Energy-Efficient, Narrow Brownstone

The Owners came to Bespoke Architecture to renovate the 3-Family Brownstone they had lived in for several years. It had been gut renovated in the early 2000s, with affordable, developer-grade finishes, building systems, and layout. They were frustrated by the low-quality of the construction, the cramped kitchen, and the dark, awkward, warren-like layout. Their family was growing, and they wanted a bit more space and a home that would support the way they wished to live and to joyously raise them in.

The Owners wanted to convert the building to a 2-Family layout, and completely gut-renovate everything. This was an amazing opportunity to upgrade the building in every way, including allowing for a deep-energy retrofit. While the owners did not want to pursue Passive-House Certification, they were very interested in using Passive-House building techniques to create a very energy-efficient home.

The lot for this building is a very slim 14 feet, which yields less than 13 feet wide inside! The existing building had a very inefficient and awkward layout that had a meandering, utilitarian stair serving the upper apartments that ate-up more than 6 feet of that meager width. The gut-renovation allowed us to remove that stair and replace it with a new stair serving the new Owner’s triplex. This new U-shaped stair is wrapped around an open light shaft from Parlor floor to Roof and topped with large skylights to bring light into the middle of the townhouse – typically the darkest part of the home. The result is breathtaking – the home feels bright, welcoming, and much more open and generous.