News — Before

This is what Europeans-turned-New-Yorkers, Uldis and Serge, saw when they stepped into a loft in a 1929 industrial building in Manhattan’s Midtown East: soaring 12- to14-foot ceilings, floating steps to a steel and tempered glass mezzanine, and 10-foot windows overlooking a tree-lined courtyard. They were sold on the historic feel and open concept but a remodel was in order including a full kitchen installation, new lighting, and reworking the layout to fit a master bedroom. The first-time homeowners posted their project on Sweeten, a free service matching renovators with vetted general contractors, and found their Sweeten contractor. The space emerged with...

Condo owners Jill, a community college professor, and Cy, a non-profit executive, were crazy for their family’s Brooklyn life. But after years of apartment dwelling, they longed to give their daughters, Naomi, 12, and Camille, 6, the experience of living in a house all their own. They found it in the Clinton Hill neighborhood—a 1,920-square-foot brick townhouse. Built in 1899, the home was sorely in need of systems updates, but the couple posted the job on Sweeten, a service that matches renovators with vetted general contractors. They looked to Sweeten to find the right contractor who would realize their townhouse...