Vol. I  ·  No. 01 Brooklyn, New York Established MMXXIV NYC HIC Licensed Field Manual for Healthy Renovation

Brooklyn · Diagnostic-First Design-Build

Most contractors guess.
We diagnose.

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.

Schedule a Free Home Diagnostic → Call (516) 510-4668
  • ◊ NYC Licensed Home Improvement Contractor
  • ◊ Environmental Consulting Background
  • ◊ Spatial Design for NYC Brownstones & Apartments
Proteus-renovated kitchen in a Brooklyn townhouse: white flat-front cabinets with a graphic black-and-white tile backsplash framed by preserved period moldings
Plate 01 Clinton Hill Townhouse — Kitchen + Bath Field-recorded · post-completion · 2025

Dossier · Living Bigger in NYC

All the storage you need.
And then some. 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

Three phases. One team.
No handoffs. No guesswork.

  1. § 01

    Diagnose

    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

    • Thermal imaging reveals hidden moisture & heat loss
    • Moisture mapping identifies water pathways
    • Air quality baseline establishes pre-renovation conditions
    • Existing conditions documented for design
  2. § 02

    Design

    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

    • Spatial design tuned to NYC's pre-war stock — brownstones, walk-ups, lofts
    • Diagnostic findings drive material & envelope decisions
    • DOB filing coordination with licensed architects when scope requires
    • Health-conscious material selections (low-VOC, moisture-smart)
  3. § 03

    Build & Verify

    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

    • Licensed NYC construction with in-house project management
    • Remediation before rebuild (moisture, mold, envelope)
    • Post-construction testing confirms improvement
    • Your home is measurably healthier when we leave

Section §03 · Casebook

You don't need a contractor.
You need a diagnosis.

Case 01

Mold & Moisture

Mold is a symptom. Moisture is the disease. We find the water source — condensation, vapor drive, bulk water intrusion — remediate properly, and rebuild so it doesn't come back. Other contractors spray and pray.

Case 02

Cold Drafts & Energy Loss

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 03

Indoor Air Quality

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 04

Brownstone & Townhouse Reconfiguration

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 05

Tight Kitchens & Apartment Layouts

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 06

Basement & Cellar Finishing

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

Brownstones, walk-ups, lofts, high-rises.
Across New York.

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.

White flat-front kitchen with graphic black-and-white geometric tile backsplash inside preserved period door casings

Plate I

Townhouse · Brooklyn

Clinton Hill Townhouse

Kitchen + Family Bath

Gut kitchen and family bath inside preserved period millwork. Modern insertions designed to work with the original building fabric, not against it.

Modern handleless kitchen with terracotta-toned waterfall island and garden doors open to the backyard

Plate II

Duplex · Crown Heights, Brooklyn

Crown Heights Duplex

Garden-Level Kitchen

Handleless flat-front cabinetry, a terracotta-toned solid-surface counter that wraps up into a continuous backsplash, waterfall island, and continuous LED toe-kick lighting. Garden doors open directly to the rear yard.

Mahogany upper cabinets and blue herringbone glass tile backsplash over a black stone counter

Plate III

Apartment · Upper West Side, Manhattan

Upper West Side Apartment

Full Renovation

Whole-apartment renovation. Mahogany kitchen with blue herringbone tile, marble bath, and a pale-maple circulation spine connecting the spaces.

High-rise dining room with round wood table, Wegner-style chairs, and floor-to-ceiling windows framing Central Park

Plate IV

High-Rise · Central Park South, Manhattan

Central Park South High-Rise

Foyer, Living + Master Bath

Foyer, living, and master bath inside a Central Park-facing high-rise unit. A dark column screen at the entry, floor-to-ceiling glass framing the park, and a full-marble master bath with deep black tub and park-view shutters.

Loft dining area with gallery wall, black-painted mezzanine stair, and exposed concrete ceiling

Plate V

Loft · Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn

Carroll Gardens Loft

Full Gut Renovation

Full gut of a small-footprint loft with mezzanine. Exposed concrete ceiling, wide-plank wood floors, and a black-painted stair connecting the two levels.

Medical office circulation with dark charcoal columns, herringbone oak floor, and green marble reception counter

Plate VI

Commercial · Park Avenue, Manhattan

Park Avenue Medical Office

Commercial Build-Out

Medical office build-out with waiting, reception, and patient rooms. Charcoal columns and herringbone oak floors frame a calm clinical circulation.

Section §05 · Colophon

An environmental scientist and a designer walk onto your job site.

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

Schedule a Free Home Diagnostic.

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.

Telephone (516) 510-4668 Correspondence william@proteus-design.com

Field Visit Request

Response within 24 hours · Brooklyn & surrounding areas