How NYC Condo Finishes Changed Since 2010
Summary: Shopping for a new condo at around $1,000 to $1,300 a square foot? The kitchen will look a lot like one from a decade ago. What's changed is behind the walls: how the apartment is heated, how your dryer works, and whether there's gas at all. Here's what the offering plans say, and why it matters.
Heat Pumps Are the New Normal
The finishes you can see have barely changed since 2010. The systems you can't see have changed a lot, starting with heat.
| Electric or induction cooking | +37 pts |
|---|---|
| Heat pumps for heating and cooling | +29 pts |
| No gas service / all-electric | +28 pts |
| Ventless dryer | +13 pts |
| Quartz counters | +10 pts |
| Oak floors | +8 pts |
| Wide-plank floors | +2 pts |
| Marble counters or vanities | +1 pts |
| Granite counters | −1 pts |
| In-unit washer and dryer, or hookups | −4 pts |
| Through-the-wall units (PTAC) | −20 pts |
Change in the share of plans, in percentage points.
In the early 2010s, a new condo might be heated by a gas boiler, old-style baseboard radiators, or a through-the-wall unit like the ones in hotel rooms. Since 2019, 94% of the new condos at this price whose plans name a system use heat pumps (against 65% before), and through-the-wall units have fallen from 23% to 3%. Heat pumps are quiet split systems, often with a slim unit on the wall or ducted through the ceiling, that heat and cool from one system.
The catch: heat pumps run on electricity, so heating moves off the building's budget and onto your own electric bill. Lower common charges in a heat pump building don't necessarily mean lower total costs. More on that in why condo operating costs differ.
Love Cooking on Gas? Check First
All-electric buildings used to be rare. Of the plans filed through 2018 that name a cooking fuel, 6% had electric or induction cooking. Since 2019 it's 43%, and 32% of the newer plans (94 buildings) say outright that the building has no gas service or is all-electric. Huxley in East Harlem calls itself "all-electric," and Calvert House in Brooklyn has no gas line at all.
City climate laws are pushing this further. Local Law 97 limits building emissions, and Local Law 154 phases out gas stoves and boilers in new construction. Expect more all-electric buildings, not fewer.
Tip: if you want a gas range, confirm the building has gas service before you sign. In an all-electric building, you generally can't add it later.
Say Goodbye to the Dryer Vent
A washer and dryer in the apartment was already expected at this price in 2010. Plans filed in both periods include a washer and dryer, or at least the hookups, in nearly every building (100% and 96%). What's changed is the dryer. Older buildings often used conventional dryers vented to the outside. Since 2019, 65% of plans that say which kind specify a ventless dryer, either condensing or heat pump, up from 52% before, and some buildings require it. Vista 72 in Forest Hills, for example, comes with a Bosch heat pump dryer in every apartment.
Good to know: ventless dryers are gentler on clothes, and heat pump models save energy, but loads take longer.
Kitchens: Familiar, With a Few Tradeoffs
- Counters: quartz is now the most-named counter, in 36% of plans filed since 2019 against 15% for granite. Through 2018 the two were about even (26% quartz, 16% granite). Marble shows up in 9% of newer plans.
- Cabinets: a few buildings (1% of newer plans) use Italian lines like Scavolini or Pedini.
- Appliances: Bosch is the most common fridge or cooktop brand in both periods (33% of plans that name one through 2018, 22% since 2019), followed since 2019 by Frigidaire, GE, Bertazzoni, Blomberg and Samsung. Sub-Zero, Wolf or Miele appears in 10% of newer plans at this price, like 805 Ninth Avenue in Hell's Kitchen.
Tip: at this price, the cabinet construction and the type of stove tell you more about a kitchen than the appliance logo.
Floors and Windows
Oak is still the floor plans name most: 50% of plans filed since 2019 call for it, against 42% through 2018. A few newer buildings (4%) advertise triple-pane windows, and app-based intercoms and virtual doorman systems show up in 26% of newer plans, up from 14%.
| Offering plans at $1,000 to $1,300 a sq ft | Filed 2010–2018 | Filed 2019–2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Heat pumps for heating and cooling | 65% | 94% |
| Through-the-wall units (PTAC) | 23% | 3% |
| In-unit washer and dryer, or hookups | 100% | 96% |
| Ventless dryer | 52% | 65% |
| Electric or induction cooking | 6% | 43% |
| Quartz counters | 26% | 36% |
| Marble counters or vanities | 8% | 9% |
| Granite counters | 16% | 15% |
| Oak floors | 42% | 50% |
| Wide-plank floors | 0% | 2% |
| No gas service / all-electric | 4% | 32% |
Systems are shares of the plans with a recorded value (heating and cooling: 40 and 225 plans; cooking fuel: 47 and 241). Finishes are shares of the plans with searchable text (50 and 292) that name them.
How to Check What Your Apartment Comes With
- Read the "Description of Property" in the offering plan. It lists the heating system, fuel, appliances and finishes, often by model number.
- Search the plan for "gas." If the building has no gas service, the plan will say so.
- Check the laundry section to see whether a washer and dryer are included or just the hookups.
- Look for the substitution clause. Most plans let the developer swap in "equal or better" items. See what that means for bathrooms.
Read any building's plan on The Condo Book Project, or search "all-electric condos with no gas."
FAQ
What finishes come with a $1,000-$1,300 per square foot NYC condo?
Typically oak floors, quartz counters, a Bosch, Frigidaire or GE appliance package, an in-unit washer and (usually ventless) dryer or hookups for one, and heat pumps for heating and cooling.
Do new NYC condos still have gas stoves?
Fewer and fewer. 43% of the mid-priced condos filed since 2019 have electric or induction cooking, and city climate laws are phasing gas out of new buildings.
Why do new condos have ventless dryers?
They don't need a vent through the outside wall, which suits modern, energy-efficient buildings. They're gentler and heat pump models use less energy, but loads take longer.
Are condo finishes guaranteed?
Not exactly. Most offering plans let the developer substitute items of equal or better quality, so confirm anything important in your contract.
Which plans did you read?
We read the finish and equipment specifications in 342 NYC condo offering plans filed from 2010 to 2025, for buildings priced at $1,000 to $1,300 a square foot: 50 filed through 2018 and 292 since 2019, so the earlier figures rest on far fewer buildings. Updated October 2026.
Keep in mind that this price range was near the top of the market in 2010 and closer to the middle today.
How are finishes and prices counted?
Systems and appliance brands come from each plan's description of the apartments; finishes count when the plan text names them. Price per square foot is the recorded closing price where at least three homes have closed, otherwise the developer's offering price.
Related: The Appliance Brands NYC Condos Use · Do Marble Counters Cost More in NYC Condos?