This townhouse dates back to 1880 and resides in a gritty, industrial area of East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. My intention with this gut renovation was to restore the original grace of this antique building. The floorplan was completely reworked to create a 4-bedroom, 3-bath residence. With a small footprint to work with, I relied heavily on inventiveness. I clad the small backyard in 12-foot-high sheetmetal to create a private outdoor courtyard, added larger windows wherever possible, built a roofdeck to create greater connection to the outdoors, and exposed ceiling joists to both increase ceiling height and add character.