General Contractor
in Forest Hills, NY

Residential renovation work in Forest Hills requiring structural, plumbing, electrical, or HVAC modifications must be filed with the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) Queens Borough Office through a licensed and DOB-registered architect or engineer. For properties within Forest Hills Gardens — the Russell Sage Foundation planned community designed by Grosvenor Atterbury and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. in 1909 — a second parallel approval process applies independent of the DOB: the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation (FHGC) administers private deed restrictions that govern exterior alterations, additions, and landscaping changes on all properties within the Gardens' private street network. The FHGC architectural review is a property-owner obligation that precedes the DOB permit process; exterior work within the Gardens that lacks FHGC approval is a violation of the private deed covenants regardless of DOB permit status. The FHGC review requires submission of scope drawings, exterior material samples, and a description of all proposed changes visible from the private streets or adjacent properties, and operates on the Corporation's own review schedule. Forest Hills Gardens is listed on the National Register of Historic Places but does not carry an NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designation; the FHGC, not the LPC, is the governing body for exterior design review within the Gardens. Properties in the broader Forest Hills neighborhood outside the Gardens' private street network are subject to standard NYC Building Code and DOB permitting without FHGC involvement. JMR manages the FHGC submission and DOB permit applications as a coordinated sequence for all Forest Hills Gardens projects.

Forest Hills Gardens is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is governed by private deed restrictions administered by the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation (FHGC). The FHGC — not the NYC LPC — is the architectural review authority for exterior alterations within the Gardens. The Corporation reviews proposed exterior changes for compatibility with the Tudor and English Arts and Crafts character established by Grosvenor Atterbury's 1909 design. Properties outside the Forest Hills Gardens private street boundary are not subject to FHGC review and follow standard NYC DOB permitting.

Interior kitchen renovations that do not alter the exterior envelope — no new window openings, no new exterior vent penetrations visible from the private street or adjacent properties — fall outside the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation's review jurisdiction, which governs exterior alterations visible from the community's private street network or adjacent lots. A standard NYC DOB building permit is required for structural, plumbing, and electrical kitchen work. However, any kitchen renovation that requires a new exterior penetration — a range hood vent through the rear facade, a new window opening, or an exterior door modification — requires FHGC review and approval before the DOB permit is issued. JMR assesses the exterior touchpoints of each kitchen renovation scope at the initial consultation to determine whether FHGC submission is required.

Full home renovations and additions within Forest Hills Gardens require both a NYC DOB Queens Borough Office building permit and FHGC approval for any exterior alterations visible from the community's private streets or adjacent properties. The FHGC submission — scope drawings, exterior material specifications, and a description of all proposed visible changes — should precede the DOB filing; FHGC approval confirms the exterior design's compatibility with the Gardens' established character and is a prerequisite for the exterior work under the private deed restrictions. The DOB permit covers all structural, mechanical, plumbing, and systems work. JMR coordinates the FHGC submission and DOB filing as an integrated sequence, beginning with the FHGC's review requirements at the initial design development phase.

JMR has completed 6 projects in Forest Hills — including a full kitchen and primary suite renovation in a 1921 Atterbury-designed residence within Forest Hills Gardens with FHGC approval secured prior to construction, a clay tile roof restoration with custom-matched replacement tiles, and a rear addition on a Tudor Revival home with coordinated FHGC and DOB approvals — with all permits filed through the NYC Department of Buildings Queens Borough Office and all FHGC deed restriction requirements satisfied.