Pre-Purchase townhouse Consultation
An hour in the house with us, and a written report few days later: what this particular building could become, what it would take, and what it could cost.
WHO THIS IS FOR
Before you bid: what can this house actually become?
If you have found the house
You are considering making an offer, and the clock is often running. What you need to know is whether the floor plan you have in mind is possible in this building, what zoning and Landmarks will permit, what the cellar may be hiding, and what the renovation could cost. These are architectural questions - and the answers can change what the house is worth to you.
If you are choosing between houses
Two brownstones on the same block can be twenty feet apart and a year apart in what it takes to renovate them - a rear extension that can come down, a cellar that cannot be lowered, a facade that is a primary elevation rather than a secondary one. We will walk more than one house in the same engagement; the second is discounted, not doubled.
Your inspector tells you the condition of what is there. We tell you what it could become, and what that would cost.
WHAT YOU GET
The report is the deliverable - not a follow-up email or a set of notes.
A written report, to a fixed standard
A consistent format, signed, and written so that your partner, attorney, or broker can read it without needing us in the room.
01
Summary
What we found, what the consequential decision is, and what is not optional.
02
Property information
Block and lot, year built, construction, levels, floor area, zoning, landmark status, certificate of occupancy, renovation history. Every line marked as recorded or as observed, so you know what came from the public record and what came from our eyes on the day.
03
Existing conditions
Around sixteen elements across six categories - envelope, structure, systems, performance and comfort, interiors and historic fabric, and flags - each with an observation, not just a grade.
04
Your brief
Your goals as we heard them, floor by floor, must-haves separated from would-likes.
05
Our preliminary findings
Opportunities, constraints, an outline performance strategy, and what would have to be investigated next. Enough to steer a decision, not enough to design from - and we say so.
06
The potential project
One to three potential scenarios, with a preliminary scope, order-of-magnitude cost range, indicative design and approvals duration, and construction duration. Plus the key risks and likely DOB and LPC path.
07
Proposed next steps
What we need from you, and what we would do next. Two or three lines, no fog.
HOW IT WORKS
A call, a visit, a report
Step 1: The call
20-30 minutes, by video, before the visit.
We arrive already knowing what you want from the house and what worries you about it. It means the hour on site is spent looking rather than getting acquainted.
Step 2: The visit
One hour, in the building, with you.
A reBuild principal or architect walks the property with you, from cellar to roof. You walk it with us. Most of what ends up mattering gets said out loud in that hour, in front of the thing being discussed.
Step 3: The report
Within five business days.
Drawing on the visit, the public record - DOB, LPC, zoning, violations, certificate of occupancy - and anything you have on file. Signed, and yours.
Before all three, a short email exchange to confirm the address, the fee and a date.
FEE AND TERMS
Fee
$1,200 I Brooklyn or Manhattan townhouse
Includes the preliminary call, records research, on-site walk-through with a reBuild principal or architect, and written assessment report.
If you go on to work with reBuild on the renovation, the full amount is credited toward your design fees.
If you would like us to assess more than one property - common when deciding between houses - additional properties are offered at a reduced fee rather than charged as separate full consultations. You will always receive a fixed fee in writing before a visit is scheduled.
Payment is due after the preliminary call and before the visit, when our records research begins. Cancellations made more than 48 hours in advance are fully refundable.
If we determine during the preliminary call that the property or project isn’t a good fit for our expertise, we’ll tell you before you incur any fee.
Arrange a consultation
Considering a townhouse? Send us the address or listing and let us know your timing. Pre-purchase decisions often move quickly, and we’ll do our best to accommodate your offer deadline.