Photos by Hulya Kolabas & Catherine Tighe; This project entailed the complete renovation of a two-family row house in Carroll Gardens. The renovation required re-connecting the ground floor to the upper floors and developing a new landscape design for the garden in the rear. As natives of Brooklyn who loathed the darkness of traditional row houses, we were driven to infuse this space with abundant natural light and air by maintaining an open staircase. Only the front wall of the original building was retained because the existing structure would not have been able to support the additional floor that was planned. In addition to the third floor, we added 10 feet to the back of the building and renovated the garden floor to include a rental unit that would offset a costly New York mortgage. Abundant doors and windows in the rear of the structure permit light to illuminate the home and afford views into the garden, which is located on the south side of the site and benefits from copious quantities of sunlight.