An Apartment Becomes A Home

How do you mark the point when a space becomes your very own? It’s hard to draw a line in the sand because personalizing an apartment happens in a thousand understated moments. From repainting a room to marking up a door frame to measure children’s growth spurts, the process takes place slowly over time.

But one major component of claiming a space as your own is investing in it, and this project came about because the owners decided to do just that. Having lived in their apartment for 12 years, they committed to staying in the neighborhood and raising their kids. As such, it made sense to update and customize their apartment.

This space is part of a historic building overlooking Hamilton Park, and we chronicled the initial stages of this renovation in Project in Process: Jersey City NJ Historic Apartment Remodel. Houseplay partnered with the homeowners to maximize space and tailor the home to their needs.

Our work on this project began with Design services. The clients called us when they first began thinking about renovation, so we were able to help from the start all the way through to the finishing touches. Our building work included demolition, electrical, carpentry, plumbing, tiling, and painting, as well as bathroom remodeling and kitchen remodeling.

We replaced all bathroom and kitchen fixtures, refinished flooring, and updated wall colors and lighting elements as well. Furthermore, we optimized closet storage by increasing the opening heights to eight feet and adding new closet doors. These changes allowed the family to access the top part of their closet and utilize the full storage space.

The result is a modern, functional living space with a sense of ease throughout. What was once an apartment is now a home.

Here’s what the homeowner had to say:

“We hired Houseplay Remodeling to undertake a full apartment renovation for us …. They transformed our home, on budget and on schedule, without rushing or making compromises.

The Houseplay team is a pleasure to work with. They are very nice people, extremely professional and experts in their domain. Their designs and aesthetic choices were spot on. They listened to us and translated our desires into reality. Their lead contractor seamlessly oversaw the logistics of a complete overhaul. If there were any surprises behind the walls, we did not hear about them!

Our home feels brand new: the rooms feel lighter, brighter, bigger, taller. Everything is fresh, new, and modern. The functionality of and storage in our reconfigured kitchen has improved immensely. They created dedicated closet spaces- for pantry, utility, coat and linen, enlarging the closet doors to provide soaring access to the upper shelves. Integrated lighting throughout the apartment was completed with beautiful fixtures.

We wholeheartedly recommend Houseplay Remodeling.”

Photo Credit: Anne Ruthmann Photography

For a glimpse into the making of this project, check out its Project in Process entry on the blog.