Forest Hills is the neighborhood we renovate in most after our own. From the pre-war co-ops along Austin Street and Yellowstone Boulevard to the Tudor houses of Forest Hills Gardens and the brick colonials of Cord Meyer, the work here is about doing a high-finish job inside strict building rules. We have met with the managing agents, we know the Gardens Corporation cares about what happens outside the house, and we are ten minutes away when the board schedules an inspection.

The housing

The co-ops dominate: six-to-sixteen-story buildings from the 1920s through the 1960s along Queens Boulevard, Austin Street, Yellowstone Boulevard and 108th Street, with small bathrooms on shared risers and kitchens that boards allow to be re-planned within the wet-area footprint. Forest Hills Gardens holds the landmark-grade Tudor and Arts and Crafts houses with slate roofs and original plaster. Cord Meyer and the blocks north of the LIRR have detached brick and stucco houses with full basements and room for a real kitchen expansion.

What we are asked to do here

  • Bathroom Remodeling: Pre-war co-op bathrooms off Austin Street and Yellowstone Boulevard, rebuilt within the existing wet area with new waterproofing, tile and glass.
  • Kitchen Remodeling: Cord Meyer and Gardens kitchens opened to the dining room, with structural review where a bearing wall is involved.
  • Interior Renovations: Whole-apartment refreshes in the larger co-ops, sequenced so the family can stay in the unit for most of the job.

Permits and building rules

Nearly every Forest Hills apartment project goes through a co-op or condo alteration agreement. Expect the building to require our license and insurance, a scope letter, a schedule within their work hours, and in many buildings an engineer or architect letter for any change to the wet-area layout. DOB permits are filed by the licensed plumber or electrician when their work is involved. In Forest Hills Gardens, the Gardens Corporation reviews exterior changes, so interior-only projects move faster than anything touching the facade or windows.