Brooklyn's Brownstone Renovation Specialist
10 neighborhoods. The craft of the brownstone.
Served
Completed
the Region
Brooklyn's renovation market is anchored by the Brownstone Belt — Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, and Park Slope — where 19th-century limestone and brownstone rowhouses command full gut renovations requiring equal fluency in historic material reproduction and modern building systems integration. JMR operates across Brooklyn with an understanding of the NYC Department of Buildings review process and the Landmarks Preservation Commission jurisdiction that governs significant portions of the borough's most coveted neighborhoods.
Brooklyn renovation clients range from established homeowners in the Brownstone Belt seeking to modernize pre-war properties while preserving their architectural character, to buyers in Greenpoint and Bay Ridge undertaking first full renovations of detached and semi-detached homes.
NYC Landmarks designation covers substantial portions of Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens, and Cobble Hill — exterior alterations in these districts require a Certificate of Appropriateness from the LPC before NYC DOB permits are issued, adding a concurrent review layer that JMR manages as part of standard project administration.
“A Brooklyn brownstone gut renovation is one of the most technically demanding residential projects we take on — you're rebuilding an entire building's systems inside a 19th-century masonry shell, on a tight city lot, with a neighbor on each party wall. The margin for error in sequencing and structural coordination is essentially zero.”
Florenc Lika
Principal · JMR Construction Management Corp
Our Credentials
- Licensed & Insured — New York State
- General Contractor
- Serving Brooklyn Since 2009
- 112 Google Reviews · 4.9★ Average
Typical project budget in Brooklyn
$280,000
median investment
Our Services
What We Build in Brooklyn
Every service we offer in Brooklyn is executed with the full weight of our planning process, our licensed team, and our accountability structure — from first consultation to final walkthrough.
Kitchen Remodeling
Brooklyn's pre-war rowhouses present kitchen configurations bounded by structural party walls and load-bearing masonry — wall removal scope requires structural engineering review before any design commitments are made, and JMR surfaces this requirement at the initial consultation.
Bathroom Remodeling
Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens, and Cobble Hill brownstones frequently retain original cast-iron plumbing, galvanized supply lines, and outdated electrical panels that constitute mandatory concurrent replacement scope underlying any full bathroom renovation.
Home Remodeling
Full gut renovations of Brooklyn brownstones involve complete deconstruction and reconstruction of interior systems within a masonry structural shell — a project type requiring as much knowledge of 19th-century building practice as modern code compliance.
Custom Homes
New residential construction in Brooklyn is governed by the NYC Department of Buildings with full zoning review — FAR, setback, and height limits — and in landmark districts, LPC design approval, making new construction in Brooklyn one of the most permit-intensive residential project types JMR undertakes.
Deck Construction
Rear yard outdoor structures in Brooklyn's Brownstone Belt are subject to NYC DOB permits and must comply with zoning lot coverage requirements; in landmark districts, decks visible from adjacent properties or the street may require LPC Certificate of Appropriateness review.
Roofing
Brooklyn's brownstone and limestone rowhouses feature roof systems that vary from built-up tar and gravel on flat sections to slate and copper on pitched gable ends — a combination requiring a roofing contractor capable of managing both flat-roof membrane systems and pitched historic material installations within the same project.
Custom builds from $150,000 across Brooklyn
View All ServicesWhat Brooklyn Homeowners Say
Excellent craftsmanship and quality. They worked quickly and with great attention to detail. The kitchen is beautiful — exactly what we envisioned. Absolutely recommended.
Mingo Montes
Kitchen Remodeling · October 2025
We had a complex job — load-bearing wall removal, custom island, full mechanical relocation. JMR managed the structural engineer, the cabinet shop, and the stone fabricator without us needing to coordinate anything. Came in on schedule. The kitchen is exactly what we specified.
Robert Chen
Kitchen Remodeling · August 2025
JMR gutted and rebuilt our master bath from the studs. They coordinated the plumber and electrician themselves — we had one contact for the entire project. The result is exactly what we approved in the specification. Clean site every day. No surprises at any stage.
James Morley
Bathroom Remodeling · June 2025
Kitchen · Brooklyn
Precision in Every Detail
Bathroom · Brooklyn
15+
Projects Completed
in Brooklyn
Serving Brooklyn since 2009
PortfolioCommunities We Serve in Brooklyn
10 communities, each with its own permit authority and residential character. JMR navigates them all with local knowledge built since 2009.
Brownstone Belt
Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, and Park Slope form the most architecturally cohesive renovation market in the borough — 19th-century limestone and brownstone rowhouses governed by NYC Landmarks Historic Districts, where exterior alterations require LPC approval and interior renovations demand historic-systems expertise.
Brooklyn Heights
Federal Rowhouse · Greek Revival Rowhouse
NYC Department of Buildings — Brooklyn Bor…
Quiet LuxuryCarroll Gardens
Anglo-Italianate Brownstone · Italianate Rowhouse
NYC Department of Buildings — Brooklyn Bor…
Quiet LuxuryCobble Hill
Italianate Brownstone · Anglo-Italianate Rowhouse
NYC Department of Buildings — Brooklyn Bor…
Quiet LuxuryBoerum Hill
Italianate Brownstone · Neo-Grec Rowhouse
NYC Department of Buildings — Brooklyn Bor…
Quiet LuxuryPark Slope
Romanesque Revival Brownstone · Queen Anne Rowhouse
NYC Department of Buildings — Brooklyn Bor…
Victorian Flatlands
Ditmas Park and Prospect Heights contain a concentration of late-Victorian detached and semi-detached homes that rivals the Brownstone Belt in architectural character — Queen Anne, Craftsman, and Colonial Revival construction on generous lots that create renovation opportunities rarely available in Brooklyn's denser neighborhoods.
Bay Ridge & Dyker Heights
Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights anchor Brooklyn's southwestern residential corridor — a mix of attached rowhouses, two-family homes, and detached single-family construction where high homeownership, strong community identity, and long tenure create a renovation market driven by genuine investment in permanent properties.
North Brooklyn
Greenpoint represents Brooklyn's northern edge along the East River — a neighborhood in active residential transformation, where pre-war industrial and residential conversion projects coexist with new construction demand from buyers relocating from Manhattan.
Brooklyn
Answered.
Permit processes, contractor coordination, and what to expect from a project in Brooklyn.
Ask Us DirectlyWhat is the permit process for a brownstone renovation in Brooklyn?
Brownstone renovations in Brooklyn require NYC Department of Buildings permits for all structural, MEP, and envelope work. In landmarked buildings or properties within one of Brooklyn's NYC Historic Districts — including Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens, and Cobble Hill — exterior alterations also require a Certificate of Appropriateness from the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission before DOB permits are issued. JMR manages both the DOB and LPC application processes, submitting concurrently where the review calendars permit.
How does the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission affect renovation timelines in Brooklyn?
LPC Certificate of Appropriateness applications are reviewed on the Commission's public meeting schedule — typically monthly for complex applications, with staff-level approval available for routine minor work. Complete applications with full material specifications, drawings, and photographs typically receive decisions within 60–90 days. JMR prepares the complete LPC submission package and represents the project at Commission hearings where required.
What is the typical timeline for a full gut renovation of a Brooklyn brownstone?
Full gut renovations of Brooklyn brownstones — inclusive of structural work, MEP replacement, and finish installation — typically run 6–10 months from permit issuance to substantial completion. Pre-construction permitting adds 4–8 weeks for DOB review; projects requiring LPC approval add 8–12 weeks. JMR develops a detailed project schedule at the pre-construction stage showing all permit, procurement, and construction milestones.
Begin Your Project
Let's Build Something
Worth Inheriting.
Custom homes and full renovations from $150,000 — across Westchester County, Rockland, and NYC. A limited number of engagements accepted each year.
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