003, Townhouse Renovation

Devoe

Gut renovation of a two-story Williamsburg townhouse, converted from a two-family to a single-family residence. 2,400 square feet rebuilt across two levels and a finished cellar.

A gut renovation of a two-story townhouse in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, converted from a two-family rental to a single-family home. 2,400 square feet were rebuilt across two levels and a finished cellar, with new structure, new mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, and a complete interior from framing to finish.

The building's double-fronted party-wall condition demanded careful structural analysis before the plan could open up. Once it did, the ground floor became a single continuous space from the street to the rear yard, kitchen, dining, and living in one resolved room, with the private yard beyond, landscaped in natural clay.

The exterior is shou sugi ban, charred Nordic pine, a facade that weathers instead of failing. Inside, the palette is consistent and restrained: black granite counters, white oak cabinetry, and raw concrete floors that run the length of the ground floor. Details are clean, junctions deliberate, and nothing is decorative.

The cellar was finished as usable living space and the whole house was carried through construction administration by the studio.