What Every Homeowner Should Know Before Renovating with Baobab Architects P.C

What every homeowner should know before renovating with Baobab Architects P.C. starts with this: New York renovations are a system, not a shopping list

If you’re about to renovate in New York and your current plan is “pick finishes, hire a contractor, start demo,” you’re probably about to learn an expensive lesson. Not because you’re careless. Because NYC renovations have a lot of moving parts that don’t show up on inspiration photos.

Renovation here is a system. Building constraints. Board rules. DOB filings. Contractor logistics. Existing conditions behind walls. And the annoying truth that a small design decision can trigger a bigger code or construction consequence.

Baobab Architects P.C. positions itself as a New York City based full-service architecture firm led by Tafadzwa “Taf” Mwandiambira, a New York State licensed architect with an MIT architecture background. They highlight residential work across apartment renovations, apartment combinations, gut renovations, and enlargements, along with zoning analysis, change of use support, and coordination with DOB and boards. They also outline a clear project structure through five phases: preliminary design, design development, construction documents, bidding and negotiation, and contract administration.

If you’re a homeowner considering renovating with a firm like this, the biggest advantage is not a single design trick. It’s the process and the risk control. But only if you understand what you’re getting into and you play your part properly.

Here’s what you should know before you start.

1) Define the renovation type before you define the style

Homeowners often say “renovation” when the project is actually one of several different categories:

• Light renovation with limited layout changes

• Full apartment renovation including kitchens, baths, and partitions

• Gut renovation that rebuilds systems and major layout

• Apartment combination, merging two units into one

• Enlargement, vertical or horizontal, adding floor area

• A scope that quietly triggers change of use or Certificate of Occupancy issues
  
  

Baobab’s services cover all of those scenarios, which is good, but it also means you need to be clear about what you’re doing. These categories are not semantic. They determine approvals, consultants, budget range, and timeline.

If you mislabel your project, you plan the wrong way and you get surprised later.

2) “Existing conditions” is not a phrase. It’s the source of most renovation stress

In New York buildings, what you see is not what you have. Behind the walls, you can find:

• Old plumbing routes that don’t match drawings

• Unlevel floors and out-of-plumb walls

• Electrical added in layers over decades

• Structural elements where you did not expect them

• Past renovations that were done without consistency
  
  

This is why process matters. Baobab’s phased approach is built for reality unfolding in steps. You do not start by promising yourself a perfect layout. You start by learning what the building can support.

As a homeowner, you should go into a renovation expecting a few surprises. The goal is not to avoid surprises completely. The goal is to contain them so they don’t blow up the whole job.

3) Your building rules may be more powerful than your own preferences

If you live in a co-op or condo, there is a second authority structure in your life: the building.

Boards and management companies can require:

• An alteration agreement

• Specific insurance coverages

• Work hours restrictions

• Noise, dust, elevator, and protection protocols

• Approval of the contractor and sometimes the design team

• Detailed submission packages before work begins
  
  

If you ignore these requirements early, your schedule collapses later. That’s a common pattern. Owners assume they can start in six weeks. Then they discover the board package takes time and review cycles are real.

Baobab mentions coordination with boards and management companies in their broader services. That’s valuable, but you still need to do your part: gather building documents early, respond quickly to requests, and avoid late changes that require re-submission.

4) If you are enlarging, zoning is the first gate, not a later check

Some homeowners think of enlargement as a design challenge and a budget challenge. In NYC, it’s also a zoning challenge.

Baobab emphasizes zoning analysis and familiarity with NYC zoning complexity, including potential FAR bonuses. Here’s why that matters to you.

If your project involves adding floor area, you may be constrained by:

• FAR limits on total floor area

• Lot coverage and yard requirements

• Height limits and setback rules

• Envelope controls depending on district and lot type
  
  

If zoning is not checked early, you can spend time and money designing an extension that cannot be approved. That is not rare. It’s predictable.

So if your renovation includes any kind of extension, rooftop expansion, or added level, ask for feasibility early. Be open to the answer. It saves you from expensive attachment to a plan that will be redesigned anyway.

5) The five-phase process is not bureaucracy. It’s how the renovation stays controlled

Baobab lays out five phases: preliminary design, design development, construction documents, bidding and negotiation, and contract administration.

Homeowners sometimes hear that and think it’s overkill. In NYC, it’s often the only way the project stays sane.

Preliminary design: options that fit reality

This is where you explore layouts and strategies that fit the constraints. It’s also where the architect should ask how you actually live, not just what you want the place to look like.

Design development: locking decisions before they get expensive

This is where the plan is refined, kitchens and baths get real, storage and door decisions are made, and major system implications get coordinated.

If you skip this depth, you end up making big decisions during construction, which is always more expensive and stressful.

Construction documents: the drawings that prevent change orders

This phase defines what is being built. Strong documents reduce contractor guesswork. Guesswork is where change orders come from.

Bidding and negotiation: turning the budget into something real

This is where you learn the market price for your scope. It’s also where you discover what contractors included, excluded, and assumed.

Contract administration: protecting your intent during construction

Construction is where projects drift. Materials get substituted. Details get simplified. Field conditions force decisions. If nobody is guarding the design intent, you can finish with a compromised result that still cost you full price.

6) Your budget needs structure, not a single number

Homeowners often have one number in mind. “We want to spend X.” That’s understandable. But renovations don’t behave like that unless scope is defined and documents are clear.

A structured renovation budget includes:

• Construction cost

• Design and consultant fees

• Permits and filing costs

• Allowances for selections if not fully specified ye

• Contingency for existing conditions and surprises

• Temporary living costs if you need to move out

• Building-required fees or deposits if applicable
  
  

If you don’t plan for contingency, you create pressure later. Pressure forces rushed decisions. Rushed decisions reduce quality.

A “good process” does not guarantee the lowest cost. It increases predictability and helps you spend where it actually improves daily life.

7) Contractor selection is not just about who is cheapest or who is friendly

In NYC, you want a contractor who can handle building logistics and rules. This matters as much as craftsmanship.

Before you hire, you should understand:

• Does the contractor have experience in your building type

• Do they understand insurance requirements and protection protocols

• Are their bids detailed or vague

• Are they heavy on allowances or clear scope

• Are they realistic about schedule in NYC conditions
  
  

Baobab includes bidding and negotiation in their process. That’s where your project is protected from the classic trap: a low bid that becomes expensive once construction begins and missing scope appears.

8) Your renovation will be shaped by plumbing, structure, and mechanical systems more than you expect

This is where homeowners often get surprised.

• Kitchens and baths may not be able to move far due to stacks and venting

• Structural walls may limit open-plan ideas

• Mechanical routing can create soffits that impact ceiling feel

• Electrical upgrades may be necessary depending on the building and new load
  
  

A good architect will design within these realities, not fight them. Baobab’s renovation and alteration focus suggests they’re used to this, but you still need to accept the constraints instead of treating them as optional.

The smartest renovations often look “simple” because they respect the building’s logic.

9) Function beats finishes, and you should prioritize accordingly

If you want the home to feel better, prioritize:

• Storage strategy and built-ins where they remove clutter

• Circulation improvements that reduce daily friction

• Kitchen workflow and lighting

• Bathroom layout and ventilation

• Privacy and zoning if more than one person lives and works there
  
  

Finishes matter, but finishes without function create a renovated home that still feels annoying.

This is where Baobab’s emphasis on function and flow in their approach is relevant. Renovations that feel successful usually do not just look better. They live better.

10) Late changes are the hidden cost that homeowners create themselves

This is the part nobody loves hearing.

Changing your mind is normal. But changing your mind late is expensive.

Late changes can trigger:

• Revisions to construction documents

• Re-pricing by contractors

• Permit or board resubmissions

• Schedule delays

• Field conflicts during construction
  
  

If you want the renovation to feel controlled, make key decisions during design development, not during demolition.

11) If you don’t do it correctly, the “bad outcomes” are predictable

When homeowners skip steps, minimize documentation, rush approvals, or hire based on price alone, the common outcomes are:

• Budget overruns from change orders and scope gaps

• Timeline extensions due to approvals, redesigns, or construction surprises

• Quality compromises because decisions are made under pressure

• Conflict between owner and contractor due to unclear expectations

• In severe cases, sign-off complications depending on scope and compliance
  
  

Most renovation horror stories are not random. They are process failures.

The practical takeaway

If you’re renovating with Baobab Architects P.C., the best way to get value from the relationship is to treat the project like a structured process, not a quick makeover. Understand your renovation type. Respect building rules and NYC approvals. Accept that existing conditions will introduce surprises. Make decisions early. Invest in clear documentation. Bid properly. Stay involved during construction.

That’s how renovations stop being chaotic and start being controlled. And that’s usually what homeowners actually want when they say they want a “smooth renovation.”