When New York City couples on the house hunt find their perfect fit, they’ll go to impressive lengths to remain there — even if the addition of children makes it a tight squeeze.
Washington Heights residents Sarah and Peterson Almodovar have held on to Peterson’s 750-square-foot childhood home – and its stabilized rent – through 10 years of marriage and three children.
The creative pair have radically renovated the two-bedroom home over the years to accommodate their growing family, while chronicling their efforts online.
“We really believe that humans are adaptable and we need so much less than we think we need,” Sarah told the Daily Mail.
Peterson picked up woodworking and electrical wiring to customize the unit to their needs. Built-in lights were swapped for hanging fixtures and swinging doors were swapped for sliding ones.
Peterson even built a triple bunk bed in the second bedroom, and Sarah added open shelving and bright white paint to their cramped kitchen.
The need to “leave no trace,” as a renter can scare off some tenants from making improvements to their homes, but not these New Yorkers.
Ella Hall, a Brooklyn-based entrepreneur and mother of three, recently shared her small apartment set-up on TikTok. Hall said the two-bedroom, two-bathroom rental apartment has “evolved a lot over the years,” as her family has grown to five people and two dogs.
In addition to their own triple bunk bed, Hall increased her square footage by secreting away storage and using Ikea built-in “hacks.” She even built a fireplace and a coffee bar on either side of a kitchen column — all while remaining renter friendly.
Maren Droubay’s family of seven took a major leap when they decided to trade their six-bedroom suburban home for a three-bedroom apartment in family-friendly Park Slope, sight unseen.
Droubay told The Post that the family had to decreased their stuff “down to a quarter,” of what they owned in order to fit five kids into the smaller space, and their closets are still packed to the brim.
“Fitting clothing, toys and supplies for a family of 7 into this apartment took some adjustment to our lifestyle,” Droubay wrote in an email. “We now have to live minimally, and give away old toys every time we bring in new ones.”
FULL APARTMENT TOUR! This was the most requested video, by far! Let me know what you think! Could you live in a small 3 bedroom NYC apartment? #newyorkcity #brooklynmom #newyorkliving #citylife #newyorkcitylife
When living in New York City, practicality wins out. Rather than becoming the de-facto parents room, the largest of the bedrooms went to their three sons, where they installed a triple bunk bed with built-in storage drawers for toys and linens.
Despite the trade-offs of switching from the suburbs to the city, Droubay said her family “couldn’t be happier,” with the choice.
“The trade off of being able to live so close to so much culture, food, museums, and live in such a beautiful community has been 100% worth it,” Droubay wrote. “We don’t spend a lot of time in our apartment! We spend most of our time outside, exploring our beautiful city!”
