Brooklyn · Diagnostic-First Design-Build
Every Proteus renovation works in two registers at once: the building health diagnostic (moisture mapping, thermal imaging, air-quality testing) and the spatial design pass (creative solutions for the tight, period-constrained NYC layouts you actually live in). One team carries the work from instrument to drawing to construction.
Dossier · Living Bigger in NYC
You don't need a bigger apartment — you need a smarter one. Most NYC homes still run on a layout drawn for a different century. We rework brownstone floor plates, galley kitchens, and walk-up bathrooms to match how you actually live now.
Pull-out pantries where the radiator used to hide a useless corner. Multi-functional islands that prep, dine, and store. Period millwork retained, paired with circulation that finally makes sense. A Brooklyn kitchen with all the storage you need — and a little extra. Yes, possible.
Section §02 · Method
We walk your home with thermal imaging, moisture meters, and air quality sensors. We map what's working and what isn't — before a single wall is opened. This isn't an add-on. It's how we start every project.
Instruments & Outputs
Two design constraints we work in: what your building tells us, and what NYC space asks for. Diagnostic findings drive material and envelope decisions — vapor barriers, ventilation, moisture-smart specs. The creative pass solves the spatial problem in front of us — brownstone reconfigurations, tight-kitchen layouts, multi-purpose rooms in walk-up footprints.
Drawings & Specifications
We build what we designed — and then we prove it worked. Post-construction verification confirms moisture levels, air quality, and building performance meet our standards. Every project ends with data, not just a walkthrough.
Construction & Verification
Section §03 · Casebook
Case 01
Your brownstone isn't "just old." It's losing heat through specific pathways we can see with thermal imaging. We seal the envelope where it matters and design ventilation that works with your building — not against it.
Case 02
Headaches, allergies, that smell you can't place. We test particulates, VOCs, humidity, and CO₂ before renovation — then specify materials and ventilation to fix it. Your home should make you healthier.
Case 03
NYC's pre-war housing has both spatial constraints and physical realities. Wall removals that respect period millwork. New flow patterns through narrow row-house layouts. Modern programs inserted into 19th-century floor plates — without losing the bones that make the building worth keeping.
Case 04
Brooklyn apartments and brownstone galley kitchens demand creative spatial solutions. Layouts that work harder per square foot — multi-functional islands, smarter storage, line-of-sight openings — paired with materials specified for moisture-heavy NYC environments.
Case 05
NYC basements are equal parts spatial puzzle and moisture problem. We solve both — design assemblies that manage water (vapor drive, bulk intrusion) AND program the space for what you'll actually use it for: playroom, office, in-law suite, gym.
Section §04 · Plates
Six projects across Brooklyn and Manhattan — residential gut renovations, kitchen-and-bath insertions inside period housing, and one commercial build-out. Each one a study in working with the building you already have.
Section §05 · Colophon
That's not a joke — it's how we work. Proteus Design was founded on a simple observation: contractors build without diagnosing, and consultants diagnose without building. We do both, with a creative spatial design pass in the middle.
Will brings a Master's in Sustainable Communities — environmental science, GIS, and building health diagnostics. His father holds a Master's in architecture and brings decades of design practice rooted in NYC's pre-war housing stock — brownstones, walk-ups, and lofts. Together, they're one team that investigates, designs creatively for the spaces NYC actually has, and builds — so nothing gets lost in translation between the person who found the problem, the person who drew the solution, and the person who fixes it.
We're not the cheapest contractor in Brooklyn. We're the one who shows you what's happening inside your walls — and brings a designer's eye to what the space could be.
Section §06 · Field Consultation
We'll walk your space with thermal imaging, moisture meters, and air quality sensors. You'll see what's happening behind the walls — and get an honest assessment of what needs attention.
No obligation. No sales pitch. Just data.