Crown Heights Townhouse

This Crown Heights townhouse is being taken down to its masonry shell and rebuilt from the inside out. A gut renovation is the one chance in a building's life to get the envelope right. Once the new interiors close in, the walls, roof, and cellar can't be reworked without opening everything back up.

Beau Designs is working on this house rebuilt. Our work covers how the existing masonry walls handle new insulation and air barrier layers without trapping moisture in century-old brick. It also includes window replacement and the detailing of new openings within historic masonry, and roofing and parapet transitions at the top of the building. Below grade, we address cellar waterproofing to bring the lowest level into livable, conditioned use. Throughout, we work with the design team and contractor so the envelope meets the current NYC Energy Conservation Code while respecting how an old masonry building actually behaves.

Brooklyn townhouses are forgiving buildings until they're insulated and sealed. Changing how heat and moisture move through old walls can create problems that didn't exist before. Our goal is a house that is tighter, drier, and more comfortable, without trading a century of durability for short-term performance.