A renovated open-plan living room with a long window over the city

Homes rebuilt in the right order.

( Ashlar Build )Kitchens, baths, lofts and rear extensions across Brooklyn since 2009. We measure first, price it once and build in the order a house is built.

Book a site visit See finished rooms

Fourteen builders, one house at a time.

01( Practice )We are a general contractor with our own carpenters, electricians and plumbers on payroll. The person who measures your house runs the site and hands you the keys.

  • Licensed home improvement contractor, New York City
  • Most jobs between six and twenty weeks
  • Based in Brooklyn since 2009

Five kinds of job, one way of working

02( Services )We only take on what our own crew can build well, start to finish.

A white kitchen with flat cabinets, a stone worktop and steel appliances A narrow bathroom with plaster-pink walls, a ribbed door and black fittings An attic bedroom under a sloping ceiling with a skylight A white rear extension with wide glass doors on to a paved yard A restored curved staircase with a dark green wall and a tall window

A fixed price, from a measured survey.

03( Survey )Before we quote, two of us spend half a day in your house. What follows is a drawing, a schedule and one number.

Width 15′ 10″
Height 9′ 8″
A parlour floor stripped back to its joists and old brick before the work begins
( Parlour floor, Clinton Hill — the day of the survey )

  1. 01( Measure )

    Every wall, opening and floor level, drawn to the quarter inch and sent to you as a PDF.

  2. 02( Open up )

    With your permission we lift a board or two: joists and wiring decide the price, not guesses.

  3. 03( Price )

    One number per room, itemised and valid for sixty days. Changes are priced before they are built.

  4. 04( Cost )

    The survey costs $450 and comes off the job if you go ahead with us.

Rooms we handed back

04( Work )Twelve rooms from the last eighteen months, photographed the week the keys went back.

  • Oak floorboards in low sun beside a tall window
    Living room — Clinton Hill
  • A white panelled door opening on to a herringbone oak floor
    Hall and doors — Ditmas Park
  • Morning light through a kitchen window over the sink
    Kitchen window — Bed-Stuy
  • A long kitchen and dining room with a wall of tall units and a view out
    Kitchen and dining — Sunset Park
  • A pale kitchen with a sink under a window and open shelves
    Kitchen — Windsor Terrace
  • A marble-clad bathroom with a walk-in shower and a slim basin
    Bathroom — Cobble Hill
  • A double vanity in grey marble with copper basins and warm light
    Bathroom — Fort Greene
  • A dining table with black metal chairs beside a wide window
    Dining room — Kensington
  • An empty white parlour with new oak floors and garden doors
    Parlour floor — Prospect Heights
  • A living room with a black fireplace, oak-framed windows and low seating
    Living room — Carroll Gardens
  • A straight timber stair rising between white walls
    Stair — Crown Heights
  • Window-frame shadows falling across a freshly plastered wall
    Top floor — Greenpoint

Five materials we keep coming back to

05( Materials )A small palette on purpose: fewer suppliers, fewer joints, and a house that reads as one piece.

Built in the order a house is built

06( Order of work )Every job runs the same five stages. You get the schedule on day one and photos every Friday.

  1. 01

    Survey

    Measured drawings, opening up, one fixed number.

    Week 0

  2. 02

    Strip-out

    Protection first, then everything we said would go, and nothing else.

    Week 1

  3. 03

    Structure

    Steel, joists and walls, checked by the engineer before we close them up.

    Weeks 2–5

  4. 04

    Services

    Our own electricians and plumbers rough in, then the city inspects.

    Weeks 4–7

  5. 05

    Finish

    Plaster, floors, joinery and paint, then a snag list closed before the last invoice.

    Weeks 7–12

Fixed

07( Promise )Three things we put in writing and sign with the contract.

  • Fixed price

    The number on your survey is the number on the last invoice, unless you change the plan.

  • Fixed date

    You get a handover date before we start. If we miss it, we pay you $250 for every working day.

  • Ten years

    Structure and waterproofing are guaranteed for ten years, and the guarantee moves with the house if you sell.

The people who quote are the people on site

08( Crew )Fourteen of us, all on payroll. No subcontractor you have not met.

What people say after handover

09( Reviews )Four clients from the last two years, in their own words.

Before you call

10( Questions )The six things people ask us first.

( Area )Where do you work?

Brooklyn and the western half of Queens. For a whole-house job we also travel to Manhattan and Jersey City.

( Size )What is the smallest job you take?

A single bathroom. We do not take repairs or handyman work; we are not set up to do them well.

( Permits )Who deals with permits and inspections?

We do. Our expediter files the drawings, books every inspection and keeps the permit in your window.

( Living in )Can we stay in the house?

For kitchens and bathrooms, usually yes. We seal off the work area with dust walls and leave you a temporary sink.

( Payment )How do payments work?

A ten percent deposit, then a payment as each stage passes inspection. Never ahead of the work.

( Start )How soon can you start?

Surveys within two weeks of your call. Building usually starts six to ten weeks after you sign.

Book a site visit

11( Visit )Tell us about the house and we will call within one working day to book the survey.

Office
100 Example Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Phone
(718) 000-0000
Email
hello@ashlarbuild.example
Hours
Monday to Friday, 7:30–17:00. Saturdays by appointment.
A row of Brooklyn brownstones with bay windows and stoops

Free 8B template. Get on GitHub →