The renovation of this Chelsea duplex was complicated by an existing illegal layout with a spiral staircase and full bathroom in the basement level. It has been redesigned according to the current DOB codes that require a full bathroom at the first floor and not at the basement level, and a connecting stair between two levels,

The new stair required several calculations to comply with codes and engineering stability of the building, but was a necessary intervention due to the narrow layout. Now transformed into an open and much more breathable space, the cost of architecture fees, construction, and design came to $168k.