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These New Yorkers are not afraid of the basement.

Last year, 28-year-old project manager Caroline Caugliere and her 30-year-old bartender boyfriend Christian and their two cats Sterling and Cyrus rented an apartment under a seven-unit, four-story residential building in Prospect Heights.

The house they recently renovated lacked natural light, but made up for it with coveted facilities such as dishwashers, indoor washers/dryers, and large showers. The new landscape around the building facade increases privacy and blocks the flow of people.

“If it doesn’t provide amenities, I’m not sure if we would choose this apartment,” Caugliere said of the building, which ranges from US$2,000 per month for a one-bedroom to US$4,500 per month for a three-bedroom. . "But in the past year, our stay here really feels like a home!"

Although basement housing has long been the main content of affordable city life, its reputation is poor. They are reminiscent of crappy college crash pads — suggesting greasy pizza boxes, dirty socks, and smoke from pots — or the dangerous, windowless modern apartments occupied by crowded immigrant families.

According to published reports, in reality, it is estimated that as many as 50,000 basement apartments in the city currently live in more than 150,000 people.

However, no one can be sure how many New Yorkers live underground, townhouses, and apartment buildings. This is because, despite the government’s tepid supervision of basement units in recent years, these apartments remain largely unaccounted for and illegal. 

After record floods this fall inundated 11 New Yorkers in their illegal basement apartments and damaged thousands of homes, this policy failure was significantly alleviated.

I'm not sure if we would choose this apartment if it doesn't provide conveniences, but in the past year, our stay here really feels like a home! "

But with rents in New York City hitting record highs, legal and illegal basement units are more attractive than ever.  

According to data compiled by Miller Samuel/Douglas Elliman, as inflation jumped to its highest level since 1990, Manhattan’s median net effective rent rose 10.1% between July and October and 20% since January.

Brokers are now reporting a race to the bottom, and interest in these traditionally less attractive homes is high. 

Compass broker Isaac Rosenberg (Isaac Rosenberg) said that these prices alone are enough to push renters like Caugliere underground, but basement apartments also provide renters with an extra layer during the pandemic. privacy.

"The basement apartment minimizes contact with others," Rosenberg said. "A lot of people ignore basement apartments, but with the soaring house prices in New York and the increased creativity brought about by the use of space, they are actually hidden gems!"

Other unexpected benefits of cave dwellings are the deep window wells built into the wall as an extra surface, and a cooler and more constant temperature, which means less pressure on electricity bills. 

Caugliere sums up all of this in one word: "comfort".

For all these reasons, 39-year-old administrative assistant Michelle Lugo is currently looking specifically for basement apartments.

"People need to be creative where they live," she said. "A basement apartment is a more affordable option, especially because the market is both hot and expensive."

She is looking for a legal basement apartment that meets the strict regulations of the city.

In theory, a basement apartment requires windows, a ceiling of at least 7 feet, and the minimum room size required by the housing maintenance code. If the Ministry of Housing Protection and Development deems it necessary, the walls must also be as high as the ground and waterproof.

"A basement apartment is a more affordable option, especially because the market is both hot and expensive."

This is the first time Lugo is looking for a basement apartment, but she is enthusiastic about this possibility and is already planning her interior design, which she describes as "rustic and chic", using a lot of stainless steel and wood. She plans to buy a bookcase that suits the look and feel, patterned fabrics to make unique curtains and many lights to illuminate the potentially darker underground space.

"The basement apartment gives you a more private and comfortable feeling," Lugo said.

Interior designer Kevin Maberly-he designed the medical space and knows one or two things about cheering up monotonous boxes-recommends opening up a confined space by using lots of white or soft and bright colors , And at the same time increase the personality and painting of the walls by hanging valuables and pictures.

"You can definitely live a creative and aesthetic life in a basement apartment," he said. "If the rooms are small, make them comfortable and intimate. Try to use the entire wall to get the most advantage."

Caroline Solomon, a home organizer and stylist in New York City, said that mirrors are another classic technique that can help illuminate darker spaces and amplify any streamer.

"Consider placing floor-to-ceiling mirrors near the apartment windows in dimly lit corridors and narrow stairwells," she said. "This will immediately create the illusion of more space and light."

Lower ceiling means less storage space, so use light-colored trash bins to store items and use wall space, including installing floating bookshelves or floor-to-ceiling bookshelves" to create the illusion of higher ceilings. Just be careful not to put Each shelf is too full, because clutter will be enlarged in a dimly lit space," Solomon said.

"Consider placing floor-to-ceiling mirrors near the apartment windows in dimly lit corridors and narrow stairwells-this will immediately create the illusion of more space and light."

Caugliere has achieved many tricks to turn her basement apartment into a dream home.

“One of the major changes we just made was to block some of the walls of our main room with colors, so that our kitchen and living room have a little space and separation, because they are both one large room,” Caugliere said. "We also learned to install anything that can be installed on the wall to save floor space." In addition, they hung plants around the apartment to draw the eyes to the windows and the incoming natural light.

Solomon agreed that the greener the basement apartment, the better.

"Snakes, ivy, and saplings all thrive in dimly lit spaces and can purify the air because the air in the basement environment often becomes hot and stuffy," she said.

"Don't be afraid to accept the fact that you live in the basement," Caugliere said. "One reason we really like it is that it feels so comfortable!"