Best of Brooklyn: Renovating in Park Slope

A few of our favorite projects in the neighborhood

On the northwest side of Brooklyn’s famous Prospect Park lies the family-friendly neighborhood Park Slope. The enclave offers the best of both worlds: commercial streets of boutiques, casual restaurants, and bars, plus quiet pockets of greenery, brownstones, and apartment buildings. Its inventory of older homes and popularity amongst young professionals and families has also made it one of Sweeten’s top renovating neighborhoods. See how renovators took on their spaces in the area.

When they were looking for a new apartment for their growing family, Katherine and Chris took their search to Park Slope. The neighborhood had excellent schools and proximity to his parents, a win-win. Finding the right three-bedroom apartment (at the right price) proved a little more challenging than the decision to focus their hunt there. Once they found a convertible two-bedroom, the family got to work with a Sweeten general contractor to gut their bathroom, move the kitchen, and create the third bedroom they had been wanting.

A 750-square-foot co-op in Park Slope seemed like just the right place for Katie and Marcus to settle in after nearly a decade of apartment hopping. They planned to renovate before moving in, with a focus on redoing the uneven floors and gutting the bathroom. Due to a lack of subflooring, the floors needed more work than expected, but the end result was well worth it.

Giulia left Manhattan’s Lower East Side to renovate a brownstone co-op apartment in Park Slope. Inspired by design tricks from her native Italy, she set out to create a colorful abode with plenty of style and storage to spare. From the above-sink dishrack in the kitchen to the window bench in the living room, Giulia embraced the best of classic brownstone architecture while creating a modern and liveable space.

After transforming the backyard and bathroom, this renovator was ready to take on the kitchen in her Park Slope apartment. Separated from the dining and living space with walls, she opted to make the kitchen part of an open concept arrangement. With a Sweeten contractor, they turned the more standard layout of older apartments into a space fit for entertaining, relaxing, and cooking.

Matt had been renting an alcove studio in Park Slope for two years before he decided to purchase his first home in the same neighborhood. He lived with the pink-tiled bathroom four years before deciding to renovate the 1950s space so 1) he could enjoy it more and 2) to invest in the apartment’s value. While he stuck to the floor plan, his Sweeten contractor did replace the bathtub for a new walk-in shower.

Like so many buildings and apartments across New York City, Laura and Walter’s co-op was nearing a century-old. They hit the real estate jackpot though in that many of the Park Slope home’s original details remained intact. To get a bigger kitchen and a floorplan more suited to their lifestyle, they swapped the location of the original kitchen and a bedroom. They ended up fitting five separate rooms in just 700 square feet.

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Here are the best of Sweeten projects in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.

Sweeten handpicks the best general contractors to match each project’s location, budget, and scope, helping until project completion. Follow the blog, Sweeten Stories, for renovation ideas and inspiration and when you’re ready to renovate, start your renovation on Sweeten.