Our NYC Renovation Process
Thoughtful Design. Clear Decisions. A Plan for What Comes Next.
Renovating your home involves decisions about how you want to live, what your building can accommodate, and how to bring the work together.
Tong Dong Architects guides NYC homeowners through a structured architectural process, connecting design with existing conditions, budget considerations, and the practical requirements of construction.
Building requirements, design decisions, pricing, and construction preparation are closely connected. We help you understand what needs to be resolved now, what depends on further information, and what can wait—so you can make decisions in a considered sequence.
From First Conversation to Completion
The stages below describe our approach to a full architectural renovation. Your proposal defines the services, deliverables, and construction-phase involvement for your project. Some activities overlap as the design, pricing, and review process develops.
1. Understand Your Home and Priorities
We begin with what you want to change and why. We discuss your daily routines, proposed scope, budget range, timing, and the qualities you want your home to support.
We review available plans, measurements, photographs, and known concerns to understand the home’s existing layout and conditions. We identify where further documentation, investigation, or specialist input is needed before committing to a design.
For apartments, we review relevant alteration requirements, including restrictions that may affect plumbing, flooring, shared systems, and construction access. For townhouses, early questions may involve the structure, exterior, building systems, zoning, or landmark considerations, depending on the proposed work.
What this gives you: A project brief, initial priorities, and a clearer understanding of the questions shaping the design.
2. Develop the Design
We explore layout options and the architectural approach, clarifying what stays, what changes, and which improvements belong in the current scope. Where appropriate, we discuss what could be deferred and how that would affect the overall design.
We review options with you and refine the agreed direction, addressing function, comfort, and the relationship between spaces. We establish the layout and key system requirements before finalizing finishes and fixtures. Depending on your scope, the design may include kitchen and bathroom planning, lighting, custom millwork, and coordinated material selections.
Healthy-home priorities—including ventilation, moisture, daylight, acoustic comfort, and material choices—inform these conversations from the beginning.
We revisit scope and budget assumptions as the design becomes more specific, using contractor or cost-consultant input where appropriate.
What this gives you: An agreed design direction that connects your priorities with the realities of your home.
3. Prepare Drawings and Coordinate Reviews
We develop the architectural drawings and specifications included in our scope, coordinating relevant information with the project’s consultants.
We also prepare or coordinate the agreed submissions for building management, board review, or agency review, as applicable. Questions and comments from reviewers may require clarification or revisions.
The documentation and submission sequence depend on the project. Review periods are set by the organizations involved and can affect the overall schedule.
What this gives you: Coordinated information for the applicable reviews, contractor pricing, and construction.
4. Evaluate Pricing and Prepare for Construction
We help you review contractor proposals against the project documents, identify differences in scope, and clarify allowances, exclusions, and outstanding questions.
If pricing prompts changes, we discuss the tradeoffs with you and coordinate agreed revisions. Early estimates can inform design decisions; more developed documents support a more detailed comparison of proposals.
Before work begins, the team confirms the relevant approvals, responsibilities, outstanding selections, and construction arrangements. We also discuss access, material lead times, and how the proposed work may affect occupancy and daily routines, with the contractor developing the construction logistics. You select and contract with your contractor.
What this gives you: A clearer basis for choosing a contractor and understanding what is included before construction starts.
5. Support Construction and Close-Out
During construction, we provide the architectural services defined in your agreement. These may include scheduled site visits, responses to contractor questions, review of relevant submittals, and coordination of design clarifications.
When concealed conditions or proposed changes arise, we help evaluate the design implications and discuss decisions that need your attention. The contractor manages the construction work, site operations, and construction schedule.
As the work approaches completion, our agreed services may include a punch-list review to identify outstanding work and coordination of remaining architectural items. Required inspections, sign-offs, and close-out documents—including applicable warranty and maintenance information from contractors and suppliers—are addressed by the responsible project participants.
What this gives you: Continued architectural input as the design is built and the project moves toward completion.
How We Work Together
Your Priorities Guide the Design
We return to the project brief as options develop, so decisions about layout, systems, and materials remain connected to what matters most to you.
Decisions Are Explained
We discuss options and tradeoffs in plain language. You should understand what requires a decision, what information is still missing, and how a change may affect other parts of the project.
Responsibilities Are Defined
Your proposal establishes our scope and involvement. As the team develops, we clarify the roles of consultants and contractors so you know whom to turn to for different questions.
Before Our First Conversation
Bring what you have:
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Your property location and home type.
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The rooms you want to change and any proposed changes to walls, plumbing, or building systems.
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Available floor plans, photographs, and building rules.
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Your initial budget range and preferred timing.
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Your priorities for daily life, comfort, and how the home should function.
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Any work already undertaken and questions you want help resolving.
You do not need complete information to contact us. Our first conversation helps us understand your project and whether our services are a good fit.
Questions About the Process
Do I need to know exactly what I want before contacting TDA?
No. Start with what is not working and what you would like to improve. We can discuss the appropriate scope of architectural services to help develop those ideas.
Should I speak with an architect or contractor first?
If you are considering layout changes, coordinating several parts of the home, or unsure what is feasible, an early conversation with an architect can help define the scope and identify questions that need investigation.
For clearly defined cosmetic work, a contractor may be a useful first contact, with applicable building requirements confirmed before work begins.
Contractor input can also be valuable during design for early cost and construction advice. More detailed proposals are easier to compare when contractors work from the same scope and coordinated documents.
How long will the process take?
Timing depends on the scope, existing conditions, design decisions, review requirements, contractor availability, and material lead times. We discuss the anticipated sequence early and revisit it as the project develops.
Will you be involved during construction?
Our involvement is defined in your proposal. For projects that include construction administration, we provide the agreed architectural support, which may include site visits, submittal reviews, and responses to construction questions.