlisted the assistance of a Sweeten contractor to bring their unique home vision to life. The six-month renovation spanned multiple rooms, allowing for a rearrangement and modernization of the condo’s layout, including the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom closet.

The contractor ensured the electrical system was up to code, installed solid oak wood floors, and even facilitated the addition of a washer and dryer. In contact with the contractor throughout the renovation process, the contractor offered cost-effective alternatives and kept Lavanya at ease when unexpected delays and expenses arose.

Updated bathroom in black and white

Katie and Lance’s bathroom remodel in their Park Slope condo was sparked by water leaking into their bedroom closet. In starting the bathroom process, they found a general contractor through Sweeten to update the entire space both functionally and aesthetically.

Initially, the couple hoped to remove the glass partition between the shower and toilet. However, advised of a high likelihood for more water damage, they agreed to a more sturdy version with an elegant black trim. The new round mirrors, faucets, and fixtures all echo the black rim theme. Despite working within a realistic budget for the bathroom, living in the apartment during construction proved challenging for the family of three. But, effective communication and a diligent contractor moved progress toward completion.

A blue bath in a two-bed convertible

When they were looking for a new apartment for their growing family, Katherine and Chris took their search to Park Slope. The neighborhood had excellent schools and proximity to his parents, a win-win. Finding the right three-bedroom apartment (at the right price) proved a little more challenging than the decision to focus their hunt there. Once they found a convertible two-bedroom, the family got to work with a Sweeten general contractor to gut their bathroom, move the kitchen, and create the third bedroom they had been wanting.

Clever storage ideas

Giulia left Manhattan’s Lower East Side to renovate a brownstone co-op apartment in Park Slope. Inspired by design tricks from her native Italy, she focused on creating a colorful home with plenty of style and storage to spare. From the above-sink dishrack in the kitchen to the window bench in the living room, Giulia embraced the best of classic brownstone architecture while creating a modern and liveable space.

A unique layout makes sense

Like so many buildings and apartments across New York City, Laura and Walter’s co-op was nearing a century old. They hit the real estate jackpot though in that many of the Park Slope home’s original details remained intact. To begin the progression in the apartment and plan for a bigger kitchen with a floorplan more suited to their lifestyle, they swapped the location of the original kitchen and a bedroom. Their home renovation budget and planning resulted in fitting five separate rooms in just 700 square feet.

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Open sight lines for a kitchen

After transforming the backyard and bathroom, this homeowner was ready to create a plan for the kitchen remodel in her Park Slope apartment. Separated from the dining and living space with walls, she opted to make the kitchen part of an open-concept arrangement. With a Sweeten contractor and a good handle on the remodeling costs, they turned the more standard layout of older apartments into a space fit for entertaining, relaxing, and cooking.

Renovating as an investment

Matt had been renting an alcove studio in Park Slope for two years before he decided to purchase his first home in the same neighborhood. He lived with the pink-tiled bathroom for four years before deciding to renovate the bathroom investing in the apartment’s value. While he stuck to the floor plan, his Sweeten contractor did replace the bathtub for a new walk-in shower, which Matt enjoyed much more.

Finally finding a home

A 750-square-foot co-op in Park Slope seemed like just the right place for Katie and Marcus to settle in after nearly a decade of apartment hopping. They planned to renovate before moving in, with a focus on redoing the uneven floors and gutting the bathroom. Due to a lack of subflooring, the floors needed more work than expected, but the end result was well worth it.

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Here are the best of Sweeten projects in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.

Sweeten handpicks the best general contractors to match each project’s location, budget, and scope, helping until project completion. Follow the blog, Sweeten Stories, for renovation ideas and inspiration and when you’re ready to renovate, start your renovation on Sweeten.