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Boerum Hill High-Performance Retrofit
For the renovation of this 1860s row house in Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill neighborhood we were careful to balance the brief to create an energy-efficient, climate-resilient home with a sensitive approach to this 160-year-old structure. We preserved details original to the home while ensuring better energy performance; minimizing the embodied carbon required to update the house for 21st century living.
Prior to renovation, the two-family, three-story red brick home was brimming with handsome mantels, intricate moldings, and a workable layout that had not changed much over the previous 15+ decades. Heating, plumbing, ventilation, and electrical systems had not been updated relative to 2024 standards.
The existing two-family setup was maintained. The lower-level, one-bedroom unit retained its original plan. Minor adjustments were made to the three-bedroom unit on the parlor and second floors, including the addition of a bathroom and laundry room on the second level. New skylights increase natural light on this level. Large radiators were removed, increasing floor space in the smaller bedrooms.
On the parlor floor, two new structural openings in load-bearing walls between the living room and dining room and hallway increase open space and connectivity and allow the spaces to better communicate. Other changes on the parlor level include an expansion of the vestibule accommodating more room at the entry that retains the historic wood millwork, lending warmth to the space.
Finishes throughout the home are in warm whites, greens, and blues that offset the warmth and complexity of the flooring and the intricate plaster detailing. The clean, minimalist kitchen cabinetry from Danish kitchen design company Reform contrasts with the historic moldings. The kitchen millwork in the hallway has a niche clad in green linoleum for a pop of color and recalls the light green kitchen backsplash tiles and green deck outside the kitchen that connects the living floor with the garden.
On the exterior, we replaced all of the existing windows with high-performance, triple-glazed wood windows. The windows simulate the double-hung arrangement of historic windows, a requirement of local landmark district regulations, while still providing superior thermal and acoustic performance. High performance skylights were also installed to allow natural light into the upper floor. The roof cavity was filled with blown-in cellulose insulation to improve thermal performance. Wood entry doors at the top of the stoop, original to the house, were refinished and repaired. On the rear facade, localized repairs to failing brickwork were made, then painted white with dark green window frames.
The original old-growth pine flooring was retained and refinished throughout, highlighting the grain of the century old wood. Other restoration and preservation measures included retaining and repainting original plaster molding, stairs, railings, doors, and woodwork. In areas where the plaster molding was missing or needed to be repaired, custom 3D molds were cast to recreate the elements.
Updating the kitchen was an exercise in creative space-making. The previous kitchen was confined to a small historic addition to the row house. To expand the kitchen program beyond the boundaries of this small addition, we kept some key appliances and plumbing in their current location and then placed the refrigerator, additional cabinetry, and open shelving in the expanded dining area, contributing to the flow between the spaces.
While the renovation is not a Passive House project, energy conservation remains a critical component. In addition to the improvements made to the building envelope, we removed the gas-powered radiator system and boiler and implemented an electrified heating and cooling system. They also installed an energy recovery ventilator (EVR) that provides continuously flowing, filtered air and helps control humidity (and, by extension, temperature), filters indoor air, and saves on utilities.
At Boerum Hill, our renovation focused on retrofitting an existing row house into a modern, energy-efficient and climate-resilient environment for future generations, while respecting the beauty of its history.
Featured in:
- Adding Energy Efficiency and Revived Style to 1860’s Quarters In Brooklyn, Remodelista
- The Insider: Boerum Hill Townhouse Reno Beefs up Energy Efficiency, Saves Detail, Brownstoner
MEP Engineering: ANZ Engineering
Structural Engineering: Murray Engineering
Kitchen Millwork: Reform
Windows: Bewiso
Skylights and Hatch: Lamilux
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Type: Residential
Values: Creative Reuse, Low Carbon, Energy Efficiency
Finished Photographs: Naho Kubota