03Gut renovation · Space planning study

Four Ways Home

Flushing, NY2024

Existing first-floor survey of the Flushing house

A family bought a long, narrow house in Queens and wanted to see what a gut renovation could actually give them before committing to a direction. We took the existing survey and drew four full floor-plan options — each one answering a different big question: keep the spiral stair or rip it out? build an extension or work within the footprint? The point wasn't to pick a winner; it was to make the trade-offs visible so they could choose with their eyes open.

Scope

Existing conditions review
Space planning · four full layout options
Kitchen, dining & living zoning
Stair & circulation strategy
Client presentation deck

Existing first-floor plan — long narrow layout with spiral stair, small kitchen and chopped up rooms — Where we started — the existing first floor. Long, narrow, chopped into small rooms, with a spiral stair marooned in the middle.

Floor plan Option A — remove main stair, no extension — Option A · Remove main stair, no extension. Reclaims the middle of the house for one big kitchen–dining–living run.

Floor plan Option B — keep main stair, no extension — Option B · Keep the stair, no extension. Sculpts the layout around the existing spiral — cheapest path, tightest kitchen.

Floor plan Option C — keep main stair, with rear extension — Option C · Keep the stair, add a rear extension. Bigger kitchen and a proper breakfast zone without touching the stair.

Floor plan Option D — remove main stair, with rear extension — Option D · Remove the stair, add the extension. The most ambitious swing — most square footage, biggest budget.

Designer's note

A pure space-planning brief — no finishes, no fabrication, just clear-headed layout options. The deliverable was a presentation deck that let the client pick a direction with their contractor before any walls came down.

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