Architectural & Design Work

When a decision is made to renovate a store, office or professional practice, the owner or person in charge of the project generally proceeds to contact a construction and renovations company like Brace. What not everybody is aware of, especially those that have had limited or no exposure to renovation projects, is that all but very small renovations require approval from the NYC Buildings Department, which in terms requires the submission of drawings approved by a licensed architect or a professional engineer.

In the rush and the excitement of the project some owners may neglect to be thorough in their selection process and neglect to ask the right questions. As they explain to the contractor what they have in mind regarding the renovation work some make two wrong assumptions: (1) that the contractor has the ability to translate the owner’s words into drawings and that a few weeks later is going to use as reference in the renovation work; (2) that because the contractor is listening and agreeing to what the owner is saying that he/she has an understanding of what the owner actually has in mind or that he/she intends to execute what the owner has in mind. In reality, the contractor, at best, is a good contractor not a designer or an architect.

That is where architects and drawings come into the picture and can save you a lot of money and aggravations. One of the differences of working with us is that we include architectural work and drawings as part of our services – or, if you prefer, we work with your architect of choice. This is not because we like to add an additional step into the process, but because it is the only way of ascertaining: (1) that the work is done as required by the Building Department; (2) that the owner is protected from project supervisors that like to cut corners; and (3) that the design and work get done in a professional manner and the outcome is what you had in mind and not what the contractor or project supervisor thought you had in mind. Once you are satisfied with the architectural design, the blueprints are used to file the renovation work with the NYC Department of Buildings, comply with Alteration Agreements and also used by Brace during the construction and remodeling process as it was specified by you and the architect – and the outcome is a professionally executed renovation as specified on the drawings! Further, you are left with a set of blueprints that you can always refer to any time after the project is complete.

For more information or to receive a free consultation, please contact us today at info@BraceLLC.com or call us at 1-347-850-3279.